Am I being unhealthy or right on track?

lindeyrae1028

Hello all!

Before my question I figured that there is some background about me that needed to be known for accurate answers. I had gastric bypass about 3.5 years ago and dropped about 130 lbs and went from 310 lbs to 170 lbs! Slowly over the last 6 months I have been putting weight back on. When I stepped on the scale a month ago and saw it SCREAM 205 lbs at me I decided that I needed to do something and fast!!! So I downloaded the myfitnesspal app and got busy!

I currently weigh 196 lbs and I am about 5'9'. According to my sedentary status I am supposed to consume 1200 calories a day to lose 2 lbs per week. I am trying to get to my goal weight of 150 lbs by the END of May 2014 (when my husband returns from his contracting job) so that is the reason for the time crunch (and when we gain weight we want to get it off ASAP am I right?!)

Because of the gastric bypass... eating only 1200 calories is no big deal. Been there and done that already. My question is this:
I desperately need to tone my body so I spend a couple hours at the gym every day (or rather 5-6 days a week). I usually burn between 900-1200 calories while I am at the gym (according to the machines). If I am netting only a few hundred calories a day am I doing more harm than good?? My husband is expressing concern but I am unsure. I am eating a lot healthier again and I love burning those calories at the gym and frankly I need it or I will start to lose muscle mass. It's difficult for me to consume significantly more calories a day without eating junk.

Am I going overboard or am I on track? Thanks in advance for all your responses :-)

FJDodd

To answer your basic question: Yes you are doing more harm than good. 100-200 Net calories is not enough to live off of. 1200 Net calories is low for MOST people. I would eat your exercise calories back (or at least 50-70% of them).

ETA: Really what you should do is call your Dr. and get their advice. I am willing to bet they tell you to eat any exercise calories back.

Ready2Rock206

Whoa. I vote OVERBOARD!

cnd8304

You don't have to eat junk just to get the calories back. Eat more healthier calorie dense foods, like avocados, peanut (or any other nut) butter, etc. Add a sliced avocado on a salad. Have a pb sandwich on whole wheat bread. Drink a glass of milk. Eat some granola after your workout.

You do need to eat more if you are burning that many calories a day.

flumi_f

^^^^This, because your estimated burn is probably a bit high. Netting a few hundred cals over a longer period of time is not healthy and your weightloss will probably stall.

RobinvdM

Why work out if you don't bother eating those workout calories back?

If you are operating on a caloric deficit, without working out, then you will lose weight. You won't tone and risk losing muscle mass right along with the fat but weight loss is weight loss, amirite?

Some folks think thats all that matters. I don't. I like the workout-ology mindset which states quite gleefully, if you work out. EAT THOSE CALORIES BACK. Eat them back WELL. Feed your body nutrients to help it replenish burned stores from working out. Feed it the potassium, and healthy fats but don't NOT feed it. If you are working at a 500 cal deficit (1200 to lose, 1700 to maintain) then workout burning 600 cals, eat them back. Why ever not?! You will feel better, you will lose weight AND not lose as much muscle mass in the process.

I hope you aren't too set on losing 40lbs in 3 months, that is pretty extreme, but do keep at it. Persistence is where victory lies, not binge weight loss. That is a yo yo path if ever there was one. Good luck and keep on keeping on

deksgrl

2 pounds a week is a bit aggressive. And yes you do need to eat more for exercise because MFP does not include exercise when it calculates how many calories to eat. Although how much more you should eat is debatable because machines aren't accurate. A heart rate monitor will give you a more accurate reading on how much you are burning.

Another way to calculate how much to eat is use an online calculator to figure your TDEE. Eat 20% less than TDEE, this includes your exercise so there is less guess work there. You eat that same amount even if you workout more or less on any given day.

MrsB123111

I had RNY is 2011. I currently work with a personal trainer/nutritionist that has me on a diet that is around 1275-1300 calories/day. I also workout with him 3 days a week for 90 minutes and burn around 600-900 calories depending on which body part. Obviously, those days my net calories aren't very high. For instance, today I did Legs. My burn was 700, so my net is 575. The other 3 days, I do cardio for 45 minutes. My burn is typically 350-500 calories. I am surviving just fine...

Edit: Just make sure what you're consuming is nutritious and filling... Not 1200 calories worth of junk! Lots of protein, veggies, etc... And LOTS of water!!! Think about investing in a HRM and food scale for the most accurate results (in all aspects).

NIKISOBA

First, keep in mind that those machine's calorie trackers are not always very accurate at all. But even if you're burning half that, that's still quite a bit.

Second, what is most important is that you listen to your body. Do you feel like crap? Is your skin looking worse than usual? Bathroom habits not up to par? Those are signs that your body is not happy.

