Eating way over net

kjarvo

My net is set at 1200 for a 1.5lb loss a week. Most of the time I hit that, either 1200 with no exercise or 1600 with exercise.
Sometimes, normally when I am staying somewhere else, like my sisters, I will eat a lot more.

I am a bit confused. I think my TDEE is about 1700, so if I eat this and do no exercise, will I just maintain for that day and it wont really affect my weight for the week, it will either maintain or reduce a little rather than 1.5lbs?

Secondly, if I eat 2400 (which I have done a few times :S) what will happen to the extra calories. Will they turn into fat or muscle? Because I keep reading you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit. So will those extra calories go towards building muscle/repairing from insanity and tae bo?

I don't really get how the eat more to gain muscle works if you are trying to lose weight. How do I determine that will turn into muscle? only by weight lifting? and will that only work if it is a little over every day rather than a lot?

I ate 2400 today http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/kjarvo?date=2014-03-02 but I did a lot of exercise to work it off, but it makes me wonder whether I should have, because I could have used those extra calories for repair. I don't really know.

Thanks

lynn_glenmont

Have you actually been losing 1.5 lbs a week (for at least several weeks) while netting 1200? If so, your TDEE, or even your NEAT, is more than 1700 (1200 net + 750 for weekly 1.5 lb weight loss = 1950 NEAT, or before-exercise TDEE).

However, if your TDEE (not your NEAT) is really 1700, you would hardly be losing anything eating 1200 on days with no exercise or 1600 with exercise, because you would only be at a 100 calorie a day defict -- it would take you 5 weeks to lose a pound.

Your TDEE includes some presumed amount of exercise each week, averaged across the week to get a daily rate that's the same whether a given day is an exercise day or a rest day; you need to be fairly consistent about your exercise to use TDEE. And because your exercise is already included, you don't eat back exercise calories. NEAT (which is how MFP is set up) does not include "exercise," just calories burned for your bodily functions and your normal work/school/household activity, so you do eat back exercise calories.

Once you figure out your actual TDEE, if you eat that number of calories, and you exercise or don't exercise according to the schedule you used when you determined your TDEE, you'll basically be at maintenance that one day, and it will reduce the amount you would have otherwise lost that week by about 15% (i.e., if you really are set up to lose 1.5 lbs, or 24 oz a week, you'd only lose 20.4 oz, or about a pound and a quarter). (Bear in mind that across one week, there are a lot of factors like water retention, food measurement errors, food labeling errors, exercise burn calculation errors, normal fluctuations from the amount of food and liquid you have passing through your body at any given time that make calculations like 1.5 lbs from a daily 750 calorie deficit unlikely to be reflected exactly on the scale anyway. It doesn't mean the math or the system is wrong. It means that there are a lot of variables and human and measurement errors affecting outcomes.)

If you eat 2400, and your TDEE really is about 1700, and you are lifting or doing intensive enough cardio to tear down muscles, some of the extra 700 calories will be used to build/repair muscles, but I don't think most people's bodies can use 700 calories that way in one day (I'm not sure, though). The extra beyond that may be used to replenish glycogen reserves, if you've been eating at a deficit for a while and your glycogen reserves are depleted. Along with that you'll get some significant water retention. Beyond that, you'll be storing fat.

If you have sufficient fat reserves, your body will tap them (to the extent that it is able to metabolize the fat fast enough to keep up) to repair muscles, so I wouldn't worry too much about doing extra exercise on a 2400 calorie day.

kjarvo

Thanks. I have been losing more like 1lb a week for the last 10 weeks. But I have been very sedentary lately, doing exercise at home and sitting down all day doing uni work. That will probably change.

I thought that eating closer to maybe 1800 that it would be maintenance for that day. I think it might have used some of those calories for repair, but I am not too worried about being over. I find that if I eat a lot one day, the next day I tend to eat a lot less anyway.

I still don't really understand how the eating more calories for muscle building works. I don't know how those extra calories are turned into muscle whilst still trying to lose fat.

beachlover317

Thanks. I have been losing more like 1lb a week for the last 10 weeks. But I have been very sedentary lately, doing exercise at home and sitting down all day doing uni work. That will probably change.

I thought that eating closer to maybe 1800 that it would be maintenance for that day. I think it might have used some of those calories for repair, but I am not too worried about being over. I find that if I eat a lot one day, the next day I tend to eat a lot less anyway.

I still don't really understand how the eating more calories for muscle building works. I don't know how those extra calories are turned into muscle whilst still trying to lose fat.

