my dietician view on exercise cals. agree or disagree?

XXXMinnieXXX

I am worried about loose skin. I lost 46lbs now all together, but keep sticking along the way, and trying to nail the exact things I should be doing once and for all!

XXXMinnieXXX

They were dietician from a specialist weight management service run by the national health service. I doubted the first opinion, so asked for a second, same answer... Still doubting. This is a lifestyle change for me and I still have a long way to go and don't want to look like a bag of skin by the end. You've lost a lot of weight, and look great so I will take your opinions on board! Zara

XXXMinnieXXX

Just be careful and listen to your body. You more than likely will not be able to keep up those kind of loses over a long period of time so watch your energy levels and be careful what kind of calories you are eating. If you truly are burning that many calories a day and only eating that many calories then your body will eventually adapt to the stress you are putting on it and your metabolism will take a dump and try to protect itself. Stay in it for the long haul and remember that while yes there are lot of well intentioned strangers on the net willing to offer there advice, there are even more ignorant and close minded "clinical professionals" who can give even worse advice. I work in the field so I know.

I hear you so much on the ignorant professionals bit, I've experienced that loads, hence why I find it hard to trust their opinion! Zara

XXXMinnieXXX

Very interesting! Zara

melsinct

Just be careful and listen to your body. You more than likely will not be able to keep up those kind of loses over a long period of time so watch your energy levels and be careful what kind of calories you are eating. If you truly are burning that many calories a day and only eating that many calories then your body will eventually adapt to the stress you are putting on it and your metabolism will take a dump and try to protect itself. Stay in it for the long haul and remember that while yes there are lot of well intentioned strangers on the net willing to offer there advice, there are even more ignorant and close minded "clinical professionals" who can give even worse advice. I work in the field so I know.

I agree with this completely. Also, make sure your calorie burns are accurate- I don't know what kind of exercise you are doing, but those seem like HUGE burns. As for the eating your exercise calories in general, I am of the belief that what works for one person doesn't work for another, and even if something is working for you, it may not 2 months from now. Listen to your body, eat if you are hungry, and if weight loss stops, reassess and see if you need to eat more.

XXXMinnieXXX

I have been reading a lot about the starvation mode, and I don't think it exists the way that people make it seem to. Your Metabolism is not a piece of glass it is more like a rubber band. The guys they did the study on that began the whole starvation mode debate slowed their metabolism by a huge number, like 40% I think.... but that was after they got their bodies down to like 5% bf. And even at 5% body fat they kept losing. Not healthy of course, I am in no way advocating that that is what you should do. But the idea that as soon as you drop below a certain number of calories your body is going to shut down and start gaining weight makes no sense. Starving children in Africa do not suddenly start to balloon up when they don't get fed. Also if you watch the biggest loser, those people are working out 6 to 7 hours a day... and eating on average 1000 calories a day to start with... If you are following the advice of a dietician I have to say that is the advice you should stick to.

I do watch a lot of biggest loser uk and australia on sky and love it! Another reason I'm confused! X

luvmycandies

I have had the similar experience with exercise calories. My doctor said not to eat them back also. I try to eat back only a portion of them. Lots of good opinions on here. Good post.

Good luck to all

Caz2678

I would just like to add...

As someone who also works in the field, Dieticians along with many other health professionals have to stick to the guidelines which are given to them, regardless of their own beliefs. So it is very possible to get ill advice from someone you think knows what they are talking about! Its also very much, do what I say not what I do! In saying that not all are the same, so you might be lucky.

I would do what works for you, although sometimes that can be trial and error and take time. Do your own research too as this can be invaluable for you as a person.

Also the HRM will make a huge difference to counting your exercise calories and that should give you a clearer picture all round.

