How many more calories
lalalacroix
Posts: 834 Member
So I'm 20 pounds from goal weight. I believe I need to eat more for 2 reasons. The first is that I've started losing weight at a more rapid pace and the second is because I'm closer to goal.
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
0
Replies
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If you’re averaging 1600-1700 and thinking of upping to 1750 that’s not a huge jump. I’d say give it a go and monitor it to find what works for you. You might be retaining less water or being more active in ways you’re not noticing such as walking more or getting more efficient in the gym?2
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That's a tiny adjustment when you want to make a significant difference to your rate of loss.
+250 (half pound a week difference) minimum I would suggest and reassess after a month with finer adjustments probably required?7 -
Do you weigh your food?
Do you use volume measurements (cups, tsp, etc.) or servings (a piece, slice, etc.)?
Do you compensate for workout calories?
If you share your food log, we can help.0 -
If I were you, I might even try to hit maintenance for a few weeks to try and find where you actually are due to the increased activity then you can do the weight loss adjustment from there. Due to the increased activity and muscle mass, you might be surprised at your actual maintenance amount at your current weight.2
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Justin_7272 wrote: »Do you weigh your food?
Do you use volume measurements (cups, tsp, etc.) or servings (a piece, slice, etc.)?
Do you compensate for workout calories?
If you share your food log, we can help.
As stated above, I weigh most food and log all food. I eat all exercise calories. Not sure how sharing my diary will be helpful.
Again my average intake is 1600-1700 calories.0 -
That's a tiny adjustment when you want to make a significant difference to your rate of loss.
+250 (half pound a week difference) minimum I would suggest and reassess after a month with finer adjustments probably required?
Yeah I see your point. An extra 250 would be 1850-1950 calories per day. I guess I feel a little anxious about going up that much simply because I carried this weight for almost 10 years and I'm worried about screwing this up. Mathematically what you are saying makes sense.WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »If I were you, I might even try to hit maintenance for a few weeks to try and find where you actually are due to the increased activity then you can do the weight loss adjustment from there. Due to the increased activity and muscle mass, you might be surprised at your actual maintenance amount at your current weight.
I really have no clue what my maintenance calories are. Based on losses this month I'm guessing about 2,500. I haven't had a diet break for a while, but I'm not really feeling the need either. I can see the benefit in knowing the current maintenance number.
If my maintenance is now 2,500 then I would be surprised. My past diet breaks have been at 2,000 calories.
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When I got to 165 (also 5'7") I was at 1500 + Exercise cals too. I started getting legitimately hungry and that was a pretty hard calorie level for me.
I'm pretty sedentary. Retired (female) small condo, not much housekeeping because I live alone. I was eating about 1900-2000 on exercise days to lose 0.5 pounds per week, but having frequent big overage days.
I now eat 2100-2300 to maintain at 140-145.
Only way to know is to go up a bit.
You won't magically gain 20 pounds.
Just keep stepping on the scale like always, adjust as needed. Don't panic with a couple pounds up when you increase calories. Stay the course. 6 -
lalalacroix wrote: »That's a tiny adjustment when you want to make a significant difference to your rate of loss.
+250 (half pound a week difference) minimum I would suggest and reassess after a month with finer adjustments probably required?
Yeah I see your point. An extra 250 would be 1850-1950 calories per day. I guess I feel a little anxious about going up that much simply because I carried this weight for almost 10 years and I'm worried about screwing this up. Mathematically what you are saying makes sense.
Well calorie counting is basically a maths game - emotion gets in the way of logic unfortunately.
Think of it as good practice for when you get down to your goal range and you are going to have to make quite a few mental/emotional adjustments from short term weight loss to long term weight maintenance.
Trust the process that brought you so far.
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@cmriverside and @sijomial you are right. I guess I really just need to wrap my head around this. I expected to have to eat fewer calories as I got closer to goal, not have to raise them so much.5
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What happened to me was that I had my calories set too low when I hit about 180. I was still trying to eat 1300 Net. I was so hungry but worse I started bonking with my workouts. I had to go up (I was set at "Lose 2 pounds")
I went up to 1600 Net. That was so much better. At 163 pounds I was in a healthy BMI. I wanted to get mid-range so I changed the goal to 1500. Yeah, that was super hard and I couldn't actually stick with it. So I was technically eating about 1700-1900 Net, to lose that last 15 pounds.
