For the 500,000 time EATING MORE WORKS

So here is my question for you guys out there. I have been using MFP for several months and been losing weight since June 2010. I have been maintaining around 1300 calories a day, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how I feel. I usually don't eat back my exercise calories, but sometimes if I do, it's only between 100-200 of the calories I burn (I usually average 500-600 a day) I've had great success only eating this amount every day. So, I was very surprised to see that my ideal calorie intake should be over 1,700 calories based on my height/weight/etc. I have a very hard time believing that I could eat that much and still maintain my level of weight loss. So, should I continue with what I've been doing, or should I try and eat more and see? I'd really hate to start doing something different that will end up causing me to gain or not lose as much as I have been.

bump !!

i have been around 137/8 for a while. i was around 141 at the beginning of the year, and i lost back what i gained. in january/february i got serious & started going back to the gym again. i go 5x a week normally and my exercises vary (cardio, swimming, weights, yoga). i also started using mfp daily again. yet, in those 13 weeks i have only lost 3-4 lbs

mfp had me at 1240 calories- i went to bed starving. so i thought i needed to bump up- i jumped on a thread and decided to bump my calories up. i was told to set mfp for my goal weight and to select maintain- that put me at 1650 calories.

so while 1240 is too little it seems that 1650 is too many. i did a fitness test at my gym, met with a trainer and they both told me to up what i was eating per meals (keep meals below 700)- so i have- i try to keep my meals around 500... but tonight i got back from the gym and the had 800 calories to make up- at 8pm!!!!! i can't eat like that- so tonight i am going to bed still 200 calories under- no wonder this isn't working.

i just need to know how many calories to eat- i get that i need to eat back my exercise calories- but i just need to know a good daily goal that is feasible. give me a number and i will eat that! on the days i burn 400 calories- i just don't think i can physically eat 2000 total calories. it's not that i'm scared of eating more- it's just that i don't eat a ton anyway.

fat to fit- Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2083

2000 daily - do not eat back exercise calories. (as long as that table was built on goal weight you entered correctly)

Now you can plan your days easier with no big amounts to eat at night. 500 each for 3 meals, 250 each for 2 snacks. Or 400 each. Or any combo you can do. And don't forget calorie dense foods. Your body just needs energy to raise metabolism, nothing wrong with serving of peanut butter. Nice fat and protein, probably help sleep better.

Aaaah LOVE this post! Need to add my two cents too.....
Upped my calories from about 1300 to 1500/1600 in the past three weeks as I've just plateau'd and I've dropped 3.3lbs in that period. I'm eating about 1900/2000 calories a day (cause I'm eating most of my exercise calories back too) :happy:

Now who wouldn't WANT to eat more????

Just remember....eating junk wont give you the same, lean results....eating "clean" and healthy does it.

I have a question for you all, Please dont abuse me or whatever
So my daily calorie goal is 1200
most days i eat around 800 - 1000. But in saying that I do eat. I have apples and yoghurt for breaky, normally a filling samwhich for lunch, dont really snack much as im at uni full time and busy. Then at dinner I have an average size meal, normally healthy like chicken and veggies. I also work off roughly 300 calories.
This leaves me with a net of like 500-700 most days. The thing is i always feel full but im so scared my body is going to go into starvation mode.
So what am i supposed to do, if im honestly just not hungry anymore?
Am i just supposed to down 2 chocolate bars too make up the rest?

By the way I've been doing this for a weekish now and have lost 2 pounds

There is a big difference between you feeling full, and your body being fully fed. Just understand, appreciate, and keep telling yourself that.

Don't feel hungry after a workout - who cares, you eat because you know the body needs it.

So yes, you need to eat more food if you want to lose weight. Because at the low end of the eating scale, it is so much easier for the metabolism to slow down, and you'll be eating at maintenance level in no time.

But worse than that, when you eat that low, you cannot replenish your glucose/carb stores, and when those run out with several days of exercise, your muscle must be broken down to make glucose for your brain.

This is not starvation, that takes no eating to reach, and then fat burning is turned off.

You just have such a slow BMR you have very little calories being burned in general.

Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, one associated with your workout.

Do NOT eat any low or no-fat versions of anything. Full fat milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, ect.
Eat almonds and cashews, good needed fats.
Eat fatty vegetables - olives and the oil, avocados and guacamole.

Start slow, adding about 200 per day for a week, and then another 200 for another week, ect.

And stop exercising for a week - you aren't doing yourself any favors by having the exercise get the calories first, and your BMR for basic functions of life is getting what is left.
Really, of what use is the exercise then if your body can't even repair and rebuild what the exercise has done? Plus the muscle burning going on.

