Because increasing calories always brings some concerns, I thought it might be helpful to have a synopsis of the process. We’re all different, and of course will respond in different ways, but at some point during the process we may feel like we are all alone in our reactions to increased cals.
We often hear the success story of the person that upped their cals and dramatically started losing weight again, and I find that this can often lead to calorie increasing being looked at just as any other “fad diet.‘ With claims sometimes sounding similar to those of magazines, “lose 10 lbs in 10 days” many want to jump on the calorie upping bandwagon and start shedding that weight again. And who could blame us, we’ve all obviously been there, losing and gaining the same pounds over and over again, and we just want it off and are “willing to try anything”
Or are we?
It’s very important to note that although many see success very shortly after upping their cals, that this is not the case for most. In fact it’s quite the opposite. I am a STRONG proponent of giving your body the proper fuel that it needs, but it’s extremely important for me to make this point clear:
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A QUICK FIX, YOU’VE COME TO THE WRONG PLACE.
Seriously, I’m not trying to be mean, just stating the facts. I know that many people are coming to this decision for different reasons, some are on those last few stubborn pounds, and others are just beginning their journey. Whether you have 5 or 100 lbs to lose, the process CAN work for you, but much patience and the correct frame of mind are required. Regardless of where you are or why you want to eat more, keep the main point the main point: It’s time to stop starving your body, and get/keep your metabolism on the right track. period. everything else that happens as a result (building muscle, losing fat, looking good, finally being able to wear shorts/bikini, etc) are just extra. Yes, we’re all a bit vain, in that we want to look good, and there is nothing wrong with that, but there are a zillion different “quick fixes” and starvation/over-exertion plans out there if that’s the route that you want to go (again, and again as you continue to re-gain the same weight), but I can assure you, this ain’t one of ’em.
So enough of that part of my ramble, and on to what to expect:
Upon starting this process, some dive in w/little to no knowledge, and some take it slow. What I’ve found over time, is that those who take the time to properly educate themselves and prepare for the mental aspect, have much greater success. Often those that dive in, thinking that they’ll up their cals and fit into that bikini by next Friday have a rude awakening. We see the success stories of those that up their cals, but we don’t see the mental transition that had to take place before/during the process.
Typically, a person is coming into this process after already having had “success” on lower cal diets, therefore this “success” (and I use quotes because they have typically re-gained the weight) will always be at the forefront of their mind as a “just in case this doesn’t work” option. So the first place of mental acceptance that a person has to arrive at is: IF YOU GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK, OR HAVE COMPLETELY STALLED, IT WASN’T A “SUCCESS.” A person who does not feel this way, will run at the first sign of trouble. You have to become completely convinced that super low cals, excessive cal burns through exercise, and eating under your BMR are no longer an option. Lowering cals, begets lowering them more during plateaus, and becomes a slippery slope, especially if you are already a too low of a cal level. You’ll eventually drop into that gray area, and your body either starts holding on to every morsel of fat, or completely stalls out. Think of it this way: WHEN YOUR CAR “RUNS OUT OF GAS,” IS IT “TECHNICALLY” COMPLETELY EMPTY? More than likely there is still some smidgen of gas in there, right?. But just not enough to make the large body of metal “go.” This is what happens to your body when you make it try to operate on bare minimums.
Now, let’s say that you “get” all that, and are ready to get this party started and start losing weight again, all while stuffing your face. I mean, we can eat like it’s Thanksgiving everyday and watch the lbs melt off? It’s a win, win, eh? Um….no. The next thing that a person will have to realize it that, the longer you have been in the super deficit/overexertion phase, the more patience you’ll need to have during your “re-feed” phase. Yes, ultimately you want those lbs to melt off, but some people need to take a couple of steps back first, and will actually GAIN some “scale” weight up front (the “scale weight” can be different for each person, sometimes it’s just bloat/water weight, sometimes a person has lost the weight unhealthily, and the body must first recoup before it can function properly).
