Upped my calories and upped my weight!
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I plateaued for about 5 weeks and I got the same advice as you - up your calories. I tried upping them from 1200 to 1400 and I tried eating all my exercise calories back at that level, but I felt like I was eating too much. I was terrified I'd gain weight, so I dropped my calories back down to 1200 after about a week or two. I've started losing 1-2 lbs per week since I dropped it back down about 3-4 wks ago. Personally, I think I lost weight at first because my eating habits changed drastically and I went from zero exercise to exercising in some way almost every single day. After that, my body was confused - or stubborn LOL - and I kinda feel it was used to me giving up and saying - okay, enough, let's have a Bic Mac LOL. I just had to be patient and let my body know that this is how it's going to be from now on.
We're all different and some things will work for some people and not others. I say switch it up, different exercises, different calorie intakes if necessary, and see what works. Just keep going no matter what the scale says!!!0 -
I enjoy conversations like this because there are so many misconceptions and confused people. I honestly do not know the correct answer (if there is just one since every body is different) so I am experimenting by following my trainers advice. He is having me eat no less than 1750 calories on my non-workout days and up to 2500, depending on the intensity, on my workout days. I am 5'3" and currently weigh 135lbs but my body is extremely muscular. He said that even at my goal weight of 120lbs that I should consume no less than 1650 calories to maintain, and that is if I was just sitting on the couch all day. Like I said, I don't know if he is right but I have ridden
the roller coaster long enough on my own. I just started my first week and have committed to 8 weeks of doing it his way long enough to see it pay off. The bright side that if it does work then I will be able to enjoy eating the rest of my life instead of looking into a bleak future of 1200 calories. My diary & weight loss is public so feel free to check back in 8 weeks and see the results.
I would like to also put my opinion out there that flabby & skinny is not cute. I would
rather be bigger and toned. And you need food to energize your workouts and live life!
^^^ This!!!0 -
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up your calories by around 300 to 1200, but also burn the 300 extra using high-intensity interval training i.e: sprints, intervals or heavy weight lifting.
I can assure you that this will overcome your platue and cause a nice shift in body composition AND make you feel fuller and healthier0 -
From now, regardless of how much I burn, I think I'll aim to eat my BMR number.Mfp says I need to eat 1300 calories a day for a lbs/week drop and exercising 3 times a week. In actuality, I strive to aim for approx 1000 calories a day.
If I was to eat 1300 calories and burn 1,000 I KNOW I'll be constantly hung and struggle even harder to exercise. The obvious answer seems to be to eat *some* of your exercise calories...the ''how many'' is the million dollar question.0 -
OP is almost to goal, so something is going on. There is no way you gained fat, unless you are not being honest about what you ate. Have you been lifting more weights? There is so much that could go into why this has happened. Sodium? Don't get discouraged, I know it's tough to see the scale go up!0
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Watch your sodium intake. Most likely it is water weight. Make sure you are intaking enough water as well. Sometimes it helps to change up what you're doing, whether it be adjusting your food or changing up a workout. Good luck :]0
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Okay, so following good advice from the forums, for the past month I've been trying to up my net calories to around 1300-1400 (not masses but previously I was netting in the 900's-1200's and had been at a plateau for 3 months) well, I can say my plateau has been broken, just in the wrong way, and now I'm up 6lbs. I honestly don't understand. I know your body is supposed to freak out for a couple of weeks and gain a couple of lbs before it settles and starts losing again but I've been trying this for a month and I'm gaining?
How long before my body settles and starts losing again? I am feeling really, really low about this.
MFP started me at 1200 I lost 5 pounds, but realized that I was in a starvation mode, I know eat 1788 plus earned back calories. Yes I gained, but just lost 2 pounds. You still may not be eating enough.
If you were eating 900 to 1200 then upped to to what you are now 1300-1400, keep upping them. When you eat right now, because you are in a starvation mode, your body doesn't know that it is to lose weight, it is storing up the fat and you may be loosing muscle. Once you eat the calories you need to lose, your body will "unfreak" and you start to lose weight.
Go to www.fat2fitradio.com Calculate your BMR using the BMR calculator. Once that is done read your BMR from the Katch-McArdle formula. Then read the next two paragraphs titled "How many calories should I eat?" Then look at the chart. According to your daily activities, find what calories you should be eating.
