increased my calories.. how long should I give it?

CanadianMag
CanadianMag Posts: 53 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss


I have recently increased my calories. I became re-aware of my weight in September and started back watching my food/exercise. MFP was telling me to do 1200 (then sometimes I would eat ½ of my exercise calories) I have done this without fail for a month now (logging between this site and another) I am back here full time as I find it much easier to log. Before this past month I would log only half the days, the reason I didn’t do the other half is because it was a “duplicate” of the day before. But that isn’t going to help me, so I know everything in my mouth now gets logged. My exercise has been consistently 4-5 times a week since Sept.

I guess I trusted MPF more than the TDEE and BMR calculators out there. Based on my reading I am doing TDEE - 20% now (1570 calories). I am scared that I am going to gain – but 3 months of doing 1200 and very little success I hope this will jump start a loss. My BMR is 1393 so of course is better than 1200 I as eating – but I thought I knew more than science.

I don’t plan to eat my exercise calories now or should I? My calories logged are from my HRM.

If my new calories are going to help how long do you think I should give it.. I think giving it 3 months before was a little too long.

Replies

  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
    edited January 2015
    You shouldn't gain, but you may. but you're going to have to weigh it in addition to logging it. If you were truly eating 1200 calories you should have been losing. So make sure you weigh everything.

    Give it 2 weeks to a month.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    Every body is different - my body took 4-6 weeks to fix itself after I did the 1200 cal thing (when I started). I had to adjust a couple of times. I went from 1600 some to 1550 and now I'm at 1490 and I eat back about 75-80% of workout calories. I have to weigh and measure food, though, because otherwise you just can't be certain. If you weren't doing that in the pass you could've easily been eating 1500 calories without knowing it.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    If you weren't losing, you were eating too much. But if you weren't logging accurately, it is hard to tell how much you were actually eating. Give it a couple of weeks and see what happens.
  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
    edited January 2015
    I checked your diary and it seems like you do a lot of measurements by volume. Volume is not very accurate. It's likely that you were eating a good deal over the amount of calories you thought you were as a result and that is why your weight hasn't budged. Invest in a scale. It will help get you on track.
  • CanadianMag
    CanadianMag Posts: 53 Member
    edited January 2015
    dawn0293 wrote: »
    I checked your diary and it seems like you do a lot of measurements by volume. Volume is not very accurate. It's likely that you were eating a good deal over the amount of calories you thought you were as a result and that is why your weight hasn't budged. Invest in a scale. It will help get you on track.

    Dawn: I measure everything that goes in my mouth. I did learn (6-8 weeks ago) to weigh my meat raw (I was doing cooked). I do have a digital scale.

    What are you looking at to assume it was volume? (so I can learn).

    Rice - when it says 1/2 cup - I eat half a cup. are you saying I should put that on the scale and weigh it as grams/oz per the packaging rather then a measuring cup?

    Oatmeal - I scoop 1/2 cup of oats

    If this is what you are saying then you are correct I mostly weigh meats, pasta ( but recently dropped pasta and am doing zuchini spirals)

    So do you think that would make me off 20% or more on calories! I am soo glad I posted here and welcome ALL the feedback: -)

  • CanadianMag
    CanadianMag Posts: 53 Member
    I had a thought. Since there is a high probablity based on Dawns observation - would it be best to NOT eat my exercise calories?
  • palwithme
    palwithme Posts: 860 Member
    We have a very similar story. I took about a month off from 1200 (and up to 1500 on some days) and didn't lose any weight - but didn't gain any either. I am back on the 1200 a day plan now hoping to kick start my rear back into gear! :D
  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
    edited January 2015
    CanadianMag wrote: »

    What are you looking at to assume it was volume? (so I can learn).

    Rice - when it says 1/2 cup - I eat half a cup. are you saying I should put that on the scale and weigh it as grams/oz per the packaging rather then a measuring cup?

