Do I eat all my daily goal calories or not?

Dtrmnd1

There are so many people doing so many different things so... yes, let's talk about it.
What do you do as far as eating all your cals or not and how is it working for you in the weight loss dept.?
I am 5'1ish 127 and the amount of calories I burn are ridiculous! 43 minutes of Insanity plyo for 270!!! So I don't have lots of cals to work with. Usually about 1400-1500 and I've been trying to eat less because that's what some have suggested. But IM HUNGRY! Yes I know then EAT. But how much????
Advice please :happy:

RaeN81

It really depends. Personally I would eat more and eat smarter. Try adding foods that will fill you up, foods that are high in fiber and protein that can sustain you after your insanity workouts. Try eating all of your workout calories for a few weeks and see how you do. You might want to consider taking your measurements instead of focusing on the scale for a while too as your body adjusts to all the exercise.

megsta21

hi there!!!

Here is a link that you should read which discusses your issue already...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

angiereid

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/viviakay best way to answer this

OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

Question #1:

Should I eat all my calories?

Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Question #2:
I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

Answer:
Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

Question #3:
I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person.

Dtrmnd1

It really depends. Personally I would eat more and eat smarter. Try adding foods that will fill you up, foods that are high in fiber and protein that can sustain you after your insanity workouts. Try eating all of your workout calories for a few weeks and see how you do. You might want to consider taking your measurements instead of focusing on the scale for a while too as your body adjusts to all the exercise.

Thanks! Yes I do eat pretty consciously eating complex carbs, protein and lots of fiber (have issues :blushing: ) anywho I was trying to be on the low side to see if that would help so Friday is my weigh in and we'll see. Though im going back to what is recommended.

FreshPaint

Thank you for posting this. I had been wondering about this myself. Thank you!

Cina04

Have you done the Cal formula in the Insanity book to see how many cals you should be eating daily?

When I did it it said I should be consuming 2130 cals (I believe this includes workout cals)

Luvsmobile

Yes Very good Stuff!

CeciHarper

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love it!!!

destinedfor150

Eat. Eat at least to your basal metabolic rate. There's so much science behind the reasoning. You can't lose weight if you're in a constant nutritional deficit. And you certainly cannot build muscle that way! If you're doing plyometrics, you need the calories.
Try to think of the food as fuel. You can't run a car on fumes, and you can't run your body on "fumes."

Dtrmnd1

Eat. Eat at least to your basal metabolic rate. There's so much science behind the reasoning. You can't lose weight if you're in a constant nutritional deficit. And you certainly cannot build muscle that way! If you're doing plyometrics, you need the calories.
Try to think of the food as fuel. You can't run a car on fumes, and you can't run your body on "fumes."

Awesome! Thanks!

emmyvera

This was excellent to read! I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I was wondering all of this myself