The only way to add muscle is to work the muscles (ie weight lifting). Just eating more will not add muscle. Most people can not build muscle while in a calorie deficit. Lifting weights while in a calorie deficit will help you maintain the muscles that you have now.

sunnburst1984

Have you actually been losing 1.5 lbs a week (for at least several weeks) while netting 1200? If so, your TDEE, or even your NEAT, is more than 1700 (1200 net + 750 for weekly 1.5 lb weight loss = 1950 NEAT, or before-exercise TDEE).

However, if your TDEE (not your NEAT) is really 1700, you would hardly be losing anything eating 1200 on days with no exercise or 1600 with exercise, because you would only be at a 100 calorie a day defict -- it would take you 5 weeks to lose a pound.

Your TDEE includes some presumed amount of exercise each week, averaged across the week to get a daily rate that's the same whether a given day is an exercise day or a rest day; you need to be fairly consistent about your exercise to use TDEE. And because your exercise is already included, you don't eat back exercise calories. NEAT (which is how MFP is set up) does not include "exercise," just calories burned for your bodily functions and your normal work/school/household activity, so you do eat back exercise calories.

Once you figure out your actual TDEE, if you eat that number of calories, and you exercise or don't exercise according to the schedule you used when you determined your TDEE, you'll basically be at maintenance that one day, and it will reduce the amount you would have otherwise lost that week by about 15% (i.e., if you really are set up to lose 1.5 lbs, or 24 oz a week, you'd only lose 20.4 oz, or about a pound and a quarter). (Bear in mind that across one week, there are a lot of factors like water retention, food measurement errors, food labeling errors, exercise burn calculation errors, normal fluctuations from the amount of food and liquid you have passing through your body at any given time that make calculations like 1.5 lbs from a daily 750 calorie deficit unlikely to be reflected exactly on the scale anyway. It doesn't mean the math or the system is wrong. It means that there are a lot of variables and human and measurement errors affecting outcomes.)

If you eat 2400, and your TDEE really is about 1700, and you are lifting or doing intensive enough cardio to tear down muscles, some of the extra 700 calories will be used to build/repair muscles, but I don't think most people's bodies can use 700 calories that way in one day (I'm not sure, though). The extra beyond that may be used to replenish glycogen reserves, if you've been eating at a deficit for a while and your glycogen reserves are depleted. Along with that you'll get some significant water retention. Beyond that, you'll be storing fat.

If you have sufficient fat reserves, your body will tap them (to the extent that it is able to metabolize the fat fast enough to keep up) to repair muscles, so I wouldn't worry too much about doing extra exercise on a 2400 calorie day.

You just made everything make sense!! Thank you!

1princesswarrior

I think you should read this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants and all the links that go with it. It will help you understand setting up a reasonable calorie deficit and macros to maintain lean body mass and lose fat.

Also to better understand TDEE and calculate your TDEE go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

This calculator allows you to put in your daily activity in hours and intensity.

Hopefully that helps a little.

lamps1303

My net is set at 1200 for a 1.5lb loss a week. Most of the time I hit that, either 1200 with no exercise or 1600 with exercise.
Sometimes, normally when I am staying somewhere else, like my sisters, I will eat a lot more.

I am a bit confused. I think my TDEE is about 1700, so if I eat this and do no exercise, will I just maintain for that day and it wont really affect my weight for the week, it will either maintain or reduce a little rather than 1.5lbs?

Secondly, if I eat 2400 (which I have done a few times :S) what will happen to the extra calories. Will they turn into fat or muscle? Because I keep reading you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit. So will those extra calories go towards building muscle/repairing from insanity and tae bo?

I don't really get how the eat more to gain muscle works if you are trying to lose weight. How do I determine that will turn into muscle? only by weight lifting? and will that only work if it is a little over every day rather than a lot?

I ate 2400 today http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/kjarvo?date=2014-03-02 but I did a lot of exercise to work it off, but it makes me wonder whether I should have, because I could have used those extra calories for repair. I don't really know.

Thanks

If you have calculated your TDEE and inputted your TDEE -?% into MFP you do not need to log exercise or eat back exercise calories as TDEE already takes this into account. If you eat 1700kcals (if that is your TDEE) you will maintain. Where did you calculate your TDEE? What did you set your activity level at?

You're right when you say you need excess calories to build muscle...but you will only build muscle if you weight lift - otherwise excess calories are just stored as fat! If your goal is to lose weight/fat, you simply need calorie deficit. Don't worry too much about your calories for each day if you're worried - look at your average intake over a whole week. If your average intake is 500kcals less than your maintenance goal, you will, in theory, lose 1lb per week.

What is your height, weight, age and activity level?

kjarvo

If you have calculated your TDEE and inputted your TDEE -?% into MFP you do not need to log exercise or eat back exercise calories as TDEE already takes this into account. If you eat 1700kcals (if that is your TDEE) you will maintain. Where did you calculate your TDEE? What did you set your activity level at?

