people who LOST weight eating MORE

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  • Red5446
    Red5446 Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm interested to hear responses. I'm 5'4" and eating 1200 calories now, but I was thinking of upping it to 1300.

    I'm the same height, and I have been eating around 1350-1450 cal per day, but I exercise very heavily, and a friend on this site suggested that I should try eating more, because my metabolism is slowing down to a crawl due to the high activity and low consumption. Obviously how much you work out is a factor. If your loss is very slow, you may want to experiment! I ate a huge meal last night (burned 800+ calories) and this morning I weighed in a two pound loss! Obviously this is anecdotal evidence, but I think that, in my case, eating too little might have been the problem.
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
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    I'm interested to hear responses. I'm 5'4" and eating 1200 calories now, but I was thinking of upping it to 1300.

    I'm the same height, and I have been eating around 1350-1450 cal per day, but I exercise very heavily, and a friend on this site suggested that I should try eating more, because my metabolism is slowing down to a crawl due to the high activity and low consumption. Obviously how much you work out is a factor. If your loss is very slow, you may want to experiment! I ate a huge meal last night (burned 800+ calories) and this morning I weighed in a two pound loss! Obviously this is anecdotal evidence, but I think that, in my case, eating too little might have been the problem.

    Interesting. I work out every day for 30-40 minutes. I estimate my calorie burn - saving up for a HRM! But I'm guessing I burn 200-400 cals in a workout. I'm also only 20 pounds from goal, so that was another factor in my decision to up it.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    I'm following the biggets loser guidelines (how the feed the competitors) and doing the workouts too. They suggest your weight times 7 should be your intake. Its pretty much what MFP gives. They also suggest 45% carb, 35% protien and 20% fat. It has to be clean carbs protiens and fats though. They don't allow the contestants to eat back their calories until they have a certain BMI. MIght explain how some things work well for fatter people not eating them back than fitter people who need to.
    I'v elost 14lbs since starting but lost more body fat than the scales indicate. I can see the difference and my Dr is thrilled.

    My weight (127) x 7 = 889. 889 calories per day? did I read that incorrectly? I eat bt 1800-2400 cals a day depending on exercise. 889 would get me right back where I was in the past -- starving and gaining.

    We must remember that this is for the "Biggest Loser". The contestants start out around 300lbs. That would give them 2100 calories. But I don't think this ratio is at all useful to people that are no in the extremely obese category.

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    7 times your weight is a TERRIBLE metric if you aren't obese. And its even more terrible if you have a lot of muscle or something. I would only get to eat 1150 calories doing that - I need at least 1500 just to FUNCTION as a body with blood and organs.

    I did explain that its only until they get to a certain BMI therefore a certain weight. I currently weigh just over 240lbs which is why it is working for me. Not everyone on this site weighs 150lbs you know.

    Actually you said that they don't get to eat their exercise calories until a certain BMI, but my point was that 7 x metric doesn't work at all if you aren't obese. And yes, you ARE obese so its probably ok for you for right now -- I assume you're eating around 1800? That sounds like a fine amount. but when I started here I weighed 205 - that would have put me at 1435 which is really low. Might have been ok for a couple weeks or a month when I had a TON of extra weight to burn but now that I'm 171 even eating 1435 is too low, LET ALONE 7x my bodyweight. 1170 + exercise calories would still be WAY too low. and I'm not a healthy "BMI" yet. So just be prepared to not continue using that metric for very long IF you want ot be healthy.
  • weimawhat
    weimawhat Posts: 25 Member
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  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
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    I missed this thread the first time around ... saw it when it got started, forgot to reply to it, then forgot it completely ... but anyway, I guess better late than never? ;)

    I'm 5'3", 127-130 lbs. depending on TOM, and I'm eating 1800+ calories/day, usually more like 2k+. My BF% when I started was hovering around 28%, which is okay, but not great. I'm what you guys would call "skinny fat".

    1800 calories is my maintenance level, and 2k+ is what I need to supplement my weight training program. I'm making a more deliberate effort to hit the gym more often rather than going "when I felt like it". I had been slacking off a bit the past couple of weeks on getting to the gym to lift, but I kicked my butt back into gear this week. I did deadlifts for the first time tonight and was really happy/surprised I could use the 50-lb. bar already. Okay, compared to some of the other 2k girls, that's wimpy, but I'll take it. ;)

    This program -- higher calories, deliberate workouts that you don't kill yourself over -- works for me, but it also works for a lot of people with a lot of different body types. I see photos from the 2k girls, and we're all different shapes, sizes, heights, lifestyles. We range from hardcore runners like love4fitnesslove4food to serious lifting rats like Rachel2603 to yoga gurus like agthorn. It works more efficiently and is healthier, IMHO, than serious caloric deficit -- even for people who are obese/overweight. Yeah, you may be physically more limited at a higher body weight/BMI, but you can still start *somewhere* -- even if it's doing soup can curls in your kitchen.

