Advice on eating back exercise cals?

theperfectratio

To preface--this isn't for me, it's for my SO. I have no issues eating back my exercise cals.

My SO on the other hand...he's already lost 30 lbs and is very close to his goals (low teens of BF%, 150-ish lbs for a 5 ft 10 guy). However, being within 10 lbs or so of his UGW, he's hit a plateau and come to me for advice. Here's the issues:

1) He doesn't eat veggies (I know, I know...siiigh. I've tried to convince him)
2) He often works out a lot (Insanity or a 40 mile bike ride) BUT he strictly eats 1500 or so calories every day...which in & of itself is lower than the male starvation mode limit.

I told him about eating back exercise cals, and he tried that as healthily as he could w/o eating veggies (more nuts, avocado, etc etc) and he GAINED 5 lbs in like 2 weeks! He was SO FURIOUS at me, hahahaha. So now he's back to 1500 cals a day. I don't want him to be screwing with his health, but IDK what guys are supposed to eat in a day...I eat ~1400-1500 cals and burn 200-300 everyday so I don't really face this issue.

What would your recommendation be for him: is the lb gain just his metabolism adjusting, or should he stick to what works best for him?

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Has he reset his goals? When you "check-in" your weight it doesn't update your weight in your goals. Try changing that.

theperfectratio

Has he reset his goals? When you "check-in" your weight it doesn't update your weight in your goals. Try changing that.

Ahh, he actually isn't on MFP, his weight loss was all on his own via eating healthier and working out! When I linked him here, he decided not to make a MFP account since he already does his own calorie counting, but I'll see if he's open to setting one up just to see what macros/daily cals MFP recommends to him.

MyaPapaya75

he should have a visit with a Dietician and get some tips and ranges for calories and workouts etc...I personally dont eat mine back but if I was going to I would eat veggies and protein...he prob should do what works for him and realize plateaus are part of the process and very normal....

laddyboy

At one point I was eating 1500 calories daily and hit a sticking point for 17 days. It wasn't until I zig zagged that I broke thru.

theperfectratio

he should have a visit with a Dietician and get some tips and ranges for calories and workouts etc...I personally dont eat mine back but if I was going to I would eat veggies and protein...he prob should do what works for him and realize plateaus are part of the process and very normal....

Thanks for the reply! I don't think he can afford to go to a dietitian at this point (student loans are a doozy) but I'll suggest it to him. I'm thinking perhaps a bit of the issue might be that he has SUCH a set schedule. He eats almost the same thing every day and does the same general workout (biking).

theperfectratio

At one point I was eating 1500 calories daily and hit a sticking point for 17 days. It wasn't until I zig zagged that I broke thru.

Oooh zig zagging! I've heard that's good for plateaus. How did you plan out your 'zig zags'? Did you use a website or did you just add up your weekly total (1500x7) and then stagger them?

robpett2001

Well, at 150 lbs, 5'10", 25 yrs old (I'm guessing), the minimum number of calories he should be consuming if he were just lying around all day is 1720 (his BMR), and his calorie target for a "Sedentary" lifestyle would suggest he needs to be aiming for 1988 calories a day (more, actually, since you say he works out a lot). But you say he only eats 1500 calories a day.

[This is where I got those numbers: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr ]

To lose weight, he should have a deficit that lands him below that 1988 number...but ending the day with a _net_ calorie intake that is even below his BMR may be part of his problem. I think you're probably right -- his weight gain is most likely from his body trying to hang onto everything it can because it's just simply not getting enough fuel.

This article might be useful for him:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

As well as this site:
http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

When breaking out of a plateau, everything I've read says that sometimes you will gain some weight back as your metabolism gets back on track, but it will start dropping again soon enough...and you'll be all the healthier for it.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

At one point I was eating 1500 calories daily and hit a sticking point for 17 days. It wasn't until I zig zagged that I broke thru.

Oooh zig zagging! I've heard that's good for plateaus. How did you plan out your 'zig zags'? Did you use a website or did you just add up your weekly total (1500x7) and then stagger them?

I zig zag and never hit a plateau (I actually have problems maintaining enough weight). I would either keep track on a spreadsheet, or add up weekly total and play with the numbers. Don't forget to capture the exercise in there. (Honestly, I just make sure that I hit a deficit most days, and then take it a little easier on the weekends not fretting about the count know I have the deficit to have a bit of fun with).