Trying to eat more, but how much??

tsta1350

Hi all,

After plateauing for a couple months and doing some research I have decided to start eating more.

For the past four months I have been eating 1200 calories (pretty consistently). While at first I started loosing weight, I am noticing that my progress has stalled. I am not new to myfitpal and yoyo dieting. I lost weight last year (although not as much as I wanted to as I also hit a plateau then) but then went on holiday, sprained my ankle and gained it all back again. So I started here again in August this year. While I’m very accustomed now to eating this much I don’t want to damage my metabolism any more and would love to find a weight loss solution which is sustainable for the long haul. Thus, I am going to start eating more! I have enjoyed reading through these forums and just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on how much I should be eating and whether I need to do this ‘reset’ thing, or if I can just start eating at a smaller deficit (TDEG). Here is my info:

Current Weight: 67kgs (150ibs)
Goal Weight: 60kgs (130 ibs)
Height: 169cm (5.6 ft)
BMR: 1465
TDEE: 1831
TDEG: 1596
(I calculated this at sedentary as I have a desk job, and figure my workouts 3-4 times a week I will just account for and eat back)
Questions:

1. So I am basically just wondering if I am doing the right thing by aiming to eat 1596 (plus workout calories) a day? It does seem like a lot and I’m struggling to eat it but I know that I must have been eating this much (and more) for me to get out of shape in the first place, and that the fact I am struggling to eat it is an indication I have damaged my metabolism.

OR

2. Should I start by eating 1831 (plus workout) in order to reset my metabolism first? Is this something I have to do considering my eating history? If I have to reset how long for? Or will I be ok to just start by eating at the smaller deficit at 1596 (and not eating below my BMR)?

Appreciate your help!!

nicolewood415

I have been in the same boat - I've been at a plateau for a while and recently increased my calories from around 1200. I used the information from this MFP post to help myself make sense of how much I should be eating.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

What I do now is eat a 20% cal deficit from my TDEE. I calculated mine at lightly active, although I have a desk job I work out on average 2-3 times a week. My TDEE is 1953, so I eat 1562 a day. I'm not sure yet if this is working for me yet, but I haven't gained so that must be a good thing. Hope this helps a little!

tsta1350

Thanks ndewoskin! Yeah that does make me feel better.

I have heard so much about this being the thing to do, but just wanted to know what everyone elses experience has been with this.. I just feel so wierd actually forcing myself to eat more (in order to loose weight?!) Goes against my beliefs about how you go about loosing weight.

mrpink84

I have just started the IPOARM as well and have increased my calorie intake from 1200~ to 1400-1500~. If you search the link itself in the forums you'll find a bunch of posts with people recommending it because it worked for them and I've only seen 1 or 2 posts that said otherwise and I don't believe they tried it for more than a few days. It seems to be working for a lot of people so I'm going to try this for a few weeks then dive into Keto as a last hope if this doesn't create some weight loss. If you guys want to add me go for it I'd like to keep up on how it is working for you as well. Good luck!

JudyAngelman

I am also going to up my calories as I have been on a stall since the first of November. I have lost approx 60 lbs since Jan 2012 at 1250 calories and exercising. I have read the boards here and figured my BMR is 1707 and my TDEE is 1943 and if I take off 20% then I am down to 1554 calories a day. This does seem high but I am going to try and stick around 1400 a day and see what happens. I figured I would add a healthy protein drink during the day if I am low with whey and fresh veggies and almond milk. Something has to give I still have another 20-25 lbs to lose.

DebbieLyn63

I am curious about this as well. I have heard so many people say that it works, but I haven't been able to find any actual success stories of people who have actually lost more than a few pounds using this method. All the posts I see, are people who have just started trying it, but haven't seen any results yet, or people who are MAINTAINING their weight, after having lost it with a much higher deficit.

