Will I lose weight if I increase calories?

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Been struggling for a while now to lose weight. I keep going back to low carb but can't sustain it, so back on healthy eating again. Due to this jumping from one to another diet (I think - please correct me if I am wrong) I have picked up a stone and now have a mammoth task to lose weight. I have tried to eat between 1200 and 1500 a day but this starts off the most awful cravings for anything. Listening to Chris Powell, and he gave a formula to how much you should eat to lose weight. weight x 8 + 200 = mine is 1944. That's a lot. So I have been eating like that for 3 days now but I am so scared that this will increase my weight even more. What are your thoughts?

Replies

  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    If 1944 calories puts you in a deficit you will lose weight.

    If 1944 puts you in a surplus you will gain weight.

    Easiest thing to do is pick a number you're comfortable with. Track intake accurately for a while and see what happens. Adjust calories according to results.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    If you're gaining weight, you're eating more than you think.

    Are you using a food scale to weigh your solids and only using cups and teaspoons for liquids? Are you using accurate entries?

    Check there before you decide to change your calorie goal.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Honest question: Does eating more and expecting to lose weight make any sense when you stop and really think about it?

    That would only be possible if you got overweight in the first place by undereating. ;)
  • RosieS_1980
    RosieS_1980 Posts: 61 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I did the calculation you posted based on my figures and that's my BMR roughly and about the same as the figure mfp gives me. What did the app say you should aim for?

    I'm losing about 1lb a week and eating more than my BMR:)
  • lubalubies
    lubalubies Posts: 7 Member
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    I have not updated the app in all truthfulness. I will update this on the weekend and try to go back to basics. I know I would have been eating more calories on low carb, due to butter and fats. I am just trying to get my head around a different way of eating now.
    I now weigh everything I eat and no longer add things like mayonnaise or any sauce, as I can't keep up.
  • motherofdragons84
    motherofdragons84 Posts: 58 Member
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    lubalubies wrote: »
    Been struggling for a while now to lose weight. I keep going back to low carb but can't sustain it, so back on healthy eating again. Due to this jumping from one to another diet (I think - please correct me if I am wrong) I have picked up a stone and now have a mammoth task to lose weight. I have tried to eat between 1200 and 1500 a day but this starts off the most awful cravings for anything. Listening to Chris Powell, and he gave a formula to how much you should eat to lose weight. weight x 8 + 200 = mine is 1944. That's a lot. So I have been eating like that for 3 days now but I am so scared that this will increase my weight even more. What are your thoughts?

    I don't know who Chris Powell is but if you figure our your Total Daily Energy Expenditure https://tdeecalculator.net you can figure out how many calories you burn in a day. If you are looking to loose weight-- technically you can eat that and work out (working out at a deficit). On days you don't workout you can decrease your calories to create deficit. Essentially that's what MFP does but on more basic terms. You can set your macros to lose weight as well popsugar.com/fitness/Macronutrients-Weight-Loss-37313038
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    Tell me what you think of this idea.

    Track what you are eating now using a food scale. This is your baseline. Cut back from your baseline by 300-500 calories.