Confused ...

Alphastate

I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

To lose a lb you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories... not 2500.

And eating back exercise calories doesn't defeat the purpose. That's how this website is designed. You can lose weight eating strictly your daily goal... which is why when you exercise you get to eat more. Too high of a deficit can be harmful and increase muscle loss.

You are correct, I hit my 2 instead of my 3. I don't like your statement, "which is why when you exercise you get to eat more". Just because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense. Too high of a deficit would only result if you were told by this website to eat 1200 calories, like some people are told, then don't "eat your calories back". You are defeating the purpose because you shouldn't eat back burned calories, you should have a caloric goal and stick to it. If you want to "eat back" your calories, set a higher caloric goal and don't waste your time logging exercises into a nutrition site.

TeaBea

You are correct, I hit my 2 instead of my 3. I don't like your statement, "which is why when you exercise you get to eat more". Just because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense. Too high of a deficit would only result if you were told by this website to eat 1200 calories, like some people are told, then don't "eat your calories back". You are defeating the purpose because you shouldn't eat back burned calories, you should have a caloric goal and stick to it. If you want to "eat back" your calories, set a higher caloric goal and don't waste your time logging exercises into a nutrition site.

"Because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense." ..... I disagree, it makes a lot of sense. Active people can eat more than sedentary people ....... same principle. If I'm a lazy bum and sit on my a** all day long I'm going to get fat(ter).

MFP as DESIGNED starts everyone off with ZERO exercise (unlike TDEE method) .....You don't get "credit" in MFP for exercise until you log it.

Is this the perfect design for everyone? No, but some people who are not active, some people who do not normally exercise, NEED to see numbers. It's encouragement to be more active regularly ...... not just when they are on a diet.

What logging correctly points out (that Weight Watchers does not) ........ exercise takes away from 1200 calories. People who eat 1200 and exercise for 600 .... need to understand that they are only getting 600 calories for the day. Not enought to maintain existing muscle mass.

My FITNESS Pal is not just a nutrition site ..... people use it for other purposes.

marieautumn

If you're hungry, eat them back. If you're not then dont. Listen to your body.

TeaBea

If you're hungry, eat them back. If you're not then dont. Listen to your body.

Hunger is NOT a good indicator ..... If I ate a high fber lunch ..... I'm going to be full .... does fiber help me keep muscle mass? No it does not.

Many people on this site have "listened" to their bodies ....... yet here we are.

Alphastate

You are correct, I hit my 2 instead of my 3. I don't like your statement, "which is why when you exercise you get to eat more". Just because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense. Too high of a deficit would only result if you were told by this website to eat 1200 calories, like some people are told, then don't "eat your calories back". You are defeating the purpose because you shouldn't eat back burned calories, you should have a caloric goal and stick to it. If you want to "eat back" your calories, set a higher caloric goal and don't waste your time logging exercises into a nutrition site.

"Because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense." ..... I disagree, it makes a lot of sense. Active people can eat more than sedentary people ....... same principle. If I'm a lazy bum and sit on my a** all day long I'm going to get fat(ter).

MFP as DESIGNED starts everyone off with ZERO exercise (unlike TDEE method) .....You don't get "credit" in MFP for exercise until you log it.

Is this the perfect design for everyone? No, but some people who are not active, some people who do not normally exercise, NEED to see numbers. It's encouragement to be more active regularly ...... not just when they are on a diet.

What logging correctly points out (that Weight Watchers does not) ........ exercise takes away from 1200 calories. People who eat 1200 and exercise for 600 .... need to understand that they are only getting 600 calories for the day. Not enought to maintain existing muscle mass.

My FITNESS Pal is not just a nutrition site ..... people use it for other purposes.

My explanations may be a little to direct and not filled with a lot of explanation. Of course, if you are not doing anything and eating like a pig, you will get fat. My point was it sounds like an excuse that you can just exercise to justify your overeating.

DavPul

I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

you should probably learn the correct number of calories it takes to lose or gain a pound of body mass before you go spouting off incorrect advice.

DavPul

I'm hesitant about blindly following online BMR calculators. I'm 20, 5'10, currently VERY active (running 20 mi/wk, strenuous hikes 3x/wk, lifting 2/wk), and if I eat anywhere more than a net of 1500 calories, I gain weight like that (snaps). Every BMR calculator I've used has told me I should be eating upwards of 2300 calories/day to MAINTAIN weight. Okay. Right.

That's pretty much because you're doing everything possible to destroy your metabolism (eating too little, all cardio, no resistance training). If there was a Roadmap to a Stalled Metabolism those would be steps 1, 2, and 3

DavPul

If you're hungry, eat them back. If you're not then dont. Listen to your body.

listening to our bodies is how most of us ended up in the friendly environs of MFP. i'm going to listen to basic physiology science this time around.

sadkins143

I eat SOME of my exercise calories back.

