13 millionth post about deficit etc. Humor me...

HisBeloved65

I have lost over 12 inches all around my body in 3 months time. My last weigh (that I counted) was 8/3 and I was 188.4. I am now 190. I am working out between 60-75 minutes a day and for life of me cant figure out what Im supposed to be eating. It seems no matter what i do, the scale doesnt move. I keep adjusting my settings but then I give up because I can't figure it out worth a darn. Like today I (so far) have eaten 1232 calories and burned 492. It seems crazy to eat more, its not logical to me. I keep thinking thats why I am stalled out. I just dont really understand all this total calories in relation to calories burned and net calories. I have read dozens of threads on the subject but just cant seem to get it. I dont want to be not giving my body enough fuel but the math doesnt work for me.

fiberartist219

Humor me and eat your exercise calories back for a month and see what happens.

AngelicaDulas

The MFP already figures in a deficit from what your body needs when you're totally at rest for a whole day, i.e. the 2000 cals for example. SO if it says to eat 1300 cals, its telling you that you're eating 500+ LESS than what you would need to JUST maintain. SO by exercising you're burning excess of the already reduced calories, so by eating some of that back, you're bringing your net closer to the deficit. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine. So eat back at least 50% of your exercise cals a day to see if that helps, and do it for a solid week to test it out. Hope this helps.

ericka389

You are not alone!! I am having a hard time with this as well. Interested to see what others have to say!

Jenscan

Yup, you're likely not losing because you're not eating enough. MFP builds in your calorie deficit for you -- when you entered your settings, it set your goal based upon a projected number with your TDEE (how many calories your burn on a normal day WITHOUT exercise) MINUS 500 calories.

So if you don't eat back the exercise calories, your deficit is too large.

OK, here's the math.

1232 calories eaten + 492 burned = 1724. THIS is the number you should hit.

Right now, you're only eating this: 1232 MINUS 492 = 740. THIS is not enough for your body to function on a daily basis. Not even close!

So, eat your exercise calories back. I don't know what your current goal is, but I suspect it's higher than 1232.

Rule of thumb: Eat until the green number on your homepage is as close to zero as you can get it. That's all there is to it.

Hopefully someone can come behind me and make sure I explained this correctly.

ericka389

thanks Angelica!

ericka389

thanks Angelica!

fitplease

You might have kicked your body into starvation mode, because your body is going into the minimum 1200 that you need day-to-day.

hermanaamber

I'm going to humor you and eat my exercise calories back for a month and let you all know how it turns out. So is it that easy? Never go under 1200 calories and eat back exercise calories? Or, is it that magic 10 x's your weight? Help please, I'm not losing weight either.

hermanaamber

I'm going to humor you and eat my exercise calories back for a month and let you all know how it turns out. So is it that easy? Never go under 1200 calories and eat back exercise calories? Or, is it that magic 10 x's your weight? Help please, I'm not losing weight either.

ladyhawk00

Well, you burn a certain amount of calories just existing (for breathing, organ function, etc). That's your BMR, or basal metabolic rate. Then, you add daily activity such as cooking dinner, brushing your teeth, watching tv, what you do for work, etc. Those two numbers together are your maintenance calories (note that this assumes no purposeful exercise - you can see this number under Goals, at the top right.)

Say your maintenance calories are 2000. MFP will create a built in deficit, based on your loss per week goal. Say that goal is 1 lb per week. So MFP will deduct 500 cals per day for 1 lb loss per week (approximately.) So you eat 1500 cals to lose 1 lb per week.

If you exercise on top of that, you will be burning more calories than have been accounted for. This will make your deficit larger. Too large of a deficit will cause the body to decrease metabolism (the rate at which you use energy) and then start burning lean body mass (muscle, mostly.) This will further decrease metabolism.

So MFP adds calories for exercise to maintain the built in deficit, and keep the deficit from being too large. Hope that helps.

