Scared to up my calories

McLifterPants
McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After spending tons of time reading on the MFP forums, I've been considering upping my calories. Here's my info:

My BMR is around 1450
My TDEE if I don't work out is around 1800
MFP recommends that I eat 1200 calories a day. Over the last three months, I've averaged closer to 1350, because I have my on days and my off days. I do medium intensity weight lifting at the gym 3 days a week, and mix up cardio 3-5 days a week (walk/run, stationary bike, or elliptical) for 20-75 minutes, depending on what I'm doing. I can burn anywhere from 150 (walk/run for 20 minutes) to 700 (elliptical for 75 minutes) calories doing my cardio. By the end of last week, after 3.5 months, I had lost around 13 pounds.

Here's the thing. I haven't plateaued. I feel fine (except right now because my allergies are trying to murder me) and I'm not usually hungry as long as my 1200-1400 calories are from healthy foods. However, I feel like there's a lot of pressure on MFP to eat your BMR minimum, and it sounds like people get better results that way.

That said, I took a few days off of my calorie restrictions this week because I was at a conference in DC and a lot of the food was, well, conference food. I didn't super binge, but I ate a lot more carbs that I normally would (a bagel, a brownie, a breakfast pastry, etc). I wasn't super high on my sodium, I didn't eat anything fried, and I only drank one night and even then only had three drinks. My average calories over the three days was around 1900-2000. I also walked a ton while I was there. Yet when I got home I had put on 3 lbs and 1.5 inches around my waist! This seems mathmatically impossible to me, based on the numbers that I supposedly should be eating. After a few days of getting more or less back on track, I'm down a pound again... but yeah, I'm super hesitant to up my caloric intake if it's going to make me put on in 3 days what it takes me almost a month to take off.

So, comments? Suggestions? Anyone had long-term success with the 1200 goal? Anyone put on weight eating their TDEE? Any guidance would be appreciated!

Replies

  • Argent78
    Argent78 Posts: 151 Member
    ugh! I'm on the same page!! So confused... I haven't lost weight with 1200, and I haven't with 1800 either (according to all the forums, I should be eating closer to 2000). So I don't know what to do! ?? My difference is that I haven't lost anything, I have been in this plateau all my life :'((
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I think ( and I may get bashed here) if you are eating 1200 calories of healthy food then you are fine. You You don't need to up just to up for the hell of it. I was healthier at 1200 calories because I made every calorie count. When I went up I ate more crap.
    You wont gain weight if you eat at 1350 though. That sounds like a fine amount to eat. Just keep it healthy.
  • ems1583
    ems1583 Posts: 150 Member
    I'm like that also, scared to increase my cal. Right now, i 've been thinking of posting a topic for those who set their cal goal below their BMR and are successful with it. I'm confused also at this time :( i maintained my goal, lesser than BMR and only lost 0.2 lb in a week. Frustrating!
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Here's a quick run down of my story for the last year....

    7 months of 1200 - 1300 cals plus exercise daily = 140 lbs lost
    After that I upped them to 1500 daily for a month = 2 lbs per week lost
    Upped them to 1800 for a month = 2 lbs per week lost
    Upped them to 2200 for a month = gained 3 lbs the first week then 1 - 1.5 lbs per week lost
    Upped them to 2600 - 2700 for 6 weeks = Stalled my weight loss for 4 weeks then dropped 4 pounds over the next 2 weeks.
    This past monday I upped my cals to 3000 - 3100 daily... I'm down 1.5 lbs so far

    Metabolism is a curious thing. I would recommend a GOOD heart rate monitor and a GOOD food scale. Make sure you have your numbers right and you shouldn't have a problem.