The analogy that I like to use here can be understood by anyone who has a newer phone (be it Blackberry or iPhone), or other rechargeable device. When your battery runs out on your phone, it doesn’t matter what you do to it, there’s only one way to make it work again (other than putting in an entirely new, newly charged battery). You have to plug it in. Most phones or devices nowadays, will not start working the second that you plug them in. They often need a few minutes of “re-feed” charging before they will even *turn on*. Then once they’re turned on, you can’t just unplug them and walk away, you have to wait. Different devices take different amounts of time to charge, and different charging sources also come into play. If I plug my iPhone into the wall charger (when completely dead), it takes about 1-5 minutes before it can turn on, and then another 30-1hr before it’s completely charged. However, when I plug it into the USB on my PC, or car charger, it takes all.day.long. But, regardless of where I charge it, and how long the process takes, the end result is that it’s now charged, and I can unplug it, walk away and expect it to perform whatever command I give it. I can continue to expect this, as long as I continue to charge it properly from here on out (not letting it go completely dead again), for the life of the phone.
Such is the case for your body. Your individual needs may vary. Your recharge may be different from the next person, you may have to gain a couple of pounds (not turn on yet) until your body has had it’s set “internal” time of charging. Then you may have to sit at a standstill/maintenance (still plugged in) until your body is fully charged. Once you reach this point, you will be able to move forward (finally unplug), give your body commands and expect full compliance, as long as you treat it right, agreeing not to starve it again. Quality/sources of food (wall charger vs. USB) will also affect the variations in length to the process for different people.
If you’ve been a “low carber” for a while, then expect some water retention as you add healthy carbs back into your life. It’s ok. Your body needs carbs and has to learn to adapt to them again. In this scenario, probably 98% of the gain that you “see” will be water.
If you’ve been a low cal “binge-er” (eating low cals for an extended period of time, then having a “binge” ever so often in moments of “weakness”), then expect your body to react negatively at first. It will assume that this is just another one of your “binges” and that “starvation” is just around the corner, thus the desire to hold on to everything that comes through. Once it senses that it will receive regular feedings, it will react accordingly by actually letting go..
Remember, your body does not give a darn about your “weight loss” goals. It has one goal- survival. It’s up to you to convince it that you’re on the same team, and it will stop fighting you.
Some people see results in a week or two, some need 4-6 weeks or more for things to completely balance out. Know this going in, and prepare to be in it for the long haul. The first 2 weeks are usually the mental aspect of eating more and convincing your mind/body that you are on the right track despite scale fluctuations. Following weeks, may become easier as far as the eating aspect goes, but be prepared for discouragement if the scale is still not moving. This is normal, and not the time to run for the hills. Often times a person needs to eat in a hypercaloric (surplus) or eucaloric (maintenance) state for some time before their body believes that they are not “crying wolf.”
Give your mind/body enough time to be fully convinced. Remember that your life will (hopefully) last for several more years, giving yourself deadlines like “this summer” or “tank top season” does not register w/your body. If you plan on “eating more” for the rest of your life, then this will only be a very short time in the grand scheme of things.
You will hear me say, over and over to people that are on the “Eat More” or “metabolism repair” path:
Take your time, pace yourself, enjoy the journey, and don’t quit just short of the finish-line.
Trust the process. You can/will reach your goals.
This is your life, not The Biggest Loser. There is no cash prize for starving yourself, while working out 6 hours/day.
Q: I’ve been spending a lot of time reading and thinking through my strategy…starting to really think about doing a metabolism reset or bulk, and cutting the cardio back. Then I start to question myself…like maybe I’m too heavy to start this process and am not at my weight loss goal. But, I really want to get the max benefit from my weight training. I’m OK with gaining a few lbs if the long-term result is good, but a little freaked out. I still am a ways from my weight loss goal. 20 to 30 lbs for sure. What do you think?
A: You’re honestly fine either way. I’ve actually had a couple people ask, so I’m gonna post what I said to the last person in the blog, because I think a lot of people are at a similar fork in the road. Of course each person has reached the road using slightly different methods, so the answer is kinda based on that…
If someone has been pretty sensible about it from the start, I usually tell them it’s OK to get down to their weight loss goal weight before starting bulk/cut cycles. But if not, I’ll usually recommend a metabolism reset, or at least maintenance eating for a while, while things straighten themselves out, before going back to the deficit.