I would really like to hear from people who have lost over 20 pounds in a reasonable amount of time, actually eating at only a 10-15% deficit from their TDEE. I have looked thru threads and the group site, and still can't find any. In theory, it should eventually work, but I really would like to see that it works in practice as well.

Please note that I have made this request in a respectful and sincere way, so no need for anyone to reply with nasty or abusive remarks.

BurtHuttz

I am also going to up my calories as I have been on a stall since the first of November. I have lost approx 60 lbs since Jan 2012 at 1250 calories and exercising. I have read the boards here and figured my BMR is 1707 and my TDEE is 1943 and if I take off 20% then I am down to 1554 calories a day. This does seem high but I am going to try and stick around 1400 a day and see what happens. I figured I would add a healthy protein drink during the day if I am low with whey and fresh veggies and almond milk. Something has to give I still have another 20-25 lbs to lose.

Below your BMR is low. Perhaps you could try to stick it at 1707? Just give that a try for a month and see how you feel physically. You will definitely not gain weight nor lose any progress but your body would be happier if it were functioning on enough calories to optimally circulate blood, process toxins, perspire, breath, etc.

BurtHuttz

I would really like to hear from people who have lost over 20 pounds in a reasonable amount of time, actually eating at only a 10-15% deficit from their TDEE. I have looked thru threads and the group site, and still can't find any. In theory, it should eventually work, but I really would like to see that it works in practice as well.

Me. My wife.

DebbieLyn63

I would really like to hear from people who have lost over 20 pounds in a reasonable amount of time, actually eating at only a 10-15% deficit from their TDEE. I have looked thru threads and the group site, and still can't find any. In theory, it should eventually work, but I really would like to see that it works in practice as well.

Me. My wife.

So could you tell me what your starting weights were, what percentage below your TDEE you targeted, how many pounds you lost, and how long it took to lose it? Your height and ages would be helpful as well as what your exercise regime was. Thanks.

ETA I see your profile before and after pics, and you look great, BTW. Congrats.

BurtHuttz

I started at about 207 but got serious at 203, and in less than a year lost roughly 40 pounds. More importantly was the body fat, my bf % went down about 20%. Ate first I ate roughly 30% less than my TDEE, around 1700 cals, but was constantly hungry, lethargic, felt cold. I could tell that I wasn't eating enough so I did some research on reasonable deficits and landed at around 15 - 20% less than TDEE, around 2200, 2300 cals. After than I was not hungry, cold, or lethargic and the pounds started ticking downward like clockwork. I hit a plateau or two and shook it off by adding/changing exercise, and zig-zagging calories.

I'm a 5'10" male aged 33 and my wife is a similar-aged 5'9". I don't want to go too much into her specifics but her situation is a little unique as she has been breastfeeding the last year. She has been eating about 3,000 - 3,500 calories per day and losing so the information is useless for others.

I think you will find that almost every success story here revolves around eating a reasonable intake. Starving leads to binging in lots of people.

DebbieLyn63

I started at about 207 but got serious at 203, and in less than a year lost roughly 40 pounds. More importantly was the body fat, my bf % went down about 20%. Ate first I ate roughly 30% less than my TDEE, around 1700 cals, but was constantly hungry, lethargic, felt cold. I could tell that I wasn't eating enough so I did some research on reasonable deficits and landed at around 15 - 20% less than TDEE, around 2200, 2300 cals. After than I was not hungry, cold, or lethargic and the pounds started ticking downward like clockwork. I hit a plateau or two and shook it off by adding/changing exercise, and zig-zagging calories.

I'm a 5'10" male aged 33 and my wife is a similar-aged 5'9". I don't want to go too much into her specifics but her situation is a little unique as she has been breastfeeding the last year. She has been eating about 3,000 - 3,500 calories per day and losing so the information is useless for others.

I think you will find that almost every success story here revolves around eating a reasonable intake. Starving leads to binging in lots of people.