My BMR is 1322 My calories to eat is 1788 I freaked ( but saw how I was depriving my body of the fuel it was needing just to function for the day). So I have been eating that much plus my earned calories from working out. Like I said I gained (but lost inches) and starting to lose weight now. It really does work!!!! Don't be so glued to the scales...start measuring yourself. I've lost over 6 inches on my waist and hips. I feel better, not tired, my body is happy that is it being fueled!
Hope this helps
Deb0 -
If a doctor will cut you open, rearrange your digestive system, sew you back up and then tell you to eat 500-1000 calories for the first 6 months and then 1000-1500 calories for the rest of your life (with exercise), then I think a regular person choosing to eat 1800 calories is well within their rights.Depends how much working out you're doing. If you're eating 1200 cals, and working out twice a day, burning 600 cals... well, that's en route to anorexia. Netting less than 600 cals per day over an extended period of time fits the dietary criterion for a diagnosis of anorexia.
It isn't just about what you put into your body. It's also about how much you burn off.
You or I don't have the definitive answers for everybody. I have no problem with people playing around with their calories. That means playing with higher or lower calories. Let adults choose what's best for their lives.
Honestly, nameless faceless people on the internet shouldn't be so dogmatic.0 -
Yep I agree
I agree with you. People can choose to eat whatever they want to eat. I believe in playing around with calories. If it takes going a bit lower, then so be it.She's lost 47 lbs and I've dropped 6 sizes and gained muscle at the same time. Both schools of thought are present here, and the OP can choose the one that makes most sense to her.
I am stunned by how many people seem to get personally offended when people choose not to eat more. It's fine to disagree, but some of these "rebuttals" are unnecessarily rude.
I've stopped giving people that advice because MFP is all about eating and eating. It's in reaction to so many people legitimately starving themselves. However, a diet of 1200, 1500, 1800 is NOT starving yourself. People and their bodies are different.
Some people get great results on a lot of calories. Other people need more modest calories. :flowerforyou:0 -
Watch your sodium intake. Most likely it is water weight. Make sure you are intaking enough water as well. Sometimes it helps to change up what you're doing, whether it be adjusting your food or changing up a workout. Good luck :]
One would hope that any person serious about weight loss by this time has a manner of estimating fat percentage. There are many methods.0 -
I agree with you. People can choose to eat whatever they want to eat. I believe in playing around with calories. If it takes going a bit lower, then so be it.
I've stopped giving people that advice because MFP is all about eating and eating. It's in reaction to so many people legitimately starving themselves. However, a diet of 1200, 1500, 1800 is NOT starving yourself. People and their bodies are different.
Some people get great results on a lot of calories. Other people need more modest calories. :flowerforyou:
Exactly. People have different bodies and different caloric needs at different points of their lives. 1,200 is not too low for some people, especially if they're sedentary, and some have to go lower.0 -
I know when I stop losing I go and get my fav. treat and suger it up...
But only once or twice and then back on my diet/no junk....
Then I usually see a pound or two drop and I am back on track...0 -
How much/ how often are you working out? How have your measurements been doing? Did they go up or down with this weight gain? Did you weigh yourself at the same time of day both times? Without more info no one can give you a good answer on what to do. My *guess* is that since you are small like me and within 15 pounds of your goal weight you should have your calories set to 250 below your TDEE and track your calories closely. This will put you at a weight loss goal of 0.5 pounds per week. After doing lots of research I realized my goal of losing 1 pound per week was not wise with so little left to lose. Do some research
I upped my calories and lost my final 2 inches doing this after plateauing at 1200. My hunger returned and I felt better getting the extra food in me. Good luck to you 0 -
Wed 04/04/12 06:01 PM
QUOTE:
Okay, so following good advice from the forums, for the past month I've been trying to up my net calories to around 1300-1400 (not masses but previously I was netting in the 900's-1200's and had been at a plateau for 3 months) well, I can say my plateau has been broken, just in the wrong way, and now I'm up 6lbs. I honestly don't understand. I know your body is supposed to freak out for a couple of weeks and gain a couple of lbs before it settles and starts losing again but I've been trying this for a month and I'm gaining?
How long before my body settles and starts losing again? I am feeling really, really low about this.
MFP started me at 1200 I lost 5 pounds, but realized that I was in a starvation mode, I know eat 1788 plus earned back calories. Yes I gained, but just lost 2 pounds. You still may not be eating enough.
