It's official... I'm TERRIFIED

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FitBlackChick
FitBlackChick Posts: 215 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know this topic must be getting old, but here's the thing: I want to lose these 20 lbs quite badly, and I have a feeling that the reason I haven't made much progress over these last 4.5 months is I have not been eating enough.

BUT I am terrified t up my calories!

I don't mind upping them by 100 or 200. But I recently discovered that that I had been consistently netting at least 100 cals below my BMR ever since I started MFP about 4 months ago, except on a rare few days when I ate a little more than I planned to (like maybe 300-500 cals more). I've heard about a metabolism reset phase where you need to be eating at your TDEE for a few weeks and the reduce. For me that would mean eating up to 600 calories extra a day! I workout twice a day 6 days a week. I do 40 mins circuit training in the morning (I find it pretty intense, it leaves me breathless and covered in sweat) and strength training (turbo sculpt with 8 lb weights) in the evenings. That means over 1 hour of exercise 6 days a week but I still think I'm pretty sedentary since the rest of the day I mostly sit down at at home at my desk. I feel like 600 calories up would be insane! Does anyone have any suggestions/words of encouragement/success stories (with regard to upping cals) etc? I need all the help I can get please

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  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Increase it by 100-200 every week
  • FitBlackChick
    FitBlackChick Posts: 215 Member
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    Increase it by 100-200 every week

    Would I do that until I reach TDEE and then stay there for a while before reducing again?
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Increase it by 100-200 every week

    Would I do that until I reach TDEE and then stay there for a while before reducing again?

    I think that's how it works. Eating below BMR for 4 months is pretty taxing on your body so you're going to have to snap out of it, no matter how long it takes, and if you gain some in the meantime, who cares? You'll lose it again, and then some.
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
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    I agree, I think the best approach is to up it by 100-200 each week until you hit your target number and then start the reset for however long you intend to before decreasing again. I'd also recommend decreasing by no more than 20% below your TDEE. Have you checked out the Eat More to Weigh Less group? There is a lot of good information there.
  • ijavagypsy
    ijavagypsy Posts: 109
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    Lots of good advisement here. I don't know enough about the subject (my last exercise physiology course was in the '80's lol!) but I'm definityely here for moral support! You've done a great job so far!

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