1700 calorie Diet & 1000-1400 a day exercise.

rab986

I'm on a 1700 calorie diet to try to achieve a 2 lbs weight loss goal per weak (losing 28lbs) 228to 200.
I am also running/walking 5 miles a day or riding 15-20 miles a day on the bike. Been doing this for 2 weeks and lost a lot of weight quick (currently 217) but believe most is water weight.

My question, Is this a safe? or should I be eating my exercise cal's as I go?

I use to be very fit 10-12 years ago and let myself go after new job that took all my free time. I'm dealing with what I would consider above average joint/muscle pain and don't know if it's just due to my current state of fitness or if I'm just undernourished.

Any help is greatly appreciated... oh, I'm 6'2" and 48 years old if that matters.

Thanks in advance
-Steve

yweight1969

Sounds like you're going in the right direction for your weight loss, but I would make sure you put all your exercise into MyFitnessPal if you're not already doing that ,to make sure you're getting enough calories for your intense workouts. Congratulations on your loss and dedication keep up the great work.

Poisonedpawn78

With that level of exercise definitely eat at least a portion of it back, assuming that is an accurate calorie burn. If you dont, after a while you will start to get sluggish and have trouble keeping that pace up. Keep your body fueled to do that exercise.

If it was ME, I would be eating back about 50% of the exercise calories for two reasons. First, in case the calorie burn was overstated and second if there is a difference, it will be smaller and go towards the weight loss. Then I would see how my weight loss trend is. If its greater than 2lbs for a few weeks in a row, then I would probably add in a snack or something that made sense to bring it back down to 2lbs per week.

rab986

Thanks, I'm tracking everything in MFP...

So you say I should stick with 1700 calories a day intake (suggesting by MFP) even though I'm burning 1000+ on top of it?

MFP says I always have a deficit of 1000 or more each day and just wasn't sure if it was suggesting I consume those as well or if the app was simply showing me the math.

I'm new to weight loss so just trying to get a handle on this early before jeopardizing my health.

sunfastrose

2 pounds per week with only 28 pounds to lose is too aggressive. Set your goal to be more in the .5 to 1 pound range, and definitely agree on eating some exercise calories.

rmgnow

I think you're on the right track OP.
If I were you I'd eat back some of those calories.
You don't want to be exhausted

rab986

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

With that level of exercise definitely eat at least a portion of it back, assuming that is an accurate calorie burn. If you dont, after a while you will start to get sluggish and have trouble keeping that pace up. Keep your body fueled to do that exercise.

If it was ME, I would be eating back about 50% of the exercise calories for two reasons. First, in case the calorie burn was overstated and second if there is a difference, it will be smaller and go towards the weight loss. Then I would see how my weight loss trend is. If its greater than 2lbs for a few weeks in a row, then I would probably add in a snack or something that made sense to bring it back down to 2lbs per week.

I'm already experiencing the sluggishness and trying to push through it. This was one of the reasons I feel like I'm malnourished. I think my cal burn is fairly accurate, using heart rate monitors, along with speed/cadence on the bike and probably push my self harder than I should with an 85-97% averaging heart rate for 1 hour or more every day with the exception of today which 60% was all I could muster.

Can post a workout if needed, assuming I could figure it out.

-steve

rab986

Thats a 15 mile half road/trail ride, intensity is fairly standard for about 10 days straight up until last few as it's slowly tapering off, Today being 60%

I'm sore every day but have been able to push through it.

I like the idea of eating 50% of my workout cals... lord knows I'm starving

rab986

All your comments are great by the way, and thank you for the quick responses.

-Steve

Poisonedpawn78

rab986 wrote: »

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

With that level of exercise definitely eat at least a portion of it back, assuming that is an accurate calorie burn. If you dont, after a while you will start to get sluggish and have trouble keeping that pace up. Keep your body fueled to do that exercise.

If it was ME, I would be eating back about 50% of the exercise calories for two reasons. First, in case the calorie burn was overstated and second if there is a difference, it will be smaller and go towards the weight loss. Then I would see how my weight loss trend is. If its greater than 2lbs for a few weeks in a row, then I would probably add in a snack or something that made sense to bring it back down to 2lbs per week.

I'm already experiencing the sluggishness and trying to push through it. This was one of the reasons I feel like I'm malnourished. I think my cal burn is fairly accurate, using heart rate monitors, along with speed/cadence on the bike and probably push my self harder than I should with an 85-97% averaging heart rate for 1 hour or more every day with the exception of today which 60% was all I could muster.

Can post a workout if needed, assuming I could figure it out.

-steve

If you are definitely eat some back of the 1000 exercise calories. if the 1700 MFP is giving you is before exercise then probably going up to 22-2300 should be good, see how you feel after a week or two of this. if you are still losing and feeling sluggish then you can raise it up a bit more.

1% weight loss per week is considered the healthy top end you want to aim for. So 2lbs for you while aggressive shouldnt pose a problem, but it might prove to be harder to keep up as you lose a bit more. Just listen to your body if you feel you need more. even if you cut into that loss, 1-1.5lbs a week is still a great pace.

rab986

Probably some of the best advice so far "listen to my body"... but I guess I'm just hesitant to trust it since I feel like I'm basically throwing It into shock.

I guess I just need to be happy with 1lb a week if that's all it gives me. I'm just driven to lose 2 per week because I decided to sign up for "Tough Mudder" in Missouri this October with my wife and she told me I better get in shape. At this point I proceeded to show here how many sit-ups I could do and... well... I honestly could not do 1 correctly.
Now I'm determined to do something with this mess of a body I have created and probably am expecting to much in such a short time.

I should probably just move into a mild weight training program to work in with my cardio, keep up with my calories like I am and quit stepping on the scale every day.

giefspamnao

rab986 wrote: »

I'm dealing with what I would consider above average joint/muscle pain
-Steve

Did you go from zero excercise to every day running?
Your joints might not be happy with that
Every time i do that my knee says NO and i have to wait a few months for it to get better

Hoshiko

Eating back 50% - 100% of your exercise calories is a good idea, especially for any workout longer than 1.5 hours. So, if your daily goal is 1700 and you burn 1000, you would be aiming to eat 2200 to 2700 calories total. Any less than that and your body is technically getting less than 1700 net calories. When your workouts are that long, sometimes you're getting a LOT less, which is not good.

Also, if you are going from sedentary to working out every day at those levels you need to have at least 1 recovery day. They are just as important as workout days, and essential for injury prevention if you're doing a lot of repetitive motions. Take it from me, you don't want to push too hard and end up having to take a month or two off for an injury.

Eat more, you'll feel better and recover faster.

TavistockToad

What you're doing sounds like a crash diet not sustainable lifestyle changes.

yirara

So you say you eat 1700 and workout for around 1000? Then you're basically on a 700 calorie diet! No, that does not sound healthy at all. Your body can only use a certain amount of bodyfat as fuel, the rest will be muscles. You don't want to lose muscles.

But besides, I must say that your calorie burn sounds grossly exaggerated. For your running, weight in lbs * distance in miles * 0.68 is an equation often cited in literature. For walking it's the multiplier 0.3. Your heartrate zones also look off. How did you determine your maximum heartrate? if you've not been cycling powerfully for years before it's unlikely you can cycle in HR zone 5 for an hour. More likely, your HRmax is much higher than this, and the calorie burn you get is much lower.

rab986

My age was posted earlier but I will post all my stats again so you can do the math. I'm 48, Male, 6'2" very recently 228lbs. (217) now.
My max heart rate is only 172-ish. I have two different monitors, UA monitor on chest and my Apple Watch which are actually both fairly consistent of one another. I can hold my heart up there and I can peak it above my max at will... I may not be in shape but I'm no stranger to pushing myself as I boxed most of my life so self motivation is not new to me, but losing excessive body fat is, (started at 31%)
I am losing the weight which seems to back up the claim and it's noticeable physically, I just wanted to make sure it's healthy since I have never had to diet like this. My claims were not intended to debate outside of that.