If you know that you’ve participated in a little abuse to your body somewhere in there, then you may wanna give yourself a “time out.” Eat at maintenance or more for a while, and get all other things (cardio craziness, 1200 cals, anyone?) outta your system and under control before going back to a more sensible deficit/cut cycle. The time out can be uses as a “mini” bulk period, to give your body a purpose for the extra cals.
Ultimately the choice is yours, depending on what you’re mentally ready for. You really have to be mentally steady for doing a bulk or a reset. The benefits are numerous, but if you’re not ready, you’ll head for the hills before sticking around long enough to find out what they are.
Q: Seems like more and more people are “bulking,” I guess I’m wondering if I’m missing out on some hidden benefit of it. I get that it helps to put on muscle (muscle building), but I don’t think I would ever see the need for it in my life. What is the point of bulking? It almost seems like another yo-yo dieting trap. I mean, I guess I understand for a person that’s skinny, or at goal weight, but I’m a lot farther away from my goal than I’d like to be, and can’t imagine purposely putting on extra weight. What type of person (other than a bodybuilder, lol) should consider bulking or muscle building?
A: Bulking (eating above maintenance, while lifting heavy weights) can be beneficial to a variety of people, not just the skinny ones, lol. When I first began my “bulk/cut” cycles, I wasn’t at goal weight either (although I’d be the first to admit, that it may have been a lot easier if I was). But, learning the the benefits of it, and reaching a certain point in my weight loss, I decided to go ahead and go for it, for several reasons:
The most obvious benefit is to add muscle mass, since muscle building cannot take place in a caloric deficit.
Eating in a caloric deficit for a long period of time, or doing excessive cardio can begin to eat away at precious muscle mass – doing an occasional bulk, can help to rebuild any lost muscle.
Long term deficit eating can also lower BMR, eating more will help to raise it, as will adding more muscle. Most people come out of a bulk being able to lose weight at a higher cal level than they previously did, as their maintenance level has increased. (The longer the bulk, the more our body adjusts to higher cal levels = higher BMR…The longer the deficit, the more our bodies adjust to lower cal levels = lower BMR)
Bulking, or even just eating at maintenance, allows the mind and body to recover from the stresses of deficit eating, and gives a mental break to the person who has been dieting for a while.
Bulking can help whether you’re planning on competing in a fitness competition, want to look muscular/”ripped” when you get to your goal weight, have reached a plateau, or just want to increase your metabolism. Many people get burned out or reach plateaus after eating in a deficit for a long time. They reach a point where nothing is working, they can no longer safely reduce cals, or maybe they are just tired of surviving on so little cals. This is when a metabolism reset is usually done: where a person has to increase their cals, and stay there for a while, until the body readjusts to the higher cal level (thus, creating a new maintenance). Then they can start to lose at a higher cal level. Using this time to also bulk (add muscle while eating in the surplus) can make it a bit more purposeful for the person, rather than just eating more with no other goals (which can be a tough mental battle for a person who is trying to lose weight). It gives a new goal, to take the person’s mind off of “I’m trying to gain weight on purpose, am I insane?!” and gives those extra calories a job to do: build muscle. The building of muscle will also increase the ones metabolism, as the muscle continues to burn cals long after the reset has ended. Thus making the metabolism reset process dual purpose, and a little easier to stick to.
So a person that is not at goal weight can do smaller “mini” bulks along the way to help keep metabolism raised, and to add a little more muscle insurance to what will be seen as the fat is melted away (most women notoriously under-estimate the amount of muscle they carry). Bulking can also be used for the person that is reaching/at goal weight, but not getting the “cut” that they thought they’d have at goal. Since we can’t cut what isn’t there, this usually means that there is not enough muscle there to “tone.” Bulk/cut cycles allows the opportunity to build the muscle, then go back to “cutting,” repeating until the desired result is reached. For all parties involved, bulking can give that added benefit of a higher metabolism and maintenance level cals.
Q: So…it is like yo-yoing? I just can’t imagine purposely putting weight back on, when I’ve worked this hard to get it off! I just can’t wrap my head around this. It sounds crazy..
