Jillian Michaels - Who's right?

momofssc

I went on to Jill's website and she will do a free fitness assessment and give you pointers on your nutrition and workout according to your body type. One of the things it told me, according to my body type, metabolism and weight loss goal, was that I needed to burn more calories than I'm taking in. On MFP I am told to eat up to 1330 calories. At most, I will burn 550 calories during my workout sessions. The website adds those extra calories I burned off to my "food diary". But, even if those extra calories were NOT added, my calorie intake would still be too high for me to lose weight according to Jill. Thoughts, anyone?

GURLEY_GIRL3

bump

snc1212

Everyone has a different take on this. You would still be burning more calories than you are taking in at 1330. You have to figure out your base metabolic rate, so how many calories your body burns daily just sitting on your butt. (MFP does that.) But on the exercise front, some people feel very strongly you should eat at least some of the calories you 'earned'. I'm the opposite. I don't eat my extra calories, most of the time. There are Sundays when I do a long run, (running for about an hour fifteen) that I do go over my calories, but only by say 200. Not the full calories I burned (generally around 900).

Hope that helps!!!

BridgetJoy

I think you need to also consider the calories you burn when you're not exercising. MFP is saying eat around 1330 calories a day. When you do a work out and burn 550 calories, your total calories burned for that day is going to be way more than that because of the energy used to walk around, digest food, regulate temperature etc. Im not sure how MFP accounts for 'background calories' but its something to think about.

sm26davis

i was accually thinking about that the other day. In order to loose weight you have to burn more then you take in. This site adds those to your food, so I have been trying to not use the extra calories it tells you can use. It just didn't make sense to me to eat all those calories and be able to loose!!

vanillasugar

MFP already has calculated in a deficit for loss. If it is telling you to eat 1330 pre-exercise, then it's assuming your BMR is 1830 and is reducing your caloric intake by 500 cals/day (3500/week) to allow for a 1 lb loss per week. These are rough estimates, but basic idea. So, if you exercise and burn off an ADDITIONAL 500 calories and DON'T eat them back, your net intake would only be 830 calories for the day, which is not enough to fuel basic body functionality for a sustainable amount of time. So that is why MFP advises you to eat back the calories you earn through exercise.

ladyhawk00

I don't know how the JM site calculates cals, but here is a thread that explains how MFP calculates cal goals & deficits. Might help.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

Good luck to you!

momofssc

OK, I think I'm getting it now. So, my calorie intake is 1300 (ish), my average workout is around 500 and my metabolic whatever is 1400 (ish). So, even if I don't exercise I'm still burning more calories than taking in. I completely forgot about the extra calories burned. If I don't eat my extra calories when I exercise I feel like passing out, therefore, I DO eat the majority of those extra calories. I feel like I need the carbs for energy. Thanks everyone for your help. It's making sense to me now.