So who's upped their calories to lose?

honestly whether I eat 1200 cals or 1600 cals, I can't seem to lose....not sure what else to do! I'm 5'4" 140lbs and I need to lose fat off my belly and upper inner/outer thighs. I work out 5x/week and and pretty healthy! I don't get it. I DO have digestive issues which may cause problems....not sure though. Any thoughts?

I was eating 1200 a day and lost about a pound per week but last week I put on 0.5 and someone said I was undereating. I have now decided to still do the 1200 but to also eat the calories I burn while exercising. I'm hoping this will work for me. I am so scared that I'm going to put on weight this week because I'm eating more. I don't get the logic of eat more to lose weight but I'm still giving it a try. Fingers crossed.

The logic is that you may not have needed to eat that low a calorie deficit to lose weight, you possibly could have lost weight eating more if you had started with a gentler deficit to begin with. Now it sounds like your body has adapted to your caloric intake of 1200, now you have a few options do more cardio, eat less " not the best option if you have a fair way to go" Or you could try to increase your calories slightly for a few weeks to see if your body can adapt and allow you to lose more weight whilst eating more. Its a gamble it may work it may not.

If you do hit a plateau and you do want to attempt to up your calories, remember only to get UP to (you don't have to reach it) your daily maintenance calories - remember, any higher than that number and you WILL GAIN WEIGHT! :sad:

Also remember to get an updated version of your maintenance because assuming you have already lost weight, your maintenance depending on the amount of muscle your body has increased/decreased will go down!:drinker:

My BMR is 1500, my TDEE is 1800. I sit at home most of the day, my outside trips are usually brief 10-30 minute walks.

I lost most weight with 1,200 calories as my goal, but regularly went over (weekends, Christmas, 'cheat' days, new year's, birthdays, dinners with friends, etc). I never had a stall, and lost weight regularly. The calculations give me a 400 kcal deficit from my TDEE to lose the weight I did in the time I did, but while some days I went up to 2,000 kcals, most days I ate just under 1,200. (I tried couch-to-5k for a while. When I exercised, I /always/ ate back exercise calories.)

That said, I recently upped my cals to 1,500 because I was starting to feel more sluggish than usual. I weight every day, and it's obvious when my body drops weight (it goes up and down for a few weeks, then the 'down' is more pronounced, and the following 'ups' are below the previous 'downs' if that makes sense). Since then (granted it's only been a month) I've been losing way more quickly, with drops/new lows every week. So yeah, more anecdotal evidence that upping your calories will help you lose, and you'll feel better too.

Do you think we under estimate our activity when we first start out? Originally because I do work in an office at a desk, I had myself as sedentary until I read the road map message. So I changed my activity level as I do walks during the day and it upped my calories which meant I was not feeling as hungry and have lost steadily. Tomorrow after weigh in I will review it again.

I'm at 1500 this week. I admit I am scared to climb to 1800. LOL

Do it.

Don't look back.

Thanks! I am.

i'll be scared with you.

Lightbulb moment! Thanks everyone. I randomly stumbled upon this post. Two weeks ago i dropped my intake to 1320, because i wanted to lose quicker and i gained both weeks. I run 5k 5 times a week and walk on rest days or do weights.. I've been tired and grumpy since i dropped and i stopped eating most of the cals i earned from running. Curious to know how many you think i should be eating. I am 5ft 6 and 171 looking to lose another 20lb
I have a desk job 4 days but i have a crazy two year old so might be more active than i think. All fedback welcome. Thanks for the thread.!

I am a bit confused with the TDEE calculation. Based on http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ , I get around 1700 calories with just sleeping and doing office work. If I do my intense 45min running and another 30min weights training, the TDEE goes to 1800.
2 questions:
1) why some that weight less than me are set at 2300 calories?
2) some says to eat back your calories. I normally burn 600-700 calories. Based on the calculator it doesn't make sense. 100 < 600-700!

If I put that you sleep for 8 hours and the rest very light, then your TDEE is 1764. If I input based on the exercise level that you listed, and allocating 2h in light, your TDEE is 1988.(But if you burn 600-700 with your exercise, then it is probably more)


Sleeping: mins
Very light: mins Reading, Sitting, Driving, Eating, Chatting, WatchingTV
Light: mins Walking, Cleaning, Cooking, Slow bicycling
Moderate: mins Fast walking, Carrying bags, Sex
Heavy Moderate: mins Swiming, Running, Basketball, Fast bicycling, Workingout

So, you should be eating at TDEE-15%= 1689. Otherwise, you can do 1500 if you start as sedentary, but you have to eat all your exercise calories.

I was at 1200 and lost half a pound in a month. I changed my goal settings, and MFP bumped me up to 1400. I've been eating between 1250-1350 calories, and this past week I actually lost 1.2 lbs!!

Hi I am new to this and my calories are 1250. i have been doing this for a week and only lost just about 2 pounds . i have to admit i dont really exercise i know i should but im being honest . My protein for the day is usually no more than 47. im always over what do you eat with little protein ? any suggestions ? thanks everyone
Ann Marie

My TDEE is 2190 and my BMR is 1517. So what does everyone think - do I go to -20% and eat 1623 or go with 1800 calories. I exercise 70 minutes 6 days a week. I do all cardio - bike, treadmill or elliptical 3 days a week and the other 3 days I do the circuit at Planet Fitness for 3o minutes and then get on the treadmill. I'm on information overload and just want some advice. Thanks.

me too, I use the scooby workshop calculator, and Im doing 5 hrs a week exercise from now on. That gives me 2100cals to eat but im aiming for 2000cals just to be a little under as thats a bit amount for me. Even at goal and exercising 3-5hrs a week Il be able to eat 2100cals so its all good now. It worked great for me the past month of eating tdee minus 20% so im keeping it up

I've been doing the exact same. The scale was going up and down so I put it away. After eating like this and several weeks of lifting 4 days a week with 15-30 minutes of treadmill or bike and 1 day of cardio and abs and I have seen a huge difference in my body. I love it!