Does Eating More Help you Lose More?

kerr2010
kerr2010 Posts: 219 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have hit a plateau in my weight loss. The first month I lost about 10 pounds eating between 1200-1400 calories a day. For the past three weeks I have been really diligent making sure that I stayed within this range. Three weeks later and I have lost a bit fat NOTHING. Last week the scale even went up 3 pounds. I am so frustrated (not enough to quit) because I had set a goal for myself. I have been reading that bumping my calories up to 1800 for two weeks will help trick my body into losing more weight. Is this true. Has anyone had success doing this. I would love to know peoples experiences before I try it because I do not want to actually gain weight.

Thanks for the input.

Replies

  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I don't believe we can 'trick' our bodies but why not try 1600 for a few days instead of 1800 for 2 weeks? A 50% jump in calories is a lot to test a theory.

    I personally just plateau sometimes. It ends. I don't like to switch gears often as I never really know what caused what. With water weight issues, sometimes a loss isn't so much due to what I ate in the days immediately preceding.

    Good luck!
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 811 Member
    Eating more will definitely help, but not just for 2 weeks.

    And I recommend reading this to figure it out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Kipperdog123
    Kipperdog123 Posts: 59
    Sometimes. When you starve yourself, your body keeps the fat cells you have. If you exercise off all of the calories you've eaten, you've starved yourself.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    I'm not an expert - however, base don my research and experience, eating more works but it should be linked with an uptick in activity. i ate more and burned more at the same time.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    Looking at your diary, I think you would benefit with more consistent exercise, which would allow you to eat more.
  • pitlvr2x
    pitlvr2x Posts: 17
    Just had this same conversation yesterday, it seems odd but I am trying the "eat more lose more" myself. I had not lost anything and was working out like crazy, not eating 100% right all the time, but not bad by a long shot either, so I am adjusting my calorie intake and waiting to see what happens. I had also gone through the F.I.T.T that the Y change program discusses (adjusting your frequency, intensity, time and types of work-outs) so that's how I figured out the calories were the one thing that had not been adjusted. I wasn't hungry staying between 1200-1400 a day, but my coach was telling me it was too low, I was being hard headed and just frustrated myself in the past few months. So I say give it a try and see what happens!
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
    The only reason for ME why eating more helps me lose weight is because it gives me that extra energy to make my workout a two hour instead of 30 minutes before dying of exhaustion.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    The only reason for ME why eating more helps me lose weight is because it gives me that extra energy to make my workout a two hour instead of 30 minutes before dying of exhaustion.

    A symptom of the underlying issue. :)

    Yay for energy!
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
    This is good to hear because I am burning more and eating those calories burned. I haven't lost anything in 2 weeks but I haven't gained. I think I did lose a couple inches in that time, but not a lot. I'm hoping it is going to really start changing, maybe not as weightloss but shape. Thank you for the reply here. denise:drinker: :drinker:
    I'm not an expert - however, base don my research and experience, eating more works but it should be linked with an uptick in activity. i ate more and burned more at the same time.
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    Personally, eating more has definitely helped me. I lost a bit at 1200 but was tired and cranky, then plateaued, and then put 3 lbs back on. Went up to 1500 for a couple months, lost some more. Recently went up to 1600, immediately dropped 2 more pounds. Eating too little can slow down your metabolism and make you body cling to whatever you put into it; also, if you don't get enough food, when you exercise your body will burn muscle instead of fat (long science-y explanation behind that one). My advice: try it out and see how you feel, but realize that your body will probably freak out a little from the change at first. Give it a few weeks to even out before you expect results!
  • angelina2585
    angelina2585 Posts: 273 Member
    Eating more than BMR and less than my TDEE has enabled me to lose weight and inches without feeling hungry. I eat 15% below TDEE so 1750 calories a day. This number includes my exercise for the week so I eat the same number every day.

    I'm in the second week of a 'break'. The first week I didn't exercise but continued eating 1750 and for the past 5 or 6 days I've been eating at TDEE and will continue to do so until Sunday. I ended up eating over my 2050 calorie allowance at the weekend as I was away. I'm interested to see what the scale says on Monday morning but I've not noticed a difference in my clothing.

    The way I look at it is that if your weight is stalling anyway, what harm can it do to work out your numbers and give eating more a chance?
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
    YES! I eat almost 2000 calories on non-workout days and 2300 calories on workout days and I'm as lean as ever. You have to eat to support your activity.
  • rusialeelee
    rusialeelee Posts: 143
    bump to read later
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    If you eat below your TDEE you "should" lose weight. 250 below TDEE= 1/2 pound a week. 500 below TDEE= 1 pound a week. MFP does all these calculations for you depending on what you tell it. I have heard of people's bodies just not wanting to lose on less calories, and losing 1/2 a pound a week easily on more calories. I think it's worth a try to eat more for a few weeks (more than 3, your body needs time to get used to the change) and see if it works. I dropped 5 pounds at 1500 but then plateaued again so for me it only worked short-term.
  • kerr2010
    kerr2010 Posts: 219 Member
    I probably would/should. I think it I am getting in something regular eating some extra calories won't freak me out as much.
    Looking at your diary, I think you would benefit with more consistent exercise, which would allow you to eat more.
  • kerr2010
    kerr2010 Posts: 219 Member
    Thanks for all of the responses. You have given me a lot to think about for sure.

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