A: I would not recommend bulking to anyone that is not ready for it mentally, the same way I would not recommend it to an obese person (unless, they’ve been under-eating for a while & have gone into starvation mode, in which case a serious metabolism reset is needed). I always tell people that when it’s time to bulk, you’ll just “know.” It’s hard to describe it any other way. Just know what the benefits are, and give yourself enough time to grasp it mentally before diving in. The results are definitely well worth it, but you have to know why you’re doing it and what you’re in for. Bulk/cut is not like yo-yoing, because the “gain” part of yo-yoing is usually unplanned and out of control. The bulking process is planned, you give yourself boundaries, and because you’re adding muscle to your frame, the weight comes on in completely different proportions. Your body comes out looking better after every cut cycle, and you’re not killing yourself to get results that will just go by the wayside as soon as you eat “normal” again, due to the increased metabolism. A bulk is not about packing on the pounds, it is about packing on the muscle. Every move is planned, as precise as you allow it to be, and, when done with incredible precision, fat gain is minimal. Yo-yoing, usually leaves you in worse shape after each “round.” Bulk/cut is quite the opposite.
Q: I feel perfectly fine eating at 1250 cals. The weight is coming off, I’m happy w/my progress, and I don’t feel “starved” at all. I hear you and others saying a lot about the body going into “starvation mode” or their metabolism being “damaged” by eating less, so they get stuck there. I guess I understand all that, but I’m just wondering if that even applies to me, since I’m perfectly happy w/the way things are. Even if I get “stuck” at this cal level, I mean, I’m already used to it anyway. What’s the big deal? And where does the whole “starvation mode” concept come from? Is there really backing to that, or just one of those things that got tossed around enough until it became fact? I just don’t get into following trends, and “eat less/workout more” has been around forever, and is tried and true…..
A: Instead of tossing all of usual shenanigans at you on how if you hit a plateau, you’ll have to lower cals even further, blah blah, I’ll leave that ramble for another time (since you’ve heard it all before anyway, I typically don’t say anything “new” lol). What I am gonna do is address your most pressing part of that question (which is an EXCELLENT question, btw) by telling you a story. Then, as the disclaimer usually goes, the rest is up to you to do what you feel is best for your body….
Based on a true story… It was called the Minnesota Experiment. In the 1940s, during WWII, there was widespread famine in Europe. During that time, there were men who did not enter the draft for whatever religious or other reasons, who volunteered to participate in a study to do their part to help. The study’s
recruitment ad read something like “Will you starve, so that they don’t have to?” The study was to help us to understand what happened to humans under the circumstances of being food deprived, yet having to continue on w/everyday activities. The results were published in a two-volume study titled the The Biology of Human Starvation (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1950). There has never been, and never will be a study done like it again, and you will see why…
During this study, 40 able bodied, well-educated, socialized, and healthy men were put on a caloric restrictive diet that would resemble that of the countries being hit hard by the war. This diet was set up to have them lose 25% of their body weight, approximately 2.5 lbs per week. Daily exercise consisted of walking 3 miles/day. They all ate only twice a day. The diet would take approximately 3 months to complete, and would then be followed by a 3 month rehabilitation, where they took their calories back up to maintenance, following specific nutritional guidelines (as far as their vitamin/mineral contents, etc). Results were closely monitored & chronicled during the 6 months of the experiment, and up to a year after resuming to their normal lives/eating habits.
Some of the results found during their weight loss period:
their physical endurance dropped by half
their strength was reduced by about 10%, and their reflexes became sluggish — with the men initially the most fit showing the greatest deterioration
BMR declined by 40%
heart volume shrank about 20%
their pulses slowed and body temperatures dropped
complaints of feeling cold, tired and hungry; having trouble concentrating; of impaired judgment and comprehension; dizzy spells; visual disturbances; ringing in their ears; tingling and numbing of their extremities; stomach aches, body aches and headaches; trouble sleeping; hair thinning; and their skin growing dry and thin.
sexual function and testes size were reduced and they lost all interest in sex (we’re talking about men, here…that’s a pretty big deal).
