Upped my calories and upped my weight!

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:

Thank you all for your suggestions, but I'm still stumped with the conflicting advice.

in terms of exercise, I run 3-4 miles 5/6 days a week and strength train with 5kg dumbells 3x a week.

I calculated the following on fattofit:
BMR: 1490
TDEE: 2223

The thing is, if I'm gaining on a net of 1300-1400, surely logic tells me I will gain on 1490-2223?

How much am I supposed to bump my calories up by?

Thank you all for your replies!

Ideally, you should net somewhere between 1490 and 2223 calories per day.

1490 is your basal metabolic rate, or the energy needed to sustain your most vital bodily functions (such as breathing and maintaining body temperature). You should net at least this amount every day to ensure that you're not depriving your body of the energy it needs to survive.

However, unless you're in a coma (unlikely, because you're here on the forum), you actually expend far more than 1490 calories every day. In addition to breathing and such, you get up and move around and exercise and so on. That's where your total daily energy expenditure comes into play. 2223 calories is the total amount of energy needed to get you through your normal daily activities.

In theory, if you ate exactly 2223 calories, you would expend every single one of those calories and thus maintain your weight. If you ate less than that, you'd need to obtain the missing energy from your body's own energy stores. This should result in weight loss.

If I were you, I'd up my net to around 1600 calories a day for a while (give it a month or two), and see how I feel. Feel free to experiment with calories and macronutrient ratios and exercise levels, but I definitely would not restrict your calories any further. Your maintenance calories should be pretty close to your estimated TDEE, so over time, you'd want to work up to around two thousand calories or so -- and it looks like you're pretty close to your goal weight, so now is a good time to begin the transition to maintenance.

(Edited for typographical errors -- I haven't had my daily coffee yet, so I'm not fully functioning at the moment!)

What works for some doesn't work for others. If you feel that you are gaining weight on that amount of calories then go lower again and see if it works. Personally I can't lose weight unless I seriously resrict carbs and eat under 1200 a day as well. That's what works for me. It wouldn't have been ideal at 20 but I am 53 and my hormonal state, lifestyle and metabolism are completely different.
It's your body and only you can determine what works for you, sometimes you just have to experiment a bit to find out what is the best regime to suit your metabolism and sometimes you have to just change what you are doing to relieve the boredom and give you a bit of kick start. Do some research, find a weight loss plan that you like the sound of and follow it for a month to see what happens, try another one, try a low carb one, then a low fat one, then a strict calorie counted one until you find a way of eating that is sustainable, enjoyable and is producing the results that you want. It's a lifetime journey.

Here's some starvation science for you. And this will probably be long.

When I joined MFP - I did the same as every other newbie. I dropped my calories to 1200 (why is THIS the magic number, anyway?). I think I actually made it to my 1200c goal once. Then I would work out EVERY DAY - burning 500-600 calories. I never ate my exercise calories back. I was netting about 700 calories per day. And THAT is a generous estimate. I was STARVING MYSELF!!!

Two weeks ago - I upped my calories, lowered my cardio, and started strength training. In the first few days - I gained a pound or two. My weight on the scale fluctuated for the first few days up and down, up and down. Then.... BAM!!! 6 pounds off the scale. The next day - 1 more pound. The day after that, a half a pound.

Then - This week - I have been sick. It's hard to eat anything when your throat is so swollen you can barely swallow. So, after two days of NOT eating (which is basically what I was doing BEFORE I upped my calories), I have put on 4 pounds in two days. Now, OBVIOUSLY I have not gained 4 pounds in two days - especially when I have not eaten anything. BUT your body starts a process...Whoa... No food, well, don't use anything we don't need. Retain the fat. Retain the calories. Burn the muscle -she's not using it anyway. Retain the water.

Hmmmmm - I eat, and I lose weight. I don't eat, I gain weight.... WTF?!?!

For those of you NON believers, do some research. No, REALLY. I'm being serious. Our bodies have been conditioned to react like this since the beginning of the existence of our species. Lose the fat in summer, when it's hot, and we don't need insulation. Pack on the fat before winter, for insulation, and because food is scarce in the winter when you are living in a cave and there are no crops growing. Your body is built to store fat and energy for times of famine. If you don't feed your body - your body thinks you're starving and slows down your metobolic rate to conserve what energy you have stored. It doesn't matter that you are telling yourself that you are not starving yourself. Your body doesn't believe you, and doesn't need you to tell it what to do. It already knows what it is supposed to do. Extra fuel, get rid of it. Not enough fuel, eh, better hold on to that.

Our bodies were not meant to be starved. There was no such thing as a low, or no carb diet before some guy decided that people would buy into that. All carbs are bad. Really? Well, I guess fruits, vegetables and grains are out of my diet. Low fat? Damnnit. There went meat, and dairy. What's left to eat? (I am skipping a lot of food here, but you get my point.)

We are supposed to have a well balanced diet, including fat, protiens, and carbs. WE are SUPPOSED to eat enough to allow our bodies to function properly! Now, you don't get to eat all day, and not get off the couch. You still have to get up and move! Our bodies were designed for movement!

I understand that everyone has their own opinions. But as someone who has been on both sides of the spectrum - I am a believer. I was cautious. I was doubtful. I did my research. I read books, and blogs, and medical digests. And I found something that is working for me. If you are just starting out - give it time. AT least 3 months. Your body doesn't handle sudden change well. It needs time to adapt to new circumstances.

And for those of you on the starvation diets - don't knock us eaters for what we do. Don't say that something won't work when you haven't tried it. I have one question though. Do you only go by the number on the scale? Do you take measurements? What is your body fat percentage? As a former starvation dieter, I know how I was. The number was the only thing that mattered. And I lost 60 pounds! Go me!! But guess what - I was still at 49% body fat. Just because the number goes down, doesn't mean you are losing FAT. You might be losing OTHER important things your body needs.

Just one girls opinion. Good luck to everyone!

Because that's the science of it. For example - a 5 foot, 7 inch female who is 25 years old, would have a BMR of 1200.4 - if she weighed 80 pounds. Which, on the low end of the "healthy weight" scale - she would be 46 pounds UNDER her "ideal" body weight. A male - at the same height and age would have a BMR of 1200.4 if he weighed 72.8 pounds. For him, on the low end of the "healthy weight" scale - he would be 65.2 POUNDS UNDERWEIGHT.

Thats not an assumption. That's fact.

Because that's the science of it. For example - a 5 foot, 7 inch female who is 25 years old, would have a BMR of 1200.4 - if she weighed 80 pounds. Which, on the low end of the "healthy weight" scale - she would be 46 pounds UNDER her "ideal" body weight. A male - at the same height and age would have a BMR of 1200.4 if he weighed 72.8 pounds. For him, on the low end of the "healthy weight" scale - he would be 65.2 POUNDS UNDERWEIGHT.

Thats not an assumption. That's fact.

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: