am i doing this right...will i gain weight?

kissmekates101
kissmekates101 Posts: 17
edited September 26 in Food and Nutrition
hi everyone,
so it took me awhile to understand the whole eating exercise calories and bmr thing. ive been eating around 1200-1300 calories per day because mpf gave me that as a goal but i made the mistake of usually not eating my exercise ones. after a two-week long plateau, I did some more research on my bmr and it is closer to 1400 than 1200. also, i read that you should never go below your bmr even though thats what mpf has me at. i exercise a good amount every day, usually burning around 600 calories. Ive decided to up my calories to around 1500-1600. should i expect to gain weight?

Replies

  • LG2789
    LG2789 Posts: 20
    I did the same thing about 2 to 3 weeks ago and have not gained weight. I actually feel like I have more energy and have been in a better mood.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    It's really not about calories. What kind of foods are you eating? Gaining/Losing FAT (not just weight) has more to do with hormones and genes than simple math and calories. If you're eating tons of veggies, tons of meat/fish/poultry/eggs - you'll lose fat. It's just the way hormones work assuming you keep your insulin and cortisol in check (by avoiding foods that spike them - like wheat, rice, corn, sugar, etc.) Don't kill yourself with the exact number, just keep your nutrition super clean and watch the fat fall off.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    hi everyone,
    so it took me awhile to understand the whole eating exercise calories and bmr thing. ive been eating around 1200-1300 calories per day because mpf gave me that as a goal but i made the mistake of usually not eating my exercise ones. after a two-week long plateau, I did some more research on my bmr and it is closer to 1400 than 1200. also, i read that you should never go below your bmr even though thats what mpf has me at. i exercise a good amount every day, usually burning around 600 calories. Ive decided to up my calories to around 1500-1600. should i expect to gain weight?

    Everyone will give you a different answer on this, you have to see what works for your body.

    I would say though that if you are eating 1600 cals a day and burning 600 through exercise, you are leaving your body 1000 cals to function on for the day. Depending on how big you are, this may even be too low, most people seem to recommend 1200 NET calories (ie. your calories in from food minus the calories out from exercise) as a minimum for women.
  • stevemcknight, ah i used to be like that and eat 80% healthy and 20% junk food naturally because i love my fruits and veggies and i wouldnt gain an ounce but now im so caught up on the number and scared of gaining back the weight ive lost. im assuming that if i eat when im hungry and eat the foods i know my body wants that i wont have anything to worry about. thanks for the advice!


    rubybelle, i meant my net calories at 1600 sorry for the misunderstanding after all the reading ive done now i know to eat my exercise calories! but i guess that is what i had been doing which is what im assuming led to my plateau
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    stevemcknight, ah i used to be like that and eat 80% healthy and 20% junk food naturally because i love my fruits and veggies and i wouldnt gain an ounce but now im so caught up on the number and scared of gaining back the weight ive lost. im assuming that if i eat when im hungry and eat the foods i know my body wants that i wont have anything to worry about. thanks for the advice!


    rubybelle, i meant my net calories at 1600 sorry for the misunderstanding after all the reading ive done now i know to eat my exercise calories! but i guess that is what i had been doing which is what im assuming led to my plateau

    Good to hear, 1000 net seems low for most people. I can't tell you if YOU will gain weight eating this amount, but I haven't! I started out at 1660 net cals a day, now down to 1550 (as my weight decreases) and am losing about 1kg (2.2 lb) every 10 days.
  • great to hear!! keep up the good work :)
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