    Oatmeal - I scoop 1/2 cup of oats

    If this is what you are saying then you are correct I mostly weigh meats, pasta ( but recently dropped pasta and am doing zuchini spirals)

    So do you think that would make me off 20% or more on calories! I am soo glad I posted here and welcome ALL the feedback: -)

    Cups, tablespoons, ect. are volume measurements. They are inaccurate because you can fit various amounts into the same size measuring cups depending on how tightly or loosely things are packed into them. Also, if you look at packages often the amount that they tell you makes up a serving in volume measurements ends up looking different than the serving size you end up with when you go by grams, especially when it comes to protein powders or things like pb2. I weigh everything but liquids. It's a hassle but it's kept my weight loss steady since I started doing it.

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    CanadianMag wrote: »
    I had a thought. Since there is a high probablity based on Dawns observation - would it be best to NOT eat my exercise calories?

    With TDEE-20% you don't eat back exercise calories.

    I'd give your new calorie goal a month to 6 weeks. And yes, you want to weigh all foods and measure free-pouring liquids. Rice, for example, is very calorie dense. Small errors can add up. You don't have to do it forever but it can be extremely helpful starting out, especially if you're not losing.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Agree with everyone else. Weigh, not measure, your solids.

    And if using TDEE, you don't eat back any exercise calories. So depending on how much exercise you do, you may end up eating more or less the same number of calories as you did before... it's just that they'll be more consistent from day to day, instead of fluctuating with activity each day.
  • CanadianMag
    CanadianMag Posts: 53 Member
    Thank you!! I love how much I learn here. My lunches are pre-portioned for the week already, but everything else I will start to do this now.

  • chriscrosse
    chriscrosse Posts: 39 Member
    Not for nothing, I stalled eating 1200, tried a few weeks at 1500 with no change up or down, even tried 900 and went down a bit but very hungry and obvious not healthy or sustainable. My training gyms eating plan set macros for me(5'2 165 very active for fairly aggressive weight loss at four meals, four hours apart with approx. 21g protein/27g carb/9g fat per meal with one meal being a little smaller(snack meal at 14g protein/18 carb/6 fat). It's working and I know everyone here espouses the calories in/calories out but I think the 4 hour blocks are what's making the difference. The difficulty is even at roughly 1200 calories, eating 4 hours apart makes me feel hungrier than spreading those out over more meals. Nutritionist said 4 hours gives your body time to digest and then use for fat stores for fuel for a few hours before you refuel.

    I have gone from 900-1600 with very little change while working out quite a bit and though it sucks to feel hungry with the long stretches, my pouch has disappeared. I'm not sure what the long term maintenance macros are, I've been told same percentages but more calories. Anyhow, just my experience from someone also frustrated with little movement.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    there is a good example of a youtube video about a half a cup of oats is.
    It is an eye opener. i cant find the link :(
    But the difference between the a full 1/2 cup and a bit under it is 75 calories or so.


    So yes weigh your Solids and only use your cups for liquids.

  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Agree with everyone else and i'd suggest its not the difference between TDEE and MFP thats causing problems but by your own admission, its just the basics. You have to get these right.

    Log every day
    Weigh your food. You were probably eating more than you think.
    Fix the correct level of calories.

    If you are using TDEE then you DO NOT eat exercise calories as they are already included.
    If you use MFP then you get to eat back some exercise calories because they arent taken for granted and the number given assumes no exercise. the exercise is then added on as you do it.

    I would give it 3-4 weeks at an accurate rate but id monitor it all the time. the basics are your foundation to having a consistent deficit and weight loss. It also gives you more understanding of whats going on, so without getting obsessed or being thropwn by fluctuations, then its good to monitor if what you think you are doing is reflected in weight loss at the level youd expect.
  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    there is a good example of a youtube video about a half a cup of oats is.
    It is an eye opener. i cant find the link :(
    But the difference between the a full 1/2 cup and a bit under it is 75 calories or so.


    So yes weigh your Solids and only use your cups for liquids.

    Here's the link:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGcdyfDM3oQ

  • CanadianMag
    CanadianMag Posts: 53 Member
    Amazing! Thank you
  • Asotelo4
    Asotelo4 Posts: 7
    I'm learning so much on this thread. Have stuck to my 1200 calories (and logged everything) for 14 days and have gained almost a pound. So frustrating. I have linked my fitbit with MFP and am manually logging my exercise (like my spin class or body pump class at the gym). I have definitely been eating many of my exercise calories. I guess that's my problem. Sorry to ask a dumb question (I'm new) but what's TDEE?
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