Who has increased their calories with success?

cherapple
cherapple Posts: 670 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
MFP sets me at 1200 calories. I am 5'2" and weigh 118, but would like to weigh closer to 110 (although I'm not terribly concerned with getting that low -- I'm perfectly comfortable with 112-114). I exercise a lot, six times per week, alternating between 45-60 mins. of cardio and 45-60 mins. of strength training. I'm wondering whether a base of 1200 is really enough for me (and YES, I relish eating every single one of my exercise calories :laugh: ), but I'm afraid to set it higher because I often go over calories -- and when I do, I don't worry about it too much. I do worry that if I set it higher, however, I'll go over *those* and start gaining.

I'd like to get to a point where I don't have to count calories at all, once I get into the habit of controlling my portion sizes, but when I don't count, that's when I start eating everything in sight. :noway: :laugh:

I know I should just try a calorie increase for a couple of weeks and see how it goes, but I'd like some inspiration. If you have a "calorie-increase success story," please share. :happy:
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Replies

  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    MFP sets me at 1200 calories. I am 5'2" and weigh 118, but would like to weigh closer to 110 (although I'm not terribly concerned with getting that low -- I'm perfectly comfortable with 112-114). I exercise a lot, six times per week, alternating between 45-60 mins. of cardio and 45-60 mins. of strength training. I'm wondering whether a base of 1200 is really enough for me (and YES, I relish eating every single one of my exercise calories :laugh: ), but I'm afraid to set it higher because I often go over calories -- and when I do, I don't worry about it too much. I do worry that if I set it higher, however, I'll go over *those* and start gaining.

    I'd like to get to a point where I don't have to count calories at all, once I get into the habit of controlling my portion sizes, but when I don't count, that's when I start eating everything in sight. :noway: :laugh:

    I know I should just try a calorie increase for a couple of weeks and see how it goes, but I'd like some inspiration. If you have a "calorie-increase success story," please share. :happy:
  • ChubbyBunny
    ChubbyBunny Posts: 3,523 Member
    I increased my calories from 1200 (which MFP set me at) to 1500 (a smidge below my BMR) and have lost 10 lbs in a little over a month.
  • FletcherChic
    FletcherChic Posts: 158
    i was on a low cal diet and was actually gaining weight...my nutr. suggested i have my metabolism tested (which i did do) and come to find out i have a high metabolism!!!!...i Upped my calls from 1200 to 1600 (for my 1 day that i don't workout), 1900 (for the day i do 1 workout) and 2300 (for the days i workout twice)...that is a considerably huge step up for me as far as food goes but i am thoroughly enjoying all the avocado and olive oil that i have added to my diet!....i lost about 4 pounds in the first few days of my increase and while i haven't lost any more pounds (i am on week 2 of this), the areas of fat that i had gained while in storage/starvation mode are melting away...i definitely recommend trying to up your calories...maybe just go slowly and add a 200 calorie snack in there...good luck - i hope this helps you meet your goal!
  • SherryRH
    SherryRH Posts: 810 Member
    i was on a low cal diet and was actually gaining weight...my nutr. suggested i have my metabolism tested (which i did do) and come to find out i have a high metabolism!!!!...i Upped my calls from 1200 to 1600 (for my 1 day that i don't workout), 1900 (for the day i do 1 workout) and 2300 (for the days i workout twice)...that is a considerably huge step up for me as far as food goes but i am thoroughly enjoying all the avocado and olive oil that i have added to my diet!....i lost about 4 pounds in the first few days of my increase and while i haven't lost any more pounds (i am on week 2 of this), the areas of fat that i had gained while in storage/starvation mode are melting away...i definitely recommend trying to up your calories...maybe just go slowly and add a 200 calorie snack in there...good luck - i hope this helps you meet your goal!

    How do you get your metabolism tested? I think I would like to do that.
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
    I am your height, 5"2'. Before I found myfitnesspal I was 120 and wanted to get to 115. I was running about 45 min 3x/week, walking the other days 2.5mi. Doing about 20 min strenght training 3x/week.
    I was trying to stay at 1200 cal. But not losing anything. When I found myfitnesspal it gave me a base of 1510 (I think that was what it was) When I started to eat that and my exercise calories I lost 3 lbs!

    I am feeling so much better being able to eat more. 1200 was not enough to keep me going.

    I also am not feeling so much like I want to weigh less than where I am at. My clothes are fitting better, my husband thinks I look good.

    The scale is a good guide but don't let the numbers rule you. Sometimes we set goals in weight that are not realistic. We need to be careful as we get to our goals that we can maintain them without going overboard. Watch you body fat % you don't want to get to low.
  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    I find it amazing that a person can eat more and lose more at the same time. It goes against everything we are taught by society about losing weight.

    I agree that the scale is overrated. I have a scale that measures body fat, but it's very inaccurate. I'd like to get some calipers one day.

