Did you increase your calories with positive results?

Bump as I'm thinking of upping my calories too.

Watching this post closely! I'm on a plateau at the moment, and was wondering the exact same thing and considered increasing my calories - but scared as hell to do it

From a male perspective I had a positive result by increasing my calorie intake from 1700 to 2000 calories per day. I had gotten down and was steadily decreasing for about 6 weeks. Weeks 7 and 8 I stayed the same weight while continuing to exercise daily and maintaining my strict 1700 calorie diet. Within two days of increasing my calorie intake to 2000 I noticed the weight loss to kick in again. I read a bit about this on other blogs and it seems to be true that you can put your body into a starvation mode by eating too few calories.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

From my initial start point of 225lb, I started on around 1300 calories.
An arbitrary figure which a house mate that had an office job was using. While he did walk around a bit for his job, I was doing a LOT of physical activity at work.

I was a little worried I was losing muscle - in reality I think I just wasn't gaining any more, but was losing fat so they looked smaller. I could still lift the same sorts of weight at work (ie car gear boxes etc) with similar effort.

I started using MFP when I'd lost maybe 35-40lb. At the same time I uppped my calories to around 1600 - what MFP suggested for 1000 calories under with a reasonably active life.
I was still doing a lot of heavy lifting at work, so the idea was to get higher levels of protein in to ensure that not only didn't I lose muscle, but I might even gain some (in the past I HAVE gained some muscle while losing weight with similar tactics.)
Seems to have worked so far. While my biceps are looking smaller over-all, the muscle it's self is certainly looking bigger and more defined. Do keep meaning to find a tape measure and do some regular measurements. How ever I've still added a few holes to my belt.
When I started I had trouble fitting in size 36 jeans and actually popped the buckle on one pair that probably wasn't vanity sized.
Now size 30 is a little too loose and I could just fit in to some size 28s, though they were definitely too tight!
My work doesn't involve so much carido or anaraboic exercise, but I've been doing more other stuff. Fair bit of rock climbing and yesterday I used the bike to get there and back, as well as around town; giving me 10 miles riding and then did a 5k run in the evening.
Did eat back my calories though and the (daily reading so doesn't mean much) scales stayed the same despite the cheesecake etc.

Should note that just recently I've changed the base to a more sedentary one, so I record all activity I can now. So the base starts 200 calories lower, but it means I do have to think a bit more if I've spent a day sat around doing computer work.

I was eating 1200 cal (I am 5'4" and was 165) and lost a bit - down to 150. Then I stalled for over a month. I upped my calories to 2100 per day for 4 weeks to reset my metabolism and am at 148. I plan on doing a 15% cut starting next week. I broke up that many calories into 6 small meals - and I'm still eating healthy food. It is tough to get in all those calories, but it feels great and I am not bloated or overly full. I have seen drops in inches (1.5 off bust/waist) where the scale has not moved.

I gained weight a few years ago when I increased my calories - but I didn't increase my calories on purpose or with the intention of losing weight. It was just a gradual change to my lifestyle that I wasn't really aware of. I ate more when I was a student - way more than I needed to eat, as well as being less active than I'd been before, and so I gained weight.

Upon realising this and deciding to do something about it, I lost weight by decreasing food intake to what I need. Not a deficit, and not counting calories - just eating more sensibly, having smaller portions, reducing junk food, listening to my body, stopping when I'm full, and occasionally having fast days to give my body a rest, and make me more aware of my body. I've found occasional fast days are very helpful for stopping habits of overeating, and making me a lot more sensitive to what my body really needs. I also lost more weight from doing strength exercises - that helped me get more toned too.

I don't know if what worked for me will work for everyone. I only had around 20 pounds to lose.

my net calories are 1200 but my bmi is 1640 which one do you go by,

my net calories are 1200 but my bmi is 1640 which one do you go by,

scroll back and read my post. :flowerforyou:

I started at 1200 calories because, like everyone else in the world, I wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible. (Plus exercise calories. I always at my exercise calories.)

That lasted a month, until I realized that the only time I lost more than one pound a week was when I had a stomach flu.

So, I figured, if I'm only going to lose one pound a week, why not set my goal to one pound a week? Then I got 1350. And that very first week, I lost 1.5 pounds. :happy: I continued at that until I got about 10 pounds from my goal, then I switched to a half pound a week, which was around 1500.

