Stuck...

xxanotherstarxx

I've been on my weight loss journey for almost a year now, and it was going great until I went away on holiday in February/March. While I was on holiday I decided not to monitor my calorie intake and I didn't get any chance to do my regular exercise. Interestingly enough I lost 3kg/6-7lbs during my holiday. But then, afterwards I've sort of become stuck...and only lost 3kg since March. I've been monitoring my calories, and my exercising has slipped but I still get out almost everyday to do some form of it. I've been confused about the 'eating back the calories you burn' concept, How true is it? All I've heard on it is user based posted, and what I've read said I should be losing weight quicker if I don't...So I haven't been eating the calories I burn, and don't know if I'm putting my body in starvation mode or it just doesn't want to lose anymore weight...
I'm also not sure if it is what I'm eating. I'm not sure if my carb intake is too high, I am lactose intolerant and it puts quite a restriction sometimes...I also take metformin for PCOS and don't know if that is what's making it harder as well...
Sorry, don't have anyone else to ask about these things, thought I'd try here...

AmyRhubarb

I've been confused about the 'eating back the calories you burn' concept, How true is it? All I've heard on it is user based posted, and what I've read said I should be losing weight quicker if I don't...So I haven't been eating the calories I burn, and don't know if I'm putting my body in starvation mode or it just doesn't want to lose anymore weight..

In regards to eating back cals - MFP gives you a daily calorie goal that already has you at a deficit. This means you could eat ALL your calories every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you burn off more cals through exercise, you're making the deficit much larger - too large - and this can cause you all sorts of problems in the long run. Food is fuel, and you need to for daily life and activities, and you need it for exercise. Eat the burned cals back (at least a portion of them, as MFP's exercise burns are notoriously high), bringing your daily net cals up to, or very close to, your original goal. You're still in a calorie deficit, and your body is well fueled.

Chronicle113

If you workout almost everyday, the body just need time to recuperate and also time to change what you put into it. That's why after giving the body like 1-2 days off of exercise that you see that you lose weight due to the fact of not engaging in activity for a brief moment. If you keep working out without slowing down to give your body to recover, the body will just maintain the weight or gain it out of muscle. Once the body is fully rested, its telling you that it already completed the changes you put effort into and discover that you lost weight.