confused about calorie intake while weight lifting & cardio

futurefitgirl3

Help! I have been reading lots of blogs and posts about calorie intake, cardio and weight lifting. After reading all these, I am very confused and not sure I am doing the right thing. I try to go to the gym 5 days a week. I have been doing this for about a month. Every day I work a different muscle group and do at least 25 minutes of cardio.

I track my food and after entering my food and exercise, I always have left over calories. I thought this was a good thing since right now my goals are to lose weight and tone. I want nice shapely arms and legs and a trim waist. In time, I would like to increase my muscle mass. I know I need to take baby steps and work on one thing at a time.

So for me to lose weight and tone, am I doing the right thing by watching what I eat, having left over calories at the end of the day & continuing the weight lifting and cardio?
Also, when I want to increase muscle, will I need to take in more calories than what MFP recomends?

Just to be clear. I haven't seen much weight loss lately but I am seeing a difference in the way my cloths fit. I also feel much better. Less stress and fatigue.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

AmyRhubarb

Depends on your daily goal and how many cals you have left over each day. Also hard to offer advice without really knowing anything about you - height, current weight, how much you're trying to lose, etc.

For fat loss, a small calorie deficit is best. It sounds like that might be what you're going for, at least for now - lose the weight/fat and expose those muscles underneath, doing strength exercises so you retain your lean muscle and have some definition as the fat comes off?

As far as building muscle, can't really do that while at a calorie deficit - that takes a calorie surplus, plenty of protein plus heavy lifting.

Food is fuel, so you want to give your body enough of it to sustain daily activity plus workouts, with a slight cut to drop the fat.

Does that help?

cwolfman13

If you're using MFP as directed then your calorie goal is already a huge deficit from maintenance before any exercise whatsoever. You don't have to shoot under that goal..you put all of that info into MFP for a reason...so the calculator can do it's job and calculate your estimated calories needed for weight loss.

you put all of that info into MFP...and your activity level is NOT supposed to include deliberate exercise...just your day to day stuff...and then MFP figures out what your maintenance would be WITHOUT exercise based on those inputs as compared to statistical averages...then it takes a cut from that for weight loss...500 calories for 1 Lb per week and 1000 calories for 2 Lbs per week with 1200 calories being the minimum threshold as it is pretty well inadvisable to go under this threshold.

so...just as an example, let's say you put all of you info in and activity level of light active because maybe you have a job where you're up and moving around a bit or do a lot of cooking and cleaning, etc...BTW, I have a desk job and I'm still light active on MFP without my exercise...and you put to lose 1 Lb per week (this is actually what I would advise unless you have a lot of weight to lose) and MFP spits out a calorie goal of 1,500 calories.

this means that MFP is estimating your maintenance without exercise to be 2000 calories (1,500 + 500) and 1,500 calories represents a 500 calorie per day deficit. now let's say you go workout and burn a solid 400 calories and you log that....with MFP, that activity hasn't been accounted for in you activity level and thus not accounted for in your calorie goal so you get those calories to eat back and you would now have 1500 + 400 = 1,900 gross calories but your deficit remains the same because now your theoretical maintenance calories have also increased to 2,000 + 400 = 2,400 calories and 2,400 - 1,900 = 500 calorie deficit still.

You just have to be extremely careful that you're not overestimating burn when using this method and databases, including MFP are notoriously inflated for calorie burn. We just don't burn that much. This is why I actually prefer the TDEE method and just including some estimate of my exercise in my activity level and just eating a set amount of calories.

futurefitgirl3

Thanks, for your response. MFP has me taking in 1200 calories. I have a job where I am either sitting at a desk, driving in a car or standing for long periods. I did not figure in my activity of going to the gym or working out. After adding my daily food intake and gym activity, I usually have a calorie deficit of anywhere from 50 to 150 calories. I figured this was good as I know the calorie burn probably isn't accurate. I just wasn't sure if what I am doing is correct. I didn't want to stick with this and not see much in results in a few months time. I feel I would be setting myself up for failure if that is the case.

cwolfman13

Thanks, for your response. MFP has me taking in 1200 calories. I have a job where I am either sitting at a desk, driving in a car or standing for long periods. I did not figure in my activity of going to the gym or working out. After adding my daily food intake and gym activity, I usually have a calorie deficit of anywhere from 50 to 150 calories. I figured this was good as I know the calorie burn probably isn't accurate. I just wasn't sure if what I am doing is correct. I didn't want to stick with this and not see much in results in a few months time. I feel I would be setting myself up for failure if that is the case.

Once again, your calorie deficit is the 1200 calories...you don't shoot under that goal...if MFP is giving you 1200 calories then that means your theoretical non-exercise maintenance is around 1800 - 2000 calories. You should eat back exercise calories....

and again, your calorie allotment is a GOAL...it is something to be achieved, not shot under.

cmaksamit

Help...

I've been going to the gym 5 days a week for 2 1/2 weeks now. Running 1 hr on elliptical and burning anywhere from 400-600 calories each night. I'm on a goal that allows me 1330 cals a day. When I submit my diary for the day I end up with anywhere from 150 - 400 cals remaining available. I have changed my eating habits quite a bit and stopped drinking pop over 2 wks ago. Problem: I have not lost any weight and I don't see a change in my body... Also - last night I got severely dizzy and had to quickly eat some crackers to feel "ok". Then proceeded to eat a whole steak and some green beans... Am I doing this wrong? Did I put my body into starvation mode instead of a weight loss mode?

Any input is appreciated!

futurefitgirl3

So since MFP has me consuming 1200 calories based on my settings, at the end of the day, I should have consumed 1200 calories? No more no less? Is that what you are saying? I'm sorry for being so confused. It's just that having extra calories at the end of the day is throwing me off and I wasn't sure if I should have a deficit or eat the calories that it said I earned. For example, if after exercising it says I earned 150 calories, should I eat that additional 150 calories? Thank you for helping me.

futurefitgirl3

I'm thinking starvation mode. But as you can see, I am confused with some of the calorie intake so I would get a second opinion.

futurefitgirl3

Help...

I've been going to the gym 5 days a week for 2 1/2 weeks now. Running 1 hr on elliptical and burning anywhere from 400-600 calories each night. I'm on a goal that allows me 1330 cals a day. When I submit my diary for the day I end up with anywhere from 150 - 400 cals remaining available. I have changed my eating habits quite a bit and stopped drinking pop over 2 wks ago. Problem: I have not lost any weight and I don't see a change in my body... Also - last night I got severely dizzy and had to quickly eat some crackers to feel "ok". Then proceeded to eat a whole steak and some green beans... Am I doing this wrong? Did I put my body into starvation mode instead of a weight loss mode?

Any input is appreciated!

futurefitgirl3

I'm thinking starvation mode. But as you can see, I am confused with some of the calorie intake so I would get a second opinion