Wow, eating more DOES work!

I can't believe it, but it does!  I started out 6 weeks ago at the reccommended 1200 cals a day (for me).  In the beginning, the weight started to fall off, like 2 lbs per week for the first two weeks.

The I started excercising in addition to eating the 1200 cals, and I guess my deficit was too high and I was maintaining/gaining a little.  At the end of last week, I started eating 1400-1500 cals a day and I already lost 1.3 lbs since Thursday! 

I eat very healthy and try to eat clean most of the time, so it's hard at times to fill up to 1400 cals.  I'll add organic PB, dry roasted almonds, avacados to my diet to up my cals and that seems to do the trick.  I know it seems counter-intuitive, but listen to your body.  With the running and toning excercises I've been doing for 3 weeks, my body was really holding onto the calories!  So glad I figured out what I need to do now!

Thats really reassuring! I'm trying to get to 1200cals a day (started at 8-900, now averaging 1100) but am terrified of gaining if I up my cals? I know in my head that I need to eat more, but years of yo-yoing & treating my body like cr*p have taken its toll? Thanks for that- and well done! Keep us posted...?

Original Post by irishmum:

I know in my head that I need to eat more

Then eat more!!! Your body will thank you

Congrats on figuring this out, Shannon.  The exact same thing happened to me, too, but it took me almost a year to figure it out and do something about it! You sure were more proactive than I was. 

• I was losing 2.2lbs/week before I started running.
• When I started running, I stopped losing (slowed to 1lb/month).  
• I figured out my calories were too low (1400!) so I upped them to 1700+. 
• I'm losing about 1lb/week again.   

Look at my chart in my gallery.

Thanks for this post. I have just started upping my calories to 1450 a day and I'm being really good not going over or under so far for the last week.

 My starting weight was 140lb and I've decided not to weight myself until I';ve been doing this for 2 weeks to give my body time to adjust. I just hope it works, but with people like you writing about how it has worked for you it gives me the motivation to carry on.

irishmum- I know it seems completely absurd to eat more to lose more, but it's true!  It took my 3 weeks to figure that out, and I'm glad I did.  I am a former anorectic (recovered for 6 years) and restricted severely and over excercised.  It's hard to turn that switch off even still and realize eating more will also lead to weight loss.  And I'm a LOT happier doing it the right way now then how I did it years ago. 

phord - Good job on the weight loss!  It was better to figure it out eventually than never at all though, right?

 

  ps0u30d4 - Thanks!  It's very heartwarming to hear that I've helped someone!  I've read posts like mine that stated to eat MORE and at first though, Uh uh, no way!  But I'm glad so many people spoke up about that and made me change my thought process.  I wanted to be an additional testament that the Eat More Theory was put to the test and worked!

Spirochete- I know..after years of purging it's going to take time to get to there? I'm a recovering bulimic (only recently admitted that online- not to anyone 'real' so I'm recovering on my own, but I'm getting there...)

ps0u30DD- let us know how you do? I'd be interested to see?

Can you keep us updated to keep me motivated until I'm hitting target everyday? I'd appreciate it?

I left my scales at work (i use them as part of my work - i'm not just weird) on purpose so I couldn'tweigh myself this week at all. It my TOTM so i knew I'd have gained and would have easily put it down to eating more. I've been working from home this week and won't be back in the office until monday so on Monday I'll let you all know what my new (hopefully improved) weight is.

The weird thing is I feel so much more content and healthy eating more. I am choosing healthy foods and eating plenty of wholegrains and fruit and veg and my cravings for something sweet have gone because I don't really feel hungry. Having lots of light snacks throughout the day and plannin them around what I have planned to eat for dinner I'm finding really easy.

I always used to think 'I'm not hunry..I don't needto eat' but I was hungry I had just taught mybody not to act hungry anymore and that isn't healthy. My weight has never changed and now I feel so positive that I can do something about it without denying myself any of the foods I enjoy.

We should start a weekly weigh in.

 

Ok, this is encouraging, I'm thinking I should be increase my calorie intake now.

I started on CC the beginning of Feb.  I'm a 46 yr old female, 5'8", 207 lbs.  I'm religiously tracking my food intake and working out 5-6 days a week (I started working out in Dec. 07).  I dropped 7 lbs in the first 2 weeks after tracking my cals., and now have lost nothing!  I'm stuck and frustrated!

I have been trying to stay at 1450 cals a day, some days more.  I work out with cardio, strength training and the eliptical 5 days a week.  So from what I'm reading I'm thinking I should up my cals but I don't know how much more.  My burn meter says that I burn 1950 if I don't work out.  1450 seemed like a fair amount to cut back to.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.  Like I said I'm really getting frustrated.

becwhi, maybe look at what you are eating as well. I know 1500 calories of lard is the same as 1500 calories of lettuce, but sometimes our bodies respond differently to different foods. My body loves lots of veggies, whole grains and very light on the meats. When Atkins first came out I force fed myself meat and didn't lose a pound while everyone else was dropping like crazy (please don't do this stupid, stupid diet).

