under 1200 calories after workout help !!

Selina1313

Hello, I am wondering if this is a good or a bad thing. I had 3 meals and 2 snacks and a protein shake = just over 1500 calories but my new level of workout burns over 500 calories putting me at a total of 1000 calories for the day. So what I'm asking is do I need to get to 1200 calories after my workout to meet my min? My BMR total is around 1650 and I am trying to lose 50Lbs. ( at 189 atm)

I'm worried about not eating enough as I will be doing this workout 3-5 days a week. I sit at work.

Please help as I could not find an answer.
\thank you

Selina1313

Please help

tonynguyen75

You shouldn't be eating under your BMR in the first place? Eat your BMR and because you're burning 1500-2500 calories a week, that can be your deficit. If you're not losing weight, either you're not actually burning 500 calories, or you're consuming more than 1650.

Selina1313

I have lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks by just eating around 1400 (including calories burned for workout) but today MFP calculated I ate 1500 and burned 500 putting total calories at 1000 for the day. Do I need to get to the 1200 mark after workout?

conniemaxwell5

You shouldn't be eating under your BMR in the first place? Eat your BMR and because you're burning 1500-2500 calories a week, that can be your deficit. If you're not losing weight, either you're not actually burning 500 calories, or you're consuming more than 1650.

You actually need to eat more than your BMR. BMR is what it takes to sustain you when you're in a coma. You should calculate your TDEE and eat 20% less than that. This article should be helpful:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

heybales

If you used the BMR calc on MFP, then hopefully you read the note about how that is calories your body would like to burn merely sleeping all day.

Now, if that is indeed all you did, then you would cut some calories from that to lose weight.

But you wake up, you get up, you move around, you exercise, and you burn a whole lot more. THAT is the level you cut calories from.

Hopefully a reasonable amount so you stuck at same weight for months on end, fall off the wagon and gain what you lost and more back, and come back here in 1-2 years to attempt it all over again.

Did you select the 1 lb weekly loss that is recommended at least?

1200 is minimum guidelines for getting in required nutrients for a sedentary woman.

You sedentary? You said exercise, you are not.

That's the safe minimum, like minimum building codes are for safety.
Not for longevity, performance, or aesthetics.
You wanna live longer, feel better, and look better?

Don't do minimum for safety. If you are exercising, fuel the workouts by eating back those calories and keeping ONLY the 500 cal deficit in place by selecting 1 lb weekly loss. Now your body has extra fuel to actually make improvements from, that you are asking your exercise to cause.

If you just want to lose weight and don't care what it is - just stop eating until it's gone.

heybales

I have lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks by just eating around 1400 (including calories burned for workout) but today MFP calculated I ate 1500 and burned 500 putting total calories at 1000 for the day. Do I need to get to the 1200 mark after workout?

6 lbs of what exactly?

Did you know probably 3-4 lbs of that was probably fast water weight loss. Some related to probably eating less sodium. Most probably related to stored water with glucose, which is actually Lean Body Mass, which is what your metabolism is mainly for.
Lower that, your metabolism goes down.

Read above post about the direction you are going.

TheRealParisLove

Are you hungry? If you are hungry, have a healthy snack. If you aren't hungry, bank the calories for later on in the week, should you find yourself feeling hungry. I measure calories over the week, and will purposely under or overeat depending on how I feel. Over all, I eat almost exactly what MFP recommends for me.

Selina1313

Sorry I am really new to this.
I sit at work so I set that and then started working out. I have my loss set for 2 lbs per week.
I want to lose 50lbs. I'm willing to work to do it but I still want to eat healthy too.
I think I have confused myself when I entered my info.

I'm 34, 5'7" 189 LBS

So if my BMR is 1600 I should eat 1600 and if I burn 500 off from my workout I need to add 500 to bring the total calories back up to 1600?

