How the heck do you lose weight eating so much?

How long are you trying higher calories before going back down? I have very similar stats to you (I'm 5'7.5" and 173.4), and lose easily at 1800 net (over 3000 gross most days).

I'm wondering the same thing. I've been on a 1800 calorie diet my whole life. Granted, I wasn't the best eater.. but still i'm barely reaching 1200 now!

It's all about your weight and physical condition/activity. The more active you are the more calories your body needs. The heavier you are the more calories your body needs.

If you aren't that heavy or active you don't need as many calories.

Everyone is different.

The MFP numbers have been working for me. YMMV

Women eating 2000+ calories are pretty rare. When you do see them, here the one thing they have in common is the fact that they regularly lift very heavy weights. Not just casual strength training. They're not trying to lose weight, they're trying to build and maintain muscle mass on that caloric intake.

So don't eat 1700 calories if it doesn't work for you and your lifestyle, -what works for others may not work for you. no biggie.

How accurate are you being with measuring your food and calculating your calories burned?

If you don't use a food scale, I would start. If you don't use a HRM for workouts, I would start. If you are giving yourself the max amount of calories for breast feeding (500) cut back (300).

For me the key has been exercise.

Everyone's body is super different. I'm 5'3 156 pounds and I struggle to lose at 1200 calories. Honestly if you have less than 15 pounds to lose (i'm only trying to lose 8 more!) exercise is KEY. My advice is try to up your cardio and only eat back about half of those calories and see how it works.

Burn more.

Solid response, however... How do you eat that much and still stay in good standing with everything else? IE: Sodium.

I had trouble with that too this summer, when I could burn 3k calories in a full day of biking... I have done some 5k calories day without going over sodium, so it's possible, it's just very difficult. I mostly don't really care about it on heavy exercise days anymore.

In the end though, you are here to lose fat, not general "weight". If you don't have blood pressure condition, going reasonably over on sodium will cause you to retain water, which in the longer run you really don't care about... Anyway, heavy exercise will also cause you to retain water.

With that said, it's amazing how little sodium you intake when you eat absolutely nothing premade for you.

Burn more.

Solid response, however... How do you eat that much and still stay in good standing with everything else? IE: Sodium.

Its best to take baby steps...always watch your calories then pick one other thing you would like to focus on.fat...protein, sodium etc.....once you master that, then pick another... it takes some time and thought for a while..but then before you know it, it will be natural for you

is there such a thing as eating too few calories and not seeing weight loss?

I work out every day for about an hour... typically classes like hip hop or zumba, and i've been hovering around 1200 calories per day.

I am 175 and approx. 5'4"

If anyone can help me, you don't have to respond here. I'm good with a inbox message too!

Most definitely.

The 1200 recommended minimum safe level is first of all that, lowest for safety sake. Not best for performance, longevity, or aesthetics.
And it's also intended for those not exercising but sedentary lifestyle.
And even then, those following that with no exercise lose muscle mass.

You are making the effect worse yet with cardio and eating so low, stop burning off your muscle!

Unless you are correctly eating back your exercise calories as MFP is intended to be used, then good job.

If under too much stress, and body wondering why it has so few calories left over after exercise to work with, it will just slow everything down.

So your estimated BMR is 1526, by age, weight, height. Estimating bodyfat% could make that more accurate.
With that workout routine, when you say everyday I'm guessing that means every day so 7 hrs weekly, or do you mean workdays, so 5 hrs weekly?
So your estimated TDEE would then be 2500 (putting you between 5 and 7 hrs weekly).

A 20% deficit to that TDEE, appropriate for amount to lose right now, is ..... drumroll - 2000 calories daily.

Every day, you do not eat back exercise calories in this case because it's already included.

Miss a workout, skip 250 cal's that day.

If you are working out to assist weight loss and not just because you enjoy the class, if you really want to see body improvement, then skip 3 cardio sessions and lift weights for 1 hr. And include 2 rest days after 2 of the lifting days.

So with 5 hrs of exercise, TDEE is 2300, and 20% deficit is 1840.
If you make those 3 days heavy weight lifting and the 2 days lighter cardio, you can do 1705 as daily goal.

See spreadsheet reference above for storing your stats, and how I got these figures.

Edit: BAM - did it again, we are on the same wavelength Masterdo!

I'm only a shortie too! 156cm! But been told to not look at the scales and to eat more. Just clean and healthy.
6 times a day. I'm trying it, what's 12 weeks. People swear the fat will come off. Don't lose faith.

Because weight lifting burns less calories during the workout, and more calories later. Fat calories. Who needs to replenish fat calories when on a diet, so you can have bigger deficit then.

see i don't get this. i've read that weight lifting burns less calories during the workout but i don't understand why. i thought it was all based on HR? is HR just part of it?

and what do you qualify as light recovery? if my max HR is 180, what zone is the fat burning zone? i'm thinking it's the lowest one but i wanted to make sure. is that why walking is recommended for recovery?

Since you are breast feeding, I'm going to guess that getting a good nights sleep is next to impossible. Sleep deprivation for any reason will cause weight gain. Keep doin what you're doing, and when the baby begins sleeping through the night, you'll also start getting the rest you need to rev up you metabolism.

buy a food scale. you are probably eating more than you think as portion sizes can be hugely incorrect.

You can't expect to lose a ton of weight fast if you're not putting in the proper time and effort. Like me, I have hypothyroidism, so there's a smack in the face in and of itself. Also, I am VERY busy and when I get time to myself after school work and kids and everything that needs to be done, I just plain don't feel like exercising. And no, that's not an excuse when you just don't want to! I don't expect to lose 2 or more lbs a week because I don't do the work to. Also, I highly doubt, even with a ton of exercise, I would even lose that much because of being hypo. I'm taking it slowly because it's best for my body. Either way, 18 lbs in 2 1/2 or so months, can't complain about that.