Increasing calories?

Elle1036

Hey ladies!

So, I tracked my diet more carefully than usual over the last week or so and realized that I've only been averaging about 1000 calories/day.

I know that's a little low, and I'm kinda hoping that explains why I feel like I've been doing everything right lately but haven't lost any weight in a couple months.  I'm bumping it up to about 1400 calories a day.

Anywho, I'm just wondering if anyone else has any experience with a calorie increase like this.  I'm assuming I can expect to gain a little at first while my metabolism is still in "hoard" mode, but how much?  And for how long?

I'm just trying to avoid any unpleasant surprises on the scale.

J&K10910

Yeah, you will likely gain a little at first.  You might not, but I would expect it for about the first week or two.  The good news is that after that, it should go away pretty quickly. 

You probably won't gain a ton, since it'll take 3500 extra calories to make a pound, so it shouldn't be more than a pound or two.  If it IS more than that, it's likely just water weight.

anna.oskar

I wouldn't be surprised if you gained a touch, but yeah, it should go away quickly.  Are you factoring in any exercise?

I wasn't eating enough and didn't gain weight at all when I upped my intake.  It was like a miracle after no loss.

Good Luck!

amyandjoe06

Adding some cardio exercise to your routine will help a lot with your metabolism.

dogsandfrogs

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_increasing-calories?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dedc5d97-6906-4d1f-b3af-a5d55bc33739Post:ef220635-51e8-4444-9217-890459310f78">Re: Increasing calories?</a>:
[QUOTE]Adding some cardio exercise to your routine will help a lot with your metabolism.
Posted by amyandjoe06[/QUOTE]

Cardio will help jump start your metabolism, but don't add too much too quickly.  As you pointed out OP, your body will most likely be in starvation mode, and it will take a while to realize it's not.  Upping your calorie usage with cardio before you body recognizes that it's going to consistently get more calories put into its system can cause the whole thing to balance out, or worse.

Spend something like 2 to 4 weeks with the increased calorie intake without changing your normal workout routine.  Once your body goes "oh hey, I don't need to horde this stuff anymore" you'll absolutely feel a difference, and at that point you can safely bump up your workout routine should you feel the need to do so.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_increasing-calories?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dedc5d97-6906-4d1f-b3af-a5d55bc33739Post:26573ea2-8f03-4009-8638-18b67e5c2eda">Re: Increasing calories?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Increasing calories? : Cardio will help jump start your metabolism, but don't add too much too quickly.  As you pointed out OP, your body will most likely be in starvation mode, and it will take a while to realize it's not.  Upping your calorie usage with cardio before you body recognizes that it's going to consistently get more calories put into its system can cause the whole thing to balance out, or worse. Spend something like 2 to 4 weeks with the increased calorie intake without changing your normal workout routine.  Once your body goes "oh hey, I don't need to horde this stuff anymore" you'll absolutely feel a difference, and at that point you can safely bump up your workout routine should you feel the need to do so.
Posted by dogsandfrogs[/QUOTE]

I already do [light] cardio 5 or 6 days a week.  I'm not planning on changing anything about my workouts.

dogsandfrogs

Then yeah, I wouldn't worry about increasing intensities or anything for a while until you see how the additional calories affect you.

dogsandfrogs

If its only this past week that it's stalled, I wouldn't worry about it too much.  If it stalls for more than two weeks and you've upped your workouts, you might need to add some calories.