I just upped my calories Im scared

Denjo060
Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Ok Im am 5 5 and weigh 182 the last i checked two days ago I went from 1330 a day to 1860 a day I exercise at least 5 days a week and burn on an average 600 calories a workout Is this too many calories and by the way I will be 52 next week any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated

Replies

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    What's there to be scared of. I figure if before I joined MFP I was eating over 3,000 calories per day, how bad could 1600 to 1800 be?
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
    I never thought of it that way :laugh: thanks for that
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    i eat 1845 on rest days, up to 2500 on exercise days... im 5'6, 236lbs or so.. havent weighed in since the first.
    no need to be scared of food. :)
  • aprildawn81
    aprildawn81 Posts: 668 Member
    I just upped my calories also at the end of last week and I have dropped 2lbs. I exercise 6 times a week for an hour everyday, two hours on Mon, Tues, and Thurs. I was eating 1375 and just didn't have the energy I need so now I am up to 1570 and I feel so much better! Check your BMR and as long as you are eating lower than that, you should be good! :)
  • illtemperedsebas
    illtemperedsebas Posts: 9
    Keep good records and check your progress in a week or two, then adjust as needed.
    (p.s. I just did the same thing , I'm a little nervous too!
  • marci423
    marci423 Posts: 130 Member
    I upped mine the middle of last week, I feel a LOT better :o) and my weight has dropped a little bit!

    good luck~
  • trysha1231
    trysha1231 Posts: 163 Member
    I am in the same boat. I am typical. I started at the 1200 mark, bumped it up to 1400 when I found nothing was happening, and now just yesterday, bumped it up to 1600. I have calculated and recalculated and bugged and pleaded and messaged people left and right to see if what I am doing is right. I am just going to cross my fingers and go for it!
    I have been 'dieting' since January and only lost about 4 lbs that first week, then bounced up and down since then. Ugh.
    I am hoping I am getting close to figuring it all out.
  • janeinspain
    janeinspain Posts: 173 Member
    I just upped my calories also at the end of last week and I have dropped 2lbs. I exercise 6 times a week for an hour everyday, two hours on Mon, Tues, and Thurs. I was eating 1375 and just didn't have the energy I need so now I am up to 1570 and I feel so much better! Check your BMR and as long as you are eating lower than that, you should be good! :)

    Actually, you should NOT eat under your BMR. Especially if you exercise. Way more if you exercise hard, like you are. You're burning anywhere between 500-1000 cals/day just for those 1-2 h of exercise and only eating around 1500 cals. No wonder you feel weak. Log your exercise and eat some of those cals back, let's say half of them (if you're scared of having more).
  • NonDebutante3dot0
    NonDebutante3dot0 Posts: 51 Member
    I understand the fear of being out of control with food. But you know yourself that the math comes out well in your favor. :-) I would suggest that you focus on feeding your body with the best, most delicious nutrient-dense food you can afford/find, and "listen" carefully for your body's signals of hunger, fullness, and also physical limits re exercise. The tools provided on this site and others are great guides, but they are estimates. Ultimately, trust your body and mindfulness while eating.
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
    thanks so much all of you this is why I love this sight so much so many great people who really do care :heart: :bigsmile: upi guys are great!!!!!
  • Elle_Jamaicangirl81
    Elle_Jamaicangirl81 Posts: 418 Member
    Hmm, wonder if thats why i'm not dropping weight much these days... perhaps i should recalculate stuff miself

    i'm 5'5" 173lbs, havent changed the goals in a bit. (i've been doing 1250... work out about 3-4 days a week)
  • koumbay
    koumbay Posts: 62 Member
    my biggest question is, how do you up your calories in a healthy way? right now I am aiming to eat my 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and I aim to get at least 1 serving of dairy in (I try for 2 but don't always abide) and I of course am drinking my water. I'm not sure how many more calories I can fit into a day without eating unhealthy foods. there are days where I haven't made the best healthy choices and have eaten more calories on those days but on my normal days i'm barely scraping 1200-1400 cals. I've been trying to listen to my body by eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full (in the past I would just keep eating eventhough I was full). I already feel that my appetite has gone down tremendously. I just want to make sure I'm eating properly. I still need to work on my sodium intake, I keep trying to find lower sodium recipes. I do think that upping my calories is the way to go as I've seen others that seem to eat more calories and exercise a lot less than I do and they are losing weight at faster rates. I do get frustrated with the scale but i know that the scale isn't the only thing to look at.
  • marci423
    marci423 Posts: 130 Member
    @koumbay I can't look at your diary so I don't know how much protein you are getting, but that is one way to up your calories and add the protein (if you need it) that is what I do. I have protein shakes that I add to my days. I start my day with about 30g of protein, or at least "try" to, and then add more throughout the day.

    you said you can't eat more without eating unhealthy? :o) just eat more fruits and veggies!

    good luck to you. I have lost 50 and working on the other 50, 1/2 way there !!!! and feeling great!
  • NonDebutante3dot0
    NonDebutante3dot0 Posts: 51 Member
    The difficulty with eating too few calories (epecially if your blood type is O) is that your body thinks there's a famine going on and it better conserve every one of those calories (in other words, your metabolism cleverly slows down). :-o And if you don't have enough energy, exercizing can be an unpleasant ordeal instead of an endorphin-fest. The best thing you can do for your body overall is to eat enough, and eat the best quality fresh food you can afford and find.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories