If i want to increase calories which do i increase ?

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ringuette_jul15
ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
I've noticed a couple of time that sometimes i hit my macro but have some calories left ?
Ive been eating 1400 for three weeks now and i lost 5 pounds at the beginning and now ive been stuck at the same weight for two weeks..probably lost water at the beginning...i have been eating really healthy, only cheated for superbowl hihi .
Ive seen a little change in my body, seing the abs a little bit more but cant seem to shred weight off my legs !!!
Ive been weight training for 45 min approx 4 times a week and 30 min cardio 2-3 times and i havent really seen that much of a difference. Ive calculated my TDEE and it says 1440.
Ive enter that i workout 4 times
5 foot tall 130 pounds and 27 years old female
And then i tried with the %body fat because i got it calculated at the gym and im 20% bodyfat and it gives me 1570 cal.
So im confused here is it because i havent eaten enough that i dont loose ? Should i wait two more week or go up to 1570 cals like it calculated with my bodyfat ?
And by increasing my cal, which macro do i increase?
Cuz my lean body mass is 107
So proteins would be around 125g
Fat around 40g
And carbs 135g
Im always over on carbs around 140-160
So knowing that prot and carbs are 4 cal and fat 9 cal per gram, if i up my cal by 170 cals per day which macro do i increase cuz ill certainly go up my 125g of proteins and ect
Thanks you for taking the time to help me
My diary is open by the way
Julie

Replies

  • BluesGuitar
    BluesGuitar Posts: 34
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    It has only been three weeks - your body is still very much trying to acclimate to your new diet.

    Personally, I don't think you should expect linear weight loss. Many times the loss goes in cycles, as you are experiencing. For example, the body is typically pushing toward homeostasis, so you may be losing body fat, but your body retains more water, so you won't necessarily see the progress on the scale (but you might see it on the mirror). Once your body recognizes the fat is permanently gone, it relents and flushes more water out and you see the scale move (bodybuilders cutting for a show actually put a name to this phenomenon - "swooshes".

    I say give it a week more at your current calorie and activity level and then consider adjusting if you don't see progress.

    And no, increasing your calories isn't going to lead to weight loss from my perspective. I would adjust by adding another cardio day if you have the energy to do so.

    I've seed folks ADD calories in the past but ONLY in the context of INCREASING their cardio in order to trigger weight loss. That seems a better option for me when I see a stall as I wouldn't like to constantly adjust calories down to trigger losses. I'd rather increase my activity level and increase calories by a bit (less than the added calories I will lose with the incremental activity).
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Hi,
    I've noticed a couple of time that sometimes i hit my macro but have some calories left ?
    Ive been eating 1400 for three weeks now and i lost 5 pounds at the beginning and now ive been stuck at the same weight for two weeks..probably lost water at the beginning...i have been eating really healthy, only cheated for superbowl hihi .
    Ive seen a little change in my body, seing the abs a little bit more but cant seem to shred weight off my legs !!!
    Ive been weight training for 45 min approx 4 times a week and 30 min cardio 2-3 times and i havent really seen that much of a difference. Ive calculated my TDEE and it says 1440.
    Ive enter that i workout 4 times
    5 foot tall 130 pounds and 27 years old female
    And then i tried with the %body fat because i got it calculated at the gym and im 20% bodyfat and it gives me 1570 cal.
    So im confused here is it because i havent eaten enough that i dont loose ? Should i wait two more week or go up to 1570 cals like it calculated with my bodyfat ?
    And by increasing my cal, which macro do i increase?
    Cuz my lean body mass is 107
    So proteins would be around 125g
    Fat around 40g
    And carbs 135g
    Im always over on carbs around 140-160
    So knowing that prot and carbs are 4 cal and fat 9 cal per gram, if i up my cal by 170 cals per day which macro do i increase cuz ill certainly go up my 125g of proteins and ect
    Thanks you for taking the time to help me
    My diary is open by the way
    Julie
    [/quote



    Julie, I would suggest that you re-evaluate your TDEE results again, because I am much older than you and a weight 28 lbs less than you and my TDEE is about 1634 as moderate active.

    I just entered your age, weight, and age in a calculator and as sedentary your TDEE= 1644; light active= 1880 and moderate active= 2123.

    Just a thought...

