upping calories?

rylovesty23

Since I started MFP a month ago I keep seeing people saying that calories need to be increased, and once they are increased - that their weight starts coming off faster.
I was curious why this is? What your experience with this transition is, how much did you increase.... do you eat even when you arent hungry simply to increase your calories?

thank you!

freelancejouster

To lose weight effectively, your body needs more calories than your BMR and more than your TDEE (the amount you use daily). Over your TDEE you will maintain or gain, under your BMR, your body will start starving and hold on to everything you give it. Eating under BMR for long enough can cause medical complications.

I eat at 1600ish cals a day and lose weight at about a half pound to a pound a week like clockwork. I sometimes eat when I'm not hungry to supplement calories, but only on days when I've had to skip lunch or breakfast, screwing up by calorie budgets. If you eat throughout the day, not just in 3 meals, its easier to fit them all in.

lizzyb83

To lose weight effectively, your body needs more calories than your BMR and more than your TDEE (the amount you use daily). Over your TDEE you will maintain or gain, under your BMR, your body will start starving and hold on to everything you give it. Eating under BMR for long enough can cause medical complications.

I eat at 1600ish cals a day and lose weight at about a half pound to a pound a week like clockwork. I sometimes eat when I'm not hungry to supplement calories, but only on days when I've had to skip lunch or breakfast, screwing up by calorie budgets. If you eat throughout the day, not just in 3 meals, its easier to fit them all in.

Yup, all that!

I try not to eat when I am not hungry, but I keep eat meal/snack around 300 calories, so that way I am almost always hungry after about 3 hours

freelancejouster

Oh, the one thing I forgot to mention is that 1600 is probably not the right number for you, though it might be. You will have to find your own BMR and TDEE to find the perfect calorie amount for you. Most people recommend TDEE - 20%. All this information can be found by going through the "scooby bmr calculator" (just google it) and it even gives you an example of a sample meal!

AmyRhubarb

This thread explains it well: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

I started eating according to the info there about a year ago and have had the best success with fat/weight loss since then.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

To lose weight effectively, your body needs more calories than your BMR and more than your TDEE (the amount you use daily). Over your TDEE you will maintain or gain, under your BMR, your body will start starving and hold on to everything you give it. Eating under BMR for long enough can cause medical complications.

I eat at 1600ish cals a day and lose weight at about a half pound to a pound a week like clockwork. I sometimes eat when I'm not hungry to supplement calories, but only on days when I've had to skip lunch or breakfast, screwing up by calorie budgets. If you eat throughout the day, not just in 3 meals, its easier to fit them all in.

Everything here is correct except the first sentence that says "...more than your TDEE." It should be less than your TDEE because the next sentence is correct: if you eat above TDEE you will gain.

DoxieLove10612

I have increased mine as I have been eating pretty ridiculously low for a very long time. I have gained a little weight but supposedly this is your body adjusting to the amount of food. Like weeeeee she is giving us some energy and not starving us to death lets celebrate! I will say, although I have gained some weight, I feel so much better. I am not lethargic and taking naps anymore. Also, I am actually hungry now! Before I was eating about 1200 calories and couldn't have imagined eating more because I was just fine. Now I eat 2500 or so depending on what my BodyMedia says I have burned. I just ate two hours ago and am famished so on to breakfast #2!!!

Definitely eat what you are really supposed to and not creating such a deficit to lose more quickly. I did that for a month and did not lose one single ounce. Good luck!

bethFromDayton

Most people recommend TDEE - 20%. All this information can be found by going through the "scooby bmr calculator" (just google it) and it even gives you an example of a sample meal!

You might want to keep in mind that "most people" in this case means "most people on MFP". Searching for other sources that recommend 20% under TDEE did not yield any results for me. I haven't not seen this recommendation at 'reliable' medical sites. For that matter, I couldn't find any references that indicate that one should not eat under their BMR.

You will lose weight at TDEE - 20%; after all, you'll be taking in less than you're using. But it is one recommendation, and not one that is universally proposed.

kellyw036

I just went through all of this information and did some of my own research....OMG I HAVE TO EAT MORE!!!!

DoxieLove10612

Most people recommend TDEE - 20%. All this information can be found by going through the "scooby bmr calculator" (just google it) and it even gives you an example of a sample meal!

You might want to keep in mind that "most people" in this case means "most people on MFP".

^^^This. I am doing 15% myself because it is closer to 500 calories (approx. 465) whereas 20% is 620 calories

Sidneeshea

With myfitnesspal it is easy to "eat your exercise calories" because it tells you how much you have burned. You need to keep your overall totals for the day around that mark and NOT LESS! Just remember, "It takes calories to burn calories!" Also, remember to eat GOOD calories (mostly protein and a few carbs)--not JUNK!

