The more I exercise, the more my body adapts to calories and I can't slim further.

Options
124»

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    wanzik wrote: »
    wanzik wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    MFP is set up to give you your targets without any exercise...meaning your activity level does not include any exercise. Suffice it to say, if you exercise regularly, your activity level would exceed your activity level without exercise...exercise is unaccounted for activity and the way you account for it with MFP is to log it and earn calories to eat back. Other calculators include exercise in your activity level and thus some estimate of those requisite calories would be included in your targets...it's just common sense...you have to account for that activity somewhere. The biggest issue most people have is overestimating calories burned...often substantially...they trust this and other data bases as gospel, and they're far from it. It's one of the reasons I prefer the TDEE method.

    As far as the little projection goes, just ignore it...it's a silly, overly simplified equation that assumes linearity in weight loss...it's a stupid and worthless tool...losing weight isn't as simple as cutting X calories per day and linearly losing Y Lbs per week.

    I lost 40 Lbs easily following MFP's method of eating back calories...but I did a lot of research in regards to the calories I burned and used multiple sources for helping me determine that...and then I still knocked some % off the most conservative estimate to account for estimation error in both calories out as well as inherent logging errors of calories in.

    Doesn't this depend on how you set up your diet profile? I mean, you can't set it up selecting "Very Active" and then enter all your workouts on top of that. That's like double-dipping on the calories burned. I have a desk job so I selected "Sedentary" - that gave me a lower calorie goal and so I do enter my workouts and those calories burned vary greatly day to day so I think that's a better way to keep track. For me, anyway.

    @wanzik
    MFP's activity settings aren't meant to account for exercise. The "very active" setting is meant for people with higher than average daily lives/jobs. So someone like a postman or construction worker would fall under very active and still log their addition intentional exercise.

    Ok. So quite possibly, if a person isn't losing they are likely overestimating how active they are and/or overestimating calories burned during exercise and/or underestimating calories eaten.

    Ding ding ding

    We have a winner

    /thread
  • wanzik
    wanzik Posts: 326 Member
    Options
    And I think I'm suffering from that issue myself... that and lack of self control. I usually round down how many calories MFP says I burned. I need to round down more.
  • wanzik
    wanzik Posts: 326 Member
    Options
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Ding ding ding

    We have a winner

    /thread

    WOO HOO!!!! :smile:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    wanzik wrote: »
    wanzik wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    MFP is set up to give you your targets without any exercise...meaning your activity level does not include any exercise. Suffice it to say, if you exercise regularly, your activity level would exceed your activity level without exercise...exercise is unaccounted for activity and the way you account for it with MFP is to log it and earn calories to eat back. Other calculators include exercise in your activity level and thus some estimate of those requisite calories would be included in your targets...it's just common sense...you have to account for that activity somewhere. The biggest issue most people have is overestimating calories burned...often substantially...they trust this and other data bases as gospel, and they're far from it. It's one of the reasons I prefer the TDEE method.

    As far as the little projection goes, just ignore it...it's a silly, overly simplified equation that assumes linearity in weight loss...it's a stupid and worthless tool...losing weight isn't as simple as cutting X calories per day and linearly losing Y Lbs per week.

    I lost 40 Lbs easily following MFP's method of eating back calories...but I did a lot of research in regards to the calories I burned and used multiple sources for helping me determine that...and then I still knocked some % off the most conservative estimate to account for estimation error in both calories out as well as inherent logging errors of calories in.

    Doesn't this depend on how you set up your diet profile? I mean, you can't set it up selecting "Very Active" and then enter all your workouts on top of that. That's like double-dipping on the calories burned. I have a desk job so I selected "Sedentary" - that gave me a lower calorie goal and so I do enter my workouts and those calories burned vary greatly day to day so I think that's a better way to keep track. For me, anyway.

    @wanzik
    MFP's activity settings aren't meant to account for exercise. The "very active" setting is meant for people with higher than average daily lives/jobs. So someone like a postman or construction worker would fall under very active and still log their addition intentional exercise.

    Ok. So quite possibly, if a person isn't losing they are likely overestimating how active they are and/or overestimating calories burned during exercise and/or underestimating calories eaten.

    Actually, those are almost always the reasons.

    Close enough to always that I'm tempted to round up to always...

    ...but I was always taught never to use absolutes, so I don't.
  • vspangie
    vspangie Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    vspangie wrote: »
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)

    What is special about the calories in "good carbs" that differs from the calories in "bad carbs"?
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    Options
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    vspangie wrote: »
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)

    What is special about the calories in "good carbs" that differs from the calories in "bad carbs"?

    Nutrients.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    rileyes wrote: »
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    vspangie wrote: »
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)

    What is special about the calories in "good carbs" that differs from the calories in "bad carbs"?

    Nutrients.

