working out and eating

claywalton

A little intro: I'm 44, 5'8"and used to weight 380 lbs. In January I started walking on the treadmill and changed my diet, to date I've lost been 25-30 lbs (I say that because I fluctuate a lot). I was going an hour on the treadmill, burning about 700-750 calories depending on intensity level. I joined a gym about a month ago and have added weight training to my routine. My cardio work has gone to about 20-30 minutes and I lift between 30-40 minutes 6-7 days a week. MFP has me on a 2150 calorie/day diet, some days I go over but mostly stay below, however, I'm finding the more I lift each day (intensity wise), the hungrier I am. I know you have to feed your body but I don't want to gain weight, I need to lose 100 more lbs to reach my goal. Am I going in the right direction? Help?

jemhh

Are you still losing weight? If yes, then you are on the right track. You are supposed to eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories so don't feel like you can't.

Lifting absolutely will make you more hungry. FWIW, I maintain at about 2450 calories and if I'm trying to lose weight, I have to average around 2000-2100 or else I'm uncomfortably hungry all the time. I'm a 5'6" 150 lb woman. As a taller bigger man it just makes sense that you would eat more.

Good work btw! You're making great progress.

claywalton

I think I'm still losing weight, it's just coming off really slow now that I've added in the weights. I might lose 5 lbs, then gain 3 back, and so on. I'm going to try and cut back on my calories a little bit.

AllanMisner

Take body measurements (neck, chest, upper arms, stomach, waist, hips and upper legs). Use this along with your weight to see what’s really going on with your body fat.

Drink more water. Water can help you feel more satiated.

Play with your macros to find if having more protein, more fat and less carbs (especially sugars) helps with the hunger. When you feel the urge to shack, make it protein rich.

futuremanda

What did you tell MFP your goal was? I am guessing 2 lbs a week, right?

So that means that MFP decided that, even if you didn't exercise today, your body burns 3150 calories just existing and living your life (your job, etc). 2150 would be 1000 calories off, which would get you 2 lbs a week.

When you exercise, and burn more, you get to eat all of that back and STILL lose 2 lbs a week. Because the 1000 calories came off before exercise was calculated. (Now, most people only eat say, 50% to start, and see how they do, because online calculators for calories burned may be an overestimation.)

I'm telling you this because I find that knowing the math helps you make decisions. 2150 isn't a magical number where you'd gain weight if you ate more... you'd have to eat your exercise calories PLUS 1000 more calories to even maintain. You'd have to eat another 3500 on top of that to gain 1 lb.

Eating your exercise calories + more would slow your loss a bit, maybe. But it'd be worth say, 1.5-2 a week instead of 2+ if it means you're not hungry and you can lift better. Use the numbers and how you feel to help yourself make good choices, and not have fear. I am choosing to lose slowly and fuel myself well (though I have less to lose). I feel good and I don't worry.

(FYI: 2 lbs per week is 1000 cals off maintenance. 1.5 is 750 off. 1 is 500 off. 0.5 is 250 off. And maintenance is existing + whatever lifestyle you chose. Exercise is extra.)

jemhh

You're going to have water fluctuations more when lifting. When you lift weights you are making tiny tears in your muscles. Your body then repairs the tears and that's what makes you stronger. Your muscles will store water to help that process.

Plus you are in one of the categories of people who are more likely to build muscle while eating in a deficit as an overweight beginner. That won't make you gain weight but it can slow your weight loss somewhat. But don't get discouraged by it because building muscle and strength training is going to go a long way toward giving you a better shape as you lose fat.

claywalton

Thank you all, this is great feedback, v especially the calculations. With the change in my diet, I find myself not as hungry between meals, I'm guessing it's because I've upped my protein intake. Are there any supplements I should start taking?