Quick calorie question...

PaulThomp23

I know they say that if you want to loose weight you need a calorie deficit and also to exercise. Is it possible that your body gets so used to being in a calorie deficit that it stops being effective?
Also, when im being told to "burn more calories than i eat" what exactly does this mean.

For example, if my normal daily calorie intake for a male for my size should be 2500 in order to maintain the weight i am currently and i eat the 2500 everyday, do i need to do enough exercise per day to burn off the 2500 that ive eaten and then more in order to lose weight or because my body "needs" that amount of calories every day just to allow it to function properly does it just mean that i can do any amount of exercise every day which should then create a deficit via exercise?

I was told that i should lower my calorie intake which i have done. Its currently 1950 (which i very rarely hit) and also exercise daily to burn off extra but have been struggling to lose any weight. I was then told that due to my body having become acclimatised to having so few calories every day that i would find it difficult to shift the weight and thay i should aim to eat my full days calories (even though i struggle sometime to finish a meal) and my body should kick itself back into action.

With so much conflicting information i wonder if anyone had any opinions they would like to share?

Thanks guys & girls

amusedmonkey

prometheus369 wrote: »

I know they say that if you want to loose weight you need a calorie deficit and also to exercise.

You only need a calorie deficit, not necessarily exercise, but exercise helps create that deficit and makes dieting easier.

Is it possible that your body gets so used to being in a calorie deficit that it stops being effective?

There is a thing called metabolic adaptation, but it's merely a slight slow down, not a complete halt. A calorie deficit will never stop being effective. There are other factors that control this process as well, you need
fewer calories to create the same deficit as you lose weight because supporting a smaller body requires less energy. If you don't account for that change, you may find yourself at some point eating at maintenance or at a very small deficit so you practically stop losing weight. Daily water/food/waste..etc fluctuations also affect the number on the scale.

Also, when im being told to "burn more calories than i eat" what exactly does this mean.

For example, if my normal daily calorie intake for a male for my size should be 2500 in order to maintain the weight i am currently and i eat the 2500 everyday, do i need to do enough exercise per day to burn off the 2500 that ive eaten and then more in order to lose weight or because my body "needs" that amount of calories every day just to allow it to function properly does it just mean that i can do any amount of exercise every day which should then create a deficit via exercise?

You don't need to burn off 2500 calories with exercise to lose weight. This is a semantics issue. "burn more than you eat" simple means "if your maintenance calories are 2500, eat less than 2500 calories". The word "burn" here is being used as the general number of calories your body burns, by staying alive, performing daily activities, exercise...etc.

I was told that i should lower my calorie intake which i have done. Its currently 1950 (which i very rarely hit) and also exercise daily to burn off extra but have been struggling to lose any weight. I was then told that due to my body having become acclimatised to having so few calories every day that i would find it difficult to shift the weight and thay i should aim to eat my full days calories (even though i struggle sometime to finish a meal) and my body should kick itself back into action.

With so much conflicting information i wonder if anyone had any opinions they would like to share?

Thanks guys & girls

You were told wrong. You might be eating more than you think if you aren't recording everything accurately or forgetting certain snacks. You may also be burning fewer calories than you think with your exercise because many databases overestimate exercise calories. Keep in mind that weight loss is not linear, and can fluctuate up, down, stay the same and so on. If it hasn't been at least a month since you last lost weight on the plan, have some patience.

Eating a few days at maintenance is a good idea though. It doesn't "kick you back into action" the way it was explained to you, but it would provide you with a nice break from dieting during which you can relax, bring your stress levels down (stress may cause your body to stubbornly hold onto water), and formulate a new action plan. It's easy to eat all of your calories if you introduce some calorie rich foods like nuts and nut butters, add more oil/butter to your food, reintroduce some of the things you used to eat before dieting..etc.

PaulThomp23

Thank you. Very much appreciate your comments. Im finding it quite difficult because i have spoken to a few people who would be "professionals" in their fields and they all have varying opinions.

LazSommer

If you aren't weighing your food chances are you are eating over your goal if you're looking at volume based serving sizes. If your maintenance is correct at 2500 you will average a good lb a week at your current deficit assuming accuracy.

Exercise is for your heart and other muscles, not fat loss. It can help create a larger deficit to lose faster or eat slightly more, but most need to get their eating under control before they mess with exercise. Many try to do both while underestimating what they are eating while overestimating the amount they burn. The result is 50% of the confused posts on the forums.

WinoGelato

OP have you put in your stats in MFP: height, weight, gender, age, activity level and desired rate of loss? MFP should provide you a calorie goal with a deficit built into it, excluding any exercise. If you eat to that level, logging accurately, then you should lose weight. If you do exercise, you should log and eat back at least a portion of those calories too.

There are also stickied posts at the top of the forum sections which have a lot of helpful information about how to successfully use this site to meet your goals and they answer a lot of the most common questions.