Weight loss on a higher cal limit successes?

<~~ I eat 2k + . Maybe not yet a success but a work in progress and smaller than I was!

..... so under that is going to mean losing weight...

That isn't remotely true, you won't lose weight underneath that as a general rule. It is important that the diet fits the person completely. Ideally, you wouldn't want to eat back your full calorie burn amount. ATM My intake is at 1700 a day, which I usually hit around 1600 of and burn about 600-700 per day, for me that works, but for others it may not.
Ideally you'd want to keep a higher calorie intake (1700 ish being high, I guess, for a woman) and ensure that you stick reasonably to the same amount going in as out every day and log how well you are doing.

There are a lot of success stories around on this site, but also I guess through people you'll meet in life. A friend of mine, a man, lost around 40lbs or so by intaking 2000 cals a day, burning 650 and sticking to a low/medium amount of carbs/sugars (obviously). Different things work for different people, which sucks, as I totally wish there was one rule for everyone and it resulted in is all looking hot as hell.

In context, she is actually right.

referring to "around 2000 calories" as TDEE - if you eat under TDEE you lose. That part is correct.

Even the around 2000 figure is closer to what people could maintain on until they lose muscle mass eating too little, shoot their metabolism down to the ground, and then have to eat so much less even to maintain.

If you already have a healthy deficit in your goal, as MFP would do if you selected 1 or 1/2 lb, without exercise included - then actually you would eat it back to keep that same healthy deficit.

If you are a man eating 1600 calories daily, and exercise is knocking out 600 of those purely for mechanical movement energy - you an't leaving your body much to repair on, let alone actually improve on.

I'll bet you are overestimating your burns, or your metabolism has slowed down, and your body has slowed down daily expenditure to compensate.

You don't even know what improvements you could have eating properly for your lifting - might give it a try and be shocked.

Look at all these women, older women even, lifting heavy and eating more than you. At some point, probably getting stronger too, though that will be difficult with the male and age thing on your side.

I use MFP and Fitbit and both do the whole TDEE calculation for me, so I go by what they say. The average between both Apps tell me I can eat between 1680-1800 cals, depending on my activity. I am pretty active every day as it is, I walk/stand/climb stairs all day at my work, so that is BEFORE my workouts, which I don't even log any more.

I am losing about .5 a week, which should be 1lb a week based on my settings, which tell me that if I ate just a little less (because sometimes I go over, or forget to log things) I could lose more.

If I weighed less and were less active, there would be no way I would lose the weight steadily, I dont think, at this Calorie level but for me, it works.

trogalicious,
It was helloitsdan's IPOARM that I followed/am following. I am so grateful to have found his info. And yes, it DOES work!!
Congrats on your success!!

I eat between 1600-1900 per day. I have lost 14 lbs in under 3 months. I'm more focused on BF% than lbs lost but I went from 40%BF in the "postpartum" photo below to 25%.. I'm more fit than I've ever been and I fit a size 6 at 167lbs.

Postpartum (May last year):


Day 8:


Day 70:




Day 80 (today):

TDEE - 20% is what you should eat. No less than your BMR.

My limit on here is 1690 cals, and I work out and burn around 500 which I eat most of back. Was wondering who of you has done this and lost a lot? Photos would be great, and how long it took you.

I just posted a 3.4 lb loss this week eating close to or over 2000 calories a day. I'm almost done with insanity and I do eat my workout calories back. So far I've lost 42 lbs in just around 4 months

I started at 1680/day when I started this almost a year ago. I'm now on half a pound a week, just taking it a bit easier on myself, and I've lost a ton more weight on a higher daily intake (My original goal was 43 lbs, I'm slowly working on another 15, getting myself to a 58lbs loss) I really struggled on my 1350 a day as I approached my goal and then after I increased my intake my weight loss was somehow jump started again.

MFP has been pretty bang on and over the course of 11 months, I've lost 51lbs! I can't complain about that

bump

I'm over the magic no 41 where it all slows down and I eat 1800 then eat back half my exercise calories if I burn less than 700 and 3/4 if i burn more, loose between one and one and a half and pounds per week xxx keep going xx

That doesn't sound slow. You're eating at a target of 1800 plus exercise calories and losing over 1 lb/week... that's awesome!

I eat 1600 plus up to 25% of my workout calories.

Girls that I eat (I do!!) add me, please! Especially if you have open diaries! It's hard looking at the diaries of most of my current MFP pals for inspiration, because it seems like everyone is going for 1200, not eating back exercise calories, and not even hitting that 1200 (netting 500-900 calories per day)! I can't do it, I'm too ravenous when I try!

Yes I increased my calorie intake and still lost body fat

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/935033-mom-of-2-insanity-results

My limit on here is 1690 cals, and I work out and burn around 500 which I eat most of back. Was wondering who of you has done this and lost a lot? Photos would be great, and how long it took you.

I used to be able to eat that much and lose-- when I was 22 - 23. Things change!

You said it sister!

Isn't that the truth!!

I've been eating 1600 net each day as recommended by MFP (burn 500 calories a day, so 2100 total calories), but I haven't lost any weight in two months. I know that's the opposite of a success story, but if anyone could offer some insight, that would be amazing!

How did you get 1600 as a goal? What did you set your MFP weight loss goal to? What did you set your lifestyle activity level to?

Don't know what the other person did, but I can tell you what I did and why. After I had lost about 30 lb with another 35 lb to lose, I re-entered the weight I wanted to be so MFP would give me the calories to maintain my target weight, not the calories to lose weight at my current weight. I was concerned because the research I read seemed to say that if I lost weight with low calorie diet, I would never be able to increase my calories when I got to my target. Since what I need to maintain my target weight (1580 calories/day) is lower than what I need to maintain my current weight, the net result is a calorie deficit. It is alos more than what MFP recommends if I wanted to lose 1 lb per week. Doing it this way means that I have to track my weight outside of MFP and it also means I lose more slowly, but I am indeed losing weight.