Switching from 1200/day to 1800/day...

triggsta
triggsta Posts: 140
in Food and Nutrition
I'm currently thinking about moving up to 1800 calories a day, which is what my TDEE roughly says I should be at. Problem is, every time I decide I'm going to do this, I end up gaining weight on the scale the first day and it scares me back to my 1200 calorie/day diet that's been working for me so far. I'm on the fence about this switch partly because 1200 has been working for me thus far and because every time I try to switch, the scale gets upset at me. Also, since I do pretty strenuous exercise, I'm thinking that even though I lose great at 1200 I would lose a bit healthier at a higher caloric intake.

So my question to you is, should I persevere and do the 1800/day for a week and I'll start seeing results? Or should I go back to my 1200 since that has been working great for me thus far.

Replies

  • sportybrewerschick
    sportybrewerschick Posts: 170 Member
    try going somewhere in between that? like 1520 or something like that
  • miadhail
    miadhail Posts: 383 Member
    Increase your food intake 100 calories a week till you reach 1800 calories a day maybe? Ease your body into it
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
    Yeah. Another question, since I've always done 1200ish/day: Do I go for my BMR number or my TDEE number?
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I can't tell you what to do but I can assure you that you won't gain fat at 1800 calories...... What you gain is water weight, not fat. Now if even knowing that, it still upset you to step on the scale, do not step on the scale!
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    You might have to stick with it longer than a week to see things level back out if you've been on 1,200 calories for a long time. If the scale fluctuations bother you I would suggest not getting on it for a little while.
  • weloveourboys
    weloveourboys Posts: 133 Member
    I would go up slowly as someone suggested.
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
    bump
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    Yeah. Another question, since I've always done 1200ish/day: Do I go for my BMR number or my TDEE number?

    The cut comes from your TDEE NOT your BMR.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I personally would take the change in a few steps rather than all at once. Maybe try 1400 calories for the next few weeks, and then once you're comfortable there, go up to 1600 for a few weeks, and finally switch to the 1800 after that? There is no reason you absolutely have to make the switch all at once.

    I personally would find the switch from successful 1200 calories to 1800 rather daunting -- I went from successful weight loss at 1200 calories to still successful (in a different way) at 1520 calories. The increase was necessary for me for health reasons but it was really a struggle to add nearly an additional meal worth of calories into my day. My weight loss speed has dropped (from a consistent 1.5-2lbs weekly to 0.75-1lb weekly), however, the NSVs have become much more substantial.
  • angelalf1979
    angelalf1979 Posts: 244 Member
    I am almost certain that adding 600 calories your first day will not make you gain body fat. Just sayin' Give it time. I increased the exact same in August (from 1200 to 1800) and I lost 11 pounds in 30 days. My weight loss has been pretty steady since.

    Btw, don't weigh yourself so much. Your weight will fluctuate day to day. Try to weigh once a week, twice a month, or just once a month. Weigh at the same time (usually in the morning, right after waking and peeing). Don't drive yourself crazy on that scale. There are so many factors that contribute to the number moving in either direction, especially when you weigh daily.

    Good luck and stick with it. Increasing your calories sounds counterintuitive because of what we were brought up to believe but you WILL lose!
  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
    Well, it depends on your motive for moving the calories up. Do you feel like you are needing a change of piece, lack energy or feel hungry? I agree with the thought of bumping up to 1500 calories per day instead of 1800 since it looks like you still want to lose weight. Also, you need to wait a week before passing judgement. One week at 300 calories extra shouldn't amount to much of a change (1/2 lb less per week) but may make you feel better.
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
    Well, it depends on your motive for moving the calories up. Do you feel like you are needing a change of piece, lack energy or feel hungry? I agree with the thought of bumping up to 1500 calories per day instead of 1800 since it looks like you still want to lose weight. Also, you need to wait a week before passing judgement. One week at 300 calories extra shouldn't amount to much of a change (1/2 lb less per week) but may make you feel better.

    Thanks. I actually feel GREAT where I'm at. I know a lot of people complain at 1200 calories, but perhaps doing it for the past 11 months (give or take since I had a few months where I ate more and plateaued) has made me accept it better or something. I am extremely happy, feel great, and have enough energy to get through the day. My workouts, especially intense cardio ones, require a PWO to get through them though, so perhaps this will help me prevent a need for that.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I am almost certain that adding 600 calories your first day will not make you gain body fat. Just sayin' Give it time. I increased the exact same in August (from 1200 to 1800) and I lost 11 pounds in 30 days. My weight loss has been pretty steady since.

    Btw, don't weigh yourself so much. Your weight will fluctuate day to day. Try to weigh once a week, twice a month, or just once a month. Weigh at the same time (usually in the morning, right after waking and peeing). Don't drive yourself crazy on that scale. There are so many factors that contribute to the number moving in either direction, especially when you weigh daily.

    Good luck and stick with it. Increasing your calories sounds counterintuitive because of what we were brought up to believe but you WILL lose!
    If the person want's to correctly get their metabolism back on track, daily weigh ins are more accurate than weekly. As others have stated slowly add calories (I would suggest carbs) until your weight has stabled for a week. You will have then determined your carb threshold.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    From my own experience:

    My weight loss stalled on 1500 NET calories. I upped to 1750 net and started losing again. That was 2000+ on exercise days! Lost weight easier than ever, and reached my goal by doing so.