It's a mental game. It gets exponentially harder the closer to goal you get. There is a lot of juggling. Trust the process.3 -
I’m having the same debate. I’m down 30lbs from my starting weight, and it’s been a pretty steady 1-1.5 lbs down per week, I’m feeling pretty good, but in the last couple of weeks my energy levels have tanked, and I keep hitting plateaus because my body is hanging on to a lot of excess water. I know I need to up my calories, and slow my weight loss as I’m only 15 lbs from my goal. But it’s really hard to convince myself that adding 200-250 calories daily doesn’t mean I’m quitting.
I need to adjust my goals and expectations. I’m just ready to be done!
I’ve been eating 1400-1500 calories daily with a few maintenance breaks scattered around. I’ve decided to eat 1650-1750 for a few weeks and see if that helps my energy levels, and water retention.
Best of luck to you.2 -
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jaymijones wrote: »I’m having the same debate. I’m down 30lbs from my starting weight, and it’s been a pretty steady 1-1.5 lbs down per week, I’m feeling pretty good, but in the last couple of weeks my energy levels have tanked, and I keep hitting plateaus because my body is hanging on to a lot of excess water. I know I need to up my calories, and slow my weight loss as I’m only 15 lbs from my goal. But it’s really hard to convince myself that adding 200-250 calories daily doesn’t mean I’m quitting.
I need to adjust my goals and expectations. I’m just ready to be done!
I’ve been eating 1400-1500 calories daily with a few maintenance breaks scattered around. I’ve decided to eat 1650-1750 for a few weeks and see if that helps my energy levels, and water retention.
Best of luck to you.
Yeah I agree that it's odd after restricting for a while.0 -
Seems like you pretty much got it, but wanted to add something only because you mentioned bmi.
BMI is quite possibly the worst thing to go off of. Every single athlete in the world is obese/morbidly obese based on BMI.
Lean body mass vs weight (body fat%) is a far more indicative form of measurement if you want to use one.10 -
Scottgriesser wrote: »Seems like you pretty much got it, but wanted to add something only because you mentioned bmi.
BMI is quite possibly the worst thing to go off of. Every single athlete in the world is obese/morbidly obese based on BMI.
Lean body mass vs weight (body fat%) is a far more indicative form of measurement if you want to use one.
I think you may be confusing me, OP, with @cmriverside.
However I'm not sure that it's true that every single athlete is obese based on bmi. Most of the athletes that I personally follow are ultrarunners and climbers, all of whom are super athletic and all thin. Really doubt their bmi's are in the obese category.
For me, I'm still considered overweight, but hallelujah not obese!! I'm overall not that concerned with bmi. I just want health and to be able to fuel my activities well.6 -
Scottgriesser wrote: »Seems like you pretty much got it, but wanted to add something only because you mentioned bmi.
BMI is quite possibly the worst thing to go off of. Every single athlete in the world is obese/morbidly obese based on BMI.
Lean body mass vs weight (body fat%) is a far more indicative form of measurement if you want to use one.
The bolded is not true at all. There are examples of athletes who would be considered outliers by BMI, but they are still by far in the minority. Even then, most outliers would be in the overweight category, not obese or morbidly obese. BMI is just a general guideline that holds true for the majority of the population and there is a reason that there is such a wide range within each category.8 -
lalalacroix wrote: »So I'm 20 pounds from goal weight. I believe I need to eat more for 2 reasons. The first is that I've started losing weight at a more rapid pace and the second is because I'm closer to goal.
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
The difference between the first two months and May's numbers is about 400 calories a day that you would either be over logging or burning now. If there has been a significant change in your life that you believe has upped your daily activity you should increase your calories if not I wouldn't make any decisions based on May's numbers because that is not enough data. There is no reason you should not up it to 1750 but you could also stay the course for a little longer and make a more accurate adjustment.
I do a fair amount of number crunching on myself each Friday and I have seen some 3 week spans of time that the numbers would make me believe a lot of things that were not true. Since I have tracked for so long though I know how to see those outliers in context.
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I forget about the little activities of summer that don’t seem that significant or strenuous (mowing the lawn, tending the garden) that start up around now and generally prompt some summer weight loss. That might not apply to you in your location, though!5
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Scottgriesser wrote: »Seems like you pretty much got it, but wanted to add something only because you mentioned bmi.
BMI is quite possibly the worst thing to go off of. Every single athlete in the world is obese/morbidly obese based on BMI.
