Just recently upped my calories and I'm freaking OUT

finshstrong

Hi. a friend of mine on mFP sent me over to this group.

I am someone who lost weight on 1200 calories for the last, almost four months now. I los 29 pounds.

I have found lately though my metabolism is slowing down and I am genuinely hungry over and above my 1200 calories... I did my tdee and it gave me an unbelievable and I mean, unbelievable number 2375 just t sustain... come on!!! so I thought I'd do 1700 I got up to 1500 that day and then nearly had a panic attack thinking Id gain back weight I worked so hard to lose.

Now I am at 1400 and exercise vigorously so I always have calories left over in abundance to eat and sometimes - well the last two days - I have eaten in the 1550 range or taken that in... when you look at the exercise + food intake it's much lower but still... I'm hoping I will still lose weight. I like eating more. It feels good and even right. BUT I want to conintue to LOSE weight.

I hope I'm doing the right thing and the reason I say this is because of the rediculously high number of calories my TDEE gave me... come on! so... i'm kinda skeptical but I am trying it anyway and praying I don't gain and actually lose.

Jus sayin....

JasonKoverman

You really should read the stickies. If you ate low calorie for that long and you finally increase to what you should be eating (and yes you should do a reset and eat those 2300 calories per day for a while) then you are bound to gain some pounds back as your body in adjusting to the increased calories. You have basically trained your body that it only needs 1200 calories to function, and now you must re-train it. The weight gain wont necessarily be fat gain, it will mostly be water retention and glycogen increasing in your muscles, with some increase of food in your system from the extra food you are eating. Try not to freak out. I am finishing my reset now and I did gain about 6 pounds, but have maintained the same weight now for about 5 weeks and even lost a bit. At the end of January I will start a more healthy cut and it will work better in the end. The same will work for you too. Good luck.

matawna

I'm right there with you! - I lost 36 lbs and that stopped december 19th - so.... I am trying to eat more to see if that works... It doesn't feel right to me yet - I feel like I'm eating way too much - but I'm trying it to see if it makes a difference!

Feel free to add me if you like.

holleysings

Your numbers aren't ridiculous at all. My TDEE is 3000 calories, so I eat anywhere from 2600-3500 calories a day. I'm 5'5" 210lbs and 31% body fat. You need to end the vicious cycle of over exercising and under eating! Start eating more. And stop exercising so much! Your body is trying to tell you that something is not working right. Give it a chance to get used to more food. :flowerforyou:

heybales

I have found lately though my metabolism is slowing down and I am genuinely hungry over and above my 1200 calories... I did my tdee and it gave me an unbelievable and I mean, unbelievable number 2375 just t sustain... come on!!!

What exactly do you have to compare to to have any idea if that 2375 is high or low?

The 1200 you were eating at before? And that was correct because ..... your choices and a formula told you?

What were you eating at that got you into trouble? Any idea at all? Were you exercising then?

Compare 2375 to that number. Now does it seem high?

norcal_yogi

bump

HeidiHoMom

Freaking out won't do anything.

There is science behind those numbers.

They are not arbitrary.

tameejean

Bump

mareeee1234

I KNOW its scary, but you have to trust it !!

I went from 1200/1300..to 1750, and now 1900!! I'm only 1 week into eating more to lose weight!! I need to reset my metabolism! But I will go back to 1750 eventually

I'm also quitting my 6/7 days a week cardio, and doing Stronglifts instead - Mega change for me!!

It is freaky, but 1200 wasn't working for me anymore, and I'm sure this will!

We have to be patient and wait 4-6 weeks for result, and get through the temporary gain that will eventually go

deevatude

i upped my calories and never gained.

youll eventually get through it, its all mental

s50s

bump

finshstrong

I am unaware of what "bump" means in relation to these posts. just saying....

thank you so much everyone for chiming in...

I have gained FOUR POUNDS in one week, to say I AM FREAKING OUT, would be an accurate statement. to say it discourages me, disappoints me and really makes me want to go back is a very true statement. In fact, my trainer actually told me to go back to 1200.. idk, four pounds in oNE WEEK, crazzzy gain.

I hope that eventually I can get to the point where I am not scared of food anymore and don't see it as my enemy and just look at it as fuel. too, to be able to enjoy occassionally on my husband and my date night at a restaurant is sometrhing I'm looking at... just don't always want to look at food and see calories anymore. I never used to be like this... even after I had my children and I lost the weight quickly.

In any event, really appreciate all of your imput it is very encouraging and I will be going for it... soon.