If you were eating 900 to 1200 then upped to to what you are now 1300-1400, keep upping them. When you eat right now, because you are in a starvation mode, your body doesn't know that it is to lose weight, it is storing up the fat and you may be loosing muscle. Once you eat the calories you need to lose, your body will "unfreak" and you start to lose weight.
Go to www.fat2fitradio.com Calculate your BMR using the BMR calculator. Once that is done read your BMR from the Katch-McArdle formula. Then read the next two paragraphs titled "How many calories should I eat?" Then look at the chart. According to your daily activities, find what calories you should be eating.
My BMR is 1322 My calories to eat is 1788 I freaked ( but saw how I was depriving my body of the fuel it was needing just to function for the day). So I have been eating that much plus my earned calories from working out. Like I said I gained (but lost inches) and starting to lose weight now. It really does work!!!! Don't be so glued to the scales...start measuring yourself. I've lost over 6 inches on my waist and hips. I feel better, not tired, my body is happy that is it being fueled!
Hope this helps
Deb
Great post, Deb!! : )0 -
Hi just wanted to put my story in. ok in high school I weighed around 200lbs thought I was fat so I ate um maybe on a good day around 700 calories a day. Yes I lost a few pounds but I had seriously f*ucked up my metabolism (not knowing I had done so) fast forward to after I graduated I got into the real world and put the weight back on
. Joined a gym and got a personal trainer who said I needed to eat more . I was like what ever no I don't so I was still eating less than 1000 Cal plus working out. Needless to say I lost no weight. Months later I take his advice and start eating more .he warned me that because I was eating so little for years my body is going to freak out and gain weight before I start dropping. (i didyearsworth of damage i wasnt expecting it to be fixed in just a couple of weeks)That sucked btw. It took me months!! To fix my metabolism but now i'm grateful because I can eat 1800 Cal and not even work out and still lose weight. Slowly but surely.
Put it this way if you plan on staving the rest of your life go for it right? To each their own. As for me I'll be over here eating more than 1000 Cal and slowly losing0 -
i think many of us get confused as to the whole"eat more" thing...like one person said it just makes sense to eat less calories to lose weight! a duh, that's less calories that got us fat in the first place. imagine how you used to eat before you started this journey...i am sure that 2000 calories is less then what we were consuming before. and to the people eating 1200 and under please don't be offended by us that eat more, i know in general (i hope) we are all here to support one another, and 1200 just does not seem like its something you can live with for the rest of your life. so i'm afraid to see people lose the weight on 1200 and then go back to the way it used to be and gain. 1800 is not 3000.....and i don't feel deprived or like i have given up all my favorites. and am still losing. i am pretty sure that this IS just simple math which would mean there really is only one answer. TDEE-15%=calories in your mouth to lose. but i do believe that this is the answer for those of us who want to do all this hard work for the very last time and maintain for life!0
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My own experience while trying to follow a 1200 CPD plan......it made me feel sick, weak, and moody. I got terrible headaches, and the worst stomach pains. I was starving...and starvation is quite painful. I upped my calories, and I'm finally starting to lose weight...and I feel like my body is actually healing.
Oh, and I should note...the 1200 CPD was MFP'S suggestion. I was use to eating ALOT more than that. Needless to say..on 1200, my body nearly crashed and burned.0 -
I eat around 1200 calories a day, sometimes less, sometimes a little more- but, I never go over 1400 calories. This works very well for me. At 1200 calories, I am not starving, or anywhere near it. I eat a lot of protein, fruits and vegetables every day and I make sure to drink 10-12 glasses of water a day. I also exercise daily.
I even allow myself 'treats' every now and then.
I appreciate all the advice I read on this site, but, at the end of the day, I have to listen to my own body. We're all different and our bodies react to things differently. It took me a long time to find a good meal plan that keeps me at 1200 calories a day- but now I am happy with what I eat. I don't feel hungry and I don't feel deprived and I am losing weight each week.
Different things work for different people.0 -
I agree different things probably work for different people.
-I have no idea how many calories I was consuming before I started calorie counting, but it was probably less than my BMR and I lost weight
-When I started calorie counting I was definitely eating at less than my BMR, not really knowing any better, and I still lost weight.
-When I read you should try to net your BMR I tried it and I still lost weight.
That makes it pretty hard to tell what is the "best" way to do it. However one thing I can tell you for certain, since I started eating more calories I have definitely been happier and felt less constrained by my diet. I mean this is something I want to do for the rest of my life so being able to eat a significant amount more is enticing.
