Need to lose 50-60. eating calories earned?

dr0707

I wanted to do 1200 calories/day. I earned 175 from exercise and I actually ate 1500. When I completed my day it said it would take me 5 weeks to lose only 8 LBS!! Id like to do it a little faster. im 49 yrs old, 5'1.5" and close to 180. walked for 40 minutes today and my joints are killing me. I have been very sedentary at a stressful desk job for the last 8 years and I just feel like *kitten*! the scale isn't as important to as just needing to feel better and have energy to even just do housework. Should I eat my exercise calories or no? thanks

quickcrx702

What's wrong with 8lbs in 5 weeks? It's only 2lbs shy from 10lbs, which would be 2lbs/week and is a very good goal. If your joints are killing you, you're probably better off taking it slow with the exercise then gradually increase, or finding something with less impact like a bike or elliptical. Also, walking on grass at the park beats walking on concrete any day. Listen to your body, it will tell you if you're pushing too hard. Good luck.

shadow2soul

It's not recommended to lose more than 2lbs per week.

Also, that projection is just an estimate. For a lot of people it is off. It basically says you have to eat exactly the same everyday for the next 5 weeks for you to weigh that approx amount. So for you, its based off you going over your goal by 125 calories everyday for the next 5 weeks.

I also don't see whats wrong with 1.6lbs per week loss.

zipa78

1 lbs / week would be even better. If you have been spending 49 years to put the weight on, surely a few weeks more won't make any difference in getting it off.

dr0707

thanks for the input. I realize that slow and steady is the way to go for better success in keeping it off, however, you cant blame a girl for wanting it faster! lol. so, my question was should I eat the exercise calories or not? Just follow my hunger? or be uncomfortably a little hungry for a while?

malibu927

The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat them back, and with a 1200 calorie goal it's best to so you can make sure you aren't depriving yourself of nutrients. However, calorie burn estimations can often run over, so most people only eat back 50-75% of them.

jpaulie

yes you should. If you dont you will crash. Happened to me. It might seem easy at first to not eat them back but you will plateau. Plus 8 lbs in 5 week anyone should be happy with

brosis85

Because you are not extremely over weight you should not try and lose more than a pound or two a week - it will be impossible to keep it off if you try.
My suggestion is to up your calories every day and DO NOT eat back exercise calories. This has worked for me, and a lot of my clients.
So stick to around 1450 a day and if you workout that is a bonus. You will not gain weight doing this - 1200 calories a day is really geared for people who are extremely over weight or people that are gearing up to compete.

juliech

I agree with malibu927, I eat about half my exercise calories.

dr0707

thanks everyone! yesterday I did eat a little over 1400. I was hungry, I think! I have to listen to my body. sore today just from a 40 min walk yesterday. but went to the gym this morning and did upper body exercises on the machines and around 20 min of cardio on the treadmill.

dr0707

how do I change my daily calorie goal?

cgrayflorida

Your calories goal will automatically change as you lose weight. So, just follow what it is telling you to have every day and enter your weight as you lose it and the numbers will adjust for you and in a method that is safe and will promote the best weight loss at the best pace to help you keep it off. Don't rush the process. It took a long time to put the weight on and if you take it off slowly you have a much better chance of keeping it off. You'll do fine! Just keep logging your foods and exercise and you'll see results! :-)

dr0707

okay I changed to 1400 and entered my exercise. It only gives you calories for cardio, not weight training too?

acorsaut89

dr0707 wrote: »

I wanted to do 1200 calories/day. I earned 175 from exercise and I actually ate 1500. When I completed my day it said it would take me 5 weeks to lose only 8 LBS!! Id like to do it a little faster. im 49 yrs old, 5'1.5" and close to 180. walked for 40 minutes today and my joints are killing me. I have been very sedentary at a stressful desk job for the last 8 years and I just feel like *kitten*! the scale isn't as important to as just needing to feel better and have energy to even just do housework. Should I eat my exercise calories or no? thanks

Well let's look at it this way . . . . if you eat 1,200 calories in total but you burn 200 through working out, you're actually only netting 1,000 which isn't healthy for anyone, period.

Further, you said you're unhappy it will take 5 weeks to lose 8 lbs but then go on to say it's not about the scale so much as being happy and feeling better - so which is it? It's ok to be vain and say you want to scale to say a certain number . . . I'm just curious which goal it is you're aiming for. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb. I would calculate your BMR and TDEE and subtract about 10 - 15% of your TDEE for weight loss, 20% for really aggressive weight loss.

Overall, I would say developing healthy eating habits are pretty important. If you eat better, you will probably start to feel better. And it is usually recommended to eat back about half of your exercise calories

jacksonpt

While I generally agree with the slower is better approach, I don't think it's "bible" like many here do. IMO, sustainability should be the greater priority.

If you can sustain 1200 cals for a month and lose the weight, then shift to a healthy/reasonable number of calories to maintain your weight long term, then go for it. But if 1200 for 3 days causes you to go crazy with deprivation and eat everything you can get your hands on, then it's not worth it.

