Increasing Calories But Still Losing Weight

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  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    I just increased calories today: added 120 to my breakfast, 100 to my lunch, and had an extra grilled piece of chicken to my dinner; therefore, I had two pieces of grilled marinated chicken, a cup or so of string beans, and a half cup of brown rice. Do you think this was too much or about right?

    :noway:

    Dude! You totally could've just added ice cream to your daily plan. what the heck?!? You chose chicken? Good grief :tongue:
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    I just increased calories today: added 120 to my breakfast, 100 to my lunch, and had an extra grilled piece of chicken to my dinner; therefore, I had two pieces of grilled marinated chicken, a cup or so of string beans, and a half cup of brown rice. Do you think this was too much or about right?

    :noway:

    Dude! You totally could've just added ice cream to your daily plan. what the heck?!? You chose chicken? Good grief :tongue:

    Haha! So this was a good addition then? I was really worried that an extra piece of grilled marinated chicken would be too much food. But I guess not?
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    I just increased calories today: added 120 to my breakfast, 100 to my lunch, and had an extra grilled piece of chicken to my dinner; therefore, I had two pieces of grilled marinated chicken, a cup or so of string beans, and a half cup of brown rice. Do you think this was too much or about right?

    :noway:

    Dude! You totally could've just added ice cream to your daily plan. what the heck?!? You chose chicken? Good grief :tongue:

    Haha! So this was a good addition then? I was really worried that an extra piece of grilled marinated chicken would be too much food. But I guess not?

    It's all trial and error. Quit fretting over it. As long as you meet your protein, fat and micronutrient goals, you can fill your remaining calories with whatever you want. Tonight I chose rice crispy treats. Food is the spice of life! Eat more yummy foods. :drinker:
  • georgina1970
    georgina1970 Posts: 333 Member
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    After looking at your diary I would suggest more vegetables, and eating more to meet your total daily calorie goal.
    Nut butters or cheese and vege sticks are great snacks with extra calories. Fruit smoothies with added ice cream.
  • MrsMarLis
    MrsMarLis Posts: 15 Member
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    Why don't you start your week on a saterday, that way you can over eat on the weekend. And make up for it for mon - fri. Instread of undereating first thinking you may eat more on the weekend.

    I am far away from mantaining, but yeh I can see how that will be hard for me too. Putting in all the work to loose the wiaght then gaining it back again.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,039 Member
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    Hey, I find that adding sliced avocado or dry roasted nuts to my meal helps and add some good fats to my nutrition plan. I have been on maintenance since June of 2012, and it gets easier. I give my self range of 1200 to 2000 calories a day. I eat out about 7 to 21 meals a week, and try to eat foods I can be spot on for calories (like hard boiled eggs , for example). I do try to eat "lean" and one thing you might find helpful if look at your macros as well as your calories. I try to eat 40% protein, 30% Fat, and 30% carbs. Somedays are better than others, but as long as I get between 30 to 40 % protein, and no more than 30% fats, I feel good and function well.

    Keep going. It will balance out.
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    After looking at your diary I would suggest more vegetables, and eating more to meet your total daily calorie goal.
    Nut butters or cheese and vege sticks are great snacks with extra calories. Fruit smoothies with added ice cream.

    I am thinking a good place to add food is at dinner. For example, look at my diary today. Do you think there's any places I could add stuff for today?
  • Nutmeg76
    Nutmeg76 Posts: 258 Member
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    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-calorie-is-sometimes-not-a-calorie

    Read this and then think about your intake from this stand point.
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-calorie-is-sometimes-not-a-calorie

    Read this and then think about your intake from this stand point.

    I am confused by this link. My metabolism (a) is not slowed down and (b) I have no desire (or cravings) for a 250 calorie donut. In fact, I could say that I crave breakfasts like you see in my diary more than any other meal in my day rather than a 250 calorie donut.
  • jjplato
    jjplato Posts: 155 Member
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    Also, I just feel kind of guilty about adding things in. I even feel like I am overeating when I have my 200 cal dessert though it's clear I'm not. But maybe over time (once I understand my maintenance) I will become better about incorporating everything

    I had the same issue when I was trying to gain weight. It felt like I was eating all day long, and I was still just maintaining. Sometimes I had to force myself to eat at night when I really felt full (complaining about this to my wife, who was trying to lose weight at the time, turned out to be not such a great idea).

