OK...so here's the deal. I'm 5'6 and weigh about 167 right now. I work out about 6 days a week. 3 days of spinning and three days of weight training followed by 10-20 minutes of cardio. Ouch! I've been eating about 1300-1400 calories a day but have decided that with the amount of working out I'm doing I'm going to increase my calories to 1500-1600 calories a day. Here's where the freak out comes in....

OMG what if I stop losing because I'm eating too much?!?! I eat super clean and healthy with the exception of 150-200 calories a day which I save for something "bad-ish". I'm just scared. I have another 30 pounds to go and I'm afraid I won't get there. I've lost 40ish pounds since December but the increase of calories is doing a number on my brain.....YIKES!!

Am I crazy? has anyone else felt like this? Am I right to increase them the calories? What should I do?

I'm just wondering why you want to increase your calories, not that 1500-1600 is very high... but are you getting weak during your workout? dizzy? if not why bring the calories up? Just wondering...

IMHO I don't think you'd gain weight with 1500-1600 cals, but you may or may just slow down the process just a bit...

I've been getting super tired and was attributing that to the weight training. So I'm concerned that I'm not giving my body enough calories to repair.

SO you think that 1400-1500 is good enough even with all the training I do?

I agree that you should increase your calories with all the extra working out.

that's kinda the great part about extra excersize you can eat more because with the increased movement you can still obtain the same calorie deficit as before with little to no excersize and eating a fewer amount of calories.

What I would do Is add 100 cals each week. if right now you aim for 1300 try to make it to 1400 for sure. if you still have your usually loss. then add another 100 the next week. if you still have a typical loss try another 100... I would say give your body as much good food as it says you can have why not eat more if you get the same results?

Just make sure you don't increase your calories with empty cals. try and add in some good healthy protein or healthy fats to your food. and if you don't feel like you want to eat more because your just full off of the portions or the amount you eat now. then you can add things in such as olive oil to your cooking, peanut butter, full fat cheeses, or regular salad dressing, regular whole wheat bread instead of "light" bread, drink a glass of milk, etc because those are things that will add healthy calories with out adding bulk I find myself needing to do this at times.. because I simply Don't want to eat more because I'm full but I know I need to stay with in a healthy calories range that my body needs

I don't think there is anything wrong with giving it a go. Have you hit a plateau yet. I hit a couple on my way from 201 to 134. I just started food journaling both times, and immediately saw it was those extra calories I was eating and not burning.

No need to panic over it. Try more calories and see what happens! Make them good calories--an extra ounce of chicken or tuna or lowfat cottage cheese--more vegetables--a bit more healthy fat--a little more whole grain bread or rice. Like that.

Jay

If you stop losing weight for a month, it won't be the end of the world, just an experiment!

I have as much as 1400 - 2000, depending on how on-plan I am, if I'm at home or out, or if I'm excercising. I've still lost about 5 pounds in in 2-3 weeks, which I think is pretty good since I hardly feel restricted.

In some intense and long cardio sessions you might lose hundreds of calories - 400, say, in a 40 min workout. I know I 8didn't*lose weight while eating 1200 cals and working out 3x a week.

Yes, most definitely it is good, maybe even more, since you mention that you are getting tired... Make sure you eat within 30 mins after a workout to replenish and repair your muscles, I have the ratios at home for the % or carbs and protein before and after a workout, I'm at work right now, I'll post them later......also make sure you get plenty of sleep muscles repair when you sleep...

Another thing, it is totally normal to be tired after a weight training session especially if you are new at it when you first start out... Just make sure you rest and replenish your muscles

For your size and weight you should be eating approximately 1,721 calories for weight loss.

If you do gain any weight, it'd probably be muscle gain. At this point you might start focusing more on fat loss rather than weight loss. If you eat a bit more, your muscles have a better chance of becoming stronger and building (although at 1500-1600, you're still low in calories so this might not be the case). Eating 1200 calories and lifting weight is a bit self-defeating, as that low calorie intake means that your body will break down muscle for energy. In the long run, this is far better to eat a bit more and build muscle because more muscle = higher metabolism = more calories to maintain. I would agree with the other posters, to increase for a month and see what happens. If you gain a little but your clothing is looser, you've hit the jackpot -- fat loss/muscle gain.

I'm not sure where you got that number from, maybe some website calculator thing-y, which are HIGHLY inaccurate. I NEVER rely on those as they're only guesstimates. There is NOTHING like experimentation and trial and error..... We've all got to figure that number out for ourselves, so I personally never say one *should* do something as if it's a given or a fact. Because we just have no way of knowing that.

Forty pounds is PHENOMENAL!!! Congratulations. I would definitely keep in mind what Ilene says. I think she may be on the right track. You have nothing to be scared of. It sounds to me as if you are really on top of this and are continuing to tweak your program to ensure that it happens. Anything that you change up can be changed again and again and again if need be. Whatever you do, just track it accurately, look at the data and readjust from there. If you want to increase your calories - increase them for 2 - 3 weeks. If it doesn't work out move them back down. We are all experiments of one and therefore we all need to find out what works for each of us - and what doesn't.

Let us know how all this experimentation goes. I look forward to hearing of your continued progress.

You're right, everyone has to figure out what works for them and I can see your point. That number is only a starting point, an estimate. I was assuming anyone with any common sense would have known that, next time I will clarify myself. And "should" is the imperative word here. Meaning, she should be around that general vicinity of calories. I never said it was FACT, like you said everyone is different. Regardless, every time you exercise you need to increase your calories to reflect that. If you don't you will eventually plateau because your body is going into starvation mode.

I really don't mean to pick on you. But for me this is another blanket statement that doesn't apply to every one and again, I believe it is stated as such. And believe it or not there are people, though they have common sense, they just may take your statement as FACT, since I think it's worded that way, and I would HATE for that to happen.

No, I really didn't need to increase my calories when I increased my exercise. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I didn't increase my calories, though upping my activity/exercise level. Not one iota. I know I didn't increase them and I know tons of folks who didn't as well. Increasing ones exercise does not mean one has to increase their calories. What would be the purpose of that? We're looking to create MORE of a calorie deficit. Eating back that deficit would be counterproductive.. Why do you think one would go into starvation mode by increasing ones activity level? As you get smaller, you require less calories. I wasn't willing to eat any less to keep on creating that deficit, so increasing my exercise was my answer.

And lo and behold - I never plateaued, not once. My body never went into *starvation mode*, I mean why would it? I still had fat on me.

I agree that not everyone has to bump calories for exercise -that kind of defeats the purpose of calorie deficit by exercise, right?

If I up my calories when I increase my exercise I gain. Every time. Calculators and my HRM tell me I'm burning 500 calories per day in exercise most days and I'm eating at my maintenance level of 1830 for my weight & height if sedentary. I'm not losing any weight, and increasing the cals makes me gain, so I stick to the sedentary number and don't increase for exercise.

Thanks everyone for the support!! It's been so interesting being in this process of weightloss/lifestyle change. I think sometimes but brain and my body aren't in sync. In my head I'm still the fat chick even though I'm losing consistently. I think I'll try about 1500 a day and see what happens. I'll let you all know how it continues to go!!c