Weight loss seems more difficult because of exercise

jxspxr

I just had a monthlong break from weight loss and have continued my journey down the scale again about a week ago. Two weeks ago I expanded my exercise routine, I exercise 5 times per week now (about 7 hours of running/swimming/athletics).

Anyways, I get quite hungry because all of this exercise and while I can keep myself from overeating, I am not sure that I have a calorie deficit. Weight loss was much easier when I didn't exercise this much, I did intermediate fasting and I don't see myself doing that now that I do sports.

Any thoughts on this / advice?

BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.

ladynocturne

Not really sure what you're expecting as far as advice goes....

You say you're not sure if you're in a calorie deficit. The only way to make sure is to log your food and exercise. If you refuse to do that, it's basically just guessing. So...?

Phoenix_Warrior

Not sure what advice you want if you're not tracking your food? Good luck on guessing!

brraanndi

BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.

You do realize that working out creates a calorie deficit right? Not that you have any clue what you are putting into your mouth to track any sort of deficit? There's not alot people can do to help you if you aren't using the tools provided.

Hildy_J

I get this. I only *really* lose pounds when I'm not exercising for 5 or 6 days on the bounce.

christineellis

I can say that when I exercise a lot, I am a lot more hungry - beyond the number of calories I burn. And when I say exercise a lot, I mean training for century bike rides, half marathon, etc.

If I want to lose weight, I need to cut back on that level of training and focus on the weight loss. That is what I'm doing now and hoping to get back to endurance training next summer.

If you aren't tracking what you are eating, then it will be really hard to tell what is wrong. In the past, I have not tracked my food during intense exercise intervals, so going to do that next year when I am back on the bike.

Good luck!

shannashannabobana

If I work out over a certain amount, I get ravenous. If you aren't willing to dial back your workouts, you might just have to figure out how to satisfy your hunger without going over. Do you eat enough protein/fat?

mjschumacher100

It's very common to get more hungry after exercise, it's exactly what's supposed to happen! Which is one reason some suggest that exercise can be counterproductive to weightloss, I think Time had an article about exercise making you fat some time ago.

One way of countering this is to change what you intake, find foods that are more satiating. For example high fat and high protein. Obviously stay within calorie levels just try and fit in more protein and fat into that. (Don't do silly low carb though, unless there are serious medical issues it's a lot of nonsense).

firstsip

I just had a monthlong break from weight loss and have continued my journey down the scale again about a week ago. Two weeks ago I expanded my exercise routine, I exercise 5 times per week now (about 7 hours of running/swimming/athletics).

Anyways, I get quite hungry because all of this exercise and while I can keep myself from overeating, I am not sure that I have a calorie deficit. Weight loss was much easier when I didn't exercise this much, I did intermediate fasting and I don't see myself doing that now that I do sports.

Any thoughts on this / advice?

BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.

Frankly, post this again in two months once you start. If your weight loss seems more difficult, and you're not tracking calories, even the most "aware" person is not going to truly estimate their calories if they're not tracking and weighing. You noting that you try hard to keep yourself from overeating because you get quite hungry screams, "Possible overeating without realizing it."

You had time to post this article, and tracking food could be done on a break during exercise (if you have the smartphone app); if not, it takes 5-10 minutes tops in the morning or at the end of the day.

Water retention/not enough recovery time from exercise can certainly alter weight loss... but if you're not tracking your food whatsoever, and food is ultimately where the vast majority of people's weight comes from, then I'd say your issue isn't exercise.

Pixi_Rex

BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.

Continue to eat the way you are, chances are you are over eating but the only way you will ever know if you are in a deficit is to actually count calories. Why even come to MFP if you aren't going to use the tools?

Stop making excuses and suck it up.

Bigjuicyhog

Tracking takes maybe 5 minutes per day. How do you not have time for that, but you have time to come and post here?

usmcmp

Any thoughts on this / advice?

BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.

Weight loss is taking in less calories than you burn. You burn more calories during the day when you add exercise. Can't help you because you don't track your food. That's half the equation of the Calories in vs Calories out.

kyrinanddre

When you work out you need more calories. It is ok to eat more but I would pick healthy choices. You need to track your calories in and calories out. Trust me I was just like you was at a platieu, started tracking and broke right threw within 3 days of tracking!

bcattoes

If you've been doing this for a few weeks and haven't lost weight, then you probably do not have a deficit. If you are gaining, you likely are eating a surpus. If you are doing neither, then you are eating at maintenance.

Are you tracking your measurements at all? If you are eating near maintenance then you could lose inches without losing any weight. You don't have to track to lose (I lost almost all my weight without tracking before joining MFP), but you do need a deficit.

What does your typical diet look like? Do you eat enough protein? Enough fat? High fiber? I stay full longer if I eat moderate fat and protein and high fiber.

toutmonpossible

Tracking takes maybe 5 minutes per day. How do you not have time for that, but you have time to come and post here?

Sounds like the OP has more pressing business right now. If you're faithfully tracking and not eating the same foods every day, it takes energy and you always have to think about it. At least I do. That's why I track only loosely.

sweebum

You have to find the happy balance between the 2. If I exercise too much, I get very hungry and can go over my calories. I try to exercise enough to stop lean muscle loss, but not make me so hungry I blow my deficit.

A conservative deficit would help with that, say 250 off for calories, and exercise the other 250 off for a total of 500 a day, or approx. 1 lb loss per week.

Edited to add: If you don't track your calories, you will never know if you have a deficit or not. I would track for 2 weeks to see if a deficit actually exists.

DopeItUp

In the time it took you to write this post, you could have logged your entire day. It takes me less than 5 minutes every day.

LiminalAscendance

Tracking takes maybe 5 minutes per day. How do you not have time for that, but you have time to come and post here?

Sounds like the OP has more pressing business right now. If you're faithfully tracking and not eating the same foods every day, it takes energy and you always have to think about it. At least I do. That's why I track only loosely.

In my experience, if someone doesn't want to do something, they can usually come up with a pretty good reason to justify it.

There's nothing wrong with not having enough time to log your calories, but to ask for assistance on a forum without even taking such a minimal step?

Perhaps the OP should just revisit the whole fitness thing when he has more time to fit it into his busy life.

laele75

I love people who come to a calorie tracking site, ask for advice, then blatantly refuse to track calories.

I'd call troll, but apparently this person is actually serious...

Mr_Knight

Anyways, I get quite hungry because all of this exercise and while I can keep myself from overeating, I am not sure that I have a calorie deficit. Weight loss was much easier when I didn't exercise this much, I did intermediate fasting and I don't see myself doing that now that I do sports.

I log everything, daily.

In an attempt to quantify how much exercise helps in losing weight, I have significantly increased my daily exercise burn. I track everything, so I know exactly what was happening before, with what is happening now. By adding ~800 calories of exercise while keeping my intake constant, the result should be an extra ~1.5 lbs of weight loss in a week - and no surprise, that's exactly what happened.

My daily intake is/was about 20% above BMR.

FrankiesSaysRelax

Well.. come back in 2 months when you're ready to log and I'm sure we can be a lot more helpful. If you aren't willing to track your calories, then I guess you really don't want to lose weight. It takes me about 5 minutes MAX per day to log everything, I know you have that amount of time to spare. Hell, go to bed 5 minutes later and log.

chandanista

Tracking your input is absolutely vital to the process. If you don't know how much you are eating, or how much you are burning, you really have no way to logically plan any possible changes or pinpoint where the "problem" is.

