If you are scared to increase calories

Options
13567…26

Replies

  • gypsybug
    gypsybug Posts: 106 Member
    Options
    I bumped up to 1900-2000 a little over three weeks ago. Hadn't lost since I first joined and was on the assinine 1200 hampster wheel. I gained about 4 pounds at first, but since then I've dropped the four and another 1.8. Not bad for three weeks. The inches are going too. I feel amazing! I have strength and stamina! My hair and nails are even getting stronger and healthy. I'm not in a constant brain fog or constantly in a bad mood. We aren't meant to function on so little.
  • gtwin
    gtwin Posts: 290 Member
    Options
    All this BMR, TDEE stuff confuses the heck out of me. I would love to say that maybe I should increase my calories from 1440 to 2500..but quite honestly, I don't know if I should. I'm doing Insanity 6x a week....which only burns 300-350 calories a session. So SHOULD I increase my calories? I'm so confused...I've plateaued for at least two months.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    Options
    I bumped up to 1900-2000 a little over three weeks ago. Hadn't lost since I first joined and was on the assinine 1200 hampster wheel. I gained about 4 pounds at first, but since then I've dropped the four and another 1.8. Not bad for three weeks. The inches are going too. I feel amazing! I have strength and stamina! My hair and nails are even getting stronger and healthy. I'm not in a constant brain fog or constantly in a bad mood. We aren't meant to function on so little.

    wowwww awesome story...good for you!!!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Options
    All this BMR, TDEE stuff confuses the heck out of me. I would love to say that maybe I should increase my calories from 1440 to 2500..but quite honestly, I don't know if I should. I'm doing Insanity 6x a week....which only burns 300-350 calories a session. So SHOULD I increase my calories? I'm so confused...I've plateaued for at least two months.

    That drastic in increase at once, no, probably not. You could work up to it though, increasing a couple hundred a week. If you use your TDEE to calculate your intake, remember you don't eat your exercise calories back as they're accounted for in your TDEE. You may gain a little to start with in water and glycogen, but it will drop off and more will follow.
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. Its not that hard. Go to fat2fitradio.com:
    1) Run the Military Body Fat calculator
    2) Run the goal weight calculator using the BF% from above
    3) Run the BMR Calculator and eat at the proper TDEE for your GOAL weight.
    4) Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

    1. 65.7%
    2. The goal weight which asks for my goal BF%? If so, then 35% BF or 140#.
    3. Which formulae? 1911 with H-B or 1293 with K-M? Which activity level for me? I walk 5 days and lift 2. Is that light, moderate, or very active? It seems F2F is using H-B because I get a big red message that my GW is lower than my projected BMR, so I'm either moderate (2113) or very active (2351).

    If I go with the TDEE - 20% = net cals to eat, then it's either 1691 or 1881.

    You should use the Katch-McArdle Forumla if you used the body fat percentage. For walking and lifting 2 days a week I would start at lightly active, then bump to moderately if you don't feel like its making a difference.
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    I bumped up to 1900-2000 a little over three weeks ago. Hadn't lost since I first joined and was on the assinine 1200 hampster wheel. I gained about 4 pounds at first, but since then I've dropped the four and another 1.8. Not bad for three weeks. The inches are going too. I feel amazing! I have strength and stamina! My hair and nails are even getting stronger and healthy. I'm not in a constant brain fog or constantly in a bad mood. We aren't meant to function on so little.
    THIS!!!!
  • ucsneakerz
    ucsneakerz Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Ah! Thats what I was missing... not eating back... 1700 makes sense if I'm burning off 500. It doesn't make sense if its saying eat 1700, burn off 500, and then eat 500 more. Correct?

    Correct. But if you are burning 500 calories a day in exercise and your BMR is 1400, you should be eating more than 1700 calories

    So I did the calculations more specifically:
    Military Fat Calculator - 53.1%
    Goal Body Weight - 128 pounds (this is about 10-12 pounds less than what I want, but I'll go with it for this activity)
    BMR- 2155 calories with moderate activity

    This means essentially for me I'd eat 2155, burn off 500, leaving around 1600... which does seem really high for weight loss being my goal...