On a side note... if you earn 175 calories, you should only be eating back 175 calories. Eating 1200, earning 175, and ending the day at 1500 probably won't accomplish what you're trying to do. I assume you know that, but...

dr0707

thanks everyone. its day 4 and im eating better, exercising AND feeling better. weighing my foods and logging everything. got on the scale and lost 3 lbs already. I know, youre all going to tell me its water, etc. but for me, its motivating.

Theres a big NFL game this weekend and my husband and I usually go to the local bar and watch and eat and drink. Ive been wrestling myself whether I should go or not. On the one hand, if I don't go, ill probably be pissed off that Im not socializing and the diet is interfering with my life. On the other hand, if I go, ill be drinking beers and eating wings and fries and what not.

Tell me how you handle these situations. do I eat less all week so I can splurge? do I decide which is more important to me?

diannethegeek

dr0707 wrote: »

thanks everyone. its day 4 and im eating better, exercising AND feeling better. weighing my foods and logging everything. got on the scale and lost 3 lbs already. I know, youre all going to tell me its water, etc. but for me, its motivating.

Theres a big NFL game this weekend and my husband and I usually go to the local bar and watch and eat and drink. Ive been wrestling myself whether I should go or not. On the one hand, if I don't go, ill probably be pissed off that Im not socializing and the diet is interfering with my life. On the other hand, if I go, ill be drinking beers and eating wings and fries and what not.

Tell me how you handle these situations. do I eat less all week so I can splurge? do I decide which is more important to me?

I reached a point in my dieting when I was avoiding social situations and it made me pretty miserable. Personally, I do two things. One, I do my best to make the day fit into my calories. I'll get a salad, log my beer ahead of time, and eat a little lighter throughout the day to give myself more room to enjoy myself. Two, if I do go over I still log it and just keep it under my maintenance calories, which allows me to feel a little less guilt.

You get to decide whether or not to go out. Sometimes you may decide to stay home and that's okay. There are times when it's just not worth it to me. But if you do decide to go out, have a strategy and try not to stress about it. Learning how to eat out and enjoy your time with friends is all a part of this lifestyle change that everyone's always talking about.

dr0707

Exactly Dianne. its the balance that's difficult. light beer is 110 calories! I think I will eat before I go, this way I will be full and wont be able to fit in too many beer calories. I would normally not eat if I was going out to drink because I feel uncomfortably full when I eat then drink.

MKEgal

My doctor & dietician told me to ignore exercise calories, and most of the time I do.
Most people underestimate what they eat,
most machines (including MFP) overestimate calories burned.
The errors cancel out.
If you're really hungry, have 1/3 - 1/2 of your exercise calories as a snack.

Since you're sore, you should cut back on the exercise a bit, work into it more slowly.
Seriously, the first time I started walking I did 5 minutes on the treadmill at maybe 2 mph. I felt so stupid, such a loser. But I did it. The next day, I did it again. Next time, added a minute. Eventually, increased speed. Now I can do 90 minutes of hills at 3 mph, and sometimes jogging.

Starting with 50 lb to lose, 1 to 1.5 lb / week is reasonable & healthy, but that's going to slow as you get closer to goal.
Go to "settings" (way up at the top), then "update diet / fitness profile", and you can change your activity level or amount per week you want to lose.
If you want to change your calorie goal, go to "my home", then "goals", "change goals", "custom".

For social situations, I try to eat a little lighter that day, make healthier choices while I'm there, but I don't stress about it. If I go over, I go over. Log it, know that you enjoyed yourself, and move on. It's one day. Moderation in everything, including moderation.

lemurcat12

dr0707 wrote: »

thanks everyone. its day 4 and im eating better, exercising AND feeling better. weighing my foods and logging everything. got on the scale and lost 3 lbs already. I know, youre all going to tell me its water, etc. but for me, its motivating.

Theres a big NFL game this weekend and my husband and I usually go to the local bar and watch and eat and drink. Ive been wrestling myself whether I should go or not. On the one hand, if I don't go, ill probably be pissed off that Im not socializing and the diet is interfering with my life. On the other hand, if I go, ill be drinking beers and eating wings and fries and what not.

Tell me how you handle these situations. do I eat less all week so I can splurge? do I decide which is more important to me?

I don't think you should avoid fun social events and feel deprived. In order to lose the weight you want and keep it off you need to create a plan that is sustainable over a long period of time, and that means fitting in the things that are important for your lifestyle. For me it was figuring out how to keep in regular restaurant meals with friends.

If it were me I'd do a couple of things. First, create some additional calories by maybe eating a bit lighter on other days (not a lot, as you are at a low calorie limit already) and then by trying to do some extra exercise that day. When I started I was at 1250 calories and tended to save some workout calories for the weekend so I wouldn't have to worry so much about being a little more indulgent in my choices then. Second, I would try to think of a way to go out and have fun and not have it blow your calories too much. For example, decide to have 2 beers over the course of the evening and otherwise drink water or diet soda. Think about what higher calorie foods you really care about and want to have and have those, but not absolutely everything that others are eating or that you might normally have had.

dr0707

well I went out. overindulged. yesterday I was down 2.5 pounds and today im back to my start weight. the answer is clear. I have to stay away from the social life for a while. It is what it is.