Lean body mass vs weight (body fat%) is a far more indicative form of measurement if you want to use one.
Nope. Myth.
Runner's World did articles about this.
They give a rundown of then-recent (2013) Olympic gold medalists; most people would consider them "athletes", I think? (No, it's not just about elite runners; someone made that conceptual mistake on another thread where I shared the links. It's cross-sport.) By BMI, a few are obese, a few are overweight, a few are underweight, and substantially the largest number (for each sex) are normal weight.
https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20811275/bmis-of-champions-mens-edition/
https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20793992/bmis-of-champions-womens-edition/9 -
lalalacroix wrote: »So I'm 20 pounds from goal weight. I believe I need to eat more for 2 reasons. The first is that I've started losing weight at a more rapid pace and the second is because I'm closer to goal.
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
The difference between the first two months and May's numbers is about 400 calories a day that you would either be over logging or burning now. If there has been a significant change in your life that you believe has upped your daily activity you should increase your calories if not I wouldn't make any decisions based on May's numbers because that is not enough data. There is no reason you should not up it to 1750 but you could also stay the course for a little longer and make a more accurate adjustment.
I do a fair amount of number crunching on myself each Friday and I have seen some 3 week spans of time that the numbers would make me believe a lot of things that were not true. Since I have tracked for so long though I know how to see those outliers in context.
I really considered this actually and agree that three weeks isn't necessarily enough time to determine a change should be made. But then I thought that because I lost more in April than March and then more in May than April there might be an uptick in activity. Then again I wouldn't think it was 400 calories different. Regardless, I should raise calories due to being closer to goal. So I'm going with 1,800, which is about 150 more per day, for the next month and then I'll reassess.3 -
cherrybomb526 wrote: »I forget about the little activities of summer that don’t seem that significant or strenuous (mowing the lawn, tending the garden) that start up around now and generally prompt some summer weight loss. That might not apply to you in your location, though!
That's actually funny because we just had a two day snow storm this week. I think I heard it broke some 20 year record. 🙂1 -
lalalacroix wrote: »lalalacroix wrote: »So I'm 20 pounds from goal weight. I believe I need to eat more for 2 reasons. The first is that I've started losing weight at a more rapid pace and the second is because I'm closer to goal.
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
The difference between the first two months and May's numbers is about 400 calories a day that you would either be over logging or burning now. If there has been a significant change in your life that you believe has upped your daily activity you should increase your calories if not I wouldn't make any decisions based on May's numbers because that is not enough data. There is no reason you should not up it to 1750 but you could also stay the course for a little longer and make a more accurate adjustment.
I do a fair amount of number crunching on myself each Friday and I have seen some 3 week spans of time that the numbers would make me believe a lot of things that were not true. Since I have tracked for so long though I know how to see those outliers in context.
I really considered this actually and agree that three weeks isn't necessarily enough time to determine a change should be made. But then I thought that because I lost more in April than March and then more in May than April there might be an uptick in activity. Then again I wouldn't think it was 400 calories different. Regardless, I should raise calories due to being closer to goal. So I'm going with 1,800, which is about 150 more per day, for the next month and then I'll reassess.
Sounds like a very reasonable approach to me. It is very wise to be cautious about losing too fast but as long as you don't feel weak there is little harm that can happen in a short amount of time unless you are being reckless.
1 -
Just my 2 cents. I think if you are losing faster/more easily, part of it is because you are more active, apart from intentional exercise. Part of it may also be because your muscle to fat ratio has changed so much. It takes more calories to maintain muscle. Rejoice! Celebrate! And raise your daily calories a little.2
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lalalacroix wrote: »lalalacroix wrote: »So I'm 20 pounds from goal weight. I believe I need to eat more for 2 reasons. The first is that I've started losing weight at a more rapid pace and the second is because I'm closer to goal.
SW 222
CW 176
GW 155
Height 5'7"
I aim for 1,500 calories per day but have averaged 1,600 - 1700 since February. In March I lost 1 lb/week, then April I lost 1.3lbs/week and now in May 1.8 lbs/week. I weight most foods and log everything.
My exercise routine has remained about the same. I've been using the same calorie calculator during this time. I eat all my exercise calories.
I feel at this point that I should be losing at 1 lb/week until I have 10 pounds to go then lose at .5 per week. I think I should probably up my calories to 1,750 and then wait a couple of weeks to reassess. Any comments on how many calories to add?
