Is this wrong or right? - Weight loss help please!

stripeytrousers
stripeytrousers Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
I started my weight loss journey almost 2 years ago (1 year ago with more focus) and have gone from 15 stone 4lbs to recently 11 stone 12lbs. I'm 27 years old and am 5ft 10.5 (11 on a good day).

I just want to check if what i'm currently doing is correct as I'm not really sure to be honest - i don't know if its too much or too little! My aim is to lose a little bit more weight (mostly my still present love handles). I cycle to and from work everyday which totals 9 miles, the terrain isn't flat and it still feels like a work out every day. In addition I walk about 30 minutes at lunch and also walk the dog for about 20 minutes.

Eating wise, i'm trying to stick to 1350 calories, but I don't eat back my exercise calories, as I'm not sure if im meant to or not? I don't know if i'm being over harsh with myself, but (I know it sounds silly) I don't want to put the weight back on. I've done it sensibly and in time it has come off but I think i'm too worried to eat more calories. If I need to then I obviously will as its whats best for me, but I'm currently pretty clueless and just need a bit of direction. I'm generally good with my eating and don't eat white carbs and only rarely eat brown rice/pasta/bread.

Just a gentle nudge would be really helpful :-)

Replies

  • shelllord
    shelllord Posts: 43 Member
    Hi, it depends how you feel, if you are feeling weak,tired depressed,hungry then eat more. When i eat too little i find it hard to work out have headaches and feel dizzy that is when you know you need to eat more so listen to your body ,x
  • BeardedMike
    BeardedMike Posts: 52 Member
    I will always eat back my exercise calories and have been consistently losing weight . Some days I'm burning a lot of calories and if I don't eat them back I'll start feeling very tired.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    eat more
  • 1wweightloss
    1wweightloss Posts: 18
    I have been eating approximately 1350 calories to lose 1.1 lbs per week.

    I do exercise a few times a week and eat these calories back.

    Not sure what the "honestly" was for either, but as long as I'm losing weight and make sure you don't dip too low calorie wise ie lose more than a pound a week.
  • stripeytrousers
    stripeytrousers Posts: 23
    Thanks everyone - do people eat back all of their exercise calories or only half of them? I'm still wanting to lose a bit of weight as well.
  • shelllord
    shelllord Posts: 43 Member
    Hi , i don't as for me i don't see the point in putting all that hard work in just to eat it back. everyone has their own though on this before people start saying i am wrong, but thats just the way i think and it works for me x
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Your daily goal that MFP gives you already has a deficit built in - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you exercise and burn calories, you're creating a much larger deficit, which can do you more harm than good in the long run. This is why MFP adds your exercise cals back into your goal - you are SUPPOSED to eat them back.

    Your daily net cals should be at or close to your daily goal.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Your daily goal that MFP gives you already has a deficit built in - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you exercise and burn calories, you're creating a much larger deficit, which can do you more harm than good in the long run. This is why MFP adds your exercise cals back into your goal - you are SUPPOSED to eat them back.

    Your daily net cals should be at or close to your daily goal.

    this!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    MFP gives you a calorie GOAL that includes a huge deficit from maintenance. This calorie GOAL is net of exercise...when you set your profile up, exercise is NOT supposed to be included in your activity level...you log it seperately after the fact and then eat those calories back. The people that "don't understand why they would eat them back" have zero clue what they're doing or how to use this tool. They probably also use a hammer to drive screws.

    Other calculators will have you include your exercise in your activity level...so either way, you are accounting for exercise; just with MFP, you account for them after the fact rather than before the fact. Failure to properly account for exercise regardless of which calculator and method you choose results in under-eating and a whole bunch of negative **** that goes along with that.

    When in doubt, look up the word GOAL...it is something to be achieved. One word of caution...it can be somewhat difficult to accurately estimate calorie burn, especially for non-aerobic activities. A HRM is the most accurate for an aerobic event, but you'll still want to knock off 20% - 30% for estimation error. When I was doing MFP I always ate back arouind 70% of what my HRM said I burned in order to properly fuel my fitness. You'll also want to weigh your foods as well. When people say that "it doesn't work for them" it is largely because they are underestimating their intake and/or overestimating their burn. If you do it right, it works...
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    You're quite close to a goal weight for your height. If I were you I'd use MFP settings to lose 0.5 - 1.0 lbs a week and eat back a good proportion of your exercise calories (say 80% as MFP isn't 100% accurate, but for most people it's good enough). To get rid of that last jiggle, start weight training, say a basic lifting programme like Stronglifts or a kettlebell routine if you prefer dynamic moves. You won't see the scale go down as fast to start with, but your body fat and measurements will thank you!
  • stripeytrousers
    stripeytrousers Posts: 23
    Wow - thank you everyone for your help with this, this is exactly what I needed! I just didn't know what I was supposed to be doing and what you've said has made sense. From today I will eat back the calories from exercise and see how I get on! Thanks again for the support and help - much appreciated all.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Glad to see you're planning on eating more! With less to lose, I'd recommend changing your goal to 1/2 a pound per week and eat back at least half of your exercise calories. MFP does tend to overestimate calorie burn so you have to be a bit careful with eating all of them back. You can easily bump up calories by skipping the diet/low fat stuff and going with regular foods. Also things like nuts, seeds, their butters, whole eggs, avocado, etc

    FYI, you may see a slight gain at first as your body is used to a much lower daily calorie intake. Make sure you give this change at least a full month before deciding whether or not it's working.

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