If you're training that hard at the gym, I hope you are careful to fuel your body with the food it needs. You want it to be a well oiled, powerful machine so take care of it inside and out, and good luck to you!

galprincess

Hi

I think its great you work out but your body needs fuel so you need to eat a lot more you firstly need to calculate your BMR this tells you the minimum your body needs and your TDEE this is what your body needs to stay the weight you are id aim to eat in the middle of those numbers

navyrigger46

Okay OP, lets look at it this way. You eat 1200 calories a day, you burn 900 or so from exercise, that leaves 300 for the rest of your bodies operation for the day. Your brain needs calories in order to function, so do your kidneys, liver, stomach, intestines, glands and on, and on, and on. So, what organs would you choose to fuel? Because all of them are important, and all of them NEED calories. My BMR is roughly 1700-1800, so if I do absolutely nothing, my body is going to burn that much just to maintain life, exercise costs extra. Could you drive 72' GTO from LA to Vegas on half a tank of gas?

You need to eat back exercise calories, maybe not all of them, but 50-75%

Rigger

navyrigger46

I love burning those calories at the gym and frankly I need it or I will start to lose muscle mass.

Oh, and this, if you're not fueling both your body, and your workouts, your body will literally eat your muscle mass to get those calories. Again, the body intensely wants to sustain life, and it would rather cannibalize your muscles than stop kidney function, keep in mind your heart is a muscle, and people do die of heart failure after losing weight too quickly.

Rigger

33Freya

The way you are eating and working out, you are almost definitely doing more harm than good. You may be forcing your body to burn muscle AND fat, reducing your metabolism, and depending on your nutrient and vitamin intake, heading toward malnutrition and very loose skin.

I work out about 6-8 hours per week (most of that weight lifting) and I eat between 1600 and 1900 calories per day and have been seeing results: my body is getting tighter, and the scale is going down about .5 lbs per week. I plateued for about a year when I was staying around 1200 calories- then I started eating with purpose and lifting heavy.

I suggest you switch gears from the goal of a specific number on the scale to working on your bodyfat percentage. You will look and feel better if you do, and your husband will love you no matter how much you weigh.

dmiddy83

This has been a very informational topic since I started where the original poster did. I lost 30 in the first 8 months from changing my eating habits and the last 16 since xmas by doing about 6 hours/wk at the gym.
It was great to see those activities knock off those calories on MFP but I was unsure if that meant I should eat more in a day.

lindeyrae1028

Thanks for the tip! I guess I have the way of weight loss after gastric bypass still stuck in my head. For a whole year I would burn 600 calories and only eat around 800 calories a day (per doctor's instruction). The weight just fell off. So I guess the thought of eating back the calories burned just seems like a waste! But I completely understand now.

It probably won't surprise you that I haven't lost a pound in over 2 weeks. That is likely why. I'm sure that I hit my plateau pretty quickly. I guess since I haven't lost energy I figured I wasn't doing harm. Maybe I should go ahead and have that banana with peanut butter snack that I have been craving but avoiding because it's like 300 calories! :-)

navyrigger46

Thanks for the tip! I guess I have the way of weight loss after gastric bypass still stuck in my head. For a whole year I would burn 600 calories and only eat around 800 calories a day (per doctor's instruction). The weight just fell off. So I guess the thought of eating back the calories burned just seems like a waste! But I completely understand now.

It probably won't surprise you that I haven't lost a pound in over 2 weeks. That is likely why. I'm sure that I hit my plateau pretty quickly. I guess since I haven't lost energy I figured I wasn't doing harm. Maybe I should go ahead and have that banana with peanut butter snack that I have been craving but avoiding because it's like 300 calories! :-)

Rock on, peanut butter and bananas were made for each other, add pepperoni and throw it all on a pizza and you'll be in Heaven.

Rigger

lindeyrae1028

Water has been my friend. I drink about 1 gallon to 1.5 gallons a day. I infuse my water with natural antioxidants from citrus and berries. Nothing sucks more than the feeling of putting on weight after losing so much. I fell into the junk food trap again but now I have switched to lots of lean proteins and veggies!

elleloch

With that estimated calorie burn, too, am I to assume that you are only doing steady state cardio? Because that might help you lose weight but to tone your body you're gonna have to pick up some weights. And none of those 3 lb Barbie ones either. You could cut your cardio sessions by half or even 75 percent and add in some legit strength training and you could be on your way to a real rockin' bod.

lindeyrae1028

Good call! Thank you :-)
I do need to stop focusing on a number. You are 100% correct. Part of the reason why I have that number goal isn't necessarily to appease my husband by my hot body (which would be awesome nonetheless!) but also because when we comes back we are planning on having a baby! I already have one child from a previous marriage and I know how my body handled the baby weight once already... NOT WELL! So I wanted to get as healthy and lean as possible before having another child.

I guess I have forgotten that my goal is about being HEALTHIER... not necessarily weighing less :-)

elleloch

Sometimes we all need a shove back down to earth You will get there! Good luck!

branflakes1980

For someone 5'9" and 197 lbs, I personally think 1200 calories a day is WAY too low to begin with. I am 5'8" and 138 lbs and have my settings set to lose 1lb a week and my daily calorie intake is set at 1470 per day. I think you need to make adjustments in that department. I do not believe in "starvation mode" but your body needs fuel to function ESPECIALLY when you are burning so much at the gym. I agree with everyone else that 900-1200 calories burned is most likely an over estimate of calories burned, but with that being said you definitely need to eat 100% of those calories back especially if you leave your calories at 1200 per day, if you adjust them to a higher # I would still eat them back but maybe only 50-70% of them. Good luck to you.