    I'm not very concerned about current my weight because I'm pretty comfortable where I am, but I am concerned with gaining and with not eating as much food as I really need. Those two worries seem to be mutually exclusive, but perhaps they're not! Thanks, everyone. I'm going to try this! Out of curiosity to see what will happen, if nothing else!!! :laugh:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    I upped from 1200 to 1350 and I lose pretty consistently. :flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I have been at plateau for 5 weeks. I am sticking to the 1200 for 1 full week to make sure the holiday food didnt mess with me.

    If I dont lose anything this week I am upping my cals by 150-200 a day. I will try that for a week and see.

    I am not really frustrated....but would like to see some movement on inches or pounds.

    Let us know how it goes!
    :flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I was eating 1400 per day back in September-October and was stuck at 136 the from August until October. Then I went up to 1800 cals a day and dropped 4 lbs from October to now.
  • laurs
    laurs Posts: 37 Member
    Interesting topic!

    I am going very very slow now in my weight loss. Interesting that when you ate more you started to lose more. I'm wondering if I'm in the same boat for this. I've increased my calorie intake from 1200 to 1320 TODAY. I'm a bit scared though--don't want to gain weight either. We'll see how it goes! I guess it can't hurt since right now it's taking me about a month to lose .5 lb! (I was losing lots before!) Maybe this will help. My body is at a healthy bmi now and I don't think it really wants to budge, but I still have 8 more lbs to go before my goal weight. Anyway, let me know what you guys think about increasing to 1320.

    Still a little scared...
  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    I just increased mine to 1320, too. We'll bite our nails together!!! :laugh:

    There have been weeks, though, when I really thought I ate a lot. I had several "bad" days of what I thought of as "binge" eating (I didn't record my calories), and then I'd reach my weigh-in day and I would be astounded to see that the scale had gone down. So I'm keeping those times in mind as I try this.
  • Losing_It
    Losing_It Posts: 3,271 Member
    I increased mine from 1200 to 1400 and I'm losing more now. Good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    last night I went back and ate strawberries and 8 oz skim milk to bring my cals to 1400

    I cant believe how much if affected me psychologically.

    I have been on 1200-1300 for 6 months now.:frown:
  • SherryRH
    SherryRH Posts: 810 Member
    I am taking the plunge today. I have been on a plateau since May and no matter what I do I am not losing or gaining. I have been eating all my exercise calories but I have been stuck on the 1200 calories per day.

    I upped my calories a while ago to 1400 but nothing really happened. I gained some weight but I think it was because I just didn't care about what I was eating since I am so frustrated.

    I changed my goals and now I will eat my maintance calories and I will see where that puts me. Wish me luck!
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    Well, I never lowered my calories to 1200. I eat 1400 on non-workout days and have lost steadily over the last year. I actually ate more like 1500-1600 when I was heavier and then lowered it 50 cals at a time as I lost weight but I haven't ever gone as low as 1200.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I just increased mine to 1320, too. We'll bite our nails together!!! :laugh:

    There have been weeks, though, when I really thought I ate a lot. I had several "bad" days of what I thought of as "binge" eating (I didn't record my calories), and then I'd reach my weigh-in day and I would be astounded to see that the scale had gone down. So I'm keeping those times in mind as I try this.

    The same thing happened to me. I'd go out on my 'fun' day and eat 1800-2000 calories and then lose a couple lbs in the next couple days. Initially I gained due to an increase of food, waste, glycogen and water, but that's to be expected. I didn't start recording again for a couple weeks when the scale began to go down again.
  • laurs
    laurs Posts: 37 Member
    thanks for sharing everyone!
    when i first started with mfp, it put me at 1200 and so that's what i've been doing ever since. now i've increased to 1320. will share in a week or two if there's any progress with increasing! :)
  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    I've been eating at the higher calorie level for at least a couple weeks (I chickened out and put it back to 1200 at first, but then increased it again), and the scale hasn't budged one way or the other. That's good news that I can eat more! But I'm wondering whether I should increase again? Eating 1200 calories a day didn't make me lose weight, so there's no need to go down. The only way is up!

    Again, it's frightening, but I'll only know if I try! The first increase was a success because I didn't gain. I think I'm going to try another increase and go to 1500! Aaaaaah!!! :laugh:

    Does anyone else have a calorie-increase experience to share?
  • nicolet04
    nicolet04 Posts: 830
    i am terrified to do that:noway: i always think about it cause i see so many threads on it....but i always stick to 1200 calories maybe 1300 if i workout but i try to stay at 1200. i havnt lost in a while but i am so scared to up my calories cause i really dont want to gain.....:huh:
  • Phoenixflame
    Phoenixflame Posts: 560 Member
    I know! It's kind of funny...I'm like "1400 calories? SO MUCH FOOD!!" Then I remember my old diet, yowza!

    I need to eat more. I think I overcompensated a bit during the holidays. Granted, not as much physical activity, but I don't think I was eating quite enough.