They had every physical indication of accelerated aging.
became nervous, anxious, apathetic, withdrawn, impatient, self-critical with distorted body images and even feeling overweight, moody, emotional and depressed
social and family relationships suffered
They became obsessed with food, thinking, talking and reading about it constantly; developed weird eating rituals; began hoarding things; consumed vast amounts of coffee and tea; and chewed gum incessantly (as many as 40 packages a day). Binge eating episodes also became a problem as some of the men were unable to continue to restrict their eating in their hunger.
(Whew, I almost feel like somebody followed me around documenting my dieting days when I read those last few….)
Upon returning to their normal eating habits, the men seemed to have out of control eating, feeling like they could never get enough. It took many of them five months or more before things finally begin to level out (metabolism/energy levels) and they
started to regain normalcy to their eating (though some continued to have an eating disorder frame of mind when it came to the food, for even longer). Strength levels took more than three months to return to normal. The studies found that the men needed to over eat in order for this rehabilitation to take place, because the body had been in such short supply of nutrients needed, it essentially needed an “over-dose” for months, in order to get it back to normal. In lieu of the over eating then men had to gain 10% more than their original weight back, but the weight came back in different proportions. The regained weight was mostly fat, and their lean body mass recovered at an extremely slower pace. With unlimited food and unrestricted eating, their weights plateaued and finally, about 9 months later, most had naturally returned to their initial weights without trying.
Dr Keys (who performed the study) concluded this regarding why the “over-eating” was a necessary evil in BMR rehabilitation:
“Our experiments have shown that in an adult man, no appreciable rehabilitation can take place on a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The proper level is more like 4,000 kcal daily for some months. The character of the rehabilitation diet is important also, but unless calories are abundant, then extra proteins, vitamins and minerals are of little value.” (<<<emphasis, mine)
So essentially, these men had to eat double the amount of food to make up for the newly deemed “starvation mode” that they’d just subjected their bodies to. And note that they needed FOOD, supplementation alone, without the extra calories, was not enough to rebuild their BMR. Of course the study goes much deeper than that, (as I said it was a two-volume study) but I’m just pulling on the gist of it to give background on where the “starvation mode” theory came from. So…..what does this have to do with us now? We live in America, after all, one of the richest, well fed countries in the world. There is no way that we would “starve” ourselves to that extent, even on the lowest calorie diets, right? Just how little were these guys eating?
1570 calories/day*
That’s a pretty generous allowance, by today’s standards, eh?
*they were only allowed 30g of fat intake, daily, which again shows the importance of keeping essential fats in your eating regimen, even when “dieting”
For more information on this super-intriguing study (at least to me) feel free to just google “The Minnesota Experiment” or “Minnesota Experiment Sam Legg” (google images if you’re interested in a pic of one of the men) or read The Biology of Human Starvation (if you’re really a research geek, like me)
ETA: Many people have commented about the fact that these were “healthy and fit men,” and that “people were a lot more active ‘in those days.’ ” However, we need to remember that this phrase speaks also of their mental health (as it was also under observation), and they were healthy and fit for men at that point in time. The Industrial Revolution had already come and gone, and people in general, were already a lot less active than previous generations. Let’s not assume that they were out on farms somewhere working up a sweat. The study stated that their exercise plan was a 3 mile walk/daily. Nothing strenuous. It is also worth noting that (in our time) a person that is up to 30 lbs heavier than they would like to be can be declared “healthy and fit” by their doctor. Go to any “healthy body weight calculator” and see the wide range of weight that is considered in the “healthy” range for that persons height. This does not mean that the person will not want to lose weight, even though they are “healthy”.
ETA (2): It is also worth noting that although these men all lost weight originally, they ALL plateaued by the 20th week w/no further weight loss for the duration of the study. As I stated, please do yourself a favor and research it for more in depth info, this was just a truncated version for this particular question of “where did the concept come from?’ The research is out there, but diet plans are the mainstream, so you have to search for anything outside of the box.
Q: But, I feel like I’m doing everything right, and still not getting results – I am at a weight loss plateau. What if I’m already at my “true” maintenance?
A: Ok, so your training is spot on. You’re lifting heavy, and close to failure, & not going crazy on the cardio. Let me first say that, it’s good that you’re not going crazy on the cardio, which becomes a HUGE plus, as you’ll see the closer you get to your goal. You’ll be happy that you still have the cardio “trump card” to pull on those stickler last few pounds (which is when I would recommend pulling that card – keeping that phase short and sweet), most women tend to do the opposite. They go for the cardio factor (because they like to see the higher burn #s), and eat next to nothing, then when they hit a weight loss plateau all you can do is eat EVEN less and do EVEN more cardio, thus weight loss takes over your life, and you’re always on a diet. Sad, but true – I’ve been there & it ain’t pretty…..
Even if your current eats look awesome, and my original thoughts were, “Hey, if this were ME, I’d be losing”…therein lies the problem, it’s not me. So if we find out your true maintenance (TDEE), we can then skew the macros in your favor and start melting some fat. *If* by some freak of nature we find that you’re already eating pretty close to your maintenance, then it could mean that your body has decided that 30 is the new 40…or, rather 1600 is the new 2000, know what I mean? If this has happened, then it’s up to you what road to take. You can take the 2 steps forward 2 steps back approach (drop the cals further so that you will start to see results, then plateau again), or start over, and reset your metabolism (which will take longer, but will allow you to eat more in the end). Another option would be to continue doing what you’re doing (if you’re at you’re actual “maintenance”) and go through a gradual body recomposition (which could also be what’s happening now). This will obviously take the longest amount of time, but no further changes will need to be made.
Was there ever a point in time where you were losing? if so what were you doing? When you first started MFP, do you remember the cals it set for you? (BTW, a minor increase/decrease in weight, could have very well been because of how heavy you’re lifting- my scale weight fluctuates constantly because of how I lift. You may want to get in the habit – if you’re not already- of weighing yourself on a rest week, or after you’ve had a couple days off of training to make sure your body has had time to release any water retention)…
Q: There was a time where i was actually losing weight….It was a 1200 cal diet and cardio for 45-55 min every day of those 5 days. I think i lost like 3 lbs that week? then i went back up to what MFP suggested my cals to be, and the weight creeped up 2 more lbs from where i started.
A: Wow 1200 cals! Thank God you kicked that diet to the curb! Can you imagine if your metabolism got stuck there, and that’s the most you could eat?! Whew. Smart thinking. I don’t know why every darn diet out there for women, tries to throw the whole 1200-1400 cal plan at us and act like it’s new and innovative. Of course if you eat like that, you’ll lose..but for how long?
Q: I’ve heard that some of those calorie calculators are not correct. I don’t want to eat too much. Is there any 100% method of finding out what my TDEE is? I’ve heard of the RMR testing is that the only way? Didn’t you say that you found maintenance without using a calorie calculator? How would I do that?
A: Yes, you are correct, I did not use a calorie calculator to find my maintenance, as the calcs weren’t as readily available then as they are today. The calculators have simplified things because they let you know ’round about what you should be eating. Using a BodyMedia FITor Fitbit, etc are also known methods for finding a more accurate number. I do feel that the way that I’ve always done it is quite accurate for me, because I am patient and take my time to figure it out, and I’m no longer afraid to eat too much (rather, quite the opposite). I actually use my “old school” method, still today, at least once a year, because it actually raises my metabolism, and I typically end up able to eat more than most calculators allow.
So I usually only recommend this method to people that I work with privately, as I can monitor them more closely, and push them to keep going when they feel they have “hit” maintenance sooner than I feel that they have. This method is also MUCH slower than the “calculate and jump in” method, and most people are in a hurry to get things moving. It also takes much more mental focus to keep going after each increase. This is because it will depend on how sensitive your body is and how it reacts to the initial calorie increase. Finding TDEE without a calorie calculator basically involves slowly upping your calories until you hit a “plateau,” riding it out, then upping again..and again…and again, until you start seeing “true” gains. This is a very lengthy process, and I use my bulking period as my time to do this, as I have more time to dedicate to it then.