These may help, as well:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

Funkysuelee

"The MFP already figures in a deficit from what your body needs when you're totally at rest for a whole day, i.e. the 2000 cals for example. SO if it says to eat 1300 cals, its telling you that you're eating 500+ LESS than what you would need to JUST maintain. SO by exercising you're burning excess of the already reduced calories, so by eating some of that back, you're bringing your net closer to the deficit. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine. So eat back at least 50% of your exercise cals a day to see if that helps, and do it for a solid week to test it out. Hope this helps. "

ok so when it works out the calorie intake for the day does that mean that it's already taken into account the 500 calorie defecit? so any excercise on top is a further additional defecit? this is really exciting to know.

salmanajmal

i would recommend you leave your exercise for a couple of weeks and try consuming 1200-1400 calories in your diet. observe the results and then let us know plz

AngelicaDulas

"The MFP already figures in a deficit from what your body needs when you're totally at rest for a whole day, i.e. the 2000 cals for example. SO if it says to eat 1300 cals, its telling you that you're eating 500+ LESS than what you would need to JUST maintain. SO by exercising you're burning excess of the already reduced calories, so by eating some of that back, you're bringing your net closer to the deficit. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine. So eat back at least 50% of your exercise cals a day to see if that helps, and do it for a solid week to test it out. Hope this helps. "

ok so when it works out the calorie intake for the day does that mean that it's already taken into account the 500 calorie defecit? so any excercise on top is a further additional defecit? this is really exciting to know.

Yes! You got it. So that's why your NET should usually always be at least 1200 a day after exercise, preferably closer to the Green number on your home page, other wise you could be harming your body and organ function in the long run.

xraychick77

. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine.

lol..so not true.

if you eat a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. your body wont and cant store fat at a deficit. seriously..hello it needs whatever you intake to function, if you intake less than your maintenance then it'll burn fat and some muscle for energy to function.

i love all the bro science on this site and uneducated crap. people just post whatever they've heard from countless others.and dont bother to research on their own

HisBeloved65

Yup, you're likely not losing because you're not eating enough. MFP builds in your calorie deficit for you -- when you entered your settings, it set your goal based upon a projected number with your TDEE (how many calories your burn on a normal day WITHOUT exercise) MINUS 500 calories.

So if you don't eat back the exercise calories, your deficit is too large.

OK, here's the math.

1232 calories eaten + 492 burned = 1724. THIS is the number you should hit.

Right now, you're only eating this: 1232 MINUS 492 = 740. THIS is not enough for your body to function on a daily basis. Not even close!

So, eat your exercise calories back. I don't know what your current goal is, but I suspect it's higher than 1232.

Rule of thumb: Eat until the green number on your homepage is as close to zero as you can get it. That's all there is to it.

Hopefully someone can come behind me and make sure I explained this correctly.

thank you. It is sinking it. I appreciate the green number hint. I can do that!

lucylue21

i try not to eat over 800 calories a day and i still loose wieght

HisBeloved65

Humor me and eat your exercise calories back for a month and see what happens.

I've got nothing to lose. I will try it! I'm a slow wit, but improvin' :-)

ladyhawk00

. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine.

lol..so not true.

if you eat a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. your body wont and cant store fat at a deficit. seriously..hello it needs whatever you intake to function, if you intake less than your maintenance then it'll burn fat and some muscle for energy to function.

i love all the bro science on this site and uneducated crap. people just post whatever they've heard from countless others.and dont bother to research on their own

The point being, that when deficit is too large, the body will adjust "maintenance" by decreasing RMR and loss of muscle...so that what would have been a deficit before is no longer. So you think you're at a deficit, but since your maintenance calories have decreased, you are eating at maintenance.

A plenty of us do research. And the peer-reviewed research backs this up.

ladyhawk00

i try not to eat over 800 calories a day and i still loose wieght

And, no offense intended. But this is called anorexia. Highly recommend you seek counseling.

Jenscan

. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine.

lol..so not true.

if you eat a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. your body wont and cant store fat at a deficit. seriously..hello it needs whatever you intake to function, if you intake less than your maintenance then it'll burn fat and some muscle for energy to function.

i love all the bro science on this site and uneducated crap. people just post whatever they've heard from countless others.and dont bother to research on their own

The point being, that when deficit is too large, the body will adjust "maintenance" by decreasing RMR and loss of muscle...so that what would have been a deficit before is no longer. So you think you're at a deficit, but since your maintenance calories have decreased, you are eating at maintenance.

A plenty of us do research. And the peer-reviewed research backs this up.

This. Eating your exercise calories works. Ladyhawk knows what she's talking about.