Selina1313

This is what I have calculated for me

Nutritional goals Goals

Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,200 cal/day
Carbs / Day 165 g
Fat / Day 40 g
Protein / Day 45 g

Fitness Goals Goals

Calories Burned / Week 1,660 cal/week
Workouts / Week 5 Workouts
Minutes / Workout 48 mins


Your diet Profile Target

Calories Burned
From Normal Daily Activity 1,990 cal/day
Net Calories Consumed*
Your Daily Goal 1,200 cal/day
Daily Calorie Deficit 790 calories
Projected Weight Loss 1.6 lbs/week

* Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned

itsscottwilder

So if my BMR is 1600 I should eat 1600 and if I burn 500 off from my workout I need to add 500 to bring the total calories back up to 1600?

Yes, that's a good zone to be in IMO.

benlogan87

If you can, get your RMR (pretty much same as BMR, but far easier to get tested, and the difference is minimal) tested, which is your resting metabolic rate, or the number you burn if your sitting down, calm and relaxed all day. I did, simple as not eating or drinking for 6 hours, and breathing into a machine for 20 minutes. Only cost me AU$129. And a bit of drool on my shirt :P

What all these wizz bang calculators told me online, were all incorrect. Closest ones were 400 calories off. (McCardle with BF% entered, and Scooby calculator).

My TDEE is 3405 calores, give or take. Only 300 calories from that is exercise, so on days I really push it, or I'm flat out at work, it will be much more than that.

My RMR is 2390 calories. According to the sports scientist/dietician, my "Fat loss zone" is between 1912 - 2390 calories. So on non training days, I'm on 1900 calories, training days I'm on 2100 calories, at a 40% protein, 40% carb and 20% fat ratio.

The machine also works out where your body pulls its energy from, 85% comes from fat stores for me, 15% from carbs.

Also note, that my metabolism is 24% faster compared to a typical person of similar build etc. So its not a cookie cutter deficit, and I'm going to trust a certified Dr/trainer over people on the internet.

In terms of eating back, I don't stress about it. I try and follow 1900 non training, 2100-200 training. And stick as close to my macros as possible. I manually set MFP to the figures the Dr gave me, and just use at as a food tracker now. I have to go back every 3 months to be re-tested, and adjusted, due to lost weight/gained muscle.

Selina1313

Thank you so much. I'm going to work hard to hit my 1600 mark and hope it works.

tifsimmons91

I always eat my 1500 calories for the day and do my workout but I don't eat more calpries after my workout unless I ate under 1500 calories because I always thought u had to burn more than what u ate... now I'm a little confused maybe I'm doing it wrong

benlogan87

I always eat my 1500 calories for the day and do my workout but I don't eat more calpries after my workout unless I ate under 1500 calories because I always thought u had to burn more than what u ate... now I'm a little confused maybe I'm doing it wrong

If your letting MFP do the calculating, it has already worked out the deficit. So it is safe for you to eat them back. If you manually set the calories/macros, then don't eat them back, just have a slightly higher calorie intake for days you do train.

heybales

Thank you so much. I'm going to work hard to hit my 1600 mark and hope it works.

Set your weight loss goal to 1 lb weekly.

Your activity level is probably actually more than sedentary, so that difference will provide some more deficit.

Eat back your exercise calories as designed, so you keep that 500 cal deficit only.

Weigh all your foods, don't measure. Well, except liquids of course.

JustAnotherGirlSuzanne

You shouldn't be eating under your BMR in the first place? Eat your BMR and because you're burning 1500-2500 calories a week, that can be your deficit. If you're not losing weight, either you're not actually burning 500 calories, or you're consuming more than 1650.

You actually need to eat more than your BMR. BMR is what it takes to sustain you when you're in a coma. You should calculate your TDEE and eat 20% less than that. This article should be helpful:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

This^^

But until you get it all worked out (I know, I've been there, it takes a while to understand everything) eat back all of your exercise calories.

heybales

If you can, get your RMR (pretty much same as BMR, but far easier to get tested, and the difference is minimal) tested, which is your resting metabolic rate, or the number you burn if your sitting down, calm and relaxed all day. I did, simple as not eating or drinking for 6 hours, and breathing into a machine for 20 minutes. Only cost me AU$129. And a bit of drool on my shirt :P

What all these wizz bang calculators told me online, were all incorrect. Closest ones were 400 calories off. (McCardle with BF% entered, and Scooby calculator).