We typically recommend jumping right in, if you can take it, mentally. However, I just recently did this again this fall, and took it reaalllyyy slow, lol. I like to use each month in my bulk as my measuring tool for cals, so what I did this time was (because I went into a deficit for a couple months in the summer time to “cut” a bit more, and had to come back up to maintenance for the holidays, lol – def didn’t wanna miss out on that good eating!) So I basically ate in a slight deficit over the summer, and then when I started STS in the fall, I used each Meso as a new cal level. So I was basically pyramiding my cals along with STS, in order to get maximum benefit from each month’s phase. Here’s part of a message, that I wrote to someone during that time (I was upping main calorie intake, yet also “eating back” exercise cals):
“Right now I’m at my highest cals (2020 before exercise, today was 2400!), Meso 2 I was about 200 lower, and Meso 1 was at the end of my cut, so I was around 1700 (before exercise). I would slowly up the cals each week until I was at the new cal level. Not saying that you have to take that long, lol, but just to give you an idea of just how slow you could go…
I would think that it could take up to a month or more, though to really know how your body is responding to the added cals. Some people might get scared off immediately because of a jump in the scale that has nothing to do with the cals. Sometimes you gotta just see it through, in order to know. Case in point: I started upping my cals toward the end of Sep/beginning of Oct. When I look at my weight progress chart, I see that my weight remained pretty steady until Nov. Between 11/12 and 12/2, I was up 2 lbs (I remember distinctly thinking I must have finally hit my max, because that extra 2 lbs was holding strong…until 12/12 when things magically evened out again and I was down 2 lbs again, but eating almost 400 cals more than before. I’m pretty sure I’ve hit my max now, (up 2 lbs again, lol), but I’ll give it a couple more weeks (when I’m on a rest week, so that there’s no extra water from the heavy lifting) before I make my final decision. If I’m still up, then I may cut back down very slightly, and consider it my new maintenance. If I’m gaining, I’ll cut back to the last number I maintained at.”
I hope I answered your question without really answering it, lol. It’s really up to the individual, and how much time you are willing to put into it. Many people have comfort and assurance when the numbers are already figured out for them and they just have to do the eating. Some people are more adventurous and want to test the waters, and others like me just wanna beat the system. Find the method that works for you, but be real with yourself. If you are thinking of not using a calorie calculator because you are wanting an excuse to eat LESS, then stick with the calculators/fitness devices until you are mentally prepared to eat more, or you may undercut yourself. My goal is always to lose weight while eat as MUCH as possible, which is why I choose to use such an experimental method. If you are already fully convinced in the “eat more” path, then this route may be perfect for you, as you seek out your exact numbers, or to push the limits a bit. If you do choose this method, you may just decide to do it in a shorter amount of time if you feel that your body will handle the increase, ok. Many people prefer to just get it over with, and get on track, sooner. Or you may want to take your time. It all depends on what you’re most comfortable with. Because I was already at goal weight, it may have influenced my decision to take my time this go round…That may not be the case for you….
Upon starting this process, some dive in w/little to no knowledge, and some take it slow. What I’ve found over time, is that those who take the time to properly educate themselves and prepare for the mental aspect, have much greater success. Often those that dive in, thinking that they’ll up their cals and fit into that bikini by next Friday have a rude awakening. We see the success stories of those that up their cals, but we don’t see the mental transition that had to take place before/during the process.
Now, let’s say that you “get” all that, and are ready to get this party started and start losing weight again, all while stuffing your face. I mean, we can eat like it’s Thanksgiving everyday and watch the lbs melt off? It’s a win, win, eh? Um….no. The next thing that a person will have to realize it that, the longer you have been in the super deficit/overexertion phase, the more patience you’ll need to have during your “re-feed” phase. Yes, ultimately you want those lbs to melt off, but some people need to take a couple of steps back first, and will actually GAIN some “scale” weight up front (the “scale weight” can be different for each person, sometimes it’s just bloat/water weight, sometimes a person has lost the weight unhealthily, and the body must first recoup before it can function properly).
But, regardless of where I charge it, and how long the process takes, the end result is that it’s now charged, and I can unplug it, walk away and expect it to perform whatever command I give it. I can continue to expect this, as long as I continue to charge it properly from here on out (not letting it go completely dead again), for the life of the phone.
(Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1950). There has never been, and never will be a study done like it again, and you will see why…
, in order to get maximum benefit from each month’s phase. Here’s part of a message, that I wrote to someone during that time (I was upping main calorie intake, yet also “eating back” exercise cals):
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