Did raising your calories help you break a plateau?

very good question, can't wait to hear other peoples answers. Thank you

i was so impressed with the info in this blog i bookmarked it for myself to remember when i do hit a plateau *S*

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

1. Weight at the time of plateau
--> 140
2. Weight you had lost before plateau
--> 41lbs
3. Calories you were eating before plateau
--> 1200/day + 1/3 of my exercise calories (varied)
4. How many calories you increased
--> 150-200 on non-workout days, 100% of exercise calories + 200-300 on exercise days
5. Did it work? If so, for how long?
--> Yes, every weeks weigh-in for over a month now.
6. Did you make any other changes at the same time, like eating different kinds of foods or changing your exercise routine?
--> No

1. Weight at the time of plateau-238 (Feb. 10, 2011)
2. Weight you had lost before plateau-11 pounds
3. Calories you were eating before plateau - a net of 1200, not eating exercise calories
4. How many calories you increased-incresed 200 calories to a net of 1400 plus my exercise calories
5. Did it work? If so, for how long? Yes...it still is working. I have dropped down to 222 (3/31/2011)
6. Did you make any other changes at the same time, like eating different kinds of foods or changing your exercise routine? Try to stay under sodium goal, eat more fresh fruits and veggies, watch my carbs, kept exercise the same.

I'm doing a little amateur research on this topic because it seems to work for some people and not for others. I'm skeptical about it because I can't find any actual scientific research that supports it, or the idea that people stop losing weight because they're not getting enough calories. Nothing beyond personal anecdotes and testimonies.

I'd like to see if there is some correlation that isn't getting mentioned. So if you have tried eating more to break a plateau, please comment here with the following:

1. Weight at the time of plateau - 140-141
2. Weight you had lost before plateau - 7lbs
3. Calories you were eating before plateau - avg 900-1000
4. How many calories you increased - 200-300
5. Did it work? If so, for how long? I've lost 2 lbs in the last week since upping to 1200
6. Did you make any other changes at the same time, like eating different kinds of foods or changing your exercise routine?

I started jogging/walking, but was already exercising anyway just usually on the elliptical. I didn't change my foods

I was stuck on 12 pounds for three weeks until I zig zagged my calories for a few days. I would eat my normal 1200 one day and then maybe 1800 the next day and then I would eat about 1000 the next...... I lost 1.5 pounds at the end of that week. That was last week and I haven't weighed in for this week yet. I have stuck to my 1200 daily so hopefully, I'll see good results. I have now lost 13.5 pounds.

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I'll be watching this! Great information!

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The biggest thing you have to understand is your metabolism and how calories affect your metabolism. In many cases eating more calories will help but only if you eat the right type of calories. The second thing you have to consider is the type of workout you are doing. Your routine needs to change every 30 days or your body will get used to the workouts. I personally have had great success with two different beachbody products (p90x & chalean extreme). I started at 220 (@ 21% body fat) and now I am at 192 (@ 15%, at the beggining of the program). I have had to increase my calories a lot. I used to eat 1800 calories or less and now I am more around 2500+ depending on the program I am doing. Also, I did a 40/40/20 (carbs/protein/fat) split.


Now remember, you should eat every 2-3 hours. By doing that, you will increase your metabolism (trust me). Also, if you don't eat enough calories at the right time, your body will release a chemical in your stomach which will retain your calories and make you gain/maintain weight. This is where the 1200 calorie/day diets aren't very good for long periods of time. This is a difficult concept for many (especially women). You have to remember, food = fuel. the more fuel, the longer you an go. The better the fuel, the harder you can push it. And if you add that with a good workout routine of heavy lifting and cardio interval training the weight will come off. And don't worry about bulking up, woman can NOT bulk up. It is physically impossible. You need testosterone to bulk and woman don't have enough of it to bulk. Plus muscle is less dense than fat so you will tighten up if you put on a lot of muscle.

I plateau'd after my first round of p90x due to my diet. After another round with no weight loss, I analyzed my diet. I found my carbs were too high, my fats were to low and I was about 1000 (yes, one thousand) calories too short. When I do p90x, I have to eat no less than 2600 calories and would be better off with eating 3000.


Now that I corrected my diet and started Chalean extreme, I am down 8 lbs (in 7 weeks) and my muscles have grown a lot. My definition has really increased but I won't know my total body fat loss until I am done the program. Good luck. You can try something. Increase your caloric intake by 300 calories for 2 weeks and see if you start to lose weight. If you stay the same, then it problem isn't your diet, it might be your exercise routine. Also, make sure you eat the 3 major meals and two snacks inbetween.

Thanks for asking , new to site and interested to hear what everyone has to say. I have been here about two weeks and some of the food diary's I look at make me think how do you survive on so few calories when you exercise and burn 800-1000 calories? I am trying to eat back some of the exercise calories I have found I am just not hungry, a first for me!! I am shopping for more foods that pack in nutrients with the calories.

To answer your latest questions:

7) pear
8) I've actively tried to lose weight (food diary, weigh ins) twice in the last 10 years. I've tried to lose weight just by changing up diet/exercise a couple of times besides that but I am not really sure if I got results since I wasn't weighing in at the time. I also had one full-term pregnancy in there (right before the time besides this one that I really dieted). Throwing that in there because there was a big weight change involved!

I will be upping my calories to see for myself lol
I want this weight gone by summer...
IDK why it seems so hard to lose 15 lbs

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