LisaKyle11

. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine.

lol..so not true.

if you eat a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. your body wont and cant store fat at a deficit. seriously..hello it needs whatever you intake to function, if you intake less than your maintenance then it'll burn fat and some muscle for energy to function.

i love all the bro science on this site and uneducated crap. people just post whatever they've heard from countless others.and dont bother to research on their own

thank you ^^.... agree.

anyway, check out Ladyhawk's attached threads...they should be very helpful.

good luck!

carmenstop1

. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine.

lol..so not true.

if you eat a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. your body wont and cant store fat at a deficit. seriously..hello it needs whatever you intake to function, if you intake less than your maintenance then it'll burn fat and some muscle for energy to function.

i love all the bro science on this site and uneducated crap. people just post whatever they've heard from countless others.and dont bother to research on their own


This is very true! I have lived it! I understand it completely! I had to increase calories to finally start losing! Listen to Ladyhawke!

sherisaid

Hm. I'm struggling with the deficit concept as well. I struggle to get my calorie count up to 1200 not counting the exercise deficit. I should be eating closer to 1500, but I usually net about 900 - 1000. I am never hungry, and I'm often stuffed. I'm not sure how to add more calories and still eat as healthy as I want to. 500 additional calories is a LOT.

colorfulcupcakes

The MFP already figures in a deficit from what your body needs when you're totally at rest for a whole day, i.e. the 2000 cals for example. SO if it says to eat 1300 cals, its telling you that you're eating 500+ LESS than what you would need to JUST maintain. SO by exercising you're burning excess of the already reduced calories, so by eating some of that back, you're bringing your net closer to the deficit. IF YOU GO UNDER NET BY TOO FAR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, you'll stall your metabolism and it will convert EVERYTHING you eat into "stored energy" ie fat, because it thinks theres a famine. So eat back at least 50% of your exercise cals a day to see if that helps, and do it for a solid week to test it out. Hope this helps.

This helped me, thank you!

colorfulcupcakes

Oh wait, a related question here... why is it that when i set up my goal (using the guidance) to lose 2 pounds per week, it comes out saying, "If you follow this plan, you will lose 1.6 pounds per week" - like... will it NOT recommend your calories going below 1200, therefore the only factor to play with is your exercise? In other words, I can only adjust my exercise plan to get it to say "you will lose 2 lbs per week" but I can't get it to recommend me to eat less than the net/base/whatever of 1200? Know what I mean?

ladyhawk00

Hm. I'm struggling with the deficit concept as well. I struggle to get my calorie count up to 1200 not counting the exercise deficit. I should be eating closer to 1500, but I usually net about 900 - 1000. I am never hungry, and I'm often stuffed. I'm not sure how to add more calories and still eat as healthy as I want to. 500 additional calories is a LOT.

Many times, if you're having trouble meeting cal goals, it means you aren't getting enough healthy fats. Healthy fats are necessary and contain a LOT of calories - so adding some can help tremendously in getting adequate intake and nutrition. So, try using some natural oils in cooking (olive/canola), eat nuts and nut butters (almond, pistachio, walnut, peanut) and include some avocados. Just takes some practice.

And check out the links I posted previously, they can help explain why eating too little will cause problems and give some ideas on how to work on it. :flowerforyou:

ladyhawk00

Oh wait, a related question here... why is it that when i set up my goal (using the guidance) to lose 2 pounds per week, it comes out saying, "If you follow this plan, you will lose 1.6 pounds per week" - like... will it NOT recommend your calories going below 1200, therefore the only factor to play with is your exercise? In other words, I can only adjust my exercise plan to get it to say "you will lose 2 lbs per week" but I can't get it to recommend me to eat less than the net/base/whatever of 1200? Know what I mean?

MFP uses a lower limit on guided cal goals of 1200, to help prevent undereating/drastic cal restriction. 1200 is the minimum recommended by health experts for the average woman to receive adequate nutrition. Unless you are MUCH smaller than average, it's not a good idea to try an intake below this, as you risk malnourishment - it's very difficult to get the necessary macros and micros with less than 1200 unless you get a very specific diet provided by a doctor/dietitian.

