eating more to weigh less?

So, right now my daily calorie intake is between 1000-1200. It's not that I'm starving myself (I'm up from 500 daily). I do eat at mealtimes, I generally have an afternoon snack and something for desert, it's just that I eat small meals and low-cal food. However, I'm not losing weight. It's not an exercise problem, I am getting pretty good exercise every day. When I checked on C-C, it said that I should eat 1500 calories daily to lose the 20-ish lbs to 135.

Would it make sense to anyone (either based on experience or just common-sense that I'm just not aware of) for me to go up to 1500 calories daily (not necessarily eating fatty foods but just more low-cal foods) to start losing the weight?

The more you weigh, the more calories your body needs.  I would take the suggest of CC and start at 1500 calories.  Try it out for two weeks and if you do not see a difference then +/- 100 calories.

Good luck on your weight loss journey.

From what I've read and heard in all the fitness magazines and programs, you really shouldn't go below 1200 calories if you're trying to lose weight. It sounds like your body is going into starvation mode and it is going to hang on to EVERY LAST CALORIE that you are putting into your body. It would be a good idea to up your calories to 1500 calories, especially eating healthily--try some almonds or cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is a great food for people who are strength-training.

I was very sick for a while and ate around 900-1200 cal per day. I upped it slowly to 1200, 1400 then 1600 and still lost weight, in fact faster!! Because i was sick I needed to gain. So I went up to 2000 cal a day (such a sturggle, 500 cal from nutritional suppliments helped) and still lost weight!!! My body has finally settled and in 3 months of eating all I could i gained 3kg.
So font worry. WEigh comes on slowly, esp if you add more food.
Most people need even more than 1200 cals which is the BARE minimum!
Just try and eat healthy foods, including bread and pasta because carbs arent evil. but choose good varieties like wholegrain. Thats the easiest way to up your cals. Oh and nuts, btu i cudlnt do too many of them (sickness)

it confuses me... that I, and so many others find it hard getting all their calories..

Before I started weight loss, i would merrily scoff down a big mac meal from McDonalds, and an icecream. a few hours before that i would eat a 400 calorie sandwhich. and then in the evening i would proberly have alot of alcohol and some crisps...

Why is it now, we are finding it hard to get all of our calories, yet before alot of us were well over the reccomended daily amount?


x

There's two things
1. Mental
2. Physical

1. Your body is thinking "must eat less cals" for a while, then you go "uh oh, not eating enough, eat more!" but your body is still in the old mode. If you eat 900 cals a day you end up getting used to it. Your body 'protects' you i think - masking your hunger slightly, trying to adapt. So when you try to eat more, you're stuffed. But the trith is you're just eating calories undense foods, and doing little thigns like avoiding bread. I never realised it, but deep inside my brain thought for a while less cals = more healthy. Sometiems this is the case. But compare 100 cals of raw almonds to 60 cals of fat free sugar free pudding.
2. Your tummy used to easily fit a big mac. But now you've learn dont eat past full ness - you get fuller!! It literally does shrink. Well its capcity. This is also why binge eating can be bad - your tummy will get used to being bigge,r if you say have a free day once a week. This is also why you spread out your meals (on top of the whole metbolism thing) if every night you have a HUGE HEAVY dinner your body thinks you need that much volume, and you MAY want to eat more at other meals.

Just think about how much lettuce/uncal dense foods you eat. They fill you up where things like potatoes used to for me.

Also, knowing more about the 'old' foods make them less apptizing!

I would also encourage you to get a little fat from healthy choices into you diet -- I find my body works better, is more "Regular", and I avoid platteaus when I'm getting about 20% of my calories in fat (like avocado, nuts, peanut butter, dairy)

Thanks everyone. I knew that if you went into starvation your body would hold onto the weight, but I wasn't sure if 1000-1200 would count as starvation, and if going to 1500 would get me out of that. Thank you.

I have the same problem, I was eating 1000-1200 and not losing for about 6 months, then I went up to 1500 gained 5 more pounds and still not losing... It's been 3 months now, do I need to increase more? It's quite frustrating. I exercise almost every day, eat healthy and nothing...

Juliya,

Why don't you start a thread with your diet and activies?  Then we can look and see if we can tell what's going on? If you've been back to what you should be for 3 months, it might be time for a visit to the doctor.  You could have a deficiency because it's really hard to be properly nourished on that few calories.  You could also have other stuff going on.