I certainly don't support the starvation route. The secret is defining what a reasonable intake is for each individual. Yes, breastfeeding throws the curve off for other women, so your wife is not a typical case, as you said.
In your case, is your base BMR a little over 1700? And are you classed at a moderate level of activity, 3-5 days, for a TDEE of around 2600 or so? I assume that you are lifting weights. How many days do you lift, and if you also do cardio, what type and how often do you do that?

And thanks for answering my questions. It helps me to understand better what is working for various people.

mfpseven

I lose a pound a week at 30-35% my TDEE (calculated at 2294)

DebbieLyn63

Hi all,

After plateauing for a couple months and doing some research I have decided to start eating more.

For the past four months I have been eating 1200 calories (pretty consistently). While at first I started loosing weight, I am noticing that my progress has stalled. I am not new to myfitpal and yoyo dieting. I lost weight last year (although not as much as I wanted to as I also hit a plateau then) but then went on holiday, sprained my ankle and gained it all back again. So I started here again in August this year. While I’m very accustomed now to eating this much I don’t want to damage my metabolism any more and would love to find a weight loss solution which is sustainable for the long haul. Thus, I am going to start eating more! I have enjoyed reading through these forums and just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on how much I should be eating and whether I need to do this ‘reset’ thing, or if I can just start eating at a smaller deficit (TDEG). Here is my info:

Current Weight: 67kgs (150ibs)
Goal Weight: 60kgs (130 ibs)
Height: 169cm (5.6 ft)
BMR: 1465
TDEE: 1831
TDEG: 1596
(I calculated this at sedentary as I have a desk job, and figure my workouts 3-4 times a week I will just account for and eat back)
Questions:

1. So I am basically just wondering if I am doing the right thing by aiming to eat 1596 (plus workout calories) a day? It does seem like a lot and I’m struggling to eat it but I know that I must have been eating this much (and more) for me to get out of shape in the first place, and that the fact I am struggling to eat it is an indication I have damaged my metabolism.

OR

2. Should I start by eating 1831 (plus workout) in order to reset my metabolism first? Is this something I have to do considering my eating history? If I have to reset how long for? Or will I be ok to just start by eating at the smaller deficit at 1596 (and not eating below my BMR)?

Appreciate your help!!

Have you been eating 1200 calories PLUS your exercise cals up til now? Or strictly staying at 1200 without the extra?

DebbieLyn63

Thanks ndewoskin! Yeah that does make me feel better.

I have heard so much about this being the thing to do, but just wanted to know what everyone elses experience has been with this.. I just feel so wierd actually forcing myself to eat more (in order to loose weight?!) Goes against my beliefs about how you go about loosing weight.

Since you are already in the healthy weight range for your height, then you probably do need to eat at a lower deficit than someone who has a lot more to lose. I would start concentrating more on body composition at this point, and finding a good maintenance level that you can stick with for the long term, so you won't regain the weight again.

I have heard a lot of people have good results with zigzagging calories to get past plateaus.

DebbieLyn63

I lose a pound a week at 30-35% my TDEE (calculated at 2294)

And you are looking quite cute in your skinny jeans these days!

tsta1350

Thanks again for all the insights!

DebbieLyn63 - I was usually eating back most of my excercise calories, so making sure my gross was ALWAYS above 1200, but if I'm honest I wasn't always netting over 1200 as somedays I would struggle to eat that much.. But I would then mostly always eat over my calorie allowance on weekends (when I would relax a bit!) So my average weekly intake usually sat at 1200 a day if not over this amount.

Yes, I think you are right, that since I don't have loads to loose I need to take a different approach with my eating and focus more body composition. I am trying to measure my progress more with my body shape and measurements etc. I have definitely noticed an improvement in how I look in clothes since I started in August, but still have a bit to go before I feel happy in a bikini! I am also thinking that once I loose these love handels I will try not to fixate on my weight. It should be about how I feel and look not a number on a scale after all. I guess I just remember that the last time I felt good in myself I was about early 60s on the scale so I feel like I need to reach that to feel good! I am trying to break out of this mentality!