Starving to feeding

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chapparra27
chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently adjusted my calories from about 1,300 to 1,700-1,800 because I realized I was not eating siffcient calories. I've been wearing a HRM for the past couple days and both days it has said I burnt 3,680-3,720 calories! I am not sure if this is completely accurate. My question is, should I expect to gain weight the first week or 2 after adding calories from starving my body because it will hold them thinking it isn't going to get more for a while? I have lost 30 pounds eating few calories but I got "stuck" a lot and seemed I would lose only when I "cheat". Any advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Any advice on how to eat 1,800 calories in health foods would be great too!
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Replies

  • Swopkin
    Swopkin Posts: 53 Member
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    Are you sure your HRM is accurate? And if so, how do you do it? I work out quite frequently, but I never get passed 1600 of work-out calories burnt.
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Are you sure your HRM is accurate? And if so, how do you do it? I work out quite frequently, but I never get passed 1600 of work-out calories burnt.
    Only 600-900 are from working out, the rest are just what I burn during a normal day. So my BMR is 2,700-2,900.
    I have been logging start/finish calories at the beginning and end of working out to track my caloreies burned from working out.
  • Swopkin
    Swopkin Posts: 53 Member
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    Well, if you want to up your calories to 1700 and you burn between 600 and 900, then yes...you should eat around 2500-2700. Good luck!
  • cherrybomb_77
    cherrybomb_77 Posts: 411 Member
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    Hey, you're only 30 minutes from me! (I don't run in to a lot of people from this area on the internet!)

    Anyway, I don't think you'll absolutely gain weight, but it seems to be common when people go from eating too few calories to eating the right amount.

    Eating a good amount of lean protein helps me get plenty of "good" calories.
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Well, if you want to up your calories to 1700 and you burn between 600 and 900, then yes...you should eat around 2500-2700. Good luck!
    2,500-2,700 really? I believe it is my BMR but I am sooooo scared to go that high.
  • ka97
    ka97 Posts: 1,984 Member
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    Nuts, peanut butter, low fat cheese....higher in calories but also nutrients.
    Feel free to look at my diary. I'm around 1800 most days, sometimes over, occaisonally under. Though might be better to look at last week's entries. This week not so good; combination of PMS and trainer telling me I needed to eat more. Somehow I doubt ice cream was what he had in mind.
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Hey, you're only 30 minutes from me! (I don't run in to a lot of people from this area on the internet!)

    Anyway, I don't think you'll absolutely gain weight, but it seems to be common when people go from eating too few calories to eating the right amount.

    Eating a good amount of lean protein helps me get plenty of "good" calories.
    WOW...Yes we are very close. My brother in law and a friend of mine live up there. :)
    I was having trouble eating 1,300 calories a day, now I have to add 4-500 possibly 1,000!!! I have no idea how to do that without eating something that isn't really good for me. I have begung eating a lot of fruits and veggies I had never tried before...asparagus,mangos...many have few calories. I think I am going to try a hand full or 2 of nuts to help get me to the calories I need.
  • BoxingLady95
    BoxingLady95 Posts: 2
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    Okay so I dont know what an HRM is... But I do know starving yourself isnt good. Everyone says that, But the first time i tryed starving myself I dropped 3 pounds in one day went on for a week, then I found potato chips and gained 15 pounds the next week.

    You should expect to gain 15-30 lbs. depending on how much you lost and how much you take in.

    It always takes more effort to loose it then to gain it... You can always eat whatever you want.. As long as you double your workout... Workouts too most people think they can jump right in... Build up to it. It took me a week before I could do 5 pushups...