Honestly I'm pretty perplexed on why I'm losing faster. Calorie input and output (exercise) hasn't changed. Although I do have a lot of energy and stay pretty active and am somewhat more active than a few months ago. I just can't imagine that it's enough to make a difference in this many calories per day.
Anyways, comments and wisdom appreciated. 🙂
The difference between the first two months and May's numbers is about 400 calories a day that you would either be over logging or burning now. If there has been a significant change in your life that you believe has upped your daily activity you should increase your calories if not I wouldn't make any decisions based on May's numbers because that is not enough data. There is no reason you should not up it to 1750 but you could also stay the course for a little longer and make a more accurate adjustment.
I do a fair amount of number crunching on myself each Friday and I have seen some 3 week spans of time that the numbers would make me believe a lot of things that were not true. Since I have tracked for so long though I know how to see those outliers in context.
I really considered this actually and agree that three weeks isn't necessarily enough time to determine a change should be made. But then I thought that because I lost more in April than March and then more in May than April there might be an uptick in activity. Then again I wouldn't think it was 400 calories different. Regardless, I should raise calories due to being closer to goal. So I'm going with 1,800, which is about 150 more per day, for the next month and then I'll reassess.
Sounds like a very reasonable approach to me. It is very wise to be cautious about losing too fast but as long as you don't feel weak there is little harm that can happen in a short amount of time unless you are being reckless.
At this point in my 5 year MFP journey (yeah I know some of you hate this word), it is much more important to me to fuel my activity than it is to lose weight quickly. I'd much rather eat as much as possible and be energized.4 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »Just my 2 cents. I think if you are losing faster/more easily, part of it is because you are more active, apart from intentional exercise. Part of it may also be because your muscle to fat ratio has changed so much. It takes more calories to maintain muscle. Rejoice! Celebrate! And raise your daily calories a little.
While I hope that I've added a bit of muscle, it probably isn't that much. And without looking it up, I think a pound of muscle burns a few more calories per day than a pound of fat. So the difference isn't much. Maybe one of our wise friends here can give the proper info on how much more muscle burns than fat.2 -
I’m all about raising calories. As a moderately active petite female 5’2 110-115 lbs, I maintain on about 2200-2500 and lose quickly on 2000. I spent years trying to eat 1500-1600 to lose the last couple lbs and would get so frustrated by I ended up binging. Gotta keep that metabolism going.0
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Ok, when I said athlete, I really should have been more specific.
I was talking about sports stars. Football, hockey, baseball, soccer...not runners and cyclists. That's my bad.
10 -
Scottgriesser wrote: »Seems like you pretty much got it, but wanted to add something only because you mentioned bmi.
BMI is quite possibly the worst thing to go off of. Every single athlete in the world is obese/morbidly obese based on BMI.
Lean body mass vs weight (body fat%) is a far more indicative form of measurement if you want to use one.
If one wanted to criticize BMI for being a poor proxy for body fat percentage, athletes are mathematically the worse argument.
From population survey samples, BMI's tendency is actually to underestimate body fat: the percentage of low body fat, overweight to obese athletes (particularly obese) are a small population, but a fair percentage of people are normal weight with excess body fat.5 -
Scottgriesser wrote: »Ok, when I said athlete, I really should have been more specific.
I was talking about sports stars. Football, hockey, baseball, soccer...not runners and cyclists. That's my bad.
BMI is still the easiest way for people who aren't professional athletes to gauge their progress. It's not like there is an acceptable self-measuring way to find out one's LBM.
Since BMI is still used for physical exams and health insurance purposes, it's close enough. If someone is training with heavy weights every day, and playing pro sports, they have an entire medical team on hand. Are you suggesting we throw out the easiest most accepted method of body mass index?
And I don't think all the pros would fall into the obese category.7 -
People use BMI because it is the easiest way to measure progress and is likely to be completely applicable to them. I get that and will concede that it is true.
However, I do not feel that a system where everyone would agree that an individual is the pinnacle of health is considered overweight/obese is a system that carries much WEIGHT. That is clearly a flawed system to the point where I'd search out other options.
A system like body fat% is far more indicative of actual health and really isn't hard to figure out. You can buy a $20 scale that'll give you a rough idea. Is body fat % the end all be all of systems? Nope, still some holes in that, but it is better than BMI.6
This discussion has been closed.
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