Calorie increase freakout

catpea33

Has anyone here ever freaked out about increasing their calories? I've been eating 1700 calories for a while and my weight is stuck at 138lb and has been for months and months now. I initially thought it was just a plateau but now I'm wondering if it's more serious and I put my body into starvation mode by mistake. I was eating those calories at 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat (my goal is to decrease body fat and increase muscle %).

I'm 29, 5'5", 138lb and I work out with Les Mills Pump three times a week and I run about twice a week (that varies depending on the snow fall up here, I usually run between 3.5 - 6km each time). In addition I go for frequent walks and I pole dance (badly!) Do you think 1700 calories was too low? I'm thinking about eating 2100 calories (or maybe higher) at 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat. I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm doing the right thing by trialling 2100 calories and that I won't get fat as a result!

Cat

TavistockToad

do you eat or NET 1700?

i am 5ft5 and 130lbs and i currently net 1800 doing insanity, and i am losing a little bodyfat.

catpea33

I eat 1700.

TavistockToad

I eat 1700.

Then try net 1700 for 6 weeks and see how you get on

Elias1877

I was eating those calories at 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat (my goal is to decrease body fat and increase muscle %).



Cat

Don't bother with ratios, as long as you get .4g of fat per lb of body weight, and .4g protein per lb of lean body mass you can fill the rest of your calories with whatever macro you choose.

catpea33

Thanks Tavistock Toad, I'll try the 1700 net!

Tysonlovesweights

if you have been following the same workout routine and eating habits for quite a while, changing it up a bit is a good thing. Our bodies tend to be able to adapt to circumstances fairly rapidly, and tend towards regulating things at whatever level we are on. change up your eating, or your workouts in a conscious way and you will most likely see results (although I obviously can't guarantee it\)

brent_woods

The stats you have given (Female Age 29, 5'5", 138 lbs) put your BMI at 23, which is within the normal range. You may also be losing fat, but gaining muscle mass by exercising. If you're still concerned, I would suggest getting a doctor's opinion on whether you really need to lose any more weight.

cwolfman13

Couple things...you're already at a healthy weight. When you're at a healthy weight, your body is very reluctant to go any further. In my experience, this is where your exercise can really make a difference, even more so than a calorie deficit. If you'e doing a lot of steady state cardio, you're going to have to have to change that up. More importantly, you're going to need to add some resistance training to your routine...resistance training is the only thing that is really going to change our body composition and get you the look that you desire. Lean body mass burns calories and burns more calories throughout the day (not just when you're exercising) than any one single session of cardio.

If I was in your shoes, I'd actually go and eat at maintenance for about 8 weeks or so (diet break) while simultaneously adding 3x weekly of strength training (see Starting Strength and/or New Rules of Lifting For Women). In 8-12 weeks, do a very small calorie cut to give yourself a deficit to lose maybe 1/2 Lb per week and keep on with the lifting...drop a bit of body fat and get that nice lean and toned look.

FYI, body comp work takes a lot o patience but is totally worth it and it is the only way you're going to get that lean and toned look...no amount of dieting and cardio are going to do it.

catpea33

Thanks for all the additional advice. I realise my BMI and body fat % puts me at being healthy but I'd rather be at the lower end of healthy than towards the higher end. I'm already doing resistance work 2-3 x a week with weights. In addition pole fitness is a lot of body weight resistance work and I do that for about an hour or two during the week depending on my other activities. I'm going to be increasing my calories to maintenance as suggested. I guess the problem is that I don't really know what my maintenance calorie count is to know what a healthy deficit should be! I'll figure out the maintenance calories over the next few months and take it from there!

Thanks!