Maybe try eating "cleaner" if you're not already. I don't do well with weight when I start introducing a lot of processed foods into my diet, probably because I don't feel like moving at all so I don't. They just suck away all my energy!

On the advise of another user I too upped my cals! I went from the 1200 to a fabulous 1470. I am considering upping a little more but am going to wait a few weeks. learning about what the BMR actually means was a huge wake up call for me. I have been talking to someone who is eating their BMR but also working out. She didn't know what approach to take. eat the cals burned or only some. Anyone know what the best way to go is?

Bechwi - If you are exercising then you should definitely be increasing your calories. If you burn 1950 being sedentary then on days you are exercising your deficit is probablytoo high so your metabolism will be slowing down.

Have you workedout your BMR because you shouldn't eat less than that.

e.g. On a sedentary day i burn 1700 calories

My BMR is 1450 so I can only achieve a 250 calorie deficit be food alone. The rest I have to make up for with exercise. If you eat below your bmr your metabolism will slow down.

Also I've been advised not to have a deficit of more than 500 calories so if you are burning more through exercise you should eat back someof the calories.

The easiest way is to simply ensure the difference between your eat meter and burn meter is also about 500 but never eat less than your bmr.

I used this site to calculate my burn rate and this site suggested the 1450 cals a day.

I've been eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads, pastas and cereals.  I eat very little processed foods.  I also enjoy my wine.  Everything gets figured into my food log.

I don't feel tired or hungry that's why I figured the 1450 calories a day was fine.

Bechwi...without knowing stats, I would say that 1450 is fine on non work out days, but up it to 1600 when you work out.  Or zig zag from 1450 to 1600 throughout the week...

I didn't start loosing until I started eating 1450-1550 calories.  If I drop to 1200 for a day or 2 no big deal, but if I eat 1600-1700 no big deal either...

I'm going to do that, I'll start today and up it to 1600.

Thanks for all your input.  I'll keep you posted.

 This is the advice I was given.Like I said I haven;t weighed myself yet so I don't know if it works but might be useful for estimating what you should be eating

 

1) Begin with a base of 655 calories

2) Multiply your weight in pounds by 4.3

3) Multiply your height in inches by 4.7

4) Add lines 1, 2 and 3

5) Multiply your age by 4.7

6) Subtract line 5 from line 4  (Equals Your Normal Resting Metabolic Rate)

 7) Multiply line 6 by your activity factor (see below)  -  (Equals your daily maintenance calories)

       &am p;nb sp;   RMR stands for Resting Metabolic Rate

       &am p;nb sp;   Sedentary  -   Multiply your RMR by 1.2

       &am p;nb sp;  Light Excerise  -  Multiply your RMR by 1.3 ( about 2-3 hours per week)

       &am p;nb sp; Moderate Excerise  -  Multiply your RMR by 1.4 (about 4-7 hours per week)

       &am p;nb sp; Heavy Excerise  -  Multiply your RMR by 1.5 (7 or more hours per week)

8)  Subtract 250 - 500 calories  (Equals your daily weight loss level) (How many calories that you would need to eat per day  to lose weight)

You shouldn't eat less than the figure in line 6.

I too am glad you posted this. I am really trying to get comfortable with the fact that you have to eat more to loss. Like so many more people on CC I am having a hard time retraining myself on this concept. All you hear out there is eat less and you will lose weight. It is nice to have a site to come to that is more concerned about your healthy then your looks:) Thank you and God Bless.

Yes, it really does work and I'm hoping to see more positive results.  I was on a 1200 or less cal diet and went down to 130 in Aug last year but as soon as I began to eat normally,  I gained back to 142.  Plus my LBM was very low.  I've been on a plateau for 3 months but think it has just broke this week and my body has adjusted to higher calorie with muscle mass gain as monitored by Tanita scale.

1/22/08 1/29     2/05     2/12     2/19     2/26 3/03      3/10

CW: 138.6 139.2     139.6     139.4     138.4     139.8 140.2   138.6

GW: 128.0

Cal: 1385             1475                                     1529 1629      1562

 

I'm currently aiming for 1580 cals average but it's a game getting to reach the body's agreement! There will be some initial gain due to muscle weighs more than fat as I've read.

good luck to y'all. 

 

I need to up my calories as well. I worked out 4 days last week, and stuck to my diet and lost nothing. I haven't been eating enough calories.. its hard to trick your mind into saying "its okay to eat more, even if you are trying to lose weight" because whenever i get close to what i should be eating, i feel like i am overeating.

I don't by all means starve myself or anything..i just find it harder to eat so many calories (i'm supposed to consume 1600-1800cals) in one day. I always think that i have ate more calories than i actually did..

Working out 4 days a week (4 days cardio, and 3 days weights) and not eating enough calories.. no wonder i'm not losing!  I'm gonna try my hardest this week to eat healthier, high-calorie foods!!