Increasing my calories for better fat loss
Replies
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The balance of calories in and calories out isn't static. It's dynamic. Calorie intake has an influence on calorie output, through pretty much the same mechanisms that cause "adaptive thermogenesis" (subtle fatigue, slowing of stuff like hair growth, maybe slightly lower body temperature, etc.) when calories are too low for too long. Some people seem to be more subject to this "dynamic" response, judging from the occasional post in the maintenance part of the forum
These days I think I could ALMOST skip weight-ins!
Changes to my Fitbit "resting heart rate" seem to correlate quite well (and slightly precede) increases/decreases or flat stretches in terms of my weight trend.
When i was at the tail end of major weight loss a few years back, my resting heart rate was in the mid 50s, a good 10 points down from where I tend to be these days when I am weight stable.1 -
Correction: increases/decreases to the next daily weight ins (not to the weight trend)0
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BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »frees1spirit wrote: »@BarbaraHelen2013
I am trying to increase my metabolism by slowing increasing my calories. My body should adjust its metabolism to the amount of calories I take in. I am now eating 2100 calories and my average weekly weight has remained the same. This way I will be able to start dieting again at a higher number of calories and I will adjust reset again if I need to.
If this were true to the extent you’re relying on it, nobody would be overweight. If metabolism adjusted to intake we’d all be a healthy weight. Walk down almost any street and you’ll clearly see the flaw in the theory!
Actually it is true! I did a reverse diet where I gradually increased my calories to 2400. A while ago I was consuming 1500 calories and I felt miserable. I now have more energy overall and in my workouts. I’m still waiting for hair regrowth but I know that takes time. My joints are no longer inflamed and I sleep much better at night.2 -
frees1spirit wrote: »@thisvickyruns
Good point.
I meant my TDEE should be around 2500 as given by online calculators. At the moment I am not losing at 2200 but maintaining. I had hoped to get up to 2500 and cut at 2000 or so. However I am feeling pretty full most days but maybe I should see how I can increase calories without feeling so stuffed. I got used to eating low calorie dense foods which are not what I need right now.
peanut butter is your friend for that one!3 -
@Noreenmarie1234
Thank you so much for sharing this.
I am feeling more energetic too. I still have some weight to lose but I am much more comfortable than I was when I was at my highest. I also have some health issues so figure that eating enough would benefit me there too.
@thisvickyruns
You are so right. Plus I love peanut butter.
@AnnPT77
I hope I can get it to work for me. Thanks for your insight.
@xxzenabxx
How long did it take you to increase your calories to 2400?
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frees1spirit wrote: »@Noreenmarie1234
Thank you so much for sharing this.
I am feeling more energetic too. I still have some weight to lose but I am much more comfortable than I was when I was at my highest. I also have some health issues so figure that eating enough would benefit me there too.
@thisvickyruns
You are so right. Plus I love peanut butter.
@AnnPT77
I hope I can get it to work for me. Thanks for your insight.
@xxzenabxx
How long did it take you to increase your calories to 2400?
Well I did it in stages but I’d say about 6-7 months.
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I'm sure reverse dieting won't work in every scenario, but it's too easy to believe it will never work at all. I, too, believe that it can, in the right situation, if pursued carefully. It's kind of the flip side of people who eat too low calories, and lose slower than they'd expect, basically because of subtle fatigue and subtly lowered activity.
The balance of calories in and calories out isn't static. It's dynamic. Calorie intake has an influence on calorie output, through pretty much the same mechanisms that cause "adaptive thermogenesis" (subtle fatigue, slowing of stuff like hair growth, maybe slightly lower body temperature, etc.) when calories are too low for too long.
Some people seem to be more subject to this "dynamic" response, judging from the occasional post in the maintenance part of the forum: It's not that unusual to see people report maintaining for a bit on calorie level X when they reach goal weight, then seeing weight start to drop slowly again, so they eat more, and maintain again at a higher intake level. It's presumably the same set of mechanisms behind some of the value of "diet breaks".
"Reverse dieting" is not going to be a capacity to increase calories indefinitely much; it's just a way to try to push back on any adaptive slowdown that may've happened, and try to increase calorie needs a bit. It doesn't violate the laws of physics, it just recognizes that people can sometimes have more energy and vitality with increased fuel - kind of common sense, really, IMO.
