Should I add more Calories?

vklass
vklass Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been struggling with plateau, like the scale is just mocking me :mad:

Anyways from some reading the advice that keeps popping up is to increase my Calorie consumption. This frightens me and plus I'm not sure exactly how to do it property.

What I'm doing now:

-Net daily Calorie of 1200-1400
-Run daily or replace with high intensity Cardio
-Aiming for 2 weight lifting sessions (honestly have been missing them a bit)
-High plant based diet although I eat meat and have not eliminated anything from my diet.

Plateau for more than a month. I'm around 30% bf, if that helps so higher end of healthy I think.

Honestly I'm just so confused and overloaded with information and I think maybe if I could connect with some good people who have knowledge or just support maybe we can help each other. My end will mostly be for support because I'm not sure what I doing.

Thank you

Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Since it has been a month, I recommend re-checking your food consumption. Consider buying a food scale. You seem to be at your calories maintenance level and need to re-create your calorie deficiency again. I would not eat more food.
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    I have a food scale and use it. I was thinking the same thing that perhaps I had calorie creep happening, but my journal is pretty solid, if I lick it I add it.

    I appreciate your input.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Are you eating back all of your exercise calories? If so, cut back a little and see if that helps? Sodium also retains water so keep up with your water/fluids, too.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I've been struggling with plateau, like the scale is just mocking me :mad:

    Anyways from some reading the advice that keeps popping up is to increase my Calorie consumption. This frightens me and plus I'm not sure exactly how to do it property.

    What I'm doing now:

    -Net daily Calorie of 1200-1400
    -Run daily or replace with high intensity Cardio
    -Aiming for 2 weight lifting sessions (honestly have been missing them a bit)
    -High plant based diet although I eat meat and have not eliminated anything from my diet.

    Plateau for more than a month. I'm around 30% bf, if that helps so higher end of healthy I think.

    Honestly I'm just so confused and overloaded with information and I think maybe if I could connect with some good people who have knowledge or just support maybe we can help each other. My end will mostly be for support because I'm not sure what I doing.

    Thank you

    What method do you use for estimating your calorie burn?
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    One more thing. Are you taking measurements? You could be losing inches but it won't show on the scale because the scale sucks at times.
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    How I calculate calories:

    What ever the treadmill says, or the lower end of what a fitness class advertises
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    My measurements are misleading I had different people do them and they just don't make sense., my clothes feel maybe a bit less snug, but nothing I would consider a significant change.

    Thanks again you guys
  • thedarkwombat
    thedarkwombat Posts: 123 Member
    Without giving us a height and weight we cannot help.
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    I'm 162lb and 5'8"
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    How I calculate calories:

    What ever the treadmill says, or the lower end of what a fitness class advertises

    I would not trust these numbers as being accurate, unfortunately. To be more accurate, a FitBit or heart rate monitor will help give you better estimates to use to estimate your TDEE. But for now, if you keep logging your exercise the same way, then I suggest only eating back half of the "exercise" calories MFP is giving you.
  • AtmaKing
    AtmaKing Posts: 145 Member
    I'd get a HRM to more accurately calculate calories burned.

    I didn't look at your diary so I dont know if you've been eating your workout calories or not but if you are try to set a limit and eat that limit. If you burn more calories than that call them gravy weightloss and dont eat them back.
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
    If your intake logging is accurate, then exercise logging must be off. The machines and MFP are notorious for over estimating by a lot. Try only eating half back, or I would recommend the TDEE method. Find your TDEE www.iifym.com has a great calculator, then eat TDEE minus 1000 (2lb per week), 750 (1.5lb), 500 (1lb), or 250 (.5lb) with this you do not have to worry about eating your exercise calories back, they are figured into your intake. You do need to keep your exercise schedule consistent. These numbers should also be adjusted as you lose weight.

    Basic info...


    *Log EVERYTHING

    *Weigh Solids

    *Measure liquids

    *Exercise for fitness
    (weight lifting is my recommendation)

    *Be Honest with Yourself

    *Measure yourself, take silly pictures and then enjoy your progress.

    And............

    *****MOST IMPORTANTLY******
    READ THIS


    ======================================================================================================
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    ======================================================================================================

    THEN READ IT AGAIN........ :drinker:


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    What ever the treadmill says, or the lower end of what a fitness class advertises

    Many of those exercise machines and gadgets tend to be on the high side of calories burned. I would not eat back all of those calories. Try eating back about 25-50% then adjust as needed. I also agree with the heart rate monitor option.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Eating back exercise calories is a pain and is often inaccurate even with a HRM. I would use the TDEE method because it eliminates the variable of exercise calories. Take what appears to be an average of your total calorie intake in a week (not net) and divide by 7. Eat that number of calories every day with as much consistency as possible. Also keep you exercise consistent (and don't skip your lifting! It's more important than your cardio anyways!) This way if you stall you simply reduce calories consumed. You don't have to worry about net vs total or if your exercise burned calories are correct or not. You have eliminated that variable.
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    The thing I'm struggling with is technically I should be losing weight even if my net was at 1700 daily. So even if I was over calculating my fitness should I not still be losing weight if the only factor is net calories.

    Is there no possibility that my body is strained from a long term reduced calorie consumption.

    Is it just a myth that bumping up calories can up ones metabolism.
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
    Eating back exercise calories is a pain and is often inaccurate even with a HRM. I would use the TDEE method because it eliminates the variable of exercise calories. Take what appears to be an average of your total calorie intake in a week (not net) and divide by 7. Eat that number of calories every day with as much consistency as possible. Also keep you exercise consistent (and don't skip your lifting! It's more important than your cardio anyways!) This way if you stall you simply reduce calories consumed. You don't have to worry about net vs total or if your exercise burned calories are correct or not. You have eliminated that variable.

    I agree with this.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Prolonged dieting will cause your metabolism to slow a bit but people blow it way out of proportion. You should not have slowed to the point that your deficit was wiped out. Upping calories works sometimes but not for the reason people think. Sometimes the stresses of prolonged dieting cause water retention and the upping of the calories causes that to ease. They see the scale move down and misinterpret the result as some metabolic voodoo when all that really happened was some water weight shedding. I personally advocate taking diet breaks every 8-12 weeks of eating in a deficit. By diet break I do not mean going off your diet and eating whatever. It's a controlled increasing of calories to what your maintenance level is. You still weigh and track everything, you just eat maintenance calories. I do this for 2 weeks then resume another 8-12 weeks of deficit eating. It helps with these stalls tremendously.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    The thing I'm struggling with is technically I should be losing weight even if my net was at 1700 daily. So even if I was over calculating my fitness should I not still be losing weight if the only factor is net calories.

    Is there no possibility that my body is strained from a long term reduced calorie consumption.

    Is it just a myth that bumping up calories can up ones metabolism.

    What method are you using to determine your TDEE? I ran your numbers thru here http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Now these are just estimates, of course, but it puts your TDEE without exercise at about 1750. According to this particular calculator, a net of 1700 would probably be a maintenance number for you.
  • vklass
    vklass Posts: 12 Member
    I'm a little confused on the TDEE method, I've literally never heard of this
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
    Listen to Vismal, his success is incredible.


    TDEE is total daily energy expenditure. It takes your calories needed and averages them for the week, including exercise. It keeps the numbers simple and will help once you hit maintenance. Search TDEE on the forums, you will find great info. The links others posted are great too. Also please check the post I linked too, it is considered a how to for many here.

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