If you are scared to increase calories

About 2 weeks ago I increased my caloric intake to my TDEE (at my activity level) minus a 500 calorie deficit and I am finally out of my 4 week plateau! On top of it, I am less hungry and feel more energized. I now eat about 1850 calories a day. I am 5'3'', 135 pounds, excercise 6 days a week.

4) Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

I did go to f2f and ran the numbers and upped my calories a little bit ago. My concern is I don't have access to a gym or heavy weights at home right now. I have been using dvds to work out with hand weights. I know heavy lifting is really effective, but will this method work if I don't lift heavy?

Thanks!

Sure, just use sedentary or lightly active depending on your job.

About 2 weeks ago I increased my caloric intake to my TDEE (at my activity level) minus a 500 calorie deficit and I am finally out of my 4 week plateau! On top of it, I am less hungry and feel more energized. I now eat about 1850 calories a day. I am 5'3'', 135 pounds, excercise 6 days a week.

That actually sounds like a great idea. I may do that bc quite frankly I'm still scared to up my calories by 650!

Another key point when you increase your calories at first you will see an increase in weight usually first week or two. This is your bodies insulin levels and hormones getting brought back into line. MFP had me set to 1900 cals and I was stuck in a plateau. I went and got BF% measured (water dip) and metabolism measured (breathing test). Learned to be losing I needed to actually be around 2.4-2.5k to be at my 750 a day deficit I was wanting. Doing that I've been dropping and leaning up. I plan on doing those tests every 6 months or so now. Upping my calories was a bit worrisome at first because I gained around 9 pounds that first week and the week after it started coming back off but it didn't stop coming off.

If you are having problems like I've said in the past.

Contact your local universities sports department. Most of them will for a small fee/donation let you come and they then let kids practice the bf % test and metabolism test on you. Teaches the kids and you get the results much cheaper then going to say an anti-aging or sports center to get them done!

Thank you for this. I increased my calories and my workouts this week and I've put on 3 lbs. I needed to read this post.

MFP has me at 1250 for my weight and activity level.
this has me at about 1600...
i am still kinda scared to try it, afraid i will start gaining

Bc with this formula you don't eat your exercise cals back; MFP you do. Depending on how much you burn when you workout it sounds like you would even out.

coming back

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ive been thinking about increasing my calories to lose weight but im not 100% sure what my activity level would be and i was eating about 2200 calories when i put on weight and that calulator would have me eating 1932 for lightly active which i would have to be minimum as i do at least 15000 steps a day at work

Thanks for this post, it's very helpful.

I followed the instructions, and got a result of 2090 p/d for the lightly active option. That is certainly good for me.

However, please excuse my ignorance but I have a few questions;

A) If I don't stick to the routine and lift 3 days p/w etc, will I put on weight or stay at maintenance? Should I eat less on the days I don't exercise? I do work as a Barista 4 days a week, though, so I am active from that.

I am currently at 1690 calories per day. I am making changes to the types of food I eat, but for the past two weeks or so, I didn't eat very well. Not only that, but I was over my calories. So I was probably averaging out around at the amount of calories fat2fit is recommending. I seemed to have put on a lb (but TOM is due, so it might be that), and haven't lost anything for two weeks now. Is eating 2090 calories a day REALLY going to make me lose weight? Again, does the 2090 p/d include exercise (lifting and cardio), or just my normal daily activity (I.E working)

Sorry if I sound sceptical, I don't mean to be. I am just a bit nervous about increasing my calories. Been really ****ty to not lose for two weeks, and I am worried about putting on some of the 11lbs I worked so hard to lose.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for this post, it's very helpful.

I followed the instructions, and got a result of 2090 p/d for the lightly active option. That is certainly good for me.

However, please excuse my ignorance but I have a few questions;

A) If I don't stick to the routine and lift 3 days p/w etc, will I put on weight or stay at maintenance? Should I eat less on the days I don't exercise? I do work as a Barista 4 days a week, though, so I am active from that.

I am currently at 1690 calories per day. I am making changes to the types of food I eat, but for the past two weeks or so, I didn't eat very well. Not only that, but I was over my calories. So I was probably averaging out around at the amount of calories fat2fit is recommending. I seemed to have put on a lb (but TOM is due, so it might be that), and haven't lost anything for two weeks now. Is eating 2090 calories a day REALLY going to make me lose weight? Again, does the 2090 p/d include exercise (lifting and cardio), or just my normal daily activity (I.E working)

Sorry if I sound sceptical, I don't mean to be. I am just a bit nervous about increasing my calories. Been really ****ty to not lose for two weeks, and I am worried about putting on some of the 11lbs I worked so hard to lose.

Thanks in advance!

Just to answer these real quick before bed;
a. It's just a guideline exercise plan - do what you can and use the appropriate activity level for you.
b. You don't eat exercise calories back using this method UNLESS you pick sedentary and then exercise vigorously. Your calorie goal is high because you're young - use it to your advantage!

You may gain some water weight as you up your calories, but remember the maths - you need an excess of 3.5k to gain a lb of fat. It takes a few weeks for the hormones to adjust.

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Ugh I'm completely and totally lost. I need to be rich so I can hire someone to tell me what to eat and what exercise to do. I've been trying to lost this last 10 pounds of baby weight for 6 months with no success at all.

Ok- I have read everyone's post and I just want to confirm for myself:

If My BF% is 46.8% that makes my goal weight 139 (which is lower that what I was shooting for but no biggie)

the Katch-McArdle says my BMR is 1391

The chart I get for lightly active says I need to eat 1939 calories a day

So, I keep doing what I'm doing exercise wise and DON'T eat my exercise calories back? Just stick with the 1939 total?

Is the 1939 my tdee? If so, than if I'm eating this but burning lets say 300 cals, then my deficit is 300 cals a day? Which in turn make it a 2100 deficit per week? Which is not even a pound?

Oh golly! I've been on a plateau for 5 wks now and I really want to get this right.

I'm fairly new to this but didn't want your question to go unanswered. I know how confusing it is when you start.

1939 is your TDEE. That number includes your exercise calories so no, you wouldn't eat them back following this plan.

If you burn 300 then that would be your deficit. The 3,500 cals burned to lose a pound is an estimate. I've had weeks where I lost more when I ate more (that was before I increased my calories).

If I'm wrong someone please correct me.

Interesting.

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