Changing calories

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gnrshelton
gnrshelton Posts: 358 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone ever changed their calorie intake from 1200 to a higher amount to start losing. I have a hard time thinking I should maybe eat more to lose weight. I have a hard time eating my 1200 calories if I am eating the right thing. I was thinking about saying I only want to lose 1 lb a week instead of 2 and increasing my calorie intake to 1500 to see what happens but I am afraid I will gain back what I have worked hard to lose. Is there anyone who can give me advise on this area. I have stalled in my weight loss and don't want to lose my momentum but I need to start losing again.

Replies

  • jac2lyn
    jac2lyn Posts: 90
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    I would not increase my cals, I would simply make sure that I am getting some form of exercise in. Your cals increase when you do this and then you get to eat more. I think that increasing now might impact your already amazing loss....
  • RaeN81
    RaeN81 Posts: 534 Member
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    Actually, this worked for me. Once I increased my calorie, I had more energy to exercise more too.
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    I switched from 2lbs a week loss (1280 calories a day) to lose only 1 1/2 lbs a week (1480 calories a day) and have done SOOO Much better. I have still averaged 2lbs a week weight loss. So it works out much better and I've felt less stressed about the food too.
  • goal30Lori
    goal30Lori Posts: 307 Member
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    I recently changed from 1.5lbs a week(1200) to 1lb a week(1300) and I lost 5 lbs this week, after 2-3 weeks of not much loss at all. I think it works, but I have also made sure to start measuring things again and to get more exercise in, so that has a lot to do with it as well!
  • clohessy
    clohessy Posts: 394 Member
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    I was told my calories were too low. They were under 1200 a day. I up my calories to 200-300 extra a day and sure enough GAINED weight 2lbs in a week. Whats the point?
  • redcrow9
    redcrow9 Posts: 22 Member
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    If your weightloss has stalled it is probably because you're only eating 1200 or less. 1200 cals is the absolute minimum cals women should consume and that is if you are laying in bed all day. I started off only eating 1200 cals and it worked well at first but then the weightloss stopped all together especially since I was burning at least 600 cals extra through exercise daily. Once I upped my intake the weight started sliding off again. Now I eat around 1400-1600 cals and lose 0.5-2 lbs per week regularly.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I do it often. The first time I did it, I did a 200 cal increase and started losing 3-4 lbs a week for about a month! It's good to change you calories every few months. It will keep your metabolism guessing.
  • happily
    happily Posts: 72 Member
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    My weight loss had slowed considerably and was nowhere near 2 lbs/week, so I changed my goals from -2/week to -1.5/week and started dropping weight again within a couple of days.

    Yes, I was freaked out at the thought of increasing my calories, but I figured if I was losing about 1 lb/week anyway, I might as well eat that way. Everyone talks about 1200 being the magic number for calories, that you should never go below 1200 a day (for women), but it looks like my body wants 1400/day or it will start conserving. Some day that may change, but for now, I have to focus on getting at least 1400 or I don't see weight coming off.

    If your goal is set to lose 2 lb/week, you're at a 1000 cal/day deficit. If you change it to 1 lb/week, you'll still be at a 500 cal/day deficit. If you're not eating enough for your body lately, you might gain a tad while your body realizes you're actually feeding it enough. Otherwise, there's no reason you should gain weight just by decreasing your deficit as long as you aren't underestimating portions and overestimating exercise.
  • karenself
    karenself Posts: 3
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    Here is a great website that explains how to calculate your daily caloric needs.

    http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html

    If you drop too low in your calories, and 1200 per day sounds VERY low, you will actually slow your own metabolism instead of stimulate it. This will seriously inhibit your ability to lose weight.

    You should definitely consider adding some calories to your daily total in order to continue to lose weight.

    Karen
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    Try it and see what happens! You will still have a calorie deficient. What works for one person may work differently for another, but you will never know what works for you unless you try different techniques. If you aren't comfortable (i.e. hungry) then up your calories and see what happens. Give it a couple of weeks.
  • TammyBee
    TammyBee Posts: 178
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    It sounds like what these people are saying is crazy talk but last week i didn't do so good at staying under my 1200. I went over about 100 to 150 everyday almost and had a 3.5 pound loss. There has to be something to it...
  • gnrshelton
    gnrshelton Posts: 358 Member
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    Thanks for all the feedback. We will see how it goes.

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