Good luck on your weight loss journey. xx

d2footballJRC

I've been losing weight pretty fast at first and it's been tapering off to about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I spend 1 to 2 hours a night at the gym. I use a HRM and the myfitnesspal numbers have been close, myfitnesspal has been running about 100 calories high as of late. Their are days that I go into my exercise calories, but if I do that I try to make sure they are a fruit or vegetable, not just tossing down chips and chocolate. Last few days have been brutal on the diary, Going to try to get back into the groove of clean eating once this week at work is over. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping. Been having to choose between gym and grocery shopping and the gym has won out every day.

I agree with the people that use cleaning and everything to put in as calories, don't do it. Those can be your bonus calories burnt that you don't even realize. It annoys me when people do that, its like you are trying to pad your stats.

Nette_54

bump

XXXMinnieXXX

I've been losing weight pretty fast at first and it's been tapering off to about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I spend 1 to 2 hours a night at the gym. I use a HRM and the myfitnesspal numbers have been close, myfitnesspal has been running about 100 calories high as of late. Their are days that I go into my exercise calories, but if I do that I try to make sure they are a fruit or vegetable, not just tossing down chips and chocolate. Last few days have been brutal on the diary, Going to try to get back into the groove of clean eating once this week at work is over. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping. Been having to choose between gym and grocery shopping and the gym has won out every day.

I agree with the people that use cleaning and everything to put in as calories, don't do it. Those can be your bonus calories burnt that you don't even realize. It annoys me when people do that, its like you are trying to pad your stats.

I don't need to pad my stats so that's just not the case at all. I've had loads of cals left every day. If you looked there is one single entry of 10 mins cleaning, only reason I added that specific one is because I took everything out of the fridge freezer, dragged it outside which was very difficult, defrosted it, and dragged it back in and refilled. Figured I deserved at least 10 mins for the dragging it outside and in. Those are the only housework calories you will find, and trusat me I've done lots, lots more! Lol. I don't want people thinking I pad my stats because I just don't do that. The 15 mins walks, are what I'm doing on my dinner break at work, instead of sitting in the canteen, if feel this is a accomplishment for me and saw no harm logging it, but maybe I shouldn't. Zara

Lauren8239

I've been losing weight pretty fast at first and it's been tapering off to about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I spend 1 to 2 hours a night at the gym. I use a HRM and the myfitnesspal numbers have been close, myfitnesspal has been running about 100 calories high as of late. Their are days that I go into my exercise calories, but if I do that I try to make sure they are a fruit or vegetable, not just tossing down chips and chocolate. Last few days have been brutal on the diary, Going to try to get back into the groove of clean eating once this week at work is over. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping. Been having to choose between gym and grocery shopping and the gym has won out every day.

I agree with the people that use cleaning and everything to put in as calories, don't do it. Those can be your bonus calories burnt that you don't even realize. It annoys me when people do that, its like you are trying to pad your stats.

I don't need to pad my stats so that's just not the case at all. I've had loads of cals left every day. If you looked there is one single entry of 10 mins cleaning, only reason I added that specific one is because I took everything out of the fridge freezer, dragged it outside which was very difficult, defrosted it, and dragged it back in and refilled. Figured I deserved at least 10 mins for the dragging it outside and in. Those are the only housework calories you will find, and trusat me I've done lots, lots more! Lol. I don't want people thinking I pad my stats because I just don't do that. The 15 mins walks, are what I'm doing on my dinner break at work, instead of sitting in the canteen, if feel this is a accomplishment for me and saw no harm logging it, but maybe I shouldn't. Zara

Lauren8239

I've been losing weight pretty fast at first and it's been tapering off to about 1.5-2 pounds a week. I spend 1 to 2 hours a night at the gym. I use a HRM and the myfitnesspal numbers have been close, myfitnesspal has been running about 100 calories high as of late. Their are days that I go into my exercise calories, but if I do that I try to make sure they are a fruit or vegetable, not just tossing down chips and chocolate. Last few days have been brutal on the diary, Going to try to get back into the groove of clean eating once this week at work is over. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping. Been having to choose between gym and grocery shopping and the gym has won out every day.