Very much this ^^^0 -
15 February
Weight – 72.7kg, Fat % - 43.7, Cal - 1423
22 February
Weight – 72.6kg, Fat % - 43.5, Cal - 1840
1 March
Weight - 72.1kg, Fat % - 42.9, Cal - 1864
8 March
Weight - 72.5kg, Fat % - 43.4, Cal – 1874
15 March
Weight – 73.1kg, Fat % - 44.0, Cal – 2136
22 March
Weight – 73.3kg, Fat % - 44.2, Cal – 2151
29 March
Weight – 72.8kg, Fat % - 43.8, Cal – 2050
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As I saw that my weight was going up I decided to lower my calories to between 1800 and 2000 last week. I ended up being just higher than that but I will gradually work my way down this week. I hope to keep in this range for 3 weeks and see what happens. I weigh myself everyday and the average weight has also shown the same trend.
I still have a lot of weight to lose and did not feel comfortable seeing the scale go up but dieting on 1800 to 2000 calories as a 5 feet 1 inch female is pretty cool.3 -
As I saw that my weight was going up I decided to lower my calories to between 1800 and 2000 last week. I ended up being just higher than that but I will gradually work my way down this week. I hope to keep in this range for 3 weeks and see what happens. I weigh myself everyday and the average weight has also shown the same trend.
I still have a lot of weight to lose and did not feel comfortable seeing the scale go up but dieting on 1800 to 2000 calories as a 5 feet 1 inch female is pretty cool.
That’s great! Dieting on 1800-2000 is definitely a lot of food for your height so that is pleasing! I’m also in a calorie deficit after reverse dieting and then bulking for 6 months. I’m currently eating an average of 2100 calories a day to lose fat. I cycle my calories so I have more on exercise days (2200-2300) and less on rest days (1600-2000). It honestly feels amazing to cut/drop body fat on such high calories. The main thing is that I have enough energy because I always felt tired when I was losing weight in the past. Good luck with your diet!2 -
@xxzenabxx
Thank you for the encouragement.
My intention was to bring calories up to 2500 and cut on 2000, however on days where I ate 2300 or so I was stuffed. I got lucky and even though I only spent 2 weeks at 2100 I am losing at around 2000 calories. I find this so amazing and am realizing how crazy cool our bodies are.3 -
I'm really glad you did a diet break and that you're feeling good.
I would just say, you may or may not continue to lose at the current calories. My crazy cool body doesn't turn on a dime, fat wise. What does happen is that food passes through my system on a regular basis and it has weight, so changes in calories lead to less or more food weight and water in my body. That happens when making changes, and it's not a real fat loss.
I'd stick at 2000 (including exercising, not adding more calories on exercise days with 2000) and give that a month. The most important thing is to find that balance, not pick a number and assume it's going to stay static. When I was losing my weight, that was the most confusing part - but I still believe in eating the most food possible and still losing.
What do I win? It's often said in these forums, "She who eats the most and still loses weight, wins."
I preferred the Myfitnesspal method of eating more on exercise days and less on days with no exercise, I liked the variability and the detailed control of it.3 -
@cmriverside
I kept my calories around 2000 daily for 4 weeks.
22 March
Weight – 73.3kg/161.6lbs
29 March
Weight – 72.8kg/160.2lbs
5 April
Weight – 72.5kg/159.5lbs
12 April
Weight – 73.6kg/161.9lbs
19 April
Weight – 73.0kg/160.6lbs
My average weight stayed around 73.0kg/160.6lbs so I decided to lowered my calories to around 1800 daily.
26 April
Weight – 71.2kg/156.6lbs
My average weight for last week was 72.4kg/159.3lbs.
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Cool.
You may or may not lose on 1800 at first, either. At least you know you're in the ballpark. Be consistent with 1800 for the same amount of time and run the experiment.
It's what we all have to do. 3 -
At first I wanted to lose weight as quickly as possible but now I am finding this interesting, taking my time to get to a healthy weight. My weight isn't going up which is the best part and is lower than it was even before I increased my calories. Over the weeks of my weight not really changing, my body got smaller as my clothes are fitting slightly better now. I can also see muscle on my arms and legs, which I am very pleased about.4
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