    So, as drastic times call for drastic measures, I think a sushi night with some friends is in order!
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
    Hi

    I am 5'7 and started here at 157
    I initially ate about 1490 cals per day...when I wasn't working out at all
    Once I hit maintenance I started working out and now eat about 2000 cals per day and my weight is pretty set as 128-130

    FOR ME, 1200 cals just did NOT seem do-able...regardless of it I worked out

    Good luck with finding what works for you!
    Kim
  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    I am 5'7 and started here at 157
    I initially ate about 1490 cals per day...when I wasn't working out at all
    Once I hit maintenance I started working out and now eat about 2000 cals per day and my weight is pretty set as 128-130

    FOR ME, 1200 cals just did NOT seem do-able...regardless of it I worked out

    I agree that 1200 seems very low. It's a base mark designed for someone who does not work out, and I do, so I must need more because I assume that exercise (including strength training) would give me a higher metabolism. I am only 5'2" though, so I always worry that my shortness is a big calorie liability. I'll just keep playing with my settings and see what happens!
  • laine23
    laine23 Posts: 39
    waw that's unbeleivable!!!
    I luv ur stories!
    I cannot do the 1200 cals a day it's to few.
    I do about 1300-1400 and I do sports but I'M NOT LOOSING!
    I have a past of anorexia so I know my body is kinda storing fat but I'm fully recovered now and I just would like to shed some pounds that have been bugging me but ... not working... it's weird.
  • cherapple
    cherapple Posts: 670 Member
    So far so good! I've increased my calories from 1200 to 1320 and then to 1400 without gaining weight, or losing much, either (a couple pounds). Now I'm going up to 1559 based on the formula in the Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ebook by Tom Venuto. I finally broke down and bought it!

    Ironically, 1560 is what MFP calculates as my *maintenance* level :noway: , while the BFFM formula says that I will maintain at 1948 and *lose* at 1559! The only thing the BFFM formula that I'm using doesn't take into account is lean body mass, so that's the next thing I'm going to have to figure out how to measure, if I want to get really precise.

    I'm also going to try zig-zagging -- eating three days at weight-loss level and one at maintenance -- so that my metabolism doesn't adjust to the weight loss level. As always, I'm a little nervous about upping my calories. Wish me luck! :happy:
  • TRLTAMPA
    TRLTAMPA Posts: 824
    It's so surreal to read posts about upping calories to lose weight....I still chuckle when I read them. But it obviously works.
  • may_marie
    may_marie Posts: 667 Member
    well .. reading your post is really helping me out with upping my cals..

    i have lost quite a bit of weight... the week between xmas and new year was a let down week and did not exercise nor watched my calories, so i though that when i would be back on the wagon the 1st of jan i would drop because i had shocked my body for a week,,, it normaly works when im back from vacation .. im down 2-3 lbs the next week..

    but this time ,, nothing,, im paranoid of plateaus,, so i was trying to not take too much notice but last moday i started to try upping my calories,,, couldnt do it at first because its a psychological thing,, im sure you all have.. its realllllly hard to up the calories,, (well in my case was a mix of down with exercise and still eating the same amount)

    so this weekend i decided to eat my 1200 calories but no exercise,, that gives me a smaller deficit then when i work out, and i droped a pound,,, that is convincing me that because im getting closer to my goal .. i should change my goal from 2 lbs a week to 1 lbs a week and eat more, i will do that this week and see what happens.. if tha works well i might eat even more .. but its harddddd
  • scaredofcoasters
    scaredofcoasters Posts: 90 Member
    After reading a bit on this site, I upped my daily calories to 1900. I'll probably eat about 2250 on workout days, like today, where i'm going to be out 700 - 900 calories after my Kendo practice. 1900 for me is a bit more than 100 over my BMR. I want to lose, but I don't want to starve myself. I'm just starting out, but I'm hoping that this works out well!
  • may_marie
    may_marie Posts: 667 Member
    i just wanted to report that..

    i have changed my calorie deficit from 1000 to 700-800 calories (mix of exercising less and eating more),, and despite not having lost any weight in the last 2 weeks. i weighted this morning and lost a grand total of 2.5 lbs in the last 3 days ( i weighted because i was paranoid that i would gain weight from eating more)

    i really cant believe it,, i am not sure what this lost has been attributed to, i am eating more .. but is it really because of that ? i havent changed anything else ..

    so HOORAY !! and go and EAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol..

    ill report again in a week to let you know what happened,,, if i kept on losing or what ...
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    I was eating below 1200 calories (not purposely) and gaining...I added in some exercise and a minimum of 1300-1400 calories (adding extra when I exercise) and in a week I've now lost 2.6.

    It took about 2 weeks for my body to get started back - if you body thinks you've been starving it - it may try to store at first.

    ***Just be patient***
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    I've been at a plateau for a while now eating my base 1200 + exercise.
    So I'm upping my calories to around 1400 + exercise.
    Seems to be working. I lost 1.5lbs last week while eating more that "I should have".
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