Upped my calories, lost 10 inches!

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GreenLaura22
GreenLaura22 Posts: 110 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When I started this journey (40 days ago) I was disgusted with my body. I was really feeling down, and this is where I turned....MFP. I was eating 900-1,100 calories per day (net) and working out everyday. I was tired, sore, and not much was happening weight loss wise. Then I pulled my hamstring (over-training!) and got a sinus infection. So I gave my body a week to recover and during this time I kept looking through the boards and over and over again you see "1200 cals is too low!" "I upped my calories and lost!"

I started to research things like TDEE and BMR and through Fat2Fitradio.com, I found a much more in depth way of calculating my caloric needs. So, I tried it, upped my calories to 1650, and I have lost....10 inches!!!!!!!!!!! I am feeling like a regular person again...rather than a ravenous, tired, diet-beast. I am feeding my body the fuel it needs for my strenuous workouts, I have enough energy to be active all day and feel great! I haven't weighed myself because I don't care how much I weigh anymore...I care about body fat loss. I care about being in great physical shape and having energy to enjoy and excel in my life!

Just wanted to share, so others may reconsider starving their bodies....I know, how badly some of you want to look and feel differently. I know what it is to eat as little as possible, work as hard as possible and want so badly to see results as fast as possible. I know because that is what I did, and I injured myself, I was unhappy....felt deprived and hungry and desperate....a small cold quickly became an infection...and I wasn't loosing much. I was starving my body....giving my body fuel and rest to recuperate has done wonders for me. I hope this helps!

Replies

  • fatty_to_fitty
    fatty_to_fitty Posts: 544 Member
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    Good for you if you were working out then it sounds like you needed it.
  • weightingtobloom
    weightingtobloom Posts: 30 Member
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    You lost 10 inches in 40 days with an injury and an infection??? That's crazy! Good for you.
  • livingongraceandmercy
    livingongraceandmercy Posts: 23 Member
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    Loved your post and congrats, thanks for inspiring others and I will spread the website abroad
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
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    Congrats! I too was a 1,200 calorie person & felt just like you did. Now that I've upped my calories I feel much better & have more energy.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Awesome encouragement! I upped mine about a year ago and it was the best move I've made - lost many inches, fat everywhere, dropped a full pants size, and even got through that last stubborn 10lbs! Love the tools at Fat2Fit and the info in the In Place Of A Roadmap thread that led me there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Best part is I can eat this way forever - no going back to the fat since I'm not on some restrictive "diet". :drinker: This is for life!
  • geddyp
    geddyp Posts: 94 Member
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    Congrats! I just upped my calories on 4 days ago and I'm already down 2 pounds, you give me hope that it will work :)
  • swall13
    swall13 Posts: 19 Member
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    When I started this journey (40 days ago) I was disgusted with my body. I was really feeling down, and this is where I turned....MFP. I was eating 900-1,100 calories per day (net) and working out everyday. I was tired, sore, and not much was happening weight loss wise. Then I pulled my hamstring (over-training!) and got a sinus infection. So I gave my body a week to recover and during this time I kept looking through the boards and over and over again you see "1200 cals is too low!" "I upped my calories and lost!"

    I started to research things like TDEE and BMR and through Fat2Fitradio.com, I found a much more in depth way of calculating my caloric needs. So, I tried it, upped my calories to 1650, and I have lost....10 inches!!!!!!!!!!! I am feeling like a regular person again...rather than a ravenous, tired, diet-beast. I am feeding my body the fuel it needs for my strenuous workouts, I have enough energy to be active all day and feel great! I haven't weighed myself because I don't care how much I weigh anymore...I care about body fat loss. I care about being in great physical shape and having energy to enjoy and excel in my life!

    Just wanted to share, so others may reconsider starving their bodies....I know, how badly some of you want to look and feel differently. I know what it is to eat as little as possible, work as hard as possible and want so badly to see results as fast as possible. I know because that is what I did, and I injured myself, I was unhappy....felt deprived and hungry and desperate....a small cold quickly became an infection...and I wasn't loosing much. I was starving my body....giving my body fuel and rest to recuperate has done wonders for me. I hope this helps!

    That is amazing! So, are you at 1650 net calories? or eating 1650 calories and also working out?
  • Eatkansasbeef
    Eatkansasbeef Posts: 71 Member
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    Bump
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
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    I started to research things like TDEE and BMR and through Fat2Fitradio.com, I found a much more in depth way of calculating my caloric needs. So, I tried it, upped my calories to 1650, and I have lost....10 inches!!!!!!!!!!! I am feeling like a regular person again...rather than a ravenous, tired, diet-beast.

    Welcome to the club!! We eat. We live. We eat pizza and cookies if we want. Most of us lift. We enjoy life. We repeat. Often!!! Let's party!!!!!
    Dance_zps08a36e02.gif

    Other recommended reading: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
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    LOVE THIS! congratulations, spread the word! xxxxxxxxxx
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
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    Fantastic!
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    I lost my sanity on 1200 calories...I lost weight too, but not much since every Sunday I was binging from sheer hunger.

    I eat around 1650 or so which is about TDEE-25%, sometimes I eat closer to TDEE-20 or TDEE-15. I've lost more inches and retained more strength and sanity that way. I binge less now, I'm certainly not as cranky, and I'm not sleepy 24/7 either.

    I seriously don't get the "I can't eat all my 1200 calories" crowd. I mean, they obviously ate way more than that to gain the weight, so yeah, they can eat 1200+ they just are scared to. IMHO.
  • zoomerrs
    zoomerrs Posts: 21
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    Nice to hear this information as I just posted my frustration as eating 1200 cal per day for the past 2 weeks and I actually gained 1 lb at my WW weigh in on Saturday. I'm pretty sure my body has adjusted down to 1200 cal and is storing every last one of them because it thinks I'm starving it. I'm going to up my calories this week by about 200-300 to see what happens. I figure it can't get any worse!

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