Calories vs Exercise

Lizshouse88

I have a question I hope someone here can answer for me. My calorie goal is between 1200-1800 calories a day (give or take). I am mixing it up so that my metabolism keeps going. Anywho, when I exercise - Should I eat more to make up for the calories burned or should I still only eat that amount of calories per day? I have been only eating that amount of calories when I exercise, but my weight loss kind of slowed down a little so I am wondering what I can do to keep it going. I have been losing around 2-3lbs one week, then 1-2 the next week. But this week I haven't lost much. Thanks!

anubis609

Eat moar phood!

lisa_lotte

You should always try to eat your exercise calories back. I was stuck at the same weight for ages, but started losing when i started eating more (which just sounds wrong I know)

Have a look at the links in my signiture - will tell u lots more about it :-)

epj78

It depends. If you got your calorie range from the website (can't remember it) often recommended here for zig zagging calories - your exercise calories are already in there so you should NOT eat them back.

If you are basing your calories just to average what MFP says you should be (i.e. MFP says 1400 and you determine daily calories so you average this in a week), then yes, you should eat exercise calories back.

Lizshouse88

Well, actually MFP says I should eat 2,500 calories a day. My doctor said 1,600 a day. Some days I eat less than 1,200. Other days I eat 1,800 or more. I haven't eaten as many as 2,500 a day since I started my diet! It just seems like so much food now.

trud72

i eat about half of mine back! some days its hard to do that but it wont hurt if you miss the odd day xx

erickirb

The lowest you should go is 1200 Net (1200 plus eat back what you burn). So if you burn 400 calories one day, you should eat a minimum of 1600 (1200+400), if you burned 400 on one of your 1800 calorie days, it would be up to you whether you eat them back or not.

Lizshouse88

I do Zumba 3x per week and work out 1x per week. Doing Zumba I assume I burn somewhere around 700 calories. So on those days I should eat 1900 calories? Maybe that's where I have been going wrong recently with the weight loss. I haven't been eating them back. My total calories (minus Zuma/Exercise) is usually around 600-900 at the end of the day...

Hollycat

I'm careful not to go below 1200 NET. If I exercise on what is supposed to be a 1200 calorie day, I eat my exercise calories back and sometimes a little more to bring it up to 1400 NET. I am losing pretty steadily, and although it's only 7.6 pounds, so far, this is the 'steadiest' I've ever lost. I'm going to keep cycling calories [1200-1800] and eating my exercise calories to ensure I'm never below 1200 net and closer to 1400. Also, once in a while [like every 2 or 3 weeks] I have myself a munchie day where I eat up to 2300 calories, just in case my metabolism has caught on that I'm dieting. As a hypothyroid girl, I'm very aware of my metabolism...which has been much like a slug moving against a windstorm.

Hollycat
:flowerforyou:

hedleyrocks247

Well, actually MFP says I should eat 2,500 calories a day. My doctor said 1,600 a day. Some days I eat less than 1,200. Other days I eat 1,800 or more. I haven't eaten as many as 2,500 a day since I started my diet! It just seems like so much food now.

Want to know my HONEST opinion. I don't think Doctors know EVERYTHING when it comes to weightloss - they are just as confused and in the dark as us regular folks!!!

So you know what I would do if I was in your situation. I would TRUST MFP!! I would eat 2500 calories a day, plus at least half of my excersise calories back and see how that goes.....give it a month or so b/c your body is going to have to adjust to the changes. Check your BMR (under the tools section), I bet your burning more calories just breathing than your Dr is telling you to eat.

Lizshouse88

Well I tried eating 2500 calories per day and I lost absolutely NOTHING! I steadily lowered it to what I am eating now. I didn't just all of a sudden stop eating. It took me about 2 weeks to get from eating 2,500 a day to 1,200-1,800 a day comfortably. Now I get so full when I try to eat that much These last couple weeks I have lost an average of about .8lbs per day (I am obsessed with the scale, it keeps me going to see the numbers drop). Then last weekend I didnt record my food all weekend and stopped losing weight

hedleyrocks247

Well I tried eating 2500 calories per day and I lost absolutely NOTHING! I steadily lowered it to what I am eating now. I didn't just all of a sudden stop eating. It took me about 2 weeks to get from eating 2,500 a day to 1,200-1,800 a day comfortably. Now I get so full when I try to eat that much These last couple weeks I have lost an average of about .8lbs per day (I am obsessed with the scale, it keeps me going to see the numbers drop). Then last weekend I didnt record my food all weekend and stopped losing weight

.8 pounds a DAY is freaking AMAZING!!! Don't be discouraged b/c the scale didn't show a loss for one week - and if you think it's because you didn't track for that weekend then just keep that in mind the next time you don't feel like tracking!!! I track every day, even my WORST days!!! LOL!! Hard to do, but I know that in the long run it will be good for me to be able to look back and see....Hmmmm that's what I "used" to eat, or "maybe that's why I'm plateuing" or whatever!!! I've had at least 1 week a month where the scale doesn't move at all.....I even had a weekend (Easter) where it said I gained 9 pounds in 3 days (not really possible, especially since I knew exactly what I'd been eating up until that weekend and even tracked that weekend!!) - but by weigh in day, that 9 pounds was gone, plus another 3!!! Talk about water retention or WHAT!!! I know it's hard not to focus on the scale so try not weighing yourself for a week and then see what happens!!! But most importantly go by how you feel, be proud or what you are doing and know that you are doing AMAZING!!

Teeladog

I always eat my exercise calories. I lose weight a lot more consistently that way. Be careful if you are relying on what MFP estimates for calories burned though...the numbers seem a little bit high to me. I tend to be very conservative with what I estimate for calories burned but then eat every one of those calories. I figure if I am a little conservative with the calories I burn then I have a little cushion but I still end up eating most of my exercise calories.

Lizshouse88

I always eat my exercise calories. I lose weight a lot more consistently that way. Be careful if you are relying on what MFP estimates for calories burned though...the numbers seem a little bit high to me. I tend to be very conservative with what I estimate for calories burned but then eat every one of those calories. I figure if I am a little conservative with the calories I burn then I have a little cushion but I still end up eating most of my exercise calories.

I actually think the calories burned for zumba are low ( I use Aerobic dancing general on MFP to calculate it). My instructor uses a heart-rate calorie counting thing and last night she said SHE burned 763 calories. Well, obviously I would have burned more because I probably weigh twice as much as she does. BUT I also don't move quite as hard as she does. I estimate it to be about the same.