I didn't feel prior that I was "starving" myself, but if I do the simple math, similar weight losses, similar activity level but eating more calories the conclusion is clear, my metabolism had slowed down by eating less calories. I think many people don't realize their body is hungry because they've suppressed the cravings for too long.0 -
I would never up my calories in order to lose weight. Conventional wisdom says if you want to lose weight eat less and exercise more. I don't know why some people on MFP say to eat more food. It makes no sense to me. I do eat some of my exercise calories on days I am extra hungry but I try not to. I'll agree we probably shouldn't eat below 1200 calories but even occasionally I'll do that. I don't believe in eating if you're not hungry. All my life this is what I have been taught and that is the way I've lost 47 pounds. If eating more food really works for some well good for them. I know it would never work for me. :flowerforyou:
This^^^^ I totally agree!!!0 -
chachadiva, i'm not sure what your surgical analogy means. and i'm definitely not sure how referring to the diagnostic criteria for anorexia makes me dogmatic.
as to being nameless and faceless - you are faceless. my face us right there next to my post.0 -
Depends how much working out you're doing. If you're eating 1200 cals, and working out twice a day, burning 600 cals... well, that's en route to anorexia. Netting less than 600 cals per day over an extended period of time fits the dietary criterion for a diagnosis of anorexia.
It isn't just about what you put into your body. It's also about how much you burn off.
If a doctor will cut you open, rearrange your digestive system, sew you back up and then tell you to eat 500-1000 calories for the first 6 months and then 1000-1500 calories for the rest of your life (with exercise), then I think a regular person choosing to eat 1800 calories is well within their rights.
You or I don't have the definitive answers for everybody. I have no problem with
people playing around with their calories. That means playing with higher or lower calories. Let adults choose what's best for their lives.
Honestly, nameless faceless people on the internet shouldn't be so dogmatic.
I found that last sentence to be quite humorous...nameless, FACELESS? Really?0 -
A. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected).
B. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
C. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
D. In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles.
Type: Restricting Type vs. Binge-Eating/Purging Type.
References:
DSM-IV. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC.
Unless something has changed that I am not aware of, the DSM-IV TR does not touch caloric intake in the diagnostic criteria for anorexia. Someone with AN could eat 1200 calories and exercise it off--but that person would need to be underweight and eating that way in order to keep losing. Eating 1200 calories a day is not criteria for anorexia, and is quite often recommended by health magazines and doctors, whether or not someone is exercising. Magazines will also commonly publish diet plans with a 1500 calorie limit, and the plan includes exercising. Many of the readers that follow it will net below 1200 that way. Whether or not you agree with that advice, it is simply not true that netting below 1200 calories is diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, and I see that getting said a lot here.
I do agree that EATING (not netting) below 1200 calories is a warning sign of an eating disorder or of an impending eating disorder. I also agree that eating 1200 calories is not necessary for a lot of people that do it. But that's a sign of many things, including confusion, honeymoon phase of dieting, and sometimes, an eating disorder.0 -
I lost 58 lbs similarly. I lost it all before I had even heard of MFP, still keeping it up. I agree with the below posted quoted poster.I would never up my calories in order to lose weight. Conventional wisdom says if you want to lose weight eat less and exercise more. I don't know why some people on MFP say to eat more food. It makes no sense to me. I do eat some of my exercise calories on days I am extra hungry but I try not to. I'll agree we probably shouldn't eat below 1200 calories but even occasionally I'll do that. I don't believe in eating if you're not hungry. All my life this is what I have been taught and that is the way I've lost 47 pounds. If eating more food really works for some well good for them. I know it would never work for me. :flowerforyou:0
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Alright! another person who makes sense.I would never up my calories in order to lose weight. Conventional wisdom says if you want to lose weight eat less and exercise more. I don't know why some people on MFP say to eat more food. It makes no sense to me. I do eat some of my exercise calories on days I am extra hungry but I try not to. I'll agree we probably shouldn't eat below 1200 calories but even occasionally I'll do that. I don't believe in eating if you're not hungry. All my life this is what I have been taught and that is the way I've lost 47 pounds. If eating more food really works for some well good for them. I know it would never work for me. :flowerforyou:
This^^^^ I totally agree!!!0 -
Yep not rocket science.A 6-pound gain is a probable sign of the obvious: She's consuming too many calories for her activity level.0
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bump for future reference0
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