I will say, I have eaten at maintenance and done a ton of exercise this month; my goal was to increase my endurance so I'll continue to be strong as I get closer to goal weight. There is nothing wrong with doing that, if you want to. However, if I had not been tracking my intake, I am willing to bet I would have gained a few pounds back as I am very hungry the morning after a workout. So far, my weight fluxes between .5-2 pounds higher than it was when I went onto maintenance. If I wasn't tracking, I wouldn't be able to see where my sodium was high, or of course my muscles are recuperating from yesterday's burn.

TL;DR Track your calories or you won't be able to reach your goal.

81Katz

A site that bases its premise of success on calorie/exercise tracking won't work for you if you don't ever plan on tracking the amount of food your consume.

Just saying ...

elsdonward

If you cannot track your calories - suggest you watch the type of food that you eat - avoiding greasy or fatty foods, junk and processed foods and artificial sweeteners. Also reduce dairy and butter/cheese products - no pastries, cakes, crisps etc - find really lightweight alternatives. Make sure that you fuel up on starches, rice and potatoes before your exercise

Good lock spacehopper!!

slim4health56

Weight loss is 75% diet, 25% exercise. You track your exercise (7 hours a week is commendable, by the way) so there is 25% of the puzzle. If you'd like to complete the puzzle and plug in the remaining 75% of this mystery you've got going, you'll need to track your food. Wishing you success!

LoraF83

Don't be surprised by the results you don't get for the work you didn't do.


If you're trying to lose weight using MFP, this program requires you to log all of your food and exercise. If you're unwilling to do that, then you probably won't be losing weight. Tracking only takes a few minutes a day. Somehow you had time to post this thread, but no time to enter your breakfast? Does not compute.

Try again in a few months when you can make it a priority to do the work required to lose weight using MFP.

healthy4life4mykids

In the time it took you to write this post, you could have logged your entire day. It takes me less than 5 minutes every day.

I disagree. It takes me a lot of time, though I still do it because I know I'll over do my calories if I don't. But it takes me a looong time. The food database is so vast, its hard sometimes to find the items that I eat, in the proper measurements. Often I can find the food, but not in ounces or I'm looking for grams and its in cups, etc. It can be really frustrating, not to mention if you eat more or plans change you have to go and re-do things. Maybe OP just doesn't want to deal with it.

To OP- If I know I'm putting in a good work out I try to eat a decent meal before, if I'm still hungry after I'll eat a small portion of protein and some fruits or veggies to fill me up.

ArroganceInStep

I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now.

Can't help you.

QuietBloom

For me, walking is the best exercise for losing weight, because it doesn't create a huge increase in hunger. I also do limited muscle work - just enough to keep everything where it is and active, so that it doesn't get cannibalized. Once the weight is off, then I can increase my exercise levels and not gain the weight back. Again, this is just my experience.

RGv2

How can you say you keep yourself from overeating, but than say you're not sure if you're in a deficit?

Not sure what "athletics" is, but if it's a sport of some sort it is probably helping you maintain muscle mass. When you diet without some sort of routine to help maintain muscle mass, the lbs can come off quicker because you're losing both fat and muscle. When you mix a caloric deficit with exercise that helps maintain muscle mass you will lose WEIGHT slower, but inches faster because you're only losing fat. But if you're just guessing at what your intake is vs calories burned, weight loss stops, and you don't lose inches....you're probably not guessing very well.

bcattoes

If you're trying to lose weight using MFP, this program requires you to log all of your food and exercise. If you're unwilling to do that, then you probably won't be losing weight. Tracking only takes a few minutes a day. Somehow you had time to post this thread, but no time to enter your breakfast? Does not compute.

I've been on MFP for over 2 years. In that time I have lost weight, maintained the loss, now losing a bit more. I've never logged all my food or exercise. I do log most of my exercise but logging all my food does take too much time. And, quite frankly, a lot of guessing because of all the multiple listings for food, unable to get accurate counts when not eating food I prepared.

Due to the multiple listings in the MFP database it's almost always necessary to go to other sites to confirm which entry is correct. That is very time consuming.