Kindest regards... and I'll be back to see what you think about thsi huge gain.

Gabbie0214

Yes your body and your brain will FREAK out eating at your full TDEE. If you gain when you eat over 1200 calories, then you NEED a full metabolism reset. At your weight you should be able to MAINTAIN your weight at 2300-2400 calories. If you follow the reset to the T, then you will eventually, sl--o---o---w--ly get to where your weight will even out and your body will stop freaking out and you will be able to eat all those calories and NOT GAIN WEIGHT. I just finished an 8 week metabolism reset and yes, I have gained about 12 lbs, but I am now eating 2200 a day and I haven't gained any weight in about 4 weeks. I have also STOPPED the cardio exercise and have been lifting weights 3 days a week. I started the New Rules for Lifting for Women program about 3 weeks ago and I am LOVING IT!! So in short, here is what I would say to you.... Drop your trainer, anybody who tells you it is OK to eat below your BMR should be hit in the head with a hammer. Your BMR is how many calories you need for your body to function properly. I ate at 1200 for about 3 years and I lost weight, yes, but I eventually started maintaining at 1200. I was tired all the time, depressed, slept poorly, and just felt terrible. PLEASE read through all of Kiki and Lucia's posts, they are living proof that this program works, Hell, this is how your body was designed to work. It is going to take a full metabolism reset for your body wiht 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. You will also need a brain shift, to accept the fact that the number on the scale really doesnt mean a thing. You will find that you feel better than you have in a looooooong time once your body and your brain stops freaking out. But then again, if you want to starve yourself and beat your body up doing endless hours of cardio its totally up to you. I say this all out of love, because I was where you are 2 months ago and I could never ever ever imagine going back there. Please friend request me, I can help you through the hard parts of the reset.

ladyace2078

I have gone from a size 14 to a size 6 by eating 2500-2700 calories a day. I also have exercised very hard during that time. Compared to before where I was eating probably 4000 calories a day easily and not exercising at all. I cannot imagine the misery that comes with 1200 cal/day.

For you to have gained 4 true lbs in a week you would have to have eaten an extra 2000 calories a day ABOVE your maintenance TDEE of 2300-2400. Did you in fact eat over 4000 calories a day every day for the last week? If not, then stop worrying about the temporary number on the scale.

If you say that the 1200 cal/day isn't working for you anymore, then why not try something new for at least as long as you did the 1200 cal/day?

Gapwedge01

I am unaware of what "bump" means in relation to these posts. just saying....

thank you so much everyone for chiming in...

I have gained FOUR POUNDS in one week, to say I AM FREAKING OUT, would be an accurate statement. to say it discourages me, disappoints me and really makes me want to go back is a very true statement. In fact, my trainer actually told me to go back to 1200.. idk, four pounds in oNE WEEK, crazzzy gain.

I hope that eventually I can get to the point where I am not scared of food anymore and don't see it as my enemy and just look at it as fuel. too, to be able to enjoy occassionally on my husband and my date night at a restaurant is sometrhing I'm looking at... just don't always want to look at food and see calories anymore. I never used to be like this... even after I had my children and I lost the weight quickly.

In any event, really appreciate all of your imput it is very encouraging and I will be going for it... soon.

Kindest regards... and I'll be back to see what you think about thsi huge gain.

BUMP means it brings the post back to the top to keep it from getting eventually lost on page 2 and beyond.

Also, a 4 pound gain in a week is hardly possible from overeating. It is water gain and that is temporary. Give this time to work.

Greenrun99

Now I am at 1400 and exercise vigorously so I always have calories left over in abundance to eat and sometimes - well the last two days - I have eaten in the 1550 range or taken that in... when you look at the exercise + food intake it's much lower but still... I'm hoping I will still lose weight. I like eating more. It feels good and even right. BUT I want to conintue to LOSE weight.

So I know your trying, but your still underrating by a ton.. you are probably also underestimating your activity level.. you are going to see weight gain in the first few weeks due to your low calorie eating.. need to increase calories slowly until your at your correct eating level for your activity (100-200 calories every week/2 weeks). This will help reduce any huge jumps in weight (maybe).

Its great you lost 30 lbs, but most of that was probably more muscle than fat, and you may have a goal weight but when you start losing muscle that number keeps getting further away (especially if you are just doing cardio)...

I know everyone wants quick results, to wake up and have the perfect body.. unfortunately thats not how it works.. it takes months or even years to get what you want.. cutting corners just adds more time.

JessicaRobin67

I really needed this post... fighting this as well.