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Increasing Caloric Intake?

alannalemon
alannalemon Posts: 23 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

I've been doing cardio and weight training (each 3x a week) and have been eating my calories back from the workouts, however have seen very little movement on the scale. I recently tried upping my protein and limiting my carbs, however as a vegetarian its kinda hard.

I mentioned this on a beachbody forum, and people suggested that I up my calories to 2400 or more. I feel like this is very high, given that I have a good amount to lose.

Here's some stats:
SW: 185
CW: 190 :angry:
Height: 5 foot 3 inches
And I'm sedentary 23 hours of the day

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Replies

  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    What's your total cals eaten / exercise cals burned / net cals at the minute? It would help if you open your diary
  • alannalemon
    alannalemon Posts: 23 Member
    Whoops! Meant to do that before posting! It's open now though.

    I aim for my net calories to be around 1250 a day. On the days that I lift, I burn around 300-350 calories according to my HRM, and 600-700 on my cardio days.

    I've also recently tried to cut out sugars (my daily dessert!) besides those in fruit or in my protein powder, but it's hard because I live with 5 other people who make sure to keep the house stocked with sugar and calorie loaded ice cream and cookies :indifferent:
  • alannalemon
    alannalemon Posts: 23 Member
    bumpity bump bump! :)
  • alexandria412
    alexandria412 Posts: 177 Member
    Not directly related, but I'm also a vegetarian that has struggled to get enough protein in the past. I found the cottage cheese with fruit a few (only a few!) nuts is an awesome post-workout treat with tons of protein and a little simple sugar and a little sodium (to help with any water you lost).

    For someone so petite, 2400 calories sounds like A LOT to me...even with all that exercise (what in the world are you doing?), with a mostly sedentary lifestyle I would probably nudge it down.

    How do you feel on a 1250 calorie day? Are you cranky/hungry/lightheaded?
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    Have you been taking measurements? Maybe you're losing inches instead of pounds? That's not entirely uncommon!

    I do noticed that your protein is a bit low. Add some nuts, beans, or quionoa or other whole grains in - that might help get you some more protein. Or even protein powder or shakes if you can't add it elsewhere.
  • alannalemon
    alannalemon Posts: 23 Member
    alexandria412, thanks for the suggestion! I haven't had cottage cheese since I was very young, and I didn't like it, but I also didn't like greek yogurt until a week or two ago! I'll definitely try cottage cheese with fruit and nuts. can't go wrong with fresh fruit and nuts! :wink:

    and i feel fine on 1250 net a day... since i've been eating cleaner, I only occasionally get cravings for something cheesey or salty. I always used to want carbs, but going a few days without 40+ grams of carbs at each meal seems to have made the cravings go away.

    i agree that 2400 seems very high, i don't even know how i'd eat that! i'd have to eat a ton of nuts, breads and grains! which i wouldn't be adverse to, but again, the protein becomes a problem.

    P.S. I've been doing a hybrid of Turbofire and Chalean Extreme, both programs from beachbody... I love the cardio sooooo much!! I think that because I enjoy it i push harder and burn more calories :bigsmile:
  • alannalemon
    alannalemon Posts: 23 Member
    itsuki, thanks for your comment! I've lost about a 1/4 inch from my calves and upper arms, however nothing on my waist or thighs :cry:

    i also just recently started incorporating protein powder into my diet, generally for right after a workout and a midday or after dinner snack. the one i use has 27g protein in one 36g serving, and is made from whey, which unfortunately leaves me hungry soon after drinking it.. But it helps me reach my protein goals!!
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    How long have you been tracking cals / exercising, it can take a few weeks for a loss to show?
    Your bmr is 1606.
    multiply this by 1.2 for a sedentary activity level = 1927.
    Add your exercise (average 1000 x3 per week) = 428
    so your total daily calorie burn is 2355.
    you need to eat 500 less than this for each pound per week you wish to lose, so 1855 (1427 net) for 1lb / 1655 for 1.4lb (1227net). this would be the max you should aim for per week so your net doesnt fall below 1200.
    MFP calcs are slightly different if its given you 1500 cals, but its not far off.


    i think the 2400 is too high, your maintenance calories would be 1928-1970, so if you ate 2400 you would have to exercise the difference just in order to maintain, if you didnt exercise you would gain approx 1lb per week.

    hope this helps!
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