You're right when you say you need excess calories to build muscle...but you will only build muscle if you weight lift - otherwise excess calories are just stored as fat! If your goal is to lose weight/fat, you simply need calorie deficit. Don't worry too much about your calories for each day if you're worried - look at your average intake over a whole week. If your average intake is 500kcals less than your maintenance goal, you will, in theory, lose 1lb per week.

What is your height, weight, age and activity level?

I think I am also getting confused with BMR and TDEE. I have worked my TDEE out using a few different sites and it normally works out at 1742 with 3 hours of exercise a week.

I am 24, 5'4" or 64 inches, 1.62m and currently weigh 11 stone 5ish, 72kg, 159lbs.

I am in uni, so I walk 20 mins there and back most days, but when I am there, or when I am at home I am pretty sedentary. So I have put it down as sedentary and eat back my exercise calories, because some days if I am not in uni and don't do exercise I literally do nothing all day so I try and eat 1200. I also eat back my walking calories, because I don't want to add it as an everyday activity because of the days that I do nothing and my daily goal before exercise is 1200 anyway, the minimum.

I try to do some exercise everyday. It is normally about 40 minutes of Insanity or Tae Bo and I put this down as 384 calories for 40 mins of insanity, 346 for 60 minutes of tap dancing.

I am not trying necessarily to build muscle at this stage, I am just wondering what to do when I go over. Whether those extra calories might be good for muscle repair. But I understand now that 700 is too much, a little bit a day would be better because my body can't deal with that many calories in a day anyway.

lamps1303

If you have calculated your TDEE and inputted your TDEE -?% into MFP you do not need to log exercise or eat back exercise calories as TDEE already takes this into account. If you eat 1700kcals (if that is your TDEE) you will maintain. Where did you calculate your TDEE? What did you set your activity level at?

You're right when you say you need excess calories to build muscle...but you will only build muscle if you weight lift - otherwise excess calories are just stored as fat! If your goal is to lose weight/fat, you simply need calorie deficit. Don't worry too much about your calories for each day if you're worried - look at your average intake over a whole week. If your average intake is 500kcals less than your maintenance goal, you will, in theory, lose 1lb per week.

What is your height, weight, age and activity level?

I think I am also getting confused with BMR and TDEE. I have worked my TDEE out using a few different sites and it normally works out at 1742 with 3 hours of exercise a week.

I am 24, 5'4" or 64 inches, 1.62m and currently weigh 11 stone 5ish, 72kg, 159lbs.

I am in uni, so I walk 20 mins there and back most days, but when I am there, or when I am at home I am pretty sedentary. So I have put it down as sedentary and eat back my exercise calories, because some days if I am not in uni and don't do exercise I literally do nothing all day so I try and eat 1200. I also eat back my walking calories, because I don't want to add it as an everyday activity because of the days that I do nothing and my daily goal before exercise is 1200 anyway, the minimum.

I try to do some exercise everyday. It is normally about 40 minutes of Insanity or Tae Bo and I put this down as 384 calories for 40 mins of insanity, 346 for 60 minutes of tap dancing.

I am not trying necessarily to build muscle at this stage, I am just wondering what to do when I go over. Whether those extra calories might be good for muscle repair. But I understand now that 700 is too much, a little bit a day would be better because my body can't deal with that many calories in a day anyway.

BMR is your basal metabolic rate - the number of calories you burn at complete rest and the amount your body needs for normal functioning (digestion, kidney function, etc)

TDEE is total daily energy expenditure - this is a combination of BMR and your daily activities, including exercise, housework, walking, cooking, etc - most people just take into account 'typical' exercise.

I would suggest you set MFP to lightly active with a ?lb a week weight loss goal (depends how much you have to lose - less than 10lbs = 0.5lb loss, 10-40lbs = 1lb loss, 40-75lbs = 1.5lb loss, 75+lbs = 2lb loss per week <--- general rule of thumb) then ONLY log when you do actual exercise, like insanity or tae bo. Don't log your walks as this is where you will be considered lightly active. Remember that MFP overestimates calories burned so don't eat back all your exercise calories - most people eat back around 50%.

This is what I do. I walk at least 20mins a day and spend around 45min to an hour cooking in the evening. I do weight training 3 x a week and exercise classes 2 x a week. On MFP I have set my goals to lightly active and lose 0.5lbs per week (I don't have much to lose) and ONLY log my exercise classes. This ensures I am never overestimating my calories burned causing me to overeat.

Try it out for a few weeks and see how you go. Monitor your weight and measurements and you can then adjust your calorie intake accordingly - if you're losing weight too fast up you calories, and vice versa. It's all trial and error. Good luck sweet :flowerforyou: