Calories

SarahR2412

I generally burn between 800-1200 calories per day and my daily food intake is currently still 1200. Should I be eating more if I still wish to lose more weight?

AJ_G

sarahrhod2412 wrote: »

I generally burn between 800-1200 calories per day and my daily food intake is currently still 1200. Should I be eating more if I still wish to lose more weight?

Do you mean that's how many calories you burn from exercise every single day, or that's your total calorie burn for the day including everything?

SarahR2412

I eat 1200 calories per day and can burn up to 800-1200 on top of which means I always have net calories left over everyday. Sorry hope that makes sense

SarahR2412

Screen shot of Thursdays food diary attached showing calories eaten, exercise done and net left over. I'm sure I should be eating more but don't know how much more to keep the weight loss

AJ_G

You're not eating nearly enough. Your BMR is probably at least 1200 calories, with 800 exercise calories on top of that, that brings the total to 2000, and that doesn't even include NEAT(non exercise associated thermogenesis), which is basically calories burned from walking around and doing things you normally do. My advice would be to eat more and cut back on the cardio. That's a ton of cardio a day, and if you're not eating enough, the long term effects of what you're doing are not going to be good...

TeaBea

sarahrhod2412 wrote: »

I generally burn between 800-1200 calories per day and my daily food intake is currently still 1200. Should I be eating more if I still wish to lose more weight?

Your body is burning calories 24/7 - very likely more than 800-1200. Google BMR.

MFP gave you 1200 before exercise. 1200 is a default minimum, so you are either tiny (you don't look elderly) or you have an aggressive weekly weight loss goal. If you are adding to the original deficit by 800-1200 additional calories....then yes you should eat them back.

HOWEVER exercise calorie burns are estimates. Start by eating back 400-600 and see if weight loss continues at the expected rate. Increase the 400-600 if you are losing faster than expected. Slower than expected could be that 1200 didn't really equal your weekly weight loss goal at the start (MFP just would not go any lower).

SarahR2412

Right so basically eat more or I would have to reduce the amount of exercise I do so that I'm not causing any harm. The exercise I normally do daily is walking and jogging. The other stuff I've always put on there would be classed as NET stuff you talk about like general day to day stuff like cleaning cooking etc. So perhaps I shouldn't put that stuff on my diary as these as things I do generally everyday and guess the times it takes so maybe making my diary look like I've done way to much exercise.

SarahR2412

If I just put my walking and jogging on there is comes to like 650 calories burnt today and then I eat my 1200 so doesn't look as bad. Hard work dieting, exercise and keeping healthy!! Nightmare !

AJ_G

You're not necessarily causing harm, but what is going to happen if you keep doing high amounts of cardio coupled with a large caloric deficit, is your metabolism is going to adapt to that deficit by slowing down, and you'll reach a point where you'll be eating 1000 calories and doing 2 hours or cardio a day and you won't be able to lose any weight. I'm not trying to scare you, but this has happened time and time again to people and they don't understand what is happening. Cardio is great, if you love it, keep doing it, just make sure you're eating enough, and I'd suggest implementing some strength training if you aren't already so you can hold on to the muscle you have.

TeaBea

sarahrhod2412 wrote: »

Right so basically eat more or I would have to reduce the amount of exercise I do so that I'm not causing any harm. The exercise I normally do daily is walking and jogging. The other stuff I've always put on there would be classed as NET stuff you talk about like general day to day stuff like cleaning cooking etc. So perhaps I shouldn't put that stuff on my diary as these as things I do generally everyday and guess the times it takes so maybe making my diary look like I've done way to much exercise.

Sedentary activity level includes about 3000 steps, cooking, day-to-day cleaning. Don't log that. Just log deliberate workouts and deliberate walks.

1200-650=550 net calories.....VERY bad. Remember 1200 is a default minimum to meet nutritional goals. 1200 is one-size-fits-all.......are you 5' tall? Besides you aren't meeting nutritional minimums at 550 calories. This is NOT healthy.

Consider body fat % - really aggressive weight loss makes it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass. Not fueling workouts is like working out to increase muscle loss.....only the scale looks good. Google skinny-fat.

SarahR2412

Thank you and no you've not scared me lol. It totally makes sense what your saying and I've probably tricked myself by putting the cleaning cooking gardening etc cause their calories I always burn via NEAT and that I should only be recording my walking and jogging. The walking I do Monday to Friday is normally only slow walking with kids to and from school and then my other walking is mostly at weekends 5-6 miles Saturday and Sunday. The jogging I've only ever done at home and that would be jogging on the spot lol and that's steady not fast or over doing it so I maybe not doing too much cardio grrr

SarahR2412

Right so after some useful information today I need alittle more please.

If I eat 1200 calories and exercise and burn 400 how many of those net calories would I eat?

AJ_G

sarahrhod2412 wrote: »

Right so after some useful information today I need alittle more please.

If I eat 1200 calories and exercise and burn 400 how many of those net calories would I eat?

Theoretically if everything was 100% accurate, you should eat all of those 400 calories that you burnt. The 1200 calorie goal that MFP gave you already includes a deficit built into it, so you should eat back all the calories you burn on top of that. Unfortunately it is not a perfect world and everything is not 100% accurate, so I suggest eating back anywhere between 50% and 75% of your burned calories back, because they tend to be overestimated by most apps, including MFP. So if you burn 400, eat back 200 to 300 calories.

SarahR2412

Thank you