    I noticed in your diary that you seem to be heavy on protein. Protein increases the feeling of satiation (feeling of fullness during a meal) and satiety (feeling of fullness after a meal), and one study suggests that casein (which is abundant in the Greek yogurt you're eating) has an even stronger effect.

    If part of the problem is that you feel like you're eating too much, it could be partially due to this effect (it was for me - I was very heavy on protein due to weightlifting and I was full all the time).

    Have you taken a look at your macros? You seem to be heavy on protein and light on fat most days. Perhaps adjusting this would help you incorporate more calories without feeling like you're overeating. Just a thought.
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    Also, I just feel kind of guilty about adding things in. I even feel like I am overeating when I have my 200 cal dessert though it's clear I'm not. But maybe over time (once I understand my maintenance) I will become better about incorporating everything

    I had the same issue when I was trying to gain weight. It felt like I was eating all day long, and I was still just maintaining. Sometimes I had to force myself to eat at night when I really felt full (complaining about this to my wife, who was trying to lose weight at the time, turned out to be not such a great idea).

    I noticed in your diary that you seem to be heavy on protein. Protein increases the feeling of satiation (feeling of fullness during a meal) and satiety (feeling of fullness after a meal), and one study suggests that casein (which is abundant in the Greek yogurt you're eating) has an even stronger effect.

    If part of the problem is that you feel like you're eating too much, it could be partially due to this effect (it was for me - I was very heavy on protein due to weightlifting and I was full all the time).

    Have you taken a look at your macros? You seem to be heavy on protein and light on fat most days. Perhaps adjusting this would help you incorporate more calories without feeling like you're overeating. Just a thought.

    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?
  • Jwold55
    Jwold55 Posts: 39 Member
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    Try having some meat other than grilled chicken? since chicken is fairly low cal. maybe pork or salmon or beef?
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    Try having some meat other than grilled chicken? since chicken is fairly low cal. maybe pork or salmon or beef?

    I eat dinners at the dining hall so I don't have too much control over my meat. I don't really think it is a good idea for me to go for second servings of meat, but do you think that is the best route to take? On days when they have pork/beef I eat it; it just doesn't happen too often!
  • Jwold55
    Jwold55 Posts: 39 Member
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    i dont see any harm in extra meat at dinner. if it increased your calories, i dont see why. as previous posters have said you could also eat icecream lol
  • Nutmeg76
    Nutmeg76 Posts: 258 Member
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    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-calorie-is-sometimes-not-a-calorie

    Read this and then think about your intake from this stand point.

    I am confused by this link. My metabolism (a) is not slowed down and (b) I have no desire (or cravings) for a 250 calorie donut. In fact, I could say that I crave breakfasts like you see in my diary more than any other meal in my day rather than a 250 calorie donut.

    "If your HEC (hunger, energy, cravings) is in check then you can be pretty sure your metabolic system is balanced. And when it is, you're more likely to achieve a calorie deficit without even trying. So it's not about throwing calories out the window; it's about balancing the metabolism first, then attending to calories if required."

    ^This is what is important for you. You're young and you haven't damaged your metabolism yet with constant caloric restriction. You really need to increase your calories and eat enough to fuel your current metabolic rate so you don't end up slowing it down. If you eat at a deficit all the time now, then as you age your metabolism will slow down making it harder for you to maintain a healthy weight. The easiest way to increase yopur calories would probably be to switch from fat free yogurt to full fat or low fat. Fat has more calories per gram so it makes it easy to eat the same volume of food and increase your caloric intake. You eat pretty low fat already, so swapping out your yogurt would be easy and not put you over the top for fat grams.