    Just a little advice and support from another person expierencing the almost same problem :(
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Nuts, peanut butter, low fat cheese....higher in calories but also nutrients.
    Feel free to look at my diary. I'm around 1800 most days, sometimes over, occaisonally under. Though might be better to look at last week's entries. This week not so good; combination of PMS and trainer telling me I needed to eat more. Somehow I doubt ice cream was what he had in mind.
    Thank you
    I just thought of the nuts as you posted. Ppl have been telling me to eat more for years but it always seemed counter productive, now that I have joined MFP it makes much more sense and everyone that has had great success eats more than I ever have! Raising it so high is so so scary.
  • cherrybomb_77
    cherrybomb_77 Posts: 411 Member
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    What kinds of fats do you cook with? You could try adding in some good fats like coconut oil and olive oil if you're used to using nonfat/non-calories sprays instead. Real butter instead of margarine, 2% or even whole milk instead of skim, things like that. It will add calories without forcing you to eat a ton of extra food if you're having trouble eating that much (I know some people believe that real foods like whole milk and butter are evil, but personally I think they're fine in moderation).
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Okay so I dont know what an HRM is... But I do know starving yourself isnt good. Everyone says that, But the first time i tryed starving myself I dropped 3 pounds in one day went on for a week, then I found potato chips and gained 15 pounds the next week.

    You should expect to gain 15-30 lbs. depending on how much you lost and how much you take in.

    It always takes more effort to loose it then to gain it... You can always eat whatever you want.. As long as you double your workout... Workouts too most people think they can jump right in... Build up to it. It took me a week before I could do 5 pushups...

    Just a little advice and support from another person expierencing the almost same problem :(
    15-30 pounds!!! That is what I have lost 30 lbs! Nooooooo!!!! I will never let that weight come back. I have been eating 1,200-1,600 calories for years because that was just how I ate not because I was on a diet. I became over weight because I did not eat enough and on the days I did go over board, pizza, burgers ect...my body held on to it. This is so confusing and aggravating.
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Has anyone gained after having to up calories because you were under eating to begin with?
  • cannonsky
    cannonsky Posts: 850 Member
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    You will probably gain a little water weight... it is to be expected. Please read this.. It will help a lot!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience

    And use this to determine how much you should eat

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    HRMs are generally just to be worn for workouts only.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Regular HRM are not meant to be worn all day. Doing that will give you very inaccurate information. If it is a bodybugg, fitbit, etc then it is more reliable.
  • Rosa1213
    Rosa1213 Posts: 456 Member
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    No, this hasn't happened to me, but I'm always a little bit scared that I'm not eating enough.
    However, I'm scared to gain weight, so I'm scared to up my calories...
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member
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    When I got a fitbit, I realized the same thing. I had been eating 1200 cals a day.. normal daily activity plus workout brought my daily cals burned to 2500.

    The first week I had bit, I ate the recommended cals.. I was averaging 1700-1800 a day. I saw a 1.5 loss and I was starving all the time!! Since then I have been keeping my deficit at 750 a day. I feel better, and I'm seeing more changes in my body.

    Good luck!
  • jetabear10
    jetabear10 Posts: 375 Member
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    I'm not sure if it is why I did but I did gain.

    I then went from 1200 cals to 1500 cals on non workout days AND have just recently made sure to eat my exercise cals...and success...back to losing again.
  • tross0924
    tross0924 Posts: 909 Member
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    Regular HRM are not meant to be worn all day. Doing that will give you very inaccurate information. If it is a bodybugg, fitbit, etc then it is more reliable.
    ^^^^ This.

    They're totally inaccurate except for cardio.
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
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    A little over a month ago, I upped my calories from 800-1000 to 1899. I gained one pound over the first 2 weeks and have since lost it plus 2.5 pounds additional loss. You should expect to gain a little when you first up your calories, but I highly doubt you will gain 15-30 as another poster said (unless you are binging 10,000 cals a day or something).
  • chapparra27
    chapparra27 Posts: 115 Member
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    Regular HRM are not meant to be worn all day. Doing that will give you very inaccurate information. If it is a bodybugg, fitbit, etc then it is more reliable.
    Ok so should I set my BMR based on an online calculator and use my HRM to get calorie burn only when I work out and then have a 500-1,000 calorie deficit?

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