    -M

    I'd post more but I need to turn off my computer and go home!
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I ate only 1200 calories for my whole weight lose. Maybe 7 months. Lost 35 pounds.
    Tried to maintain and gained 10lbs. Now I could'nt lose a pound to save my life.
    I am now trying to eat 1700 calories with or without exercise. I am hoping for a .5lb a week lose.
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
    Everyone's body is different and what works for others won't always work for you and vice versa. If you feel like you should be eating more try it, worst case you gain a little and you know you should drop back to what's been working for you!
  • 2kidsandadonut
    2kidsandadonut Posts: 137 Member
    I feel you I was scared when I first upped my calories and the first few weeks I gained and plateaued but after 2 1/2 weeks I started dropping again and have lost 3lbs per week consistently since. It seems scary but it really is best. However, if you are close to goal it may take longer. Good luck!
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
    Just this week I upped my calories to eat my BMR, about 200 more a day. So far I feel a little bloated but that's probably from the high-sodium dinners this week and other hormonal factors. I'm just as anxious to see if this works, but I know eating too little just isn't a good idea. It might take your body a while to adjust, but in the long run it's the "right thing to do." Nourish yourself!
  • Randomcheese
    Randomcheese Posts: 15 Member
    OK, I'm fairly new to the whole calorie counting thing. (I've only been doing it for about two months now.) I'm really confused by people saying they're eating 1000 to 1200 calories per day. From the first day I started, MFP set me a goal of over 2400 calories a day to lose half a pound a week. Even if I up my goal to two pounds a week and set my activity level at couch potato, MFP still sets a goal of over 2000 calories a day.

    When I reach my desired weight, MFP says I'll need to eat about 2000 calories a day to maintain it.

    My question is, where do you get the "1200" calorie number? I see many posts where people talk about it but I don't know where it's being generated from.

    BTW, 70 days using MFP- 14 lbs lost.
  • ems1583
    ems1583 Posts: 150 Member
    OK, I'm fairly new to the whole calorie counting thing. (I've only been doing it for about two months now.) I'm really confused by people saying they're eating 1000 to 1200 calories per day. From the first day I started, MFP set me a goal of over 2400 calories a day to lose half a pound a week. Even if I up my goal to two pounds a week and set my activity level at couch potato, MFP still sets a goal of over 2000 calories a day.

    When I reach my desired weight, MFP says I'll need to eat about 2000 calories a day to maintain it.

    My question is, where do you get the "1200" calorie number? I see many posts where people talk about it but I don't know where it's being generated from.

    BTW, 70 days using MFP- 14 lbs lost.



    For me, like if I want to lose 2 lbs/week, MFP will set 1200 cal/day. It depends on your current weight, height, etc. If I want to lose 1 lb/week, it gives me 1480.
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    Don't be worried about upping your calories. As long as you're aren't in a calorie surplus you just can't gain weight ( in fat ). The only logical choice is to increase them to create a more manageable deficit. If 1200 calories a day doesn't work for you then you'll just have to aim for a lower loss in weight per week. Better than nothing, eh?
  • brian1229
    brian1229 Posts: 28
    If what you are doing has been working for you, then I would stick with it. If you feel is isn't, then upping is worth a shot. I do feel your calories are too low based on that amount of exercise, unless you are eating back exercise cals.
  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
    If you really are exercising that much, you probably should be eating more then 1200 calories to maintain any muscle you gain, and to push your performance even higher.

    I ate low calories, and could barely completely run a 5k. Now I eat 1800, haven't gained a pound, and can run and lift like it's nothing.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    I'm freaked out too.... MFP had me netting 1360 a day, but I was seriously struggling to stay below that, even when I ate nothing but fruits, veggies, and lean proteins.

    Using the fat2fit method that helloitsdan recommended, I should be eating 1723 a day. I was okay with that and thought it would probably motivate me to work out harder and more often to create a deficit, until I put it into MFP, which is warning me that I will gain at that rate. Now I'm afraid to click the save button!
  • canroadrunner
    canroadrunner Posts: 203 Member
    There is a group on here Eat More to Weigh Less.
    They have a bunch of articles pinned at the top that you may find very useful.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    I started at 1200 cals, did fine and then stalled. Upped my cals to 1350, did ok then stalled. Upped to 1450, stalled again. I now eat 1500 plus exercise cals at a 40/30/30 ratio, lift heavy 3x/wk, and recently added some occasional running. My scale is continuing to drop, and most importantly not taking lean mass with it.
  • juliesummers
    juliesummers Posts: 738 Member
    Bump!
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    Thank you for your feedback everyone. This whole weight loss thing is a tricky process!
  • bodyrocks365
    bodyrocks365 Posts: 81
    Here is my uneducated opinion.
    1) weight fluctuates depending on volume of intake, so when you go off calorie restriction you are automatically going to gain a few pounds if only by the bulk of more food. (this also happens when you start drinking more water).
    2)weight stablizes, so just because you gained some weight immediately doesn't necessarily mean it will stay that way. your body will regulate the new intake/exercise just like it regulated when you began calorie restriction
    3)you may become hungrier as you increase calories, this is the cruel irony of it. low calorie diets will often lower your metabolism and surpress hunger sensations. Take the new hungry sensation as a normal, positive sign of an increased metabolic rate.
    good luck!
  • long4theocean
    long4theocean Posts: 46 Member
    bump
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I started at 1200 cals, did fine and then stalled. Upped my cals to 1350, did ok then stalled. Upped to 1450, stalled again. I now eat 1500 plus exercise cals at a 40/30/30 ratio, lift heavy 3x/wk, and recently added some occasional running. My scale is continuing to drop, and most importantly not taking lean mass with it.

