my doc says don't eat exercise calories??????

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batty5
batty5 Posts: 193
in Fitness and Exercise
As currently it isn't working for me my doctor has said not to eat my exercise calories, or as few as possible of them. He says it is a simple input/ output equation so if I am not losing weight I must be eating too many calories! Currently I am eating about half of my exercise calories & I have to say I am inclined to agree with him even though so many people lose weight here. I think that we don't all burn calories at the same rate even if we weigh the same so looks as if I burn them very slowly but am thinking yoying calories may work so one week less next week more what do others advise please? I am desperate as have been trying to lose weight for 2 years now & to date have only lost 7lbs total & only 2lbs in last 6 weeks since joining.
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  • FunkBunny
    FunkBunny Posts: 417 Member
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    I understand the doctor's advice...but you have to understand that the MFP base calories it assigns you is already at a calorie deficit from your metabolic rate based on your lifestyle. So if you don't exercise and stay in your caloric range, you will still lose.
    But when you exercise you will need more calories to maintain your metabolism in order to lose weight still.
    Also, as you build muscle you will begin to rev up your metabolism and burn more calories even while resting. everyone's metabolism is different, be it for genetic reasons, body composition or due to medications people are on. All those factors come in to play. The good point is that you are losing, you are moving in the right direction, evn if it's slower than you would like. Weight will fluctuate up and down, but if the results are coming in, stick with it!
  • klmix08
    klmix08 Posts: 14
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    What do you have your activity style set at? You may not have the level set appropriately. :smile:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    As currently it isn't working for me my doctor has said not to eat my exercise calories, or as few as possible of them. He says it is a simple input/ output equation so if I am not losing weight I must be eating too many calories! Currently I am eating about half of my exercise calories & I have to say I am inclined to agree with him even though so many people lose weight here. I think that we don't all burn calories at the same rate even if we weigh the same so looks as if I burn them very slowly but am thinking yoying calories may work so one week less next week more what do others advise please? I am desperate as have been trying to lose weight for 2 years now & to date have only lost 7lbs total & only 2lbs in last 6 weeks since joining.

    I see this a lot with both doctors and trainers. It's usually because the MFP member failed to properly explain MFP to them. Did you explain to your doctor that MFP already puts you at a caloric deficit before you even think about exercising? And that the exercise calories are just the way to remain at that deficit?

    I've spoken to plenty of trainer all of which initially say "don't eat them" but then after explained the situation say "Oh, well if they're already at a deficit then that's fine." I don't have the opportunity to speak to a lot of doctors on this (and in truth, doctors aren't always the best people to advise on nutrition, usually it's better to see a dietitian as they have specific nutrition training where many doctors don't).
  • Lisa0711
    Lisa0711 Posts: 1,405 Member
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    Since talking with your doctor is more individual-specific, I would give it a try. Many people on here eat all, some, half, or none of their calories. I've heard of success stories with each. It can't hurt to give it a try since nothing else is working. Just be sure you're eating ENOUGH calories. If you don't eat enough (at least 1200) it can put your body in starvation mode and halt progress just like eating too many calories would. I hope it works for you - good luck!
  • BrattyLori
    BrattyLori Posts: 101 Member
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    Thats what my doc says too. I THOUGHT people were full of baloney to say to eat exercise cals so I asked my doc. My doc says that people who say that just want permission to overeat. Do NOT eat your exercies cals!
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
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    Another thing to keep in mind is that the calorie amounts given by MFP for exercise are not very accurate, so you may actually be burning less or more than what it says. Of course if you are using a heart rate monitor (not sure if you are) then you can be confident that your numbers are as accurate as possible.

    If you made your diary public i'd be happy to take a peek at it for you.
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
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    Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories :)
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
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    I have two suggestions if you aren't already doing them.

    HRM - get one. The calorie burn they have on MFP is very general and will vary from person to person.

    Food scale - get one. Gussing at you portion size is one of the biggest mistakes that people do. Do you really now what an ounce of cheese, or meat looks like? You'd be surprised!

    I usually leave some calories on the table when the day is done, but I eat most of my exercise calories, and no, I'm not looking to 'over eat' like the previous poster suggested. Ha!
  • mooz
    mooz Posts: 101
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    I've always been of the same mindset - don't eat them. I know MFP already puts me at a deficit but I think of it as this...the deficit is to lose weight, exercise is to make my heart happy. I don't think of exercise as a necessity to lose weight, it's a necessity of good health. May not make sense to anyone else but it does to me.

    Plus, MFPs exercise cals always seem SO high to me and I don't have a HRM to accurately measure my output. So I think I'd likely be overeating all the time.
  • AVeryMegGirl
    AVeryMegGirl Posts: 5
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    I use a heart rate monitor to see how many calories I am actually burning vs MFP calories.. Majority of the time MFP is off.. Depending on the amount I burn I will usually eat half my exercise calories.

    Hope this helps!
  • vencellia
    vencellia Posts: 89 Member
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    I agree with your doctor maybe we all are different, because I dont lose when I eat mine. So I just eat healthy and workout and I lose really good that way!
  • Rugbychick16
    Rugbychick16 Posts: 183 Member
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    Thats what my doc says too. I THOUGHT people were full of baloney to say to eat exercise cals so I asked my doc. My doc says that people who say that just want permission to overeat. Do NOT eat your exercies cals!

    I for one most definatly do not eat my excersise calories so I can give myself "permission to overeat", and that general statement with regards to everyone who does eat them seems a little bit harsh.

    Everyone on here needs to do whats BEST for THEM. Don't do what's best for me, or your friends or anyone else.

    I ALWAYS eat my excersise calories, due to the caloric deficit on MFP, NOT in order for me to have "permission" to eat.

    It just makes sence to me to do that for myself. And it works for me.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I've always been of the same mindset - don't eat them. I know MFP already puts me at a deficit but I think of it as this...the deficit is to lose weight, exercise is to make my heart happy. I don't think of exercise as a necessity to lose weight, it's a necessity of good health. May not make sense to anyone else but it does to me.

    Plus, MFPs exercise cals always seem SO high to me and I don't have a HRM to accurately measure my output. So I think I'd likely be overeating all the time.

    to the first part. While I understand your line of thought, it's inaccurate in that exercise does burn extra calories, so ignoring them doesn't make them irrelevant, whether you choose to eat them or not, your body will still need more calories if it burns more calories.
    I completely agree that exercise is very good for your cardiovascular system and a necessity for most people to live a happy, healthy life, but it also means you must provide fuel for that exercise.

    To the second part: I agree, MFP's exercise database is basically of very little use as everyone burns calories at their own rate, and thus using someone else's calorie burn for a particular exercise is not very accurate.
  • mworld
    mworld Posts: 270
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    He says it is a simple input/ output equation so if I am not losing weight I must be eating too many calories!

    The doctor makes perfect sense here and obviously agrees with MFP's methodology. Of course if you use the wrong numbers in the equation you won't get the expected result.
  • mooz
    mooz Posts: 101
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    I agree that I need to fuel my body appropriately to function with or without exercise. I guess I think that way because my weight is so high [335lbs] that I really feel at this point its counter-productive to eat those calories or at the very least not detrimental to my health if I don't eat them.

    I know at my weight that my body won't go into "starvation mode" so I'm not too worried about it. As I lose weight I know I'll have to adjust my caloric intake and output.
  • merebear
    merebear Posts: 80 Member
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    YES!!!! My doctor said the same. Just this week I went to a medical weight loss center to sign up and the physician there said to go down to a 1000 calorie diet - as opposed to the 1200 the MFP gave me - and she said that no matter how much I work out, I should still only take in the 1000 calories a day....this confused me because MFP says that "if you keep your calories this low your body will go into starvation mode" - the important thing she said also is to slightly vary how many calories you take in each day - 950, 1050, 1000, etc - to keep your body guessing. Wow! Now I know why i have hit a plateau......I thought if i burned an extra 400 calories then it meant I could have a little extra that day or a treat :sad: Yikes!! But I am going to follow my doctor's advice since I am under her care specifically for this medical weight loss program.
  • merebear
    merebear Posts: 80 Member
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    YES!!!! My doctor said the same. Just this week I went to a medical weight loss center to sign up and the physician there said to go down to a 1000 calorie diet - as opposed to the 1200 the MFP gave me - and she said that no matter how much I work out, I should still only take in the 1000 calories a day....this confused me because MFP says that "if you keep your calories this low your body will go into starvation mode" - the important thing she said also is to slightly vary how many calories you take in each day - 950, 1050, 1000, etc - to keep your body guessing. Wow! Now I know why i have hit a plateau......I thought if i burned an extra 400 calories then it meant I could have a little extra that day or a treat :sad: Yikes!! But I am going to follow my doctor's advice since I am under her care specifically for this medical weight loss program.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I agree that I need to fuel my body appropriately to function with or without exercise. I guess I think that way because my weight is so high [335lbs] that I really feel at this point its counter-productive to eat those calories or at the very least not detrimental to my health if I don't eat them.

    I know at my weight that my body won't go into "starvation mode" so I'm not too worried about it. As I lose weight I know I'll have to adjust my caloric intake and output.

    this is true, the more adipose fat you have, the larger the deficit you can have without entering starvation mode. But the concept is still there, to put it maybe in a better way, when you do lose much of the weight, it's good to be aware of this concept as it will eventually be something you need to deal with. But for now, I doubt it's something that will cause you an issue. To YOU specifically though, not as a general rule.
  • S_H84
    S_H84 Posts: 75
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    Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories :)

    uh, and how many nutritional classes have people on MFP taken? /sarcasm
    The information that medical school students get is enough for them to give great advice on nutrition.

    Personally, I would give it a try what your doctor said. Maybe your setting is also wrong on here ( in regards to how much you want to loose etc). Maybe you are not working out enough, eating the right things, etc. There are so many variables.

    There are days where I eat my exercise calories, because I feel my body needs it, on other days I don't eat them. My husband is a marathon runner and doesn't eat (all) his exercise calories. It is more important to give your body the nutrition that it needs than ensuring you eat the exercise calories.....

    Good luck.
  • mooz
    mooz Posts: 101
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    Boss man, you're right. I know I'll have to adjust my thinking later on. And I'm glad I'm on this site with people like you to help guide me along if I need it :)

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