I agree with the people that use cleaning and everything to put in as calories, don't do it. Those can be your bonus calories burnt that you don't even realize. It annoys me when people do that, its like you are trying to pad your stats.

I don't need to pad my stats so that's just not the case at all. I've had loads of cals left every day. If you looked there is one single entry of 10 mins cleaning, only reason I added that specific one is because I took everything out of the fridge freezer, dragged it outside which was very difficult, defrosted it, and dragged it back in and refilled. Figured I deserved at least 10 mins for the dragging it outside and in. Those are the only housework calories you will find, and trusat me I've done lots, lots more! Lol. I don't want people thinking I pad my stats because I just don't do that. The 15 mins walks, are what I'm doing on my dinner break at work, instead of sitting in the canteen, if feel this is a accomplishment for me and saw no harm logging it, but maybe I shouldn't. Zara

If adding any housework or other daily activities helps motivate you, then I say go for it! :flowerforyou:

roblow65

bump

Huskeryogi

Did you ever ask yourself where the 2lbs/week guideline came from in the first place?

Post from one of my favorite blogs
http://johnbarban.com/weight-loss-fallacies-2lbs-per-week-and-1200-calories-per-day/

Weight Loss Fallacies: 2lbs per week and 1200 calories per day


I received an email the other day that sums up how popular diet/fitness misinformation can leave people frustrated, upset, angry and eventually to flat out give up on the idea of getting in shape.

So the email went something like this:

“I just read your book and it says my RMR is approx 1250 calories. I want to lose 2lbs per week because that is supposed to be a realistic weight loss goal…but to do that you say you have to create a 1000 calorie deficit each day, that means I can only eat 250 calories per day…but I also heard that you should never eat below 1200 calories per day…so how is this possible?!”


What is a realistic weight loss goal?
Of course I’m paraphrasing and this is not the exact words, but this is a very typical email I get every week.

There are a few different flaws and fallacies in this statement…did you notice them? If not, I’ll show you.

Fallacy #1. There is no scientific proof that 2lbs per week of weight loss is a safe or realistic goal that all adults humans can or should expect to achieve. This is a claim based on FTC advertising standards. You only hear this number because marketers aren’t allowed to say any more by law. If they could the number would likely be 10lbs per week. That doesn’t make it any more or less correct, because neither number is based on scientific evidence.

A 6’5 260lbs man can easily expect to lose up to even 4lbs per week, however a 5’1 woman is hardly in the same position. Instead of setting a weight loss goal based on poundage (ie: 1lbs, 2lbs, 3lbs per week) you should be looking at it as a percentage of your bodyweight.

A 6’0 tall man who weights 220lbs with a RMR of approximately 2000 cals/day could easily create a 1000 calorie deficit each day by cutting his calories to 1500/day and burning an additional 500 calories in a good hard workout (mix of weights and cardio).

1500 is still plenty of calories to feel relatively satisfied while still creating a fair sized deficit to facilitate a significant weekly weight loss.

Also 2lbs of weight loss represents less than 1% of his total bodyweight.

Now change the person to a 5’1 woman with an RMR of 1250 calories. She would have to eat around 750 calories per day as well as burning off an additional 500 in the gym. This is starting to sound more like torture than a reasonable diet plan.

The fallacy is that 2lbs is a good target for all body sizes…it is not. Smaller people have smaller metabolisms and shouldn’t expect to lose as much total weight as a bigger person. It would be more realistic for her to shoot for 1lbs of weight loss which would only require a 500 calorie daily deficit…this could be achieved with a much more reasonably daily calorie intake around 1000 calories with a 250 calorie burn from a workout. Doesn’t that sound much more realistic?!

Fallacy #2: 1200 calories is the minimum you should eat in a day

I don’t know where this number comes from and I will be spending some time in the near future looking it up. However based on the RDI and RDA for nutrients the actual lower limit for calories (when you add up the individual recommendations for protein, carbs and fats) comes out to around 800 calories per day for women and 900 for men. So even according to the RDA you can easily eat well below 1200 and get your daily requirements of protein carbs and fats.

These two false assumptions are leading many people down a path of frustration and weight loss failure.

Setting realistic weight loss goals is the first step to success.

Letting go of your fear of eating less food is the second step.

Once you realize it’s ok to eat a bit less food then you will start to see things really change.

John

Jazzyjules71

I think one thing that hasn't been mentioned is this- even amongst professionals (and good qualified professions), there's a difference in opinion about how to do things. There is probably data out there to support large calorie defecit, and data to support lower calorie defecit- so it's possible your dietician is right, and people on this forum contradicting that are also right. more than one way to skin a cat. There is so much information to look at , just do what feels best to you. If you feel good with large calorie defecit, go for it. if you feel terrible- sluggish, weak, tired, and starving........eat some more.

Most important thing, Listen to your body!

TK421NotAtPost

I think one thing that hasn't been mentioned is this- even amongst professionals (and good qualified professions), there's a difference in opinion about how to do things. There is probably data out there to support large calorie defecit, and data to support lower calorie defecit- so it's possible your dietician is right, and people on this forum contradicting that are also right. more than one way to skin a cat. There is so much information to look at , just do what feels best to you. If you feel good with large calorie defecit, go for it. if you feel terrible- sluggish, weak, tired, and starving........eat some more.

Most important thing, Listen to your body!

Totally agree!

It's highly context-dependent. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then losing 2 lbs or more a week is fine.

Fine-tuning diet techniques only start to become necessary and beneficial as you approach your goal weight or are looking to shed some stubborn fat.

Should people with a lot of weight to lose engage in calorie cycling or even "eating back your exercise calories"? Of course not.

fromnebraska

Did the dietitian do a BMR test on you? My dietitian did one on me and my metabolic rate was lower than average. =( With 2 hours of exercise (running and some strength training) factored in every week, she told me that I can eat 1400-1500 calories per day and lose 1-2 pounds per week. Any calories burned from additional, purposeful exercise I can eat. Her philosophy, though, is not number-based, but is more of listening to your body. She says that if I'm really hungry one day then I can go over on my calories, but not to make that a regular thing. The goal is to help me fall into healthy patterns of exercising regularly and eating moderate meals everyday.

flipsit

I think you can find a balance in the middle. You clearly are working hard with your exercise. Even if mfp is generous on how many calories you have burned, if you are exercising hard enough to be out of breath/ sweat for an hour to an hour and a half, then you are burning calories/ fat and strengthening muscles. You're certainly not taken an approach where you are thinking that you have burned 1000 calories so you can then stuff your face with junk. But if you've exercised hard and your body needs more food, then go ahead and snack healthily, keeping to the targets you have set. The nutritionist at the weight management group I attend suggests that you need to do this to maintain even blood sugar levels- sharp drops and spikes can make you feel unwell and are not helpful to losing weight at a steady pace (I am paraphrasing here- she said it far more succinctly and scientifically).

As for logging things like cleaning or short walks, if people want to then it's up to them. If it's more than your normal activity and you raise your heart rate for an extended period of time, then it will all help. It's motivational too. I walked 15 minutes today but I've logged it- a couple of months ago I would have taken the car- I feel better that I at least did something- I have no intention eating back those few calories but it feels like an achievement to have something to log. If I was logging it in order to justify eating over my targets, then the whole thing would be pointless.

Keep going Zara. Your efforts have motivated me this week (am still shattered from yesterday). Thanks for sharing your diary. x

Huffdogg

I am worried about loose skin. I lost 46lbs now all together, but keep sticking along the way, and trying to nail the exact things I should be doing once and for all!

I have lost roughly 70-75 pounds in a little over 2 years. That pace has not resulted in any visible loose skin. Take that for what you will. I certainly don't claim to know anything about what will and/or won't affect that.