Should I zig zag or up calorie intake?

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UltraRunnerGale
UltraRunnerGale Posts: 346 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have less than ten pounds left to lose and it's coming off veryyyyyy slowlyyyyyy!! I have been on 1200 calories for something like three months. I am consistantly under calories and run A LOT!! I have heard of others having luck with zig zagging or upping their calories?? Wondering what you all think. I'm not 100% sure how to go about either one, though. Thanks in advance!! :flowerforyou:

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  • muitobem
    muitobem Posts: 436 Member
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    Eat your exercise calories...I found that when I don't eat enough calories, I don't lose the weight I want to lose....So I know it's weird but you need to eat more to lose...
  • Pronoiac
    Pronoiac Posts: 304
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    Wow, you are very disciplined and dedicated! First and foremost is eat your calories to zero EVERYDAY! Including eating back those burned through exercise. Less is not more in this circumstance. Running as much as you do those are building blocks necessary for recovery. At least once per week eat to your baseline level, or even a little bit more, still including any exercise calories.

    Go get em'!
  • avahsmiles4me
    avahsmiles4me Posts: 8 Member
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    You've got the right idea, I zigzag back and forth as well......like yourself, I have only 10lbs to go now but unlike yourself I personally hardly ever exercise. I say, up your water consumption and eat between 1200-1500 cals daily. Good luck!
  • UltraRunnerGale
    UltraRunnerGale Posts: 346 Member
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    I guess I should add that I do eat my exercise calories. I don't eat my calories to zero, sometimes close to it though. Sometimes I still have a couple hundred. When I do long, endurance races I can't always eat the calories. The last 50K I did, I burned 4005 calories!!!!! That's on top of my 1200 calories. Couldn't eat them all, especially when I do these sort of events, I'm not always super hungry as it takes many hours to complete and I think the event takes a toll on the system. It's the next day that I get real hungry.

    I really think my body has adapted to the 1200 calories and isn't really responding now.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    My personal preference is to up your intake and give that a couple of weeks. What's your weekly goal at? I assume you've adjusted it down to .5lb/week since you're so close to your goal? If not, do that and see if that new calorie intake is enough to make a difference.
  • UltraRunnerGale
    UltraRunnerGale Posts: 346 Member
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    I was set at 1 pound a week. I changed it to .05 pounds a week and it's giving me 1350 calories. I'll play with that for a while and see what happens! Thanks!
  • SallieBeige
    SallieBeige Posts: 341 Member
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    I am not an expert so perhaps I shouldn't be commenting at all so this is just a question.

    Is it possible that you are past the measurement systems for the "average" person?

    Maybe you should ask your gym to do caliper tests and go soley by bmi instead?
    (I am told muscle is much heavier than fat - so how much more is healthy to loose and still keep up the exercise that you do?)

    Way to go to you!! I am awed :)
  • Pronoiac
    Pronoiac Posts: 304
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    I guess I should add that I do eat my exercise calories. I don't eat my calories to zero, sometimes close to it though. Sometimes I still have a couple hundred. When I do long, endurance races I can't always eat the calories. The last 50K I did, I burned 4005 calories!!!!! That's on top of my 1200 calories. Couldn't eat them all, especially when I do these sort of events, I'm not always super hungry as it takes many hours to complete and I think the event takes a toll on the system. It's the next day that I get real hungry.

    I really think my body has adapted to the 1200 calories and isn't really responding now.

    Calorie dense drinks, amiga! Just get them in. : )

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