    Edited to add: if you use your TDEE instead of MFP calculations, you don't eat back your exercise calories.
  • ringuette_jul15
    ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
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    Oups i forgot to mention my tdee is 1770 but for weight loss i go down 20% so around 1400..sorry my bad !
  • ringuette_jul15
    ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
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    So blues guitar, i shouls give myself more time and see. Im not kidding im really eating healthy and hitting the gym hard.
    My diary is open...maybe im doing something wrong. I dont eat back the cal i lost while exercising because i think its easier to calculate your tdee with tour activity level and eat the same amount each day.
    When i reach my goal weight for maintenance then ill up my calories ?
    But what about the macro? should i go over in carbs when prot and fat has been reach?
  • BluesGuitar
    BluesGuitar Posts: 34
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    Yeah, girl, stop stressing.

    Don't look at the scale for a week or two. Give yourself a break from looking at it, but keep your course. You said it yourself - you are eating healthy and hitting the gym hard.

    Results will come. What's the worse thing that can happen... in two weeks you notice that the scale hasn't moved? Well that's great - it tells you that you are at your Maintenance Calorie Level for your existing activity level. You up your cardio a bit and see what happens and adjust as you go. Slow and steady wins the race. You are learning about your body, which is a great thing. Your body is unique and you cant expect an interwebz calculator to spit out an answer that is unique to you. Be patient.

    Like I said, your body is still adjusting to your new diet and to your new activity level. It is likely recompositioning, where you are losing fat and gaining lean muscle mass (which weighs more than fat, as you know), so the scale will fool you.

    I agree with your logic about not "eating back the calories". If your activity level is consistent tracking your daily calories is enough.

    Yes, once you hit your goal weight you would up your calories slowly until you stabilize at the weight you want. Don't make the mistake of hitting the weight you want, STOP hitting the gym as hard AND increase you calories. If you decrease your activity level or the intencity once you hit your goal weight, it will affect how many calories if any you will add back.

    Yes, you can target your protein and fat grams and let the remainder be carbs. Personally, I don't think you need as much protein as you are taking in, but that's all a matter of opinion. Your body is unique and you should do what feels best for your goals.
  • ringuette_jul15
    ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
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    Than for the answer :) im gonna put my scale away for two weeks and see what happen afterwards :)
    Im new at this so knowing how much protein,carbs and fat to eat is hard to know...
    I just read a bit and people tends to say 1lbs to 2 (2 is crazy) of prot per lean mass body and 0.45 for fat
    So i eat 40g of fat and about 125g of prot and i always go around 140-160g of carbs.
    So if i go down on my prot i go up with my carbs ?
    It is so confusing as carbs can make u gained weight, no?
    I eat lots of egg white,cottage cheese,lean meat and greek yogurt and lots of days i hit my proteins macro without any protein shake lol, so going down i think i would feel hungry..
    But im new at this so any advice is welcome :)
  • BluesGuitar
    BluesGuitar Posts: 34
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    Well, if you are going by 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass, then you would need to estimate your BF%.

    So, say if you are 130 lbs and 19% body fat, your lean body mass is 130*(100%-19%) or roughly 105, which are your target grams of protein. But, like I said, these sort of specifics are not things to get all stressed about. Really. If you are keeping your total calories in check and are working out hard, that is going to get you 95% of your results. And, no, carbs are not evil fat gainers, iff your total calories are in check and you are meeting your minimum protein needs.

    Bottom line is don't worry about this, your 130 target is perfectly fine. If you feel satiated, energy levels levels are good at the gym, and your digestive system is operating efficiently, you are good.
  • ringuette_jul15
    ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
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    Thank you! Always nice to hear from others :)
    I was just worried about too much proteins but i guess its only bad if u have a kidney disease or some sort of problems. Im just gonna worry about hitting 105g now and if im over ill be over ..ill just worry about meeting my calorie intake !
  • BluesGuitar
    BluesGuitar Posts: 34
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    Your process of targeting minimum protein levels and minimum fat is good. Keep it up. Hope you meet your goals. Post up in this thread in a few weeks to let us know how things progressed.

    Best.
  • ringuette_jul15
    ringuette_jul15 Posts: 11
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    Your process of targeting minimum protein levels and minimum fat is good. Keep it up. Hope you meet your goals. Post up in this thread in a few weeks to let us know how things progressed.

    Best.

    Good i will :)

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