Help and advice

RabiaH1988

I have just re started my “diet” this week and been back at the gym. MFP Tells me I need to eat 1200 per day to lose 2lbs a week.

My question is if I’m at the gym and exercising and burning around 300-400 per day could I eat those back ? My calorie burned amount comes from my HR monitor I use in the gym called MyZone. Not sure how accurate they are but I always calculate 50 calories less. So if my myzone says 450 il only input 400.

Panini911

yes eat back the exervise calories. you can start with 90% and see

how tall are you, how much do you want to lose?

RabiaH1988

I’m 5”2 and I want to lose 2-3 stones

Panini911

2lbs is a bit aggressive at this stage. i'd recommend choosing 1-1.5lb/week rate of loss (and lower as you get closer to goal).

you are probably getting 1200 as it's the minimum an adult woman should eat to get their nutrients (and this, meant for a sedentary very short woman). So you ABSOLUTELY need to be eating a reasonable estimate of your exercise calories. if you have doubts about accuracy of estimates, eat a little bit less, track and see how your weight trends for 2-3 weeks and adjust if needed. also see how hungry/how you feel over time.

RabiaH1988

So I need to change my goals, to be fair I didn’t think 1200 was enough I did find myself still hungry sometimes

Panini911

The easier you can make weight loss the more likely you will keep at it longer. and weight loss is about eating at a calorie deficit regularly OVER TIME. losing faster but falling "off the rails" because you've made things harder than necessary will not help you achieve your goals.

the winner in weight loss is the one that can lose weight while eating the most and being happy/satisfied. Even if it takes a bit longer, they are minimally bothered by the process and more likely to achieve their goal long term.

RabiaH1988

I know I’m going to sound really silly saying this. So I can eat what I want as long as I’m under my calorie limit ? I’ve changed my goals to losing 1.5lbs a week and it’s bumped my calories upto 1460.

So if I eat within 1460 and exercise 4 times a week burning 300-400 calories I can lose weight ?

etherealanwar

RabiaH1988 wrote: »

I know I’m going to sound really silly saying this. So I can eat what I want as long as I’m under my calorie limit ? I’ve changed my goals to losing 1.5lbs a week and it’s bumped my calories upto 1460.

So if I eat within 1460 and exercise 4 times a week burning 300-400 calories I can lose weight ?

Yes you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight since losing weight all comes down to maintaining a calorie deficit.

endermako

etherealanwar wrote: »

RabiaH1988 wrote: »

I know I’m going to sound really silly saying this. So I can eat what I want as long as I’m under my calorie limit ? I’ve changed my goals to losing 1.5lbs a week and it’s bumped my calories upto 1460.

So if I eat within 1460 and exercise 4 times a week burning 300-400 calories I can lose weight ?

Yes you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight since losing weight all comes down to maintaining a calorie deficit.

^^yup

Panini911

RabiaH1988 wrote: »

I know I’m going to sound really silly saying this. So I can eat what I want as long as I’m under my calorie limit ? I’ve changed my goals to losing 1.5lbs a week and it’s bumped my calories upto 1460.

So if I eat within 1460 and exercise 4 times a week burning 300-400 calories I can lose weight ?

yes for weight loss, it`s just math. eat fewer calories than you use up.
but you should eat 1460 PLUS A REASONABLE ESTIMATE OF YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES. so on days you exercise you eat 1460+300=1760. if you feel 300 is possibly too high an estimate of your exercise calories you can eat 50-70% of them.

i mean for general health it`s good to ensure to get enough protein, fat and fruit veg. and differnet foods will make you feel fuller longer. but those don`t matter directly for weight loss (well feeling full can help you keep to your calorie goal).

RabiaH1988

That’s great thank you for your replies and help !!

Sharon_C

If you find that after you bumped your calories up that you're still not losing, I would eat back less exercise calories. 400 seems really high.

RabiaH1988

My estimated calorie burns come from my heart rate belt that I wear during a gym session. I always in put it around 50 calories less than what it states on my monitor just in case. I try not to eat back the calories on some days and some days I only eat back a little bit but never all the calories I’ve burnt