Again, thank you for the responses.

TavistockToad

rab986 wrote: »

I just wanted to make sure it's healthy since I have never had to diet like this.

No it is not.

VintageFeline

You don't have a 1000 calorie deficit. If your diary is showing 1000 green at the end of the day then in reality it's a 2000 per day deficit as 1700 included the 2lbs per week goal.

What you are doing is madness. Eat more. Immediately. The fact you've dropped so much weight so quickly is alarming. Sure there will be water weight but you'll also be retaining water from a sudden increase in exercise. They're basically offsetting each other.

deannalfisher

MFP gives you calorie goals NOT including purposeful exercise - so you should be eating back at least a portion of those exercise calories (different people have different success with ratios - some can eat back 100%, others only 50%)

with only 28lbs, you should be aiming for .5-1lb weight loss per weight - 2lbs is too aggressive and not sustainable

deannalfisher

also if you are not fueling your body correctly - you will lose more than body fat - you will lose lean muscle mass as well, and with netting only 700cal a day that is something that could happen

trigden1991

You will burn yourself out very quickly with such low calories and high activity.

rab986

The consensus seems to be clear and runs in correlation with how I feel physically. I just kept telling myself that I'm just that out of shape and is what I'm going to have to deal with but that's likely not the case (for the most part anyway).

I will switch to 1 lb a week weight loss goal and move forward with a minimum of 50% calorie intake of my exercise calories and see how I feel and adjust as necessary.

Heck it may be beneficial for me to just hire a pro for a month or so for a jump start in the right direction before I do any more damage. At my age I can't afford to go backwards.

TavistockToad

rab986 wrote: »

The consensus seems to be clear and runs in correlation with how I feel physically. I just kept telling myself that I'm just that out of shape and is what I'm going to have to deal with but that's likely not the case (for the most part anyway).

I will switch to 1 lb a week weight loss goal and move forward with a minimum of 50% calorie intake of my exercise calories and see how I feel and adjust as necessary.

Heck it may be beneficial for me to just hire a pro for a month or so for a jump start in the right direction before I do any more damage. At my age I can't afford to go backwards.

or just keep using MFP, there are loads of knowledgeable people on here to ask questions, like you have done already...

rab986

Just FYI to clear up any misunderstandings since I'm not well versed in this calorie monitoring lingo.

Here are a couple snapshots of my Diary through out this week.

VintageFeline

Yep, the green number is what you are adding onto your already built in deficit from MFP. So you are effectively having a deficit for 4lbs per week losses (of course this assumes burn accuracy). No wonder you feel like crap, I'm pleased you've taken the advice to slow down on board.

deannalfisher

so your goal should be 1710+(50% of 1300 or 650) = 1710+650 = 2360ish

try2again

rab986 wrote: »

The consensus seems to be clear and runs in correlation with how I feel physically. I just kept telling myself that I'm just that out of shape and is what I'm going to have to deal with but that's likely not the case (for the most part anyway).

I will switch to 1 lb a week weight loss goal and move forward with a minimum of 50% calorie intake of my exercise calories and see how I feel and adjust as necessary.

Heck it may be beneficial for me to just hire a pro for a month or so for a jump start in the right direction before I do any more damage. At my age I can't afford to go backwards.

You've restored my faith in people! In many threads like this, when people are told they are doing something dangerous and unsustainable, they hem & haw & argue and agree to *maybe* add 100 calories to their diets! You have a great plan moving forward- wish you the best!

earlnabby

rab986 wrote: »

Thanks, I'm tracking everything in MFP...

