Want feedback from those who have increased calories and los

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jbudge1
jbudge1 Posts: 62 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am looking for some feedback from people who increased calories and lost weight. I am looking for long term results, not 2-3 day results.

Here is the story. My wife 5'3" 175 has been eating 1200 per day plus exercise calories (totals about 1500-1550 per day). She works at a desk all day but does Insanity 6 days per week and never misses a workout. After 5 weeks she will lose 2 pounds and regain it. It is back and forth every week. I on the other hand have lost over 13 pounds on Insanity thus far. I know I am a guy and lose easier.

She does not cheat and the foods are decent. She drinks plenty of water. She does have the Mirena which may be a factor for some women. She is getting frustrated and I can understand why. She lost 43 pounds several years back by just counting calories with no exercise (pre-mirena).

Everyone on here seems to say the same thing: Eat more to lose more. Personally I think 1500ish is reasonable but I am trying to convince her to up it to 1700ish. I would like to hear from those who have actually had good results by increasing the calorie intake that high. Were you in a similar situation?

Replies

  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    yes. In the beginning, I was extremely aggressive and stuck to only (ONLY!!!!) 1200 (not net, total) for the first 30 lbs. The weight dropped off like magic! Then when I hit 30 lbs lost, I seemingly hit a brick wall. I went back and forth over the same 3 lbs for 4 months. I was SO frustrated. I took Banks' good advice and increased my daily intake to 1500 net (thank you exercise calories!), and I have been losing steadily ever since. I'm now at almost 80 lbs lost.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,020 Member
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    At 5'3.75" and my journey from 186 to 155 lbs, I was eating a minimum of 1450 per day plus exercise cals. I lost slowly, but I didn't lose ANY lean body mass either, it was all body fat. I upped my calories to 1600 at 165 lbs and kept losing. (I'm currently on "hold" for a few months).
  • hml1976
    hml1976 Posts: 64
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    I have too. I lost a lot at first by sticking to the 1200...honestly she may want to try a week of that just to jumpstart the process.

    I increased my calories and lost the last twenty pounds or so A LOT faster than when I was eating less.

    On a side note...is she drinking a lot of alcohol? I found that eliminating my nightly glass of wine really helped my weight loss.

    Best of luck to her!
  • marjen002
    marjen002 Posts: 112
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    I increased my intake to 1500 several weeks ago due to my increase in activity. I average between 1300-1500 cals each day. I started on 1200 calories but had to increase to avoid hitting a plateau (it worked!). I exercise, but not nearly as much (or as hard core) as your wife and I have consistently lost weight. If she's doing Insanity 6 times a week (which I've tried), she's probably burning some serious calories....so I agree with you that she should probably increase to 1700 calories. (I'm also on Mirena, big TMI, but don't think it's been a factor for me.)

    Hope this helps! :)
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    The first 9 months here, I stuck at 1200 calories and lost 15 pounds. Half of those pounds were muscle mass. I then upped my calories tp 1450 and started strenght training. Since then, I lost many many inches.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,529 Member
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    I am looking for some feedback from people who increased calories and lost weight. I am looking for long term results, not 2-3 day results.

    Here is the story. My wife 5'3" 175 has been eating 1200 per day plus exercise calories (totals about 1500-1550 per day). She works at a desk all day but does Insanity 6 days per week and never misses a workout. After 5 weeks she will lose 2 pounds and regain it. It is back and forth every week. I on the other hand have lost over 13 pounds on Insanity thus far. I know I am a guy and lose easier.

    She does not cheat and the foods are decent. She drinks plenty of water. She does have the Mirena which may be a factor for some women. She is getting frustrated and I can understand why. She lost 43 pounds several years back by just counting calories with no exercise (pre-mirena).

    Everyone on here seems to say the same thing: Eat more to lose more. Personally I think 1500ish is reasonable but I am trying to convince her to up it to 1700ish. I would like to hear from those who have actually had good results by increasing the calorie intake that high. Were you in a similar situation?
    As a trainer I feel I'm qualified to tell you to tell her to at the very least eat her exercise calories back. Also tell her if what she is doing isn't working, it would be insane to keep doing it and expect different results.
  • Rachaelluvszipped
    Rachaelluvszipped Posts: 768 Member
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    I am looking for some feedback from people who increased calories and lost weight. I am looking for long term results, not 2-3 day results.

    Here is the story. My wife 5'3" 175 has been eating 1200 per day plus exercise calories (totals about 1500-1550 per day). She works at a desk all day but does Insanity 6 days per week and never misses a workout. After 5 weeks she will lose 2 pounds and regain it. It is back and forth every week. I on the other hand have lost over 13 pounds on Insanity thus far. I know I am a guy and lose easier.

