If you are scared to increase calories

Being over 50 and suffering from Hypothyroidism I can tell you that eating more is not working for me personally. I stalled out after 8 months of living on a 1200 calorie a day diet. On advice from friends I upped my calories to compensate for the massive burns from my workouts only to gain 12 pounds.

As a rule I try lot to listen to opinons of others unless they have M.D. or P.H.D. behind their names as each invidividual is unique because of body composition, medical problems, etc...no one formula is going to work for everyone.

I am with this poster. I tried upping my calories and for me it didn't work, but each to their own etc. Just be aware that sometimes it doesn't work for whatever reason.

THIS.

Hypothyroidism tends to make this theory invalid.

And I'm sure it's been mentioned countless times in this thread already that the exceptions to the rule when it comes to these formulas are the ones with medical conditions or otherwise leading to suppressed metabolisms.

If your body is working as it should, these formulas can and will work given enough time. Initial weight gain is to be expected as has been mentioned many, many times and it takes around 6 weeks for your body to adjust to the increased intake. If you've been dieting for a long time, your BMR can fall and glycogen stores are more likely to be running empty, so of course you will gain a little weight when you start.

Using this method, you work out your TDEE according to your activity, eat a set number every day and don't eat your exercise calories back because they're accounted for already. I don't know where some of you got that you need to eat them back - the only case where this is true is for sporadic exercisers who should be setting their TDEE as Sedentary and adding their exercise cals (75% of them, IMO) back on top. If you have hypothyroidism, you need really to have metabolic testing done to see what your BMR actually is before working out your TDEE etc.

"And I'm sure it's been mentioned countless times in this thread already that the exceptions to the rule when it comes to these formulas are the ones with medical conditions or otherwise leading to suppressed metabolisms.

If your body is working as it should, these formulas can and will work given enough time. Initial weight gain is to be expected as has been mentioned many, many times and it takes around 6 weeks for your body to adjust to the increased intake. If you've been dieting for a long time, your BMR can fall and glycogen stores are more likely to be running empty, so of course you will gain a little weight when you start.

Using this method, you work out your TDEE according to your activity, eat a set number every day and don't eat your exercise calories back because they're accounted for already. I don't know where some of you got that you need to eat them back - the only case where this is true is for sporadic exercisers who should be setting their TDEE as Sedentary and adding their exercise cals (75% of them, IMO) back on top. If you have hypothyroidism, you need really to have metabolic testing done to see what your BMR actually is before working out your TDEE etc. "

^^This -- I think so many people get confused with the original way that MFP does it where you eat back your exercise calories because they have not allowed for them ahead of time. If you calculate right - you should only need to eat back if you do much larger than normal burn.

Very helpful :happy: Thank you

But this is for people who go to the gym everyday, correct? I never burn more than 250 calories a day from random light cardio, mostly my dance workout on Wii fit, and I do crunches and I do chest presses with my son (he's 18 pounds). I'm a sahm so this is what works for me. I don't want to try this and then gain a bunch of weight because I'm not burning or lifting enough.

I am not afraid to increase calories I just know I got fat when I was eating more and exercising. Reduced my calorie in take and I lost. To each their own.

If you ate under TDEE, by it's very definition it is impossible to gain weight.

Hypothyroidism tends to make this theory invalid.

I also deal with hypothyroidism, but I would think that once we've stabled out our medication and have been taking it a while, it should no longer be much, if any, of a factor. Of course I'm no doctor and I'm just in the early stages of this lifestyle change, etc etc. I think I'll ask my Dr next time I go in.

mine came out at 1646 this seems like a huge amount of calories, i am struggling to eat 1200 as it is

I am sure you didnt get here ( overweight) by eating 1200 calories. Your body has gotten used to the 1200 and it will get used to teh bigger amount as well & thnk you for it. Just make sure it healthy calories you add in, not room for junk. Of course a treat everyonce in a while is warrented I eat 1500-1800 a day and loose 1.5-2lbs a week. I workout usually 6 days a week burning 300-500 calories from exercise.

Wow! that's dangerously low!... google body 'starvation mode'! if your only effectively consuming 700kcal than your body could be entering starvation mode where it dropps its calroie burn to the lowest possible, and stops using up fat stores (starts on your organs instead!)... you may not be loosing weight because your eating too few! (MFP has warnings on low calorie consumption for a reason!)

bump!

What if you have recently done all of those sugestions ... ie raising calories, did the calculators, hired a Nutritionist. and are still not losing weight. I went to Dr and we did several tests and they all came out normal... Maybe i am not doing enough exercise? or just eating the wrong stuff?

Monday : Les Mills Body Pump Class (1 hour)
Tuesday: i have cubscouts with my son so i use this as a rest day
Wednesday: Les Mills Body Combat Class (1 hour)
Thursday : Les Mills Body Pump Class (1 hour)
Friday: rest day
Saturday: Personal Trainer (1 hour upper body)
Sunday: Personal Trainer ( 1 hour lower body)