very confused

mom23nuts

i know I am supposed to eat my exercise calories back but I have a lot left to eat back and am so confused....if I close my diary entry for today it says if you eat like this in 5 weeks you will be 159 but if I eat up the rest of the calories it ups my weight to like 164.

that's not even the major concern....my concern is I am not hungry enough to eat back what is left on my totals and if I do aren't I just stuffing myself?

I know I don't want to plateau again for as long as I did last time around (2 months) but I really cannot fathom eating 600 calories at 8pm and what the heck would I eat that is low carb to not spike my blood sugar....a dozen eggs?

UGH!

Is this starvation mode thing just a myth or will regularly leaving 600 calories going to do me in?

suggestions?

hopefully my diary is open for you all to see and make helpful suggestions.

hotrodswife32

I was wondering the same thing! If I eat like that I will gain my weight back. I hope someone can give us both the answer.

bjohs

Personally speaking, I think your food diary looks great! It's a little light on fruits and vegetables, so my only advice would be to try and increase those amounts a little bit. You may just need a change in your exercise routine. If you have been doing the same workout(s) for a while now, your body may just need a new challenge. Hang in there!

Elleinnz

UGH!

Is this starvation mode thing just a myth or will regularly leaving 600 calories going to do me in?

suggestions?

hopefully my diary is open for you all to see and make helpful suggestions.

Yes - regularly leaving 600 cals will do you in - I don't eat back all exercise cals - but at least half of them....

Plan for your exercise cals - on the days I have a big workout I eat a bit more breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack - so I don't have to eat it all late at night....

Eat things like olives, nuts, peanut butter (any excuse to eat PB), protein shake that gives more bang for your buck calorie wise....

bjohs

You can also search this forum by clicking on the Search link up above. Search for "exercise calories". There is a lot of feedback on this including at least 5 new topics I've seen posted today alone.

charityateet

Can you just eat more often - like snacks? Pre and post work out? I didn't look at your diary, but for me personally - when I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and maybe a snack there too - I tend to be able to get over 1200 net.

Aileen46

On days like this I don't worry so much about it because there are other days when you might go over so it kind of balances out. I would say that if this issue is a daily thing, you might have to increase your food because too many days under the calories will cause the starvation mode.

Elizabeth_C34

If you are over 1200 calories for the day and not hungry, don't eat. You don't have to stuff your face if you're not hungry!

I don't eat most of my workout cals back especially on days I burn 1000+ calories in a single workout.

Do what feels right for you

jaeone

Plan your meals according to your workout. If you know your workout will increase your calories by 300, 600 or whatever eat those calories earlier in the day. This has worked for me so far.

bigdawg025

If I'm not hungry... I don't eat... I figure there will be a day I'm really hungry and make up for it by going over at some point.

carpediem3

I never eat back my exercise calories, and I still continue to lose. Everyone has their own opinions about eating them back or not. My opinion is you'll lose either way just as long as you eat AT LEAST 1200/day.

JulieF11

I posted this once before, but thought you might benefit from it:

I've read this on MFP over and over again, "starvation mode". I've eaten peanuts, almonds, walnuts, avocados, etc... just to prevent it from happening to me. However, I noticed on the weight loss reality shows, these folks are not eating all their calories they would need to prevent starvation mode. So I did a little research. I suggest you Google it yourself: "Starvation Mode, Myth or Fact" and read all the articles you can about it. The one that sticks most in my mind is a simple statement from the National Health Association (as follows):

"In regard to metabolism, if you are overweight/overfat, you can not cause your metabolism to decrease below a level needed to lose weight while you have extra weight/fat on you, and you can not "lose more weight by eating more calories/food." This is a misunderstanding of the principles of metabolism that does not apply to overweight people trying to lose weight."

Please note: Starvation Mode does exist... It was proven by a group of men in an experiment in MN in the 1940's. But the men were subjected to half the calories they burn at a resting rate, and it didn't happen until they had lost a substantial amount of weight, months into the program. In other words, they really were starving... showing all the bones in their chest, etc... when their metabolism took a nose dive, to help their bodies survive.

I am not saying we should eat less than our 1200 cals a day.... You need a min of around that (not really a magic number, but an average) to get the nutritional vitamins and minerals you need. But don't think you are doing your body a favor by eating a brownie at night, to keep from going into starvation mode.

Please research the information you get so you know why you may be struggling with breaking a plateau, or no longer losing at the rate you had banked on, etc. Oh yes, and if you are struggling to lose weight and yet you are already in the "healthy" BMI zone... It's very important that you get the nutrition you need... not from vitamins, but from food. Your body absorbs the vitamins and minerals from whole foods in a much higher percentage than the supplements which are often just passed through your body. So if you are taking supplements thinking you are getting all you need... think again. Most of what you think you consumed, may have gone right through you.

mom23nuts

great advice folks...I will have to consider it all...