Leftover calories - to eat or not to eat

ali2407

I have had differing advice from people re: the amount of calories i should be eating and i would like some more opinions from people here. My issue is around net calories over calories eaten.

My calories are currently set at 1380 - i exercise 6 days a week but have an office job.

For example:-

Yesterday, I ate 1613 calories. I also did 1282 of exercise (an aerobics class, some running, some biking and then my additional steps from the day from my fitbit - i know it might sound a lot but I'm happy this is accurate).

I therefore have 1049 calories remaining.

Some people say i should eat these calories as my net (overall calories taking exercise into account) should be 1380 - but that's a lot of extra calories to eat and i have had 3 meals plus some snacks and am not hungry. It would be eating for eatings sake.

Others say that this is weight loss, so don't eat them.

Any thoughts welcome please !

DaniellaB1995

I think it's always best to find what fits YOU best - some people eat them all back, some eat half of them and some don't eat any.

I'd say if you're not hungry then don't eat them, but make sure you really feel you've eaten enough that day.

LAWoman72

My thoughts are: you aren't going to know until you experiment.

Try eating up all your calories for a few days and see what your weight does.

The thing is, everyone seems to be different on this. I am losing very quickly and shouldn't be, just going by CICO and activity level. (Though I suspect I have a lot more than you to lose; that could figure in.) So you really aren't going to know until you play around a little with your eating and your numbers.

Do you feel you "should" be eating the calories? If so and you're not hungry, I wouldn't eat. I just don't believe in forcing oneself to eat (this doesn't include individuals with eating disorders, obviously).

Maybe start by eating back half your exercise calories and see what happens. What people tell you to do, and what your body decides to do, can be two very different things.

flabassmcgee

Age, weight, height, body fat %? What do you do for a living? What are your workouts like, and how often?

Sued0nim

If you don't fuel your body you will canabalise more lean muscle than you need to and result in needing fewer calories to maintain in the long term ..that's not good. You may also crash and burn

And I know you said you're happy that your calories are correct but that seems a lot so start with eating back 75% and judge by your weight

Personally I believe that the one who eats the most whilst still losing weight wins...but then I like my ice creams and chocolates and wine

ali2407

furioushummingbird wrote: »

Age, weight, height, body fat %? What do you do for a living? What are your workouts like, and how often?

34
174cm
30% body fat
I do 1 or 2 classes per day - mainly high impact aerobics with running and weights as well. I only have Sundays off.
I have an office based IT job, but i walk to and from it and go out for a walk at lunchtime.

Sued0nim

That's an awful lot of exercise...some people say they get better results by cutting down to 3 sessions a week ..but whatever works for you just throwing it out there

Are you lifting heavy or just using light resistance during aerobics? It's different.

Your profile pic looks incredibly slim for someone with 30% bodyfat..how are you measuring it? What do you currently weigh / goal weight?

1380 calories at 5'9 and highly active is IMHO dangerously low

ali2407

rabbitjb wrote: »

Personally I believe that the one who eats the most whilst still losing weight wins...but then I like my ice creams and chocolates and wine

i like this !! :-)

ali2407

rabbitjb wrote: »

That's an awful lot of exercise...some people say they get better results by cutting down to 3 sessions a week ..but whatever works for you just throwing it out there

Your profile pic looks incredibly slim for someone with 30% bodyfat..how are you measuring it? What do you currently weigh / goal weight?

I have a set of WeightWatchers scales - they have a body fat measurement and the results are pretty consistent. I was probably 4 or 5 lb's heavier in my profile picture than i am today.

I started at 14st3lb (200lb / 90.8kg) and i am now 11st10lb (164lb / 74.4kg). I was 11st6lb (160lb / 72.6kg) on the 24th December but i allowed myself Xmas day and Boxing day to eat what i wanted !!

My original goal weight was 11st (154lb / 70kg) but i might try and knock another 7 lbs off that !

I do hide my weight well, being tall etc and having danced most of my teenage years !

ali2407

oh, and not lifting heavy. Doing 1 class of body pump a week, and then maybe some 3kg hand weights during the rest of the week.

Sued0nim

Those scales are notoriously inaccurate

On this thread there are 3 different tests by measurement and the advice is to take the average of the 3 ...worth a double check

community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/974889/in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

Sued0nim

I would strongly recommend dropping some of your cardio and moving to a heavy lifting programme at least 3 x a week to preserve your LBM

Strong Curves, New Rules of Lifting for Women are both good books

And add high density calorie foods to your meals to get your intake up ...avocado, olive oils, nut butters, cheese, ice cream, chocolate

jodster1504

I would say never force yourself to eat back the calories if you're not hungry. If you're hungry and have leftover calories, then by all means eat!! Or you can use them as a bonus to eat a treat

Sued0nim

jodster1504 wrote: »

I would say never force yourself to eat back the calories if you're not hungry. If you're hungry and have leftover calories, then by all means eat!! Or you can use them as a bonus to eat a treat

That only makes sense if she's netting the minimum ...she's currently on a very low calorie diet ..netting about 200 by her numbers ...and that is simply not healthy

sijomial

You earned them so eat them!
Fuel your exercise, lose weight at a sensible rate and IMO you will be much happier with your results and body composition when you get to maintenance. You should also have a much easier time switching to maintenance calories.

