Calorie intake and exercise

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Millymollymandi
Millymollymandi Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all

I'm about six months into a new health lifestyle and still trying to figure out the best way to pair my enthusiasm to eat and exercise properly with what is the best for my body.

The problem - I'm about 240lb heading for (in the long term) about 150lb or less if I can make it. Currently have a calorific intake limit of 1400 every day, which I diligently make last with focus on high protein, lean meats, lots of dietary fibre and veggies as well as lots of water etc etc. three weeks ago I started exercising and, shaky accuracy of individual calorie trackers aside, I am fairly sure that each workout (30-45 mins each max, mostly cardio, some strength) is burning loads of calories which I don't, as a rule, eat back although I always make sure to hit 1400 intake on work out days. At what point am I doing myself a disservice by not increasing calorific intake to fuel/avoid dipping into too severe a calorific deficit? I'm just trying not to cheat/fool myself out of results when I have been working so hard and I just don't know enough about metabolism and exercise ...

Any help gratefully received!

Replies

  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    I'd say listen to your body. Your 30-45 minute workout is at most going to only give you about 150-350 calories (highly dependent upon your heart rate and speeds for the duration of the cardio) so it isn't as much as you're thinking. The days that you do work out, if you are only eating 1400 and no more, my question is have you already calculated in your activity level (i.e. sedentary, slightly active, or highly active on MFP)? If you have used the higher activity levels, then you shouldn't go over the 1400. If you are set at sedentary, then you can eat back a few of those calories, but it shouldn't be all (you might lose out on the hard won deficit).

    I say see if you're still hungry after you've eaten your days allowance and see if you're feeling sluggish or not at your peak performance as you're working out (it could be a sign that you're muscles are lacking proper fuel). Just a thought. Good luck! :smiley:
  • LorettaB1967
    LorettaB1967 Posts: 29 Member
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    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    No.

    How long of a time frame are we talking?
    How are you measuring your calorie intake?

    3.0 mph walking for 50 minutes isn't going to burn a ton of calories.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    Millymollymandi wrote: »
    Hi all

    I'm about six months into a new health lifestyle and still trying to figure out the best way to pair my enthusiasm to eat and exercise properly with what is the best for my body.

    The problem - I'm about 240lb heading for (in the long term) about 150lb or less if I can make it. Currently have a calorific intake limit of 1400 every day, which I diligently make last with focus on high protein, lean meats, lots of dietary fibre and veggies as well as lots of water etc etc. three weeks ago I started exercising and, shaky accuracy of individual calorie trackers aside, I am fairly sure that each workout (30-45 mins each max, mostly cardio, some strength) is burning loads of calories which I don't, as a rule, eat back although I always make sure to hit 1400 intake on work out days. At what point am I doing myself a disservice by not increasing calorific intake to fuel/avoid dipping into too severe a calorific deficit? I'm just trying not to cheat/fool myself out of results when I have been working so hard and I just don't know enough about metabolism and exercise ...

    Any help gratefully received!

    A lot of people eat back about half of their exercise calories to balance the need for fuel with the fact that it's hard to know for sure exactly how many calories you really burn during exercise.

    I don't follow this to a tee. Some days I'm hungry and eat every one of those calories back. Some days I'm not as hungry, so I only eat a small amount back. Other days I am hungry, but am saving up those calories for a weekend event. Listen to your body and decide if you are hungry or not.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
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    Milly, MFP takes into account a deficit to lose weight when it gives you your calorie allotment for the day. Therefore, 1400 calories/day should allow you to lose weight at the rate that you entered (ie: 1 lb/wk), keep in mind that weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks you'll lose more and other weeks you'll lose less.
    If/When you exercise, you should eat back about 50% of the calories you burned. Exercise calories are hard to accurately count and many machines count too high of a burn. Eating back only 50% allows for some measure of balance between the reading and what you really burned.
    Therefore, on a day that you exercise, you would be able to eat 1400 calories + 50% of your exercise calories and still be on track to lose your weight loss goal.

    Loretta, you should try to reach 1200 calories every day plus eat back 50% of your exercise calories. You'll still lose the weight and it will be in a healthy, sustainable manner. Depriving yourself of calories by too much will lead to disappointment and it will be hard to get enough nutrients. Your body will suffer in the end. Stay healthy; that's the main focus. The weight will come off. It sometimes takes a few weeks to start happening. How long have you been monitoring your food and exercise?
  • hugheseva
    hugheseva Posts: 227 Member
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.