    I did have a belly shot as my main photo, but I moved it into the rest of the pic gallery because it was too similar to psych's photo. I'll have to find some pants/shorts/whatever that aren't black so I can post a new one. ;) But that photo was taken like 2 weeks ago and it already shows progress in my torso. I've lost an inch off my waist (from 31" to 30"), and I'm working on getting a few more. Unfortunately, I don't have a "started MFP" photo because I took that in my underwear, and I guess that's against MFP's rules? It's a truly embarrassing photo though -- a muffin top in plain cotton underwear is pretty much the low point for me.

    Anyway. Just my 2 cents. I have a lot of 'em.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    I'm interested to hear responses. I'm 5'4" and eating 1200 calories now, but I was thinking of upping it to 1300.

    I'm the same height, and I have been eating around 1350-1450 cal per day, but I exercise very heavily, and a friend on this site suggested that I should try eating more, because my metabolism is slowing down to a crawl due to the high activity and low consumption. Obviously how much you work out is a factor. If your loss is very slow, you may want to experiment! I ate a huge meal last night (burned 800+ calories) and this morning I weighed in a two pound loss! Obviously this is anecdotal evidence, but I think that, in my case, eating too little might have been the problem.
    The reason why your metabolism slows is due to the muscle loss. Your body catalyzes muscle after the energy from the fat storss is used. For long term improvements this will kill your results and lead to plateaus. This has been the case with every plateau i have helped someone get out of which is close to 40+ members on this board.

    There is a reason why eating more will benefit you more in the long run as it prevents muscle loss. Now i will note that there are several methods to approach this. First if you strctly use mfp you have to understand your inputs. What i mean is, just because you want to lose 2 lbs a week doesnt mean its feasible for your body. Example being a person who has 20 lbs to lose. Also with using mfp i would try to eat back 50-75% of the exercise calories as they tend to run high.

    The second method incorporates exercise calories into your lifestyle (approach i take). I have a sedentary job bjt workout 5-6 days a week so i label myself moderately active so i can concerntrate on one caloric goal.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,940 Member
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    I bumped up my calories this week. And, I've traded one (maybe 2) cardio work-outs for strength-training. This is what MY next 12 weeks looks like. And, if I change my SHAPE, but not the number on the SCALE, I am okay with that.

    (I am at a perfectly normal weight for my 5'9" height.)
  • foodeeee
    foodeeee Posts: 50 Member
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    Although I can't lose if I eat much over 1,200, I can maintain with over 2000 cals! It's all about QUALITY!!
  • morales08
    morales08 Posts: 12
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    Hmm??? I am doing all I can to stay @ or under the recommended 1200 cals per day mark. I exercise 3-4 times per week. Sometimes I am waaaaay hungrier than 1200 cals. Wondering if I should I eat more?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    Hmm??? I am doing all I can to stay @ or under the recommended 1200 cals per day mark. I exercise 3-4 times per week. Sometimes I am waaaaay hungrier than 1200 cals. Wondering if I should I eat more?


    There is a good chance you have to eat a lot more than 1200. If you go to tools and use the BMR calculator, if you can post your results and your workout schedule we can do some figuring for you.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
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    I'm masssively stuck and think i'm actually gaining...scales not going anywhere down and i look bigger?! why!!??
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    I'm masssively stuck and think i'm actually gaining...scales not going anywhere down and i look bigger?! why!!??
    send me a pm and we can talk butlooking at your calories you are probably under eating as compared to what you should be doing.
  • fitrunnermd
    fitrunnermd Posts: 72
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  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
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    A couple of weeks a go I finally gave in and got a Bodybugg. Now I'm trying to maintain right around a 500 calorie per day deficit. I haven't quite gotten it yet, but it's getting easier. And during this time I've been maintaining, I have lost inches, so my body is still changing and getting more fit. I'm hoping keeping the smaller deficit will help get the scale moving downward again.

    And for anyone who's scared to eat more, I think I haven't started losing again because some days I've still had too large of a deficit (around 800) and it hasn't been long enough for my body to adapt. I have not gained any weight and have lost inches. So if you're contemplating it, give it a try.

    Hi

    But you are losing! Keep doing what your doing!! You are losing! You are losing inches! This means you are losing fat! The number on the scale will take care of itself when its good and ready to go down. Well done on your great loss :)
  • Crystal817
    Crystal817 Posts: 2,021 Member
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    Wow, I'm glad I found this thread!

