After the initial 2 to 3 month weight loss, how to keep it coming off?

jarablue
jarablue Posts: 127 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been walking 4 mph for 1 hour 5 days a week. I am eating the calories that MFP gives me and also eat back my exercise calories. The weight has been coming off at a good rate but I have a few questions. Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%? What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

Thanks for the help :)

Replies

  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    edited January 2016
    I've been at this 6 months and my weight loss hasn't slowed down yet. However, I think the reasoning is not that you can't keep losing at a constant rate, but that it becomes harder and harder to maintain as high of a deficit as you approach your normal weight range while still getting proper nutrition.

    I have a fitbit and eat most or all of my calories back. Some people say to only eat 50-75% back, but you kind of have to figure that our on your own. Look at your rate of loss over the last few months. Does it correspond to your selected rate of loss? If so, you're eating the right amount back. If not (and assuming you're pretty confident in your logging), then adjust accordingly.

    However, I wonder about your calorie goal. 1000-1200 is too low for most people, especially for a guy. What made you pick such a low range? For instance, I am 5'2" 34 y/o female, I run about 3 miles 3 times a week, and have a sedentary job. I lose over 1 lb/week on about 1800 calories a day (usually netting about 1350 after exercise).

    EDIT: Not sure if you meant a deficit of 1000-1200 calories or a goal of eating 1000-1200 calories.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    If you're fairly certain your exercise calorie calculations are accurate, there shouldn't be a problem with eating them all back.

    The recommendation to eat back a % of them stems from the common problem that most machine readouts and MFP's database entries vastly overstate the calorie burns based only on the time spent doing it.

    And it's best to mentally prepare yourself now...the weight loss WILL slow down. As you approach a healthy weight, it's going to be more and more difficult (and eventually not possible) to maintain a 1000-1200 calorie deficit and still eat enough to fuel your body, fuel your workouts and get adequate overall nutrition.

    But that's a bridge to cross when you get there. Sounds like you're doing well. :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    jarablue wrote: »
    Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%?

    How are you calculating your exercise calories? Many fitness trackers like Fitbits are pretty accurate so you can eat close to all of them, but most things like treadmills and MFP's database tend to overestimate the calories burned so you might want to stay with eating back 50-75%
    jarablue wrote: »
    What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

    Somebody with more science knowledge can address the actual physical reasons for this, but it happens and it is actually healthier to slightly slow down the loss as you get closer to goal. If you only have 20 lb to lose, 1 lb a week is better than 2 lb a week. Creating a bigger deficit by exercising more is not going to help and may leave you less healthy because you are not getting enough nutrition.
  • jarablue
    jarablue Posts: 127 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    jarablue wrote: »
    Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%?

    How are you calculating your exercise calories? Many fitness trackers like Fitbits are pretty accurate so you can eat close to all of them, but most things like treadmills and MFP's database tend to overestimate the calories burned so you might want to stay with eating back 50-75%
    jarablue wrote: »
    What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

    Somebody with more science knowledge can address the actual physical reasons for this, but it happens and it is actually healthier to slightly slow down the loss as you get closer to goal. If you only have 20 lb to lose, 1 lb a week is better than 2 lb a week. Creating a bigger deficit by exercising more is not going to help and may leave you less healthy because you are not getting enough nutrition.
    I am calculating the walking calories burned via the Map my Walk app. It is linked here and whatever map my walk decides, it updates on MFP. I hope MMW is accurate.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    jarablue wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    jarablue wrote: »
    Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%?

    How are you calculating your exercise calories? Many fitness trackers like Fitbits are pretty accurate so you can eat close to all of them, but most things like treadmills and MFP's database tend to overestimate the calories burned so you might want to stay with eating back 50-75%
    jarablue wrote: »
    What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

    Somebody with more science knowledge can address the actual physical reasons for this, but it happens and it is actually healthier to slightly slow down the loss as you get closer to goal. If you only have 20 lb to lose, 1 lb a week is better than 2 lb a week. Creating a bigger deficit by exercising more is not going to help and may leave you less healthy because you are not getting enough nutrition.
    I am calculating the walking calories burned via the Map my Walk app. It is linked here and whatever map my walk decides, it updates on MFP. I hope MMW is accurate.

    I use the "MapMy" apps for running and biking too...my experience is they do tend to overestimate the burn, but if it's working for you now, no need to change things up yet
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    jarablue wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    jarablue wrote: »
    Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%?

    How are you calculating your exercise calories? Many fitness trackers like Fitbits are pretty accurate so you can eat close to all of them, but most things like treadmills and MFP's database tend to overestimate the calories burned so you might want to stay with eating back 50-75%
    jarablue wrote: »
    What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

    Somebody with more science knowledge can address the actual physical reasons for this, but it happens and it is actually healthier to slightly slow down the loss as you get closer to goal. If you only have 20 lb to lose, 1 lb a week is better than 2 lb a week. Creating a bigger deficit by exercising more is not going to help and may leave you less healthy because you are not getting enough nutrition.
    I am calculating the walking calories burned via the Map my Walk app. It is linked here and whatever map my walk decides, it updates on MFP. I hope MMW is accurate.

    I use MMW and a Garmin Vivofit. MMW tends to overestimate compared to Vivofit by about 15-20% (In other words, if I earn 200 calories via my Garmin, MMW will give me 225-250 for the same walk).
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    juggernaut1974 wrote: »
    jarablue wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    jarablue wrote: »
    Should I eat back 100% of my exercise calories? Or maybe eat back 50% of them? I would like to not eat my calories and then if I feel like eating a little extra, I would indulge on my exercise calories. Or should I be eating them back 100%?

    How are you calculating your exercise calories? Many fitness trackers like Fitbits are pretty accurate so you can eat close to all of them, but most things like treadmills and MFP's database tend to overestimate the calories burned so you might want to stay with eating back 50-75%
    jarablue wrote: »
    What I am worried about is when the weight stops coming off as quick. I mean if I keep eating at a deficit, which I've decided for me would be 1000-1200, why would my weight loss slow down? If I am adjusting my weight as it goes down and still maintain the deficit accordingly, shouldn't it keep coming off? Or do I need to exercise more? I guess I am just confused as to why the weight loss would slow down if I keep maintaining my deficit with my day to day weight.

    Somebody with more science knowledge can address the actual physical reasons for this, but it happens and it is actually healthier to slightly slow down the loss as you get closer to goal. If you only have 20 lb to lose, 1 lb a week is better than 2 lb a week. Creating a bigger deficit by exercising more is not going to help and may leave you less healthy because you are not getting enough nutrition.
    I am calculating the walking calories burned via the Map my Walk app. It is linked here and whatever map my walk decides, it updates on MFP. I hope MMW is accurate.

    I use the "MapMy" apps for running and biking too...my experience is they do tend to overestimate the burn, but if it's working for you now, no need to change things up yet

    Agree.
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