So you say I should stick with 1700 calories a day intake (suggesting by MFP) even though I'm burning 1000+ on top of it?

MFP says I always have a deficit of 1000 or more each day and just wasn't sure if it was suggesting I consume those as well or if the app was simply showing me the math.

I'm new to weight loss so just trying to get a handle on this early before jeopardizing my health.

The 1700 calories is your NET calories so your exercise calories should be eaten back.

MFP uses the NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) method of calculating calories which means that 1700 is what you should be eating to fuel your everyday life. What did you enter for your activity level? When there is purposeful exercise above your everyday activity the calories burned should be added in to your daily total.

1. Start by eating back 50% of the calories burned. MFP's activity database is notoriously inaccurate
2. After a couple of weeks (give it about 4) calculate your average weekly weight loss. If you are on target, you are good. If you are losing faster than target, eat more exercise calories back
3. Rethink the 2lb per week goal. It is very aggressive and may not be the best long term. with only 28 lb to lose, you might be better off aiming for a 1 lb a week loss.

joshuak30

1700 calories net is nuts. 2 pounds per week is very quickly going to wreck you, and you know this because you said "60% is all I could muster." That's your body quitting because you're underfeeding it. Please pay attention to the great advice you've been given, and you'll be on track for safe, consistent fat loss.

For reference: I lost ~1 pound/week consistently for 15 weeks eating 1900-200 calories a day, with an average daily burn of 200-300 calories. I'm 5'10" and 165 now, was 180. At your size and activity level you really should eat closer to 2500+ calories a day.

rab986

earlnabby wrote: »

[quote="rab986;c-40008041"

What did you enter for your activity level? When there is purposeful exercise above your everyday activity the calories burned should be added in to your daily total.

1. Start by eating back 50% of the calories burned. MFP's activity database is notoriously inaccurate
2. After a couple of weeks (give it about 4) calculate your average weekly weight loss. If you are on target, you are good. If you are losing faster than target, eat more exercise calories back
3. Rethink the 2lb per week goal. It is very aggressive and may not be the best long term. with only 28 lb to lose, you might be better off aiming for a 1 lb a week loss.

My exercise calories are tracked though my UA fitness Apps, Tracker, MapMyRide, etc via several different monitoring devises including Speed / Cadence but mostly Heart Rate with using my AU chest monitor and/or my New Apple Watch I bought myself for losing 10lbs(absolutely love this thing by the way). I'm an Op Manager of a large facility and choose not to ride around in a truck/golf art all day so I easily get 8k to 15k steps a day which I believe is also figured in there.

I have already adjusted my goal to 1lb per week

earlnabby

rab986 wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

[quote="rab986;c-40008041"

What did you enter for your activity level? When there is purposeful exercise above your everyday activity the calories burned should be added in to your daily total.

1. Start by eating back 50% of the calories burned. MFP's activity database is notoriously inaccurate
2. After a couple of weeks (give it about 4) calculate your average weekly weight loss. If you are on target, you are good. If you are losing faster than target, eat more exercise calories back
3. Rethink the 2lb per week goal. It is very aggressive and may not be the best long term. with only 28 lb to lose, you might be better off aiming for a 1 lb a week loss.

My exercise calories are tracked though my UA fitness Apps, Tracker, MapMyRide, etc via several different monitoring devises including Speed / Cadence but mostly Heart Rate with using my AU chest monitor and/or my New Apple Watch I bought myself for losing 10lbs(absolutely love this thing by the way). I'm an Op Manager of a large facility and choose not to ride around in a truck/golf art all day so I easily get 8k to 15k steps a day which I believe is also figured in there.

I have already adjusted my goal to 1lb per week

I use Map My Walk for a lot of my step based exercise and I find their calculations to be more accurate than MFP. Sounds like you are on the right track. See how it goes and tweak as needed. I ended up eating back 75% of my exercise calories burned to maintain my weight loss target of 1.25 lb a week.