    This is what I tried to do! But eating 1900 or more calories a day didnt work for me. I started gaining weight, and fat and inches. Now my jeans a getting tight and I am mad that I tried to up.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    If you are eating 1350 and doing all that exercise, your net will be well below 1000 which is seriously unhealthy.Bmr is what your body needs to keep you alive, by netting less than bmr your body will burn muscle so you are cancelling out any benefit you get from weight training. It's hard to build muscle in a calorie deficit anyway, and at that much of a deficit you will actually lose rather than gain muscle, which in turn slows metabolism and you regain weight by eating less.

    The reason you gained going to 1950 is because it's such a big jump in calories and it takes your body time to adjust. Ideally you should increase by 100 per week.
    Unless you ate 11500 cals over maintenance will not be fat, it will be sodium, water, increased volume of food and the gain will only be temporary.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    I'm freaked out too.... MFP had me netting 1360 a day, but I was seriously struggling to stay below that, even when I ate nothing but fruits, veggies, and lean proteins.

    Using the fat2fit method that helloitsdan recommended, I should be eating 1723 a day. I was okay with that and thought it would probably motivate me to work out harder and more often to create a deficit, until I put it into MFP, which is warning me that I will gain at that rate. Now I'm afraid to click the save button!

    The reason mfp thinks you will gain is because fat2fit includes exercise already, mfp expects you to log and eat back exercise.
    If you added exercise cals to the mfp goal it should be pretty near the fat2fit one.
  • katysmelly
    katysmelly Posts: 380 Member
    It is mathematically impossible. That's certainly mostly water.

    My dad visited for a week and there was much sight-seeing and eating in restaurants...I ate a LOT of food. Vast quantities. I gained five pounds in one week! Three days after dropping him off at the airport, I'd lost three of them. You can't lose three pounds of fat in three days, so that was obviously water. :)
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    I eat around 2217 calories daily that includes exercise. I don't add exercise in (I count it as one calorie).
    Every day it tells me I am going to gain weight, but I weighed myself today and I've lost a pound. It is off because I don't include exercise. it is around the same calories I would eat anyway if I added the exercise.
    I also keep track if I don't eat the calories from days before so if I am having a hungry day I have calories leftover, I use them.

    I am not gaining weight and I eat lots of food. :)
  • donwannabefatnomo
    donwannabefatnomo Posts: 10 Member
    I too was worried and slightly confused. When trying to loose weight, MFP wanted me to consume 1850 calories a day. I ate 1850 to 2000 and exercised without eating my exercise calories . . . needless to say, I lost weight (about 10 pounds a month).

    Now, I've been at my goal since the end of January 2012 and it's been a real trick trying to NOT loose any more weight! I never thought I'd have such a problem. I reduced my exercise, but still do exercise and NOW I do eat my exercise calories which total 2500 to 3000 calories a day. I net an average of 2200 to 2500 calories a day . . . and things have "stabilized" some . . . I only lost 5 pounds in close to 3 months . . . still, I don't want to loose anymore - part of me is afraid of cutting back on exercise - and at the same time I don't want to gain . . .

    Anyway - there's more to calories consumed and exercise to weight loss and gain . . . just keep playing with it and things will balance and there will be ups and downs - just take them in stride and try to have a high end and a low end in your goal - when you get too close to the high end, then cut back to loose . . . when you're too close to the low end - go treat yourself!

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