Try to plan your food on your active days so you aren't left with a massive shortfall at the end of the day. You can also look at your calorie allowance on a weekly basis with high days and low days which make it much easier to fit in social events and special meals without feeling restricted.

jodster1504

rabbitjb wrote: »

That only makes sense if she's netting the minimum ...she's currently on a very low calorie diet ..netting about 200 by her numbers ...and that is simply not healthy

Yes you're right! I was kind of going on the assumption that on a day where she nets that low she would be hungry (haha I would be) but that may not be the case.

sheepotato

I try to never eat if I don't feel hungry, so don't feel like you need to eat more if you are satisfied. I would instead use my exercise calories as padding for larger meals on the weekends. I viewed goals as weekly instead of daily, so it made it easy to go out on weekends and still be at a deficit for the week.

ali2407

jodster1504 wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

That only makes sense if she's netting the minimum ...she's currently on a very low calorie diet ..netting about 200 by her numbers ...and that is simply not healthy

Yes you're right! I was kind of going on the assumption that on a day where she nets that low she would be hungry (haha I would be) but that may not be the case.

this is the thing - i'm not hungry - i feel full, plus i have had some chocolate and biscuits too ! I don't know if you are able to see my food diary at all but i record everything and i certainly don't starve myself. I just do a lot of exercise - maybe too much !! But i have a bit of an obsessive personality - its either all or nothing.

sheldonklein

Are you losing weight consistent with your assumed exercise numbers? You would be losing about 3-4 pounds/week if you are burning 1000+calorie/day and eating 1600ish calories.

ali2407

i have been losing 2lbs a week consistently since August - up until a couple of weeks ago - and then it all came to a bit of a grinding halt - but i was kinda expecting that as i am now getting closer to my goal weight. The 1600 mark is an example - i can eat as much as 2000 per day at the weekend but i do average around 1600 calories and 1000 exercise.

I am also noticing much more muscle in my arms and legs.

TimothyFish

If you aren't hungry and you are still able to maintain a high intensity in your workout, there's really nothing unsafe about not eating the extra calories. Your body will tell you if there is a problem. Warning signs are things like feeling extra tired, not being able to exercise as long, muscle cramps, headaches, etc.

Sued0nim

ali2407 wrote: »

i have been losing 2lbs a week consistently since August - up until a couple of weeks ago - and then it all came to a bit of a grinding halt - but i was kinda expecting that as i am now getting closer to my goal weight. The 1600 mark is an example - i can eat as much as 2000 per day at the weekend but i do average around 1600 calories and 1000 exercise.

I am also noticing much more muscle in my arms and legs.

If that's your consistent weight loss and you are as highly active as you say your TDEE will be around 2600 meaning that are netting around 1500-1600 a day on average which seems fine

Although with less to lose you should slow down the rate of loss

brianpperkins

ali2407 wrote: »

i have been losing 2lbs a week consistently since August - up until a couple of weeks ago - and then it all came to a bit of a grinding halt - but i was kinda expecting that as i am now getting closer to my goal weight. The 1600 mark is an example - i can eat as much as 2000 per day at the weekend but i do average around 1600 calories and 1000 exercise.

I am also noticing much more muscle in my arms and legs.

So you're netting about 600 calories per day. At about ten pounds left to lose, a realistic and healthy loss is much closer to 1/2 pound per week than the two you've been losing.

Liftng4Lis

rabbitjb wrote: »

I would strongly recommend dropping some of your cardio and moving to a heavy lifting programme at least 3 x a week to preserve your LBM

Strong Curves, New Rules of Lifting for Women are both good books

And add high density calorie foods to your meals to get your intake up ...avocado, olive oils, nut butters, cheese, ice cream, chocolate

YAY^^^ +10000

flabassmcgee

rabbitjb wrote: »

ali2407 wrote: »

i have been losing 2lbs a week consistently since August - up until a couple of weeks ago - and then it all came to a bit of a grinding halt - but i was kinda expecting that as i am now getting closer to my goal weight. The 1600 mark is an example - i can eat as much as 2000 per day at the weekend but i do average around 1600 calories and 1000 exercise.

I am also noticing much more muscle in my arms and legs.

If that's your consistent weight loss and you are as highly active as you say your TDEE will be around 2600 meaning that are netting around 1500-1600 a day on average which seems fine

Although with less to lose you should slow down the rate of loss

This.