    My other bone to pick with this is that it seems to be counting HOW MUCH a person eats but not WHAT they eat...
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    Options

    So I did the calculations more specifically:
    Military Fat Calculator - 53.1%
    Goal Body Weight - 128 pounds (this is about 10-12 pounds less than what I want, but I'll go with it for this activity)
    BMR- 2155 calories with moderate activity

    This means essentially for me I'd eat 2155, burn off 500, leaving around 1600... which does seem really high for weight loss being my goal...

    Your BMR is not 2155, that is your TDEE. What is your BMR when you do that calculator. Its up in the text.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Options
    Ah! Thats what I was missing... not eating back... 1700 makes sense if I'm burning off 500. It doesn't make sense if its saying eat 1700, burn off 500, and then eat 500 more. Correct?

    Correct. But if you are burning 500 calories a day in exercise and your BMR is 1400, you should be eating more than 1700 calories

    So I did the calculations more specifically:
    Military Fat Calculator - 53.1%
    Goal Body Weight - 128 pounds (this is about 10-12 pounds less than what I want, but I'll go with it for this activity)
    BMR- 2155 calories with moderate activity

    This means essentially for me I'd eat 2155, burn off 500, leaving around 1600... which does seem really high for weight loss being my goal...

    You need the seperate numbers for BMR and TDEE to workout what your deficit is daily. What you've posted as your BMR I'm pretty sure is your TDEE.
  • shellsy0424
    shellsy0424 Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    bump
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Options
    I really encourage people to get actually measured for Body fat if they can/get the chance.

    The military calculator has my BF at 36%, the water displacement test has my BF at 24.83% and calipers had it at 28%

    Anytime you are judging by just numbers and math formula you run the risk of being off a bit.
  • FHOLMESVAN
    FHOLMESVAN Posts: 24
    Options
    BUMP
  • PrncessBre
    PrncessBre Posts: 444 Member
    Options
    Bump for later :)
  • jjelizalde
    jjelizalde Posts: 377 Member
    Options
    I upped my calories a couple of days ago to 1500 and promptly lost a pound. And I DO eat back my calories.
  • sma83
    sma83 Posts: 485 Member
    Options
    Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day.

    and I eat less than 1200, ditto. But I am starting from a radically different place, so your context is different.
    You're male so your intake is dangerously low. Your 'advice' is always confrontational and obnoxious and largely wrong. Please stop turning every thread you happen across into your personal soapbox.
    THIS!!!!! THANK YOU! I have gotten to the point where I literally gag a little when I see this guys name pop up. He seems to think he needs to hijack EVERY thread and be rude and spout off at the mouth. EVERYONE here knows his opinions already. If that works for you then FINE, but STOP SHOVING YOUR OPINIONS DOWN OUR THROATS ALREADY! Geez....
  • jumpin15
    jumpin15 Posts: 30
    Options
    BUMP for later. Thanks for the helpful info!
  • tracypk
    tracypk Posts: 233 Member
    Options
    I have been afraid of increasing my cals, but I'm going to do it! Who doesn't want to eat more? With everything I've read I really feel this is what is going to get me to start losing weight again. Thanks for the encouragement.:flowerforyou:

    Remember give it over a week and don't be scared of initial numbers, that initial hit shocked me. If after two weeks you are still gaining cut your cals down 100-200 and see what its like the next week and etc..etc..

    Thank you this is good info!
  • mosschops20030
    mosschops20030 Posts: 7
    Options
    bump for later interesting reading
  • tiffanic83
    tiffanic83 Posts: 64
    Options
    BMI is not accurate. One of the gyms I was going to had another tester that sent out some sort of impulse (don't quote me on how it worked) but anyways my body fat % is actually 10 points less than what BMI tells me just by height and weight. So I don't think these calculations are right for everyone. Bigger people have more muscle from carrying around our extra weight :) That being said, I also recommend getting measured properly, not just looking at stupid numbers! And I don't get all this bmr tdee stuff either!! All I know is eating what it tells me too, I don't lose weight.
  • vabrewer33
    vabrewer33 Posts: 185
    Options
    My BMR is 1375, my TDEE minus 20% is 1500 so I was eating somewhere between the 2, with cardio 3x a week and weight training 3 days...I gained weight AND inches. I don't want to start any arguments but personally for me the whole "eat more to lose weight" idea did not work at all!

Categories