All that said, based on your ticker, you don't have enough to lose to be trying for 2 lbs per week. You'll probably do best with about 1 lb per week, 1.5 lb at the most (and that's fairly aggressive.) The less fat stores you have, the slower your loss needs to be to prevent decreased metabolism and loss of muscle (the opposite of what you want.) May help to read the links I posted previously to help explain further.

Edited for typos :grumble:

idwoof

Xraychick77 is completely right. I am so tired of reading post by people saying that if you are eating too far under your calories that you will stop losing weight, or even begin gaining weight! HAHA Yeah right! It's simply just not true. Weight loss is simply about calories in, calories out.
Eating too few calories may decrease your metabolism, and decrease your quality of life, but it sure as heck isn't going to make you gain weight.
I'm a wrestler so I have done plenty of unhealthy crash diets to make weight (eating 500 calories for multiple days) never once have I seen a person completly stop losing weight or gain weight from it.
How do you explain people losing weights on extended fasts? Your body uses fat and muscle for energy, you can fast for a month and still be losing considerable amounts of weight.

ladyhawk00

Xraychick77 is completely right. I am so tired of reading post by people saying that if you are eating too far under your calories that you will stop losing weight, or even begin gaining weight! HAHA Yeah right! It's simply just not true. Weight loss is simply about calories in, calories out.
Eating too few calories may decrease your metabolism, and decrease your quality of life, but it sure as heck isn't going to make you gain weight.
I'm a wrestler so I have done plenty of unhealthy crash diets to make weight (eating 500 calories for multiple days) never once have I seen a person completly stop losing weight or gain weight from it.
How do you explain people losing weights on extended fasts? Your body uses fat and muscle for energy, you can fast for a month and still be losing considerable amounts of weight.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

Here is a short list of just some of the respected research that validates the fact that too large of a deficit WILL decrease RMR and cause loss of muscle. There are many others, but this is a good start if you're interested in studies regarding lowered metabolism and loss of lean mass, in the case of LCD/VLCD, which can slow or stop weight loss.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/4/826.full.pdf+html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2613433?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/1/93.full.pdf+html
http://www.ajcn.org/content/45/2/391.full.pdf+html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6694559&dopt=AbstractPlus
http://www.ajcn.org/content/57/2/127.full.pdf
http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/2/167.abstract?ck=nck
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n3/abs/0803720a.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_n7-8_v15/ai_18602507/
http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Human-Starvation-I/dp/0816672342/ref=pd_sim_b_3
http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Human-Starvation-II/dp/0816672334/ref=pd_sim_b_2

idwoof

Xraychick77 is completely right. I am so tired of reading post by people saying that if you are eating too far under your calories that you will stop losing weight, or even begin gaining weight! HAHA Yeah right! It's simply just not true. Weight loss is simply about calories in, calories out.
Eating too few calories may decrease your metabolism, and decrease your quality of life, but it sure as heck isn't going to make you gain weight.
I'm a wrestler so I have done plenty of unhealthy crash diets to make weight (eating 500 calories for multiple days) never once have I seen a person completly stop losing weight or gain weight from it.
How do you explain people losing weights on extended fasts? Your body uses fat and muscle for energy, you can fast for a month and still be losing considerable amounts of weight.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

Here is a short list of just some of the respected research that validates the fact that too large of a deficit WILL decrease RMR and cause loss of muscle. There are many others, but this is a good start if you're interested in studies regarding lowered metabolism and loss of lean mass, in the case of LCD/VLCD, which can slow or stop weight loss.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/4/826.full.pdf+html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2613433?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/1/93.full.pdf+html
http://www.ajcn.org/content/45/2/391.full.pdf+html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6694559&dopt=AbstractPlus
http://www.ajcn.org/content/57/2/127.full.pdf
http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/2/167.abstract?ck=nck
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n3/abs/0803720a.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_n7-8_v15/ai_18602507/
http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Human-Starvation-I/dp/0816672342/ref=pd_sim_b_3
http://www.amazon.com/Biology-Human-Starvation-II/dp/0816672334/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Exactly! You are proving exactly what we are saying. Your body starts burning FAT! Exactly why everyone is here. It's not the smartest or healthiest way to diet, but it is just not true that these people are gaining weight or even not losing anyweight at all from eating too few calories.
And on another note most these people that are talking about this are eating over 1000 calories. They are not going to go into starvation mode.