It makes me crazy when people think if they eat less, they will lose weight!

buffybabe

I calculated mine and to eat my TDEE - 20% would be 1375. Damn I was hoping for more

AmyRhubarb

I just went through all of this information and did some of my own research....OMG I HAVE TO EAT MORE!!!!

I think I read that topic about 10 times before I was able to even begin to wrap my head around the concept. But there are SO many here following it and doing so well, coupled with the fact that what I was doing wasn't working (1200 - even 1400 wasn't enough, hard to stick to, and not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life!), so I ran my numbers (probably 5 or 6 times to be sure), upped my cals, and I've never looked back.

Lovett123

I just calculated my numbers and got that I'd have to be eating around 1900 at TDEE - 20% I don't know if that's even right but it's scary when I think I struggle to hit a net of 1500 on workout days!

freelancejouster

I just calculated my numbers and got that I'd have to be eating around 1900 at TDEE - 20% I don't know if that's even right but it's scary when I think I struggle to hit a net of 1500 on workout days!

I would suggest to start upping slowing. Shoot for a net of 1650 for a few weeks or months and then if you're still having problems losing weight or it stops working, up again by 150 to 250 cals. From what I've encountered (I'm by no means an expert) your body seems to not have as large of an adjustment period when upping slowly.

When you start eating more throughout the day, your body starts to want more throughout the day as well. Don't eat when you're not hungry, but do snack throughout the day.

auddii

Oh, the one thing I forgot to mention is that 1600 is probably not the right number for you, though it might be. You will have to find your own BMR and TDEE to find the perfect calorie amount for you. Most people recommend TDEE - 20%. All this information can be found by going through the "scooby bmr calculator" (just google it) and it even gives you an example of a sample meal!

This. You can't tell everyone that they're not eating enough because some people might be or some people might be eating too much. You have to base the numbers on your own stats and activity levels. The biggest problems seem to be with everyone's weight loss goals. They all want the weight off yesterday, so everyone selects a weight loss goal of 2 pounds per week. However, unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, that isn't reasonable. Once you pick a realistic goal, you realize you can eat more food, you're less likely to binge or "fall off the wagon" because there just isn't a wagon anymore. I happen to be able to eat 1900 calories and still lose between 1-2 pounds a week. That's a lot of food, and it isn't difficult for me to stick to. And I'm going out for sliders tonight. :laugh:

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I calculated mine and to eat my TDEE - 20% would be 1375. Damn I was hoping for more

If you only have 12 pounds to lose, try TDEE - 10%.

-20% is too big of a deficit for a small amount of weight to lose...or so I've read

auddii

I just calculated my numbers and got that I'd have to be eating around 1900 at TDEE - 20% I don't know if that's even right but it's scary when I think I struggle to hit a net of 1500 on workout days!

If you're doing TDEE method you should be including exercise in your activity level, which means you don't log your exercise (or log it as one calorie burned) and you don't eat back your exercise calories. So netting 1500 on workout days probably won't be all that far from 1900 calories. Could be as easy as eating an serving of nuts or a slice of cheese.

Lovett123

I just calculated my numbers and got that I'd have to be eating around 1900 at TDEE - 20% I don't know if that's even right but it's scary when I think I struggle to hit a net of 1500 on workout days!

I would suggest to start upping slowing. Shoot for a net of 1650 for a few weeks or months and then if you're still having problems losing weight or it stops working, up again by 150 to 250 cals. From what I've encountered (I'm by no means an expert) your body seems to not have as large of an adjustment period when upping slowly.

When you start eating more throughout the day, your body starts to want more throughout the day as well. Don't eat when you're not hungry, but do snack throughout the day.

Thanks, I'll try doing it in steps and hopefully shift this plateau!

buffybabe

I calculated mine and to eat my TDEE - 20% would be 1375. Damn I was hoping for more

If you only have 12 pounds to lose, try TDEE - 10%.

-20% is too big of a deficit for a small amount of weight to lose...or so I've read

Thanks!

MdotSole

This thread explains it well: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

I started eating according to the info there about a year ago and have had the best success with fat/weight loss since then.

Wow, that article is awesome! Alot of info to digest, considering it's exactly the opposite of traditional weight loss tactics (ei: eat less=lose weight). Makes alot of sense though. I'm going to invest some time into this and see how it works out.

Thanks for sharing the link!!!

kellyw036

I just went through all of this information and did some of my own research....OMG I HAVE TO EAT MORE!!!!

I think I read that topic about 10 times before I was able to even begin to wrap my head around the concept. But there are SO many here following it and doing so well, coupled with the fact that what I was doing wasn't working (1200 - even 1400 wasn't enough, hard to stick to, and not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life!), so I ran my numbers (probably 5 or 6 times to be sure), upped my cals, and I've never looked back.

I want to run my numbers 20+ times, then have someone else run them 5-6 times! According to what I'm seeing, I need to eat almost 500 more calories a day. THAT SCARES ME! But I'm very intrigued.

lindsayjukua

BUMP