    The article was about weight loss and calories, but the ideas behind it are still valid. You are easily acheiving a calorifc deficit with potentially higher calories than you think you need because your metabolism is good. Add calories, maybe even more than the 200 you mentioned. You might be surprised at the number of calories you can eat and maintain.
  • jjplato
    jjplato Posts: 155 Member
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    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?

    It sounds like your dinner choices are somewhat limited, since you're eating in the dining hall, so I'm not sure what to recommend specifically. If you want to add some healthy fat to your diet, nuts are a great choice. You can have them whole, or put some peanut butter on apple slices. You can also use an olive oil and vinegar dressing on your salads. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, if you can work them in. I like using honey to add a few carbs when necessary (great with Greek yogurt, by the way).
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
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    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?

    It sounds like your dinner choices are somewhat limited, since you're eating in the dining hall, so I'm not sure what to recommend specifically. If you want to add some healthy fat to your diet, nuts are a great choice. You can have them whole, or put some peanut butter on apple slices. You can also use an olive oil and vinegar dressing on your salads. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, if you can work them in. I like using honey to add a few carbs when necessary (great with Greek yogurt, by the way).

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to work them in. The tough part is I am limiting calories to 200 at snacks so I don't want to have nuts as they instantly put me overboard. But they could definitely be a nice addition to lunches...
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?

    It sounds like your dinner choices are somewhat limited, since you're eating in the dining hall, so I'm not sure what to recommend specifically. If you want to add some healthy fat to your diet, nuts are a great choice. You can have them whole, or put some peanut butter on apple slices. You can also use an olive oil and vinegar dressing on your salads. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, if you can work them in. I like using honey to add a few carbs when necessary (great with Greek yogurt, by the way).

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to work them in. The tough part is I am limiting calories to 200 at snacks so I don't want to have nuts as they instantly put me overboard. But they could definitely be a nice addition to lunches...

    Why?

    WHY WHY WHY???

    Snacks are a convenient and wonderful way to get some much-needed calories throughout the day. Why would you set an arbitrary number on it?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?

    It sounds like your dinner choices are somewhat limited, since you're eating in the dining hall, so I'm not sure what to recommend specifically. If you want to add some healthy fat to your diet, nuts are a great choice. You can have them whole, or put some peanut butter on apple slices. You can also use an olive oil and vinegar dressing on your salads. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, if you can work them in. I like using honey to add a few carbs when necessary (great with Greek yogurt, by the way).

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to work them in. The tough part is I am limiting calories to 200 at snacks so I don't want to have nuts as they instantly put me overboard. But they could definitely be a nice addition to lunches...

    Is there any particular reason you are limiting your snacks to 200 cals? You have 500-700 additional calories now from what you were eating before. You could easily double one of your snacks to make up some of that difference.
  • dpr73
    dpr73 Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    Thanks, I do often feel satisfied. ESPECIALLY after my lunch. Do you have any good tips to adding in calories? I am thinking about adding in calories at dinner, do you know any simple additions that will get me closer to my goal but not over the top?

    It sounds like your dinner choices are somewhat limited, since you're eating in the dining hall, so I'm not sure what to recommend specifically. If you want to add some healthy fat to your diet, nuts are a great choice. You can have them whole, or put some peanut butter on apple slices. You can also use an olive oil and vinegar dressing on your salads. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, if you can work them in. I like using honey to add a few carbs when necessary (great with Greek yogurt, by the way).

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to work them in. The tough part is I am limiting calories to 200 at snacks so I don't want to have nuts as they instantly put me overboard. But they could definitely be a nice addition to lunches...

    Is there any particular reason you are limiting your snacks to 200 cals? You have 500-700 additional calories now from what you were eating before. You could easily double one of your snacks to make up some of that difference.

    I am portioning my calories out to my meals. I am aiming for something similar to:

    Breakfast: 450-500
    Snack: 150-200
    Lunch: 550
    Snack: 150-200
    Dinner: 600
    "Dessert": 150-200
    Total is approximately 2100-2250

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