That would be like getting your car detailed when you know the chassis is rusting out and the motor has had no maintenance for many years and burns oil - what's the point!

And yes actually, dark chocolate. When you can plan on the same calories everyday, you can plan on treats. 200 for a serving of some dark version is just great. Plus you get needed carbs to replenish what the workouts took. Once the week is up.

I'm sure you've lost 2 lbs, it only takes a deficit of 600 carb calories to burn a pound of muscle. Which is what you burn through on low calorie diet when exercising.

Could someone please tell me what I should be setting my cal intake to?

According to fitnessfrog.com, my stats are as follows:
RMR: 1285
BMR: 1301
TDEE- with little or no exercise: 1561
TDEE- with light exercise: 1789
TDEE- with moderate exercise: 2017
TDEE- with heavy exercise: 2244
TDEE- with daily exercise: 2472

I usually exercise anywhere from 45-80 mins a day, 5-6 days a week.
Would appreciate the help, thank you!

2200 TDEE minus 20% = 1760 daily eat, no exercise calories eaten back.

Expected deficit of 440, almost 1lb weekly.

and just to clarify again, 1760 is what I should be eating on days even with exercise?

2200 TDEE minus 20% = 1760 daily eat, no exercise calories eaten back.

Expected deficit of 440, almost 1lb weekly.

and just to clarify again, 1760 is what I should be eating on days even with exercise?

Everyday. What should happen is your rest day and recovery day allow catch up.

At least I hope you have a couple recovery days in there, slower pace, less intensity, ect.
The benefits of a workout can only be obtained if the body can recover from them and improve. If it can't, your performance will just slow down. If this is a higher eating level, you'll get some benefit there at least, but limited with no recovery days.

Oh okay, I understand now. Phew! Thank you for explaining that to me. Much appreciated.

Thank you heaps, I guess I'll just increase my intake and find time for snack in my day

What should I be eating please? I am showing a gain since last week which I know isn't right as I haven't gone wrong anywhere. I am currently on 1350 cals, eat all of my exercise cals and am set at a 2lb rate of loss.

RMR - 1671
BMR - 1688

TDEE - No Exercise - 2025, Light Exercise - 2321 or Mod exercise - 2616

I don't actually exercise every day as such, but do walk into town with my daughter in her pushchair most days, takes me roughly 50 mins altogether. I then do small amounts of aerobics and toning every other day usually for around 15-20 mins.

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I know there are a million and one topics out there about this
But I feel there needs to be one more confirmation for those ppl struggling at 1200 calories and not losing
Here is my story of how increasing calories worked

I've been on this site 100 days and lost maybe 4 pounds in the first 40 days while struggling to only eat 1200 calories
after that nothing.....for 60 days I just stayed the same
1 week ago I took advice from another thread and found out my BMR and TDEE measurements and increased my calories to 1500
and this week lost 1.5 pounds....

So for those of you who "Can't stay under 1200 cals" it's really not necessary
Just thought I would share my success


i think it depends on the persons body i average 2-3 lbs loss a week but i normally eat under my 1200cals....i had a bad week and went over quite a bit, i still lost but only 1lb but the week proir i mixed it up a bit a day of high cals (1200) a day of low (1000) and did exersice and lost 3lb that week, ive discovered that eating around 900-1000 cals and then having somehigh days thrown in works the best for me personally....if i eat higher than 1200 i know id def gaine weight.....so i dont think everybody is the same and alot of people on here think that because they have lost weight thay are now nutritionalists and trainers and can tell you what to do *******not saying that ur doing this at all!!****** its just really starting to p*** me off when im getting comments from people saying you need to do this, you need to do that......good luck in ur weight loss :0))

Question on activity level: I walk slowly at work 3-5 hours around five days a week. Do I count that as exercise or Activity level? I don't really consider it exercise as my heart rate remains low and I don't sweat at all, but at the same time I am moving close to half the work day. Don't want to double count.

bump

Question on activity level: I walk slowly at work 3-5 hours around five days a week. Do I count that as exercise or Activity level? I don't really consider it exercise as my heart rate remains low and I don't sweat at all, but at the same time I am moving close to half the work day. Don't want to double count.

Stuff you do every day without breaking a sweat is best put into your daily activity level.

Thanks, i just posted on that as I hadn't seen this. How would you figure if it was moderate or light? It is sustained and burns about 500 calories during the day.

Thanks, i just posted on that as I hadn't seen this. How would you figure if it was moderate or light? It is sustained and burns about 500 calories during the day.

Wen you put your settings in MFP it gives you general description and adjusts your pre formal exercise calories automatically depending on your selection:

Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman)
Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

So I expect you'd be lightly active or active. I sit at a desk all day so I'm sedentary.