    I've been on MFP for about 250 days and until a day ago, I was set to the standard 1200 calories. I eat most of my exercise calories back and I've lost about 30 pounds since I've been here. I would still like to lose another 20 pounds or so.

    In the past month, I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week and netting around 1200 but the scale hasn't been moving! I asked a friend on here and he suggested that I up my calories. Which of course made me a little nervous. I didn't go crazy, I just changed it to 1330 from 1200. I'm anxious to see what happens!

    I'm 5'4 and currently at 139-140lbs. I would like to get down to 115-120 pounds.

    My concern is, as I up my calories should I still be eating back my exercise cals?

    If anyone has similar goals or suggestions for me... I would love to hear from you! :flowerforyou:
  • RonKay
    RonKay Posts: 85 Member
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  • lablvr6
    lablvr6 Posts: 14 Member
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    I have been going to a personal trainer 2x a week and the local gym 4x a week doing HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training since July 1st. As of yesterday, I have lost 10 lbs. Which includes 2 lbs of fat and my fat percentage has dropped almost 2.5 percent. I log everything that goes into my mouth and I average 1500 - 1700 per day. This is spread over 6 meals. I didn't think I needed to eat, but I listen to my Trainer. Oh and I just started a cheat MEAL 2x a month. This is planned and marked in my calendar.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    Here is my story... hopefully this will make it bit clearer for those who struggle with the concept of eating back calories....

    I joined Rosemary Conely (UK diet club) in January, and was given a daily calorie allowance of 1200 calories. This difference with this diet club than WW, is that it also included a 45 minute exercise session. But there was no mention of eating back exercise calories. So, basically on those days I was netting less than 1200.

    2 weeks in, I lost 9 lbs... I was then allocated 1400 calories per day... but in my eagerness to lose & because I had got used to only eating 1200 calories, I decided to stay on 1200...

    Well at the next weigh in, I didn't lose anything... and the weigh-in after that I actually went up a pound. When the diet club leader found out that I was still on 1200 calories, she told me that 1200 calories wasn't meant to be for long-term, as it wasn't a healthy daily allowance and now my body thinks it's starving. So I uopped my calories to 1400

    After the 4th week, my daily allowance was recalculated (based on age/weight/sex) to 1723 calories - this did NOT include eating back exercise calories. If I compare that to what MFP has allocated (1480) WITH eating back calories, I end up eating pretty much the same amount of calories.

    Suffice to say, I quit the diet club at the end of March (after 21 lbs lost) and have just been using MFP since (30 lbs loss).

    I have been eating back my exercise calories since solely using MFP... some weeks I lose nothing & other weeks I will lose 1.6-2.2 lbs a week (average to 1.2 lbs a week).

    What works for me, is that on the days I know I'm going to have a high burn (450 - 600 calories) cardio session ( usually Turbo Fire) - I tend to eat a higher calorie lunch (600 - 800 calories).
  • wendybird2
    wendybird2 Posts: 46 Member
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    I'm 5'8" and net 1400 each day (which on rest days I still find really tough, so I try to get those exercise calories and I eat EVERY one). 1200 was not doing it for me. I'd suffer through the week and then binge on Sunday. At a 1400 net, I've maintained my deficit without feeling miserable or drastically going over my calories (maybe by 250 on a really bad day, but that's still a deficit, just a smaller one). I barely noticed the difference on the scales so I started tracking my 10 day average instead of my daily weight. Today's average for the past 10 days was the lowest ever, so I know it's working! Including exercise, I eat 1600-1900 per day. So I'd say it works.

    *Edit* Oh, almost forgot....I think one of the keys for me was drastically increasing my protein. I try to get a ratio of 40% carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    Wow, I'm glad I found this thread!

    I've been on MFP for about 250 days and until a day ago, I was set to the standard 1200 calories. I eat most of my exercise calories back and I've lost about 30 pounds since I've been here. I would still like to lose another 20 pounds or so.

    In the past month, I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week and netting around 1200 but the scale hasn't been moving! I asked a friend on here and he suggested that I up my calories. Which of course made me a little nervous. I didn't go crazy, I just changed it to 1330 from 1200. I'm anxious to see what happens!

    I'm 5'4 and currently at 139-140lbs. I would like to get down to 115-120 pounds.

    My concern is, as I up my calories should I still be eating back my exercise cals?

    If anyone has similar goals or suggestions for me... I would love to hear from you! :flowerforyou:

    To up your calories, just change your weekly loss setting - for example, from 1.5 lbs a week to 1 lb - or 1 pound a week down to 0.5 pounds

    Then eat your exercise calories back....

    Do you wear a HRM?
    If not, then only eat one half to two thirds of them back.... otherwise eat them all...

    let us know how you get on...

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