Women who eat more than 1800 calories a day !!!!

I am 5'9, 215lbs - 51 years old, and have just in the past two weeks upped my total calories eaten from 1500 - 1600 to 2100 - 2400 calories per day... This includes eating most of my exercise calories (previously I would only eat about 40 - 50% of them)

This has decreased my daily calorie deficit from over 1100 per day to around 600 / 700 per day (as measured with my Bodymedia Fit) , and I have seen a 7 lb loss in two weeks on the scale (this is after a 4 month plateau)

I know my losses will get smaller - but as long as I see some movement I will be happy!!

I upped my calories too after getting my BMF. I realized I burned way more calories just on my normal everyday activities before exercise Keeping that deficit lower triggered my weight loss again. Yay to more food!!!

Question for those who started out lower cal and then upped....

My bmr is 1500 (I'm 5' 11", 160lbs) and given my workouts and lifestyle I've determined tdee is roughly 2200. However with my intermittent juice fasting my net has been closer to a 1300 average. Obviously I need to change this.... But unsure how to properly reset things . Should I go to 1800 (deficit to lise from tdee) or 2200???


Thanks I appreciate the input and advice... I juiced for health and achieved what I wanted but unintentionally set myself to chronically undereat. I can't live like that LOL

Femtec, it might take a little time to adjust. What are you doing for exercise?
I am planning to start a 3x5 lifting program 3 days per week, but I was going to follow the calorie guidelines of the New Rules of Lifting for Women:
1. Step 1 - weight in kg
2. resting metabolic rate - run this equation: 795 + (7.18 x body weight in kilograms) = resting metabolic rate
3. Step 3 - body mass index - there's a table in the book, so if you don't know your BMI, give me your height (imperial measurements) and your weight (in pounds).
4. Daily activities multipliers - If your BMI is under 25, your multipliers are: a) no workout = 1.6, b) active workout day = 1,8, c) strenuous work and active workout day = 2.0. HERE IS WHAT YOU EAT: on a non workout day, multiply your Step 2 number by 1.6 and on a workout day, multiply your Step 2 number by 1.8. Those are your calories (for non-workout and workout days, respectively).
5. Eat like that for ONE MONTH. Then, you can add in a small deficit, perhaps 300 calories per day.

So, going to try it for one month even though it seems really high-1800 for me on rest days!

What are the multipliers if your BMI is above 25?

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS THREAD!!! You have no idea how much this has helped me. I have really been struggling the past few weeks. I was on maintenance calories but do to a new med - I gained 8 lbs, so I dropped my calories back to losing 0.5 lbs/week BUT I was starving all the time. I was doing high calorie burns (anywhere from 700 to 900) but even after my workout snack I was starving. A friend on here directed me to this thread, and it has tremendously helped me. With the help of this topic and another website, I have realized I was putting my body into starvation mode.

So, I have increased my calories back to maintenance (1660 calories) and plus I will eat back most of my exercise calories. According to the other website, I should be eating around 2200 calories/day with moderate exercise. So, I am going to start doing this and so far today, I am not as starving as I was before. Must better day!! Now, I will admit I put the scale away for Lent, so I am not due to step back on it until April 8 - hope I get a good result by then.

Remember, your body needs food to fuel the body!!! You MUST eat to lose weight!!!

I had been watching to see if people were posting on this thread not realizeing it went to the next page already. I have been maintaining and may be slowly losing at 1700 calories and exercise calories. However the question I have is if I don't get up to maintenance calories am I really giving my body a chance to reset its metabolism before I try to lose again. I have been at between 1500 -1340 calories for 1.5 years which is below my BMR of 1640. I am doing as well now or better than I was on 1350 in terms of weight loss and I am eating better so I am happy but to eventually lose I feel I need to go further. I will give it another week at 1700 and then if I am not losing I am going to try upping instead of lowering. I have decided I am not going to lower my calories until I have been on maintenance for a while. I am hoping to get my loss going by upping my calories. Anyway as someone has said if you aren't losing anyway what have you got to lose by upping your calories. Less than you have to gain which is good nutrition for your body. I am just wondering if I have raised them enough.

Just posted a topic thread on this in the "Eat more to weigh less" group! Interesting to hear you're going through the same thing. I'm going to try maintenance for a while before going lower.

I'm not at 1800 calories yet. Although i do eat over 1800 on days that I workout a lot. But I have my initial calorie goal set to 1700something. It used to be 1540 but I changed my goal to lose 1/2 pound a week instead of 1 pound. I don't think losing a pound a week is reasonable for me anymore... I'm already at a good weight as it is.

bump

Bumping the new thread! You gals all rock!

Bump !!
I am planning to start a 3x5 lifting program 3 days per week, but I was going to follow the calorie guidelines of the New Rules of Lifting for Women:
1. Step 1 - weight in kg
2. resting metabolic rate - run this equation: 795 + (7.18 x body weight in kilograms) = resting metabolic rate
3. Step 3 - body mass index - there's a table in the book, so if you don't know your BMI, give me your height (imperial measurements) and your weight (in pounds).
4. Daily activities multipliers - If your BMI is under 25, your multipliers are: a) no workout = 1.6, b) active workout day = 1,8, c) strenuous work and active workout day = 2.0. HERE IS WHAT YOU EAT: on a non workout day, multiply your Step 2 number by 1.6 and on a workout day, multiply your Step 2 number by 1.8. Those are your calories (for non-workout and workout days, respectively).
5. Eat like that for ONE MONTH. Then, you can add in a small deficit, perhaps 300 calories per day.

So, going to try it for one month even though it seems really high-1800 for me on rest days!