    IMO, stop stressing out over the small early gains. It's likely just water weight. 1800 and lots of exercise is NOT going to make you gain fat! (or VERY unlikely to!) Give it time, be patient. I wouldn't even recommend weighing in for a good few weeks to give your body time to adjust, and for you to see the benefits outside of just weight loss. You may lose more inches even though the scale loss is small.
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
    Yeah. Another question, since I've always done 1200ish/day: Do I go for my BMR number or my TDEE number?

    The cut comes from your TDEE NOT your BMR.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Thanks for this post!
  • sexelby
    sexelby Posts: 19 Member
    I have suffered with an eating disorder for a long time, and I am attempting now recovery. I find it hard to want to increase my calorie intake above 1,200 calories a day, even though I do a lot of strenuous exercise. Doing both is still keeping me within the criteria for an eating disorder. Not saying that you have a problem, I'm just pointing out just how small 1,200 calories is, let alone with strenuous exercise on top.
    In the long run 1,200 calories is not sustainable and you will gain weight when you start eating more. If you increase your caloric intake now and lose weight maybe slightly slower, and gain at first, in a few months, years down the line, you will reach the same weight (slower) but you will be able to eat what you like.

    Maybe even start by going half way to 1,500, and then to 1,800? You should be eating that amount with the exercise you do x
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I'm currently thinking about moving up to 1800 calories a day, which is what my TDEE roughly says I should be at. Problem is, every time I decide I'm going to do this, I end up gaining weight on the scale the first day and it scares me back to my 1200 calorie/day diet that's been working for me so far. I'm on the fence about this switch partly because 1200 has been working for me thus far and because every time I try to switch, the scale gets upset at me. Also, since I do pretty strenuous exercise, I'm thinking that even though I lose great at 1200 I would lose a bit healthier at a higher caloric intake.

    So my question to you is, should I persevere and do the 1800/day for a week and I'll start seeing results? Or should I go back to my 1200 since that has been working great for me thus far.

    Do it for one month while keeping your scale locked away somewhere.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    If you are gaining weight fast it's likely you are simply filling your muscles back up with the carbohydrate fuel glycogen, 1g of this is stored alongside 3g of water so some will be (healthy) water weight. Agree with others stop weighing yourself lose the scales if necessary, maybe have your bodyfat measured or just go by the fit of your clothes. And increase your calories 100 at a time.
  • thomakg
    thomakg Posts: 69 Member
    Increase your food intake 100 calories a week till you reach 1800 calories a day maybe? Ease your body into it

    This
    :)
  • taylorwaylor
    taylorwaylor Posts: 417 Member
    Increase your food intake 100 calories a week till you reach 1800 calories a day maybe? Ease your body into it

    This would be a good idea! Just take your time with it....You might gain weight but after your metabolism ajusts you should lose easier :) Idk what you do for exersize..But you should consider heavy lifting! EAT MORE, WEIGHT LESS!
  • sprinkels29
    sprinkels29 Posts: 46
    I'm up to roughly 1800 calories, and I have stopped weighing myself. I am also doing weight training which means I may gain or technically not loose on the scale BUT I have lost inches already. Ease up to it and realize you may gain a couple pounds during the first couple weeks but that is normal with EMWL. You can also join the group Eat More to Weigh Less, the people in there are so knowledgeable! I haven't eaten the best the past couple days because of school stress, but I feel sooo much better at 1800 calories.
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
    I recognize a lot of you don't know who I am or what I do but...

    1. I don't have an eating disorder. My disorder is simply that I love food a lot and need to learn how to portion control better and how to eat out better. I've gotten a LOT better at it, but it's still my weakness. I think of it a lot like alcohol in an AA program, and right now that's working well for me. I swear off a lot of things and once I get to where I'd like to be at I'm going to introduce them slowly back into my diet while limiting them. For now? I eat super clean and I love it.

    2. I do a LOT of resistance training. Two days a week minimum are heavy weight lifting with my boyfriend at the gym. Otherwise I'm doing a lot of running (I just had a great 7.5 mile run... the most I've ever done is 5 miles and it felt so great today) and TurboFire. I also go to the gym sometimes and do spin class or this awesome guts, butts, and thighs class. Lastly, I add in pushups and abs stuff just to make sure those stay there. I'm trying to work in my pull-ups but I don't get to the gym at school often enough to use their assisted pull-up machine. Need to work on that.

    3. I have lost a lot of inches and feel great already. Last month I lost 10 lbs and a LOT of inches (though some of that can be attributed to the fact that a different person took my measurements and she did it slightly differently). I also went down 2.1% in body fat during that month. So what I was doing was working and I was hesitant to change that, though I felt that 2.1% in BF should have been higher, so I'm thinking that doing this will help.

    As for what I've decided to do, I'm going up to 1500 calories this week. Next week will be 1800 calories. The following 2 weeks will be difficult as I will be on vacation at my boyfriend's family's house and will have little-to-no control over what will be served, so it will be a good lesson in portion control. So we'll see what happens. I'm excited for my one-year anniversary though on Jan. 1!
  • Infauna
    Infauna Posts: 89
    The weight gain would be water/food weight, not fat. One day of eating 600 calories more than you usually do isn't going to make you gain weight. I'd give it a couple of weeks before you completely rule out eating 1800 calories a day.
  • axialmeow
    axialmeow Posts: 382 Member
    Move to 1400 then 1600

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