    That changes the calories in each and the impact on weight?

    But let's skip ahead a page in the script and get to:

    What if my nutrient levels from all sources are already optimal. Is there still a distinction between calories in "good carbs" and calories in "bad carbs" re weight loss? If so, how are they different?
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
    Options
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    vspangie wrote: »
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)

    What is special about the calories in "good carbs" that differs from the calories in "bad carbs"?

    I was wondering the same thing. "Bad carbs" mean I only get to have 9 chips for 140 calories. That's bad, cuz not only am I not full, but now I really want to finish off the bag. A "good carb" banana would fill me up, but not be so yummy that I'd want to eat 4 more. Calorie- wise, they're about the same.

  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    Options
    If you want to be the Guinea pig and see how it goes in the long term, by all means, bon appetite.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Options
    rileyes wrote: »
    If you want to be the Guinea pig and see how it goes in the long term, by all means, bon appetite.

    Guinea pig for what?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    rileyes wrote: »
    If you want to be the Guinea pig and see how it goes in the long term, by all means, bon appetite.

    Guinea pig for what?

    How she thinks eating a healthy diet that hits all your nutrients but you also have "bad carbs" it will give you aidscancer or something.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    rileyes wrote: »
    If you want to be the Guinea pig and see how it goes in the long term, by all means, bon appetite.

    I'm 46 when should I start worrying? Is it months or years? Days? How good is your psychic ability or are you a researcher who has some as yet unseen proof these my diet is going to kill me sooner than yours will you? Please don't take this wrong I'm actually just teasing but the reality is there isn't really any evidence that suggests that a balanced diet with extra 'junk food' in it is any worse for you in the long run than a strict diet. We aren't talking about living on a gray diet just having some enjoyment.

    Oh and if you don't exercise then please don't criticize anyone's diet who does because there is enough evidence that lack of exercise is as bad as smoking.
  • vspangie
    vspangie Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    vspangie wrote: »
    One thing I have noticed is if I don't change up my cardio I quit burning as effectively. I know you are a ZUMBA instructor but on other days can you add in different cardio with some weights. This has worked really well for me and I think we work harder when our brains and bodies aren't used to that particular exercise.

    Good luck. Also I agree with most of you that eating good carbs is the key to losing and maintaining weight loss. I lost 30 lbs and have kept it off for 2 years while eating a good variety of food and exercising 4-5 days a week. (Mostly cardio, but some weights)

    What is special about the calories in "good carbs" that differs from the calories in "bad carbs"?

    Nothing special except "good" carbs (fruits, some vegetables, whole grains etc) provide nutritional value such as fiber, vitamins etc. "bad" carbs (think sugar etc) are refined and provide nothing except empty calories.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    Glucose is the fastest releasing carb. It is good because it provides instant energy during hard sports workouts after glyocogen is used up and body fat cannot burn fast enough to keep up the pace. Sucrose does this too.

    Pasta and starchy carbs trigger the insulin spike after weight training to transport amino acid into the muscle cells to promote growth and repair.
    Many nutrient free carbs are extremely good for providing energy for high performance and growth.
    GOOD CARBS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    It is important to tick your nutrient boxes but after that 'more vitamins' are wasted. Non soluble fibre is vastly overrated in my opinion. It's terrible to do impactive activity on and causes IBS symptoms. I'd rather take soluble any day.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    Hi everyone -- I've been a Zumba teacher for three years, and I've noticed how I can exercise myself to oblivion (and exhaustion) and still have thick legs. I don't just mean like big calves, but my whole body seems to have what my brother calls a 'sheath of fat', the shakiest of it being on my legs. I am back on MFP because I like to see all the ways I sneak in food without noticing - I appreciate the self-accountability. My real question is whether one can REALLY just add back into one's daily calorie goal the calories burned? I am often under my daily goal numbers, and MFP cheerfully tells me that in 5 weeks I'll weigh some super dream-like number on the scale. If that were true, I would weigh it! So what gives? Should I ignore the calories burned? Should I even bother documenting the daily exercise?

    Your diary is closed, I wonder...do you weigh your food on a food scale? Are you logging everything?
    I also notice you are in your forties, and our metabolisms are different at that age. You can certainly lose weight very efficiently, but it's important to log all your food and see how your body is responding to what you eat as well as how much.
  • rebeccabardet
    rebeccabardet Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    (OP talking here) Very enlightening and lively conversation, people. Thanks again for taking the time to address the issue. I have been 'estimating' a lot, and using whatever comes up on the food data base as 'close enough'. I make almost everything myself (including bread, pasta, butter, yogurt) so sometimes it's hard to know if anyone's measurements are correct! But yes, I've got a food scale, will start using it. I'm at a healthy BMI for a 43 y o woman. Will check in occasionally, and good luck to all with your journey to better health.