MFP says I should eat 1630 cals, which is already a 500 calorie deficit of my BMR, but I try to stay closer to 1500. I weigh and measure ALL of my food, but I'm concerned that some of the calories on this site may not be very accurate so I try to keep a "just in case" cushion. I have recently stopped logging my exercise on MFP (because the numbers seemed WAY too high) and just use my Fitbit, but even then I'm not sure that those numbers are 100% accurate, so I only eat about 1/2 of those calories back....another "just in case" cushion.

I also make sure I am eating something every 3-4 hours, so I am eating about 5x a day. Even if it's just a piece of string cheese or a hard boiled egg....I eat something, but I typically plan my meals and snacks ahead of time and make sure I'm eating at least 300 calories each meal. Obviously, on the days I exercise I increase a couple of my meals slightly.

I started off only doing cardio, just to get myself in the habit of doing something, and have recently started to add some weight training.

I have steadily lost about 2 pounds a week for the last 9 weeks, so I am hoping that means I am doing something right because I still have a ways to go!

Good luck to you!

Hexahedra

Most BMR calculators out there use the less accurate Harris-Benedict formula, which tends to be high for overweight people because it doesn't factor in body fat percentage. Still, it's better than standard MFP that would advise most women to eat 1200 calories.

My advise: calculate TDEE as sedentary, then eat back your exercise calories. Do this for four weeks. If you don't see any weight loss, reduce it by 100 calories then wait another 4 weeks. If the scale shows a loss, then stay at that number until you stall, in which case you can take another 100 off. Remember to always eat your exercise calories back, or at least 80% of it because MFP's exercise calorie numbers tend to be high. Whatever you do, don't let your net daily calories go below your BMR for more than a couple of days a week, or you will risk drastically slowing down your metabolism due to your body entering starvation mode.

craigmandu

The reason you see some differing opinions on whether or not to eat back exercise calories is people have different reactions to eating on a low calorie diet. Some can handle it longer than others, and thus they will tell you they are doing fine eating 1200 cals and "not" eating back exercise calories. Usually that ends up with them stalling, once their metabolism slows to the point of trying to maintain normal functions on their actual "net" calories for the day.

If you eat 1200 and burn an additional 2800 calories a week, you are effectively at a 800 calorie a day "net" intake. That is considered very low, and is usually not sustainable for long periods of time.

So you have a couple of options...you could use a TDEE -20% method, where your TDEE has your normal exercise calories figured in...that can be difficult for people, especially if their activity is not consistent. If you have a consistent exercise routine, then it works very well. Or you could do the TDEE at sedentary and eat back your exercise calories (this requires that your exercise calories are relatively close to what they actually are).

When using this site, you should be eating back exercise calories, as your deficit is already built into your calorie goals, and NOT eating them back could land you in the 800 calorie "net" daily intake example I gave above. Also realize that the less you eat, the more your body will instinctively want to eat more..it may work in the beginning, but you will usually get tired, weak, and very hungry...not be able to sustain your workouts and end up binge eating.

Healthy weightloss is dependent on your body fat %, the higher it is, the higher the amount you can lose each week and it still be in a healthy weightloss range.

Focus on your "Net" calories for the day. The only other advice I can offer is if you use this site to track exercise, I have noticed it being a little "high" on certain exercises. I personally check with multiple online exercise calculators to get a picture in my head of what I should really expect an exercise to burn..and I adjust my "time" on exercise here to get the calorie level close to what I've found with a little research.

I wish you great success!

thisismeraw

I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

To lose a lb you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories... not 2500.

And eating back exercise calories doesn't defeat the purpose. That's how this website is designed. You can lose weight eating strictly your daily goal... which is why when you exercise you get to eat more. Too high of a deficit can be harmful and increase muscle loss.

You are correct, I hit my 2 instead of my 3. I don't like your statement, "which is why when you exercise you get to eat more". Just because I exercise, I can eat more? That doesn't make much sense. Too high of a deficit would only result if you were told by this website to eat 1200 calories, like some people are told, then don't "eat your calories back". You are defeating the purpose because you shouldn't eat back burned calories, you should have a caloric goal and stick to it. If you want to "eat back" your calories, set a higher caloric goal and don't waste your time logging exercises into a nutrition site.

If you are following the TDEE method of figuring out your daily calories than sure, don't eat your calories back. However, most people here (especially those who are newer) are following MFP recommendations which do NOT include exercise calories. When following the MFP calories you do eat your exercise calories back because your deficit to lose is already factored in.. and for a lot of people that deficit is already too high as they select a weight loss goal too large for how much they have to lose. You are in no way defeating the purpose when you eat back exercise calories if you are going based off of MFPs intake numbers. You do risk too high of a deficit when you go by MFPs numbers and don't eat your exercise calories back. Simple. Properly knowing how this website works is good knowledge to have. And this website does work... so does eating your exercise calories back... it has been proven with the hundreds of successful people here.

Alphastate

I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

you should probably learn the correct number of calories it takes to lose or gain a pound of body mass before you go spouting off incorrect advice.

You should probably read back to previous posts stating that I accidentally hit my 2 instead of my 3 before you go spouting off peanut gallery comments.

DavPul

great comeback