    You are incorrect about this. If you don't eat enough the body does go into starvation mode instantly and hangs onto fat. I am living proof of that. I work out heavy 5-6 times a week. If I dare to under-eat my 1200 calories, the weight doesn't move. As soon as I eat enough (good, nutritious food, of course), I start to drop the weight again. However, it also may be true that LorettaB1967 doesn't measure her intake properly and the exercise she does is just not enough to burn off fat.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    hugheseva wrote: »
    jaga13 wrote: »
    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.

    You are incorrect about this. If you don't eat enough the body does go into starvation mode instantly and hangs onto fat. I am living proof of that. I work out heavy 5-6 times a week. If I dare to under-eat my 1200 calories, the weight doesn't move. As soon as I eat enough (good, nutritious food, of course), I start to drop the weight again. However, it also may be true that LorettaB1967 doesn't measure her intake properly and the exercise she does is just not enough to burn off fat.

    You defy science then.

    The scale is not an accurate reflection of fat loss. There are any number of factors that can affect scale weight. Water weight fluctuations can mirror small losses or gains. Food can have a huge impact on water weight fluctuations. I suspect that is more of what is going on in your case than some rare medical mystery.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    hugheseva wrote: »
    jaga13 wrote: »
    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.

    You are incorrect about this. If you don't eat enough the body does go into starvation mode instantly and hangs onto fat. I am living proof of that. I work out heavy 5-6 times a week. If I dare to under-eat my 1200 calories, the weight doesn't move. As soon as I eat enough (good, nutritious food, of course), I start to drop the weight again. However, it also may be true that LorettaB1967 doesn't measure her intake properly and the exercise she does is just not enough to burn off fat.

    You defy science then.

    The scale is not an accurate reflection of fat loss. There are any number of factors that can affect scale weight. Water weight fluctuations can mirror small losses or gains. Food can have a huge impact on water weight fluctuations. I suspect that is more of what is going on in your case than some rare medical mystery.

    Correct, it is likely water retention. Extreme dieting (e.g., a lot of working out and eating at a steep deficit) stresses the body, which increases cortisol, which causes water retention. The water weight masks the fat loss which continues to happen so you don't see a change on the scale. Starvation mode the way you describe it does not exist. Your body continues to burn fat even when you consume too few calories.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    hugheseva wrote: »
    jaga13 wrote: »
    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.

    You are incorrect about this. If you don't eat enough the body does go into starvation mode instantly and hangs onto fat. I am living proof of that. I work out heavy 5-6 times a week. If I dare to under-eat my 1200 calories, the weight doesn't move. As soon as I eat enough (good, nutritious food, of course), I start to drop the weight again. However, it also may be true that LorettaB1967 doesn't measure her intake properly and the exercise she does is just not enough to burn off fat.

    You defy science then.

    The scale is not an accurate reflection of fat loss. There are any number of factors that can affect scale weight. Water weight fluctuations can mirror small losses or gains. Food can have a huge impact on water weight fluctuations. I suspect that is more of what is going on in your case than some rare medical mystery.

    Correct, it is likely water retention. Extreme dieting (e.g., a lot of working out and eating at a steep deficit) stresses the body, which increases cortisol, which causes water retention. The water weight masks the fat loss which continues to happen so you don't see a change on the scale. Starvation mode the way you describe it does not exist. Your body continues to burn fat even when you consume too few calories.

    This.

    Or even just as simple as carbohydrate intake/glycogen stores if the "good, nutritious foods" tend to be lower in carbs than the other foods.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    hugheseva wrote: »
    jaga13 wrote: »
    LorettaB1967 wrote: »
    I can't seem to get this calorie and fitness thing together at all. I am on 1200 calorie. So I have been taking in 1000 calories and walking 3.0mph for 50 min and losing no weight. Am I not eating enough and have my body in starvation mode? I am totally at a loss!! I thought the less calories I took in and the more I burned would add up to a loss.

    There isn't really a starvation mode. Odds are you are simply eating more than you think. Are you weighing everything on a food scale? Without one, it's likely your estimates are off.

    You are incorrect about this. If you don't eat enough the body does go into starvation mode instantly and hangs onto fat. I am living proof of that. I work out heavy 5-6 times a week. If I dare to under-eat my 1200 calories, the weight doesn't move. As soon as I eat enough (good, nutritious food, of course), I start to drop the weight again. However, it also may be true that LorettaB1967 doesn't measure her intake properly and the exercise she does is just not enough to burn off fat.


    No, sorry, the body doesn't hang onto fat when you under-eat. Someone who is truly starved loses weight.

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