When I reached my initial goal weight, I stopped logging on weekends, but kept at 1500. I also increased my protein and aimed for a minimum of 100g a day. That month, I averaged one pound a week. While only trying to lose a half pound a week, and only logging Monday through Friday.

So... yeah, increasing calories was a very good thing for me. In the past, I thought the only way to lose would be to continue to eat less and less and less. I was wrong.

I upped my calories slowly. I started at 1200 too but always ate my exercise calories. I had a very hard time on my rest days. I bumped it up to 1400 for rest days by tried to stay between 1500-1600 during my work out days. That work great for me. When I hit
my goal I went up 1,680, but didn't always eat my exercise calories. I am now up to 1800plus and I try to stay between 1800-2000 and I don't always eat all my exercise calories. I keep losing more weight and I am beyond my goal. I think I am going to add some more healthy fat when I cook so I can up my calories. I never thought I would say I don't want to lose anymore weight. Make sure your calories are high in nutrition. It is not always about the calories , it is more about the quality of the food. Good Luck on your journey.

I didn't have a whole lot of weight to lose when I started.....just 30lbs. Lost the first 18 with no problem....a pound a week....and then the past two months I stalled, started exercising more; still the scale wouldn't budge; tried eating even less, still no budge. Finally posted on here about how to get out of a plateau, and was told to eat more. Of course that's in total contradiction to what I feel it takes to lose weight, but I was like I haven't lost weight in 2 months what do I have to lose?! MFP had my calories set at 1320 a day, and I was one of those that tried not to eat back exercise calories....so I was actually netting around 1100 cals a day.....For the last two weeks I actually just stopped logging, ate more, but have followed when my body is actually telling me I'm hungry and amazingly the scale has moved again 1.2 lbs the first week and 0.6 the second (and that was after a week full of bad decisions) If I had to guess I would say I'm eating probably 1600 - 1800 calories a day.

Yes, and it's worked for all my clients as well. You just have to make sure the foods you eat are quality foods...not just eating anything to reach a certain number of calories. Undereating will not get you healthy, and long term it WILL end up biting you in the butt. I know...because I lived it.

I am upping my cals again here as soon as I start my new mass building program.

I once tried to follow the Jillian Michaels diet, keeping my calories around 1400 a day. I was doing martial arts workouts, and in addition, I added the30 day shred. A whole month of that, the scale barely budged, and I couldn't see any results.
When I went to see my MD about a knee injury, I asked him to check my thryroid and some other labs, telling him about the struggles I was having with losing weight. He asked about what I was eating and what kind of exercise I was doing. Then he told me I needed to eat more. He said that at my weight, with the amount of exercise I was doing, I should be taking in around 1800 calories a day. I thought he was crazy, and dismissed his advice. If I wasn't losing weight, then there was no way I was going to eat MORE.
But he was right. After my last baby, I quit counting calories for awhile, instead trying to stick to "whole" foods, eating when I was hungry. I tried to make sure I got in 5 servings of raw fruits and veggies, tried to get in more lean protein, drink more water, etc. Doing that slowly took off about 25 pounds. Then when I got on here and started logging my calories and exercise, I saw that around 1800-2000 calories on heavy exercise days (1600 on rest days) was enough to keep me *slowly* losing. But losing nonetheless. I also felt great and had more energy.
I'll take a slow weight loss feeling great over a rapid weight loss that's hard to stick to.

Oh, yeah, I also got below my goal weight eating that many calories! After being overweight to borderline obese for years while trying to "diet".

I have tried the low calorie diets and found that I was crabby, slow moving, and just plain old bummed feeling. I have since learned a lot about health, fitness, and how to properly fuel my body and why I need to so I upped my calories to 1600 and on lifting days about 2000. But I also know not all calories are created equally so I try to eat healthy, too.

I have lost 4.5 inches since July 9th, 2012 but have gained 4lbs. I am heavy lifting so I'll take the poundage and the inches lost!!

I hope you are able to test it out & see what your body wants/needs & what makes you feel the best!!

Bump for future reading.

I've upped from 1200 to 1300 - but still rarely net that (with continued high energy levels and feel good vibes). (Consistently losing, at about .5lbs every week or every two weeks, but only 7lbs left.) But still considering increasing cals to speed up lean muscle building.