My TDEE is 3405 calores, give or take. Only 300 calories from that is exercise, so on days I really push it, or I'm flat out at work, it will be much more than that.

My RMR is 2390 calories. According to the sports scientist/dietician, my "Fat loss zone" is between 1912 - 2390 calories. So on non training days, I'm on 1900 calories, training days I'm on 2100 calories, at a 40% protein, 40% carb and 20% fat ratio.

The machine also works out where your body pulls its energy from, 85% comes from fat stores for me, 15% from carbs.

Also note, that my metabolism is 24% faster compared to a typical person of similar build etc. So its not a cookie cutter deficit, and I'm going to trust a certified Dr/trainer over people on the internet.

In terms of eating back, I don't stress about it. I try and follow 1900 non training, 2100-200 training. And stick as close to my macros as possible. I manually set MFP to the figures the Dr gave me, and just use at as a food tracker now. I have to go back every 3 months to be re-tested, and adjusted, due to lost weight/gained muscle.

As much as you dis standard formula's, hate to tell ya, but that's exactly what you got, at least based on real RMR testing.

You just got a plan that is standard cookie cutter, and bad one at that. That one comes with the machine. It's standard TDEE table, just like the websites, because it has no idea what your activity level is, and they probably picked from normal 5 levels based on what you told them.

If you know what RMR is and means as you correctly state, about 150-250 over real BMR, then you know basing that as the top of your eating level is not smart either, as you may or may not realize, your potential TDEE is much higher than RMR.

And that RMR may be dead on correct for your actual amount of LBM, but unless you have an accurate bodyfat test, you'd never know.

The other problem is under-eating for your level of activity will cause that number to be lower, you can force your metabolism slower. Then you eat to that lower number, and you just lowered it again.

And bad news, unless total newbie, your ability to add actual muscle mass while eating at that much of a deficit ain't happening for ya. You can get stronger, you can lose fat over the muscle and make them stand out better, they can fill with water and appear bigger, but you ain't adding any appreciable amount. If you were eating at maintenance and newbie and lifting heavy, maybe approaching a pound per month for a guy could be possible.

heybales

I always eat my 1500 calories for the day and do my workout but I don't eat more calpries after my workout unless I ate under 1500 calories because I always thought u had to burn more than what u ate... now I'm a little confused maybe I'm doing it wrong

That 1500 goal ALREADY had a deficit based on NO exercise expected or accounted for.

That is why the activity level you selected had no exercise in it.

Don't mix the diet goal with the fitness goal - separate and the math is not done between them.

That is why MFP adds on the exercise to eat after you log it - keeps the original deficit in place whether you exercise or not.

Yes, you are doing it wrong. If you exercised 500 calories worth of burn, that is for purely mechanical movement during the session, not repair energy for getting stronger, ect.
So if you ate 1500, exercise took 500 off the top just to move you around, leaving 1000 calories for your body to take care of life functions, to repair from the exercise, to grow hair/skin/nails, to fight off disease, to stay warm when cold out.
If your body would like to burn 1500 for just the most basic functions for life, there ain't enough left over for that other stuff to happen, or at least a whole lot slower.
Which is actually what your body usually does, slows you down all day, and metabolism, to make up the difference, because it needs the 1500.

Francl27

Easy solution. Eat your 1500 plus most of your exercise calories.

Selina1313

Thank you so much. I'm going to work hard to hit my 1600 mark and hope it works.

Set your weight loss goal to 1 lb weekly.

Your activity level is probably actually more than sedentary, so that difference will provide some more deficit.

Eat back your exercise calories as designed, so you keep that 500 cal deficit only.

Weigh all your foods, don't measure. Well, except liquids of course.

Great advise. I weighed in this morning and I have lost 8.8 Lbs in 3 weeks. For the past 3 weeks I have been eating back the calories I burned and measuring everything. I had my calories set at 1400 + whatever I burned. I need to find some good food with higher calories as I am now used to eating low calorie good food. :happy: