Has anyone increased calories eaten per day & lost more weig

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ClaireElanB
ClaireElanB Posts: 94 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering - there was an debate here last week about 'starvation mode' if its a myth or not.

I'd like to know if anyone has actually increased their calorie intake & lost more weight?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
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    The only time I lose weight is when I eat a certain number of calories. When I don't eat enough, I don't lose weight. Starvation mode is not a myth, people say things like this to justify the very small amount of calories they consume in a day. They think they're going to lose healthy weight and feel good eating 500 calories a day.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    Same thing happened to my wife. She was undereating and couldn't lose. I finally convinced her to eat within 100 calories of her goal, and she started losing.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,023 Member
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    I would like to know the same thing. I did lose 1.8lbs the week of thanksgiving and only ;5 the week before. thanksgiving week I obviously ate a bit more. But I dont think one week is enough to tell...............but I am also curious
  • bhelmreich
    bhelmreich Posts: 254 Member
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    All through summer, I was doing Insanity. I stuck to the exercise program and was frustrated when I did not see any weight come off. Granted, I did lose some inches and tone up a tiny bit. Once I increased calories (1200-1400 a day), I lost 9lbs in about 2 months.
  • Lindsay7360
    Lindsay7360 Posts: 99
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    Bump!

    I've been wondering the same thing!
  • murf19
    murf19 Posts: 453 Member
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    When I first did P90X I was eating 2500 calories a day and lost 15 lbs. It was hard core workouts plus the right foods

    I do 2000 now and still work out 5 - 6 days a week but just to sty fit so, I had to cut back on calories. I could actually cut a few more.

    When I do P90x again in January I'll need the calories again so i don't lose the wight.
  • nellajane24
    nellajane24 Posts: 108 Member
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    I was on 1000 cal for the past two weeks until thanksgiving, where I ate WAY too much. I gained, of course, but now I am back to my regular routine and also eating my 1200, plus some (but not all) of my exercise calories. And the thanksgiving weight quickly shed. Perhaps it was just water weight, but I am feeling good again. I wouldn't deprive yourself of the calorie plan that is already set for you with a built in deficit, and if you do, don't do it for too long or you will plateau.

    A little rule I set for myself, (don't know if it actually works or not, but it seems to), is I don't eat anything after 6 pm, unless it's my fiber supplement, water, or a protein shake after my workout. I tend to go to bed a little hungry, and the next morning, I am usually thanking myself for that after the weigh in.
  • murf19
    murf19 Posts: 453 Member
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    Remember you want to eat foods that are good and burn fat!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    Just wondering - there was an debate here last week about 'starvation mode' if its a myth or not.

    I'd like to know if anyone has actually increased their calorie intake & lost more weight?

    Thanks!

    Yes, I have.
  • JessicaPahl
    JessicaPahl Posts: 48
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    yes that happend to me!! i was eating like eight hundred calories and wondering why nothign was happening.. then i decided to eat my 1200 calories and the weight started falling off.. along with drinking lots of water ! its odd but it took me quite a while to figure this out!! good luck!:wink:
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    I've been losing pretty consistently for about 3 months and I try to be w/in 100 calories under or over my goal (including exercise calories). I've never gone under it, but my mom constantly complains that she can't lose weight and she eats, in my opinion, dangerously low (and then "binges" when eating normal amounts of food).
  • JessicaPahl
    JessicaPahl Posts: 48
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    also i didnt exersize a whole lot.. and it still came off.. i think it has alot to do with why ppl dont lose weight cause ethey r eating to little or too much..
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    I'd like to know if anyone has actually increased their calorie intake & lost more weight?

    If by this you mean "lost weight faster", that won't happen. Trying to lose fast is only a quick way to misery anyway.
    I have the same story as many others. I seem to have been eating too little at 1400-1500 Kcal a day and ended up in a plateau after a very successful couple of months losing at the average pace of about 1.5 lbs a week. At last I broke it by gradually increasing my calories to 1800 but didn't reach the same pace as before. Good thing too. It was pushing healthy anyway and it just wasn't possible for me anymore. Now I'm tweaking and doing all possible tricks trying to get rid of the last pounds, but that's another story..

    Btw. Those are just the base calories of my diet! I have always eaten my exercise calories too.
  • ClaireElanB
    ClaireElanB Posts: 94 Member
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    Thanks for replying everyone. It's reassuring to hear your real results.
    Alantin - I dont mean 'faster' - I mean losing anything :)

    I am going to up my calories by 300 a day and see what it does. I cant do any worse than plateauing, if I gain from an extra 300 cals a day my thyroid or something is seriously off!!!!
    I also need to drink more water and I like the 'not eating after 6' idea! Thats hard for me though, lol.
  • kewkdb
    kewkdb Posts: 207 Member
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    Just wondering - there was an debate here last week about 'starvation mode' if its a myth or not.

    I'd like to know if anyone has actually increased their calorie intake & lost more weight?

    Thanks!

    No idea but I will be putting the question to the test in a few months. Right now I am eating ~1k calories a day (it is actually difficult for me to eat more!) and I am burning at minimum 900cal a day and up to 2000cal a day just depending on how I feel when im out running.

    I am on my 3rd week of this and will continue for a few months. After that I will start eating more calories and see how it affects my weight loss.

    I am not one to say starvation mode does not exist but I believe that it is extremely exaggerated on MFP. So I will find out on my own what is fact and what is forum gossip.
  • bsoxluvr
    bsoxluvr Posts: 183 Member
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    I was eating 1000-1200 calories a day and working out 4-5 times a week. I had lost a good 20 pounds and then hit a wall. A trainer at the gym asked to see my food log and instantly said I wasn't eating enough. I increased my calories to 1500 a day and started loosing again. In my opinion, the amount of calories you eat does effect how much you loose, or gain, of course. I also think I hit plateaus with my calories. If I haven't lost in a few weeks and change what/how much I eat, I start seeing the numbers change.
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I'll let you know. I was averaging 1300 to 1400 net calories a day. I am going to cut back my workout and increase my caloric intake to 1700 net calories a day and see how that works.
  • MISTTIMG
    MISTTIMG Posts: 136
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    I know every time I consume my extra exercise calories I don't loose weight or loose it very slow. Also when I used to go to WW's meetings the instructor said if we used all the extra exercise points (calories) weight loss would slow down or stop.
  • thatklutzychick
    thatklutzychick Posts: 13 Member
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    I have definitely increased my calorie intake and lost weight, but the key was maintaining my workout schedule. My friend, who's a personal trainer and in much better shape than I am in told me the following advice:

    Every now and then it's good to increase the amount of calories your body is consuming whether through exercising less or eating more. Our bodies are amazing at adapting and if you keep the same eating and working out schedule all the time, you can hit weight plateaus. The key is to only adjust things by adding 200-300 calories for about a week or two before trying to get back to a net zero or negative daily calorie goal. If you have too much of a calorie surplus for too long, you'll put back all the weight you worked so hard to take off.

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