    She does not cheat and the foods are decent. She drinks plenty of water. She does have the Mirena which may be a factor for some women. She is getting frustrated and I can understand why. She lost 43 pounds several years back by just counting calories with no exercise (pre-mirena).

    Everyone on here seems to say the same thing: Eat more to lose more. Personally I think 1500ish is reasonable but I am trying to convince her to up it to 1700ish. I would like to hear from those who have actually had good results by increasing the calorie intake that high. Were you in a similar situation?
    As a trainer I feel I'm qualified to tell you to tell her to at the very least eat her exercise calories back. Also tell her if what she is doing isn't working, it would be insane to keep doing it and expect different results.

    I totally agree..with him, she might need to change up her routine as well..maybe stuck in a a crazy plateau of some sort, you both can add me as a friend as well.....plus this may help you understand better for you and your wife..see below..This is just something MFP does for us..

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
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    If possible, I would drop the Insanity and replace it with a program of heavy lifting 3x/week supplemented with moderate cardio. Not everyone will get good results from doing 6 days/week of hardcore workouts.

    I increased my calories by 600 per day and while it hasn't resulted in weight loss, I haven't gained either. Plus, I have a lot more energy for my workouts and my lifts are increasing bit by bit.
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
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    I upped my cals when I was exercising strickly, and was losing lbs. I'm guessing her metabolism has kicked in, and that is why she might need more cals. Good luck to you both!! Nice going on the weight loss so far!!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I can tell you I fell off the wagon after about a month of trying to net 1200 calories. Most of the time I was eating closer to 1400, but at the end of a month of doing that and working out, I lost about 5 pounds and felt exhausted.

    I ended up gaining a couple of those pounds back. I'm not quite back on the wagon yet. I rarely count my calories now, but when I do, it's about 2200. I am so freaking hungry. Anyway, if I can eat like a cow for two months and only gain two pounds back, it might have been worth it.

    As I do get back on the wagon, I'm going to sloooowwwwly decrease my calories and increase my workouts. I'm not going to get right back on the 1200 calorie program. I'm going to start by logging my food every day. Then, the second week, I'll lower my calories by 100. Then, the next week I'll lower them by another 100 until I start to see progress again. Then, whatever calorie range ends up working for me, is what I'll stick with. I'm going to try it out, but I'm not going to cut my food intake by half and wonder why I can't stick with it. Know what I mean?

    Also, don't underestimate medications. I just quit taking one of my meds and I already have more energy after only being off it for a few days. Of course, I would never recommend that anyone stop taking their medications without talking to their doctor, but everyone should learn about the side effects when they go to fill a prescription or take on a new medical device, such as an IUD.

    Speaking of which... I'm thinking about the Paraguard... I'm going to go research it now.
  • jbudge1
    jbudge1 Posts: 62 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies, We are going to try netting 1400 calories a day. This means eating about 1750 or so on exercise days. We will give it two weeks and see how it goes.
  • jbudge1
    jbudge1 Posts: 62 Member
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    Just a quick update....it has only been 5 days but the wife has INCREASED her calories to 1600-1800 per day and has now lost 2 more pounds. I think there really is something to eating more helps you lose!
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,020 Member
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    Just a quick update....it has only been 5 days but the wife has INCREASED her calories to 1600-1800 per day and has now lost 2 more pounds. I think there really is something to eating more helps you lose!

    That's awesome! Mad props to your wife! (and you too. :smile:)
  • kaypee65
    kaypee65 Posts: 120 Member
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    Also tell her if what she is doing isn't working, it would be insane to keep doing it and expect different results.

    One of the best pieces of advice I've ever seen in this forum! It applies to weight loss and pretty much everything else in life.
  • WoWmamaErin
    WoWmamaErin Posts: 148 Member
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    Congrats to your wife! And good on you for supporting her in a positive way :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,392 MFP Moderator
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    When I started working out (p90x) I was only eating 2000 calories. First 90 days, I lost 16 lbs and 3% body fat. Second round, stayed with the same deal, and didn't lose anything.


    So I changed it up. Got chalean extreme (less intense than p90x) upped my calories to 2600. After 90 days, I lost 5 lbs but another 3% body fat (finished at 12%). And I just started my 3rd round of p90x but I upped my calories to 2800. Within the first week, I have already lost 2 lbs. I am just shooting to get to 8% body fat.

    Within insanity, you truely need to eat your calories. Your wife needs to understand her BMR/TDEE and caloric needs.

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