Would Like Some Advice...

Lesliecs

Little background..... I started MFP the 1st of July and to date I have lost 18 lbs. The 1st couple of weeks I lost 1-2 lbs. per week and since then I have CONSISTENTLY lost 1 lb. per week. I was exercising infrequently in the beginning because of a knee problem, but for the past two weeks I have walked at least 2 miles or more each night (Leslie Sansone - 12 minute miles). Still only have one 1 lb. each week. I've also lost a total of 17 1/2 inches (hips, waist, bust, thighs).

My calories are set at 1300. I normally eat between 1200 and 1300 a night. I rarely eat back any of my exercise calories. I know there is a GREAT debate on if you should eat your exercise calories back or not and I've read many many different reasonings on MFP concerning this.

I guess I'm asking for advice on whether or not I should continue as I'm doing..... with hopefully a consistent 1 lb. loss per week.... or should I try eating back some of my calories to see if I get a greater loss? Just like everyone else who has asked this question, I am so afraid that if I eat more.... I won't lose that 1 lb. per week.... or worse..... gain some back!

Your thoughts? Thanks for any advice!

ycc1964

BUMP

PatientBearTiger

Little background..... I started MFP the 1st of July and to date I have lost 18 lbs. The 1st couple of weeks I lost 1-2 lbs. per week and since then I have CONSISTENTLY lost 1 lb. per week. I was exercising infrequently in the beginning because of a knee problem, but for the past two weeks I have walked at least 2 miles or more each night (Leslie Sansone - 12 minute miles). Still only have one 1 lb. each week. I've also lost a total of 17 1/2 inches (hips, waist, bust, thighs).

My calories are set at 1300. I normally eat between 1200 and 1300 a night. I rarely eat back any of my exercise calories. I know there is a GREAT debate on if you should eat your exercise calories back or not and I've read many many different reasonings on MFP concerning this.

I guess I'm asking for advice on whether or not I should continue as I'm doing..... with hopefully a consistent 1 lb. loss per week.... or should I try eating back some of my calories to see if I get a greater loss? Just like everyone else who has asked this question, I am so afraid that if I eat more.... I won't lose that 1 lb. per week.... or worse..... gain some back!

Your thoughts? Thanks for any advice!

The less you have to lose, the more important it is to eat those exercise calories and ensure your body is getting the fuel it needs. I know it seems counterintuitive but it really is essential. Also, as you get closer to maintenance, you will NOT lose at the same rate. Don't expect to. You'll still be making progress but it WILL be slower.

Good luck with everything and congratulations on your success so far!!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

What do you really have to lose? If you're burning 500 calories a workout and you eat 300 calories of it back...even if you worked out EVERY SINGLE DAY...that would be only 2100 calories more than you're currently eating.

Since you're losing 1 pound a week your deficit is 500 cals/day....so you would, at worst, lose 2/5 of a pound instead of a whole pound.

Give it a try, there's nothing to be afraid of. Scale weight is possible because of more mass in your system but eating 1200-1300 calories is not necessary for MOST people.

xraychick77

what you should be concentrating on is making sure you change up your routine every few months. our bodies adapt fast to what we do to it. thats why we plateau..thats why when we 'eat' more or 'eat back' suddenly we may start to lose weight again.

i never changed up my eating habits..although i did change up my exercises..and i never really plateaued

barbiex3

My advice is don't eat more.

I run 45 miles a week, and I eat mine back, and I do NOT, i repeat, do NOT lose ANY weight.

curiositycat

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Mynue_Jeens

My advice is like another poster. You should try changing up your workouts because the body adapts quite well to change. Have you tried High Intensity Interval Training? In my experience when I'm working harder in shorter amounts of time I see the best results. Also you should definitely eat your calories back and see if that helps. You've gotta try different things to know for sure what works or you. Good luck!

jetscreaminagain

Patientbeartiger is right. Your body needs fuel for your workouts. The deficit for healthy weight loss (and at your weight a pound per week consistently is stellar! ). The deficit is there in the mfp goals so when you burn more, eat more!

Looking at your diary though, I'd suggest upping the protein, lowering the sugar and carbs and drinking more water. IMO the default goals here are too low for protein and too high for carbs. I try for them to be closer to equal when I'm in deficit and exercising because I want to preserve my muscle tone. Body needs protein for that. It looks like your goals here are at the defaults amd you're not even getting that much protein. Water is key for metabolism and recovery. I lose better feel better and lift and run better when I'm well hydrated.

Lastly, consider lifting weights. Heavy ones.

Lesliecs

Thanks everyone for your advice. I appreciate everyone's different view. I actually am trying to increase my exercise gradually, but due to the problem with my knee, I can't do any high impact stuff. That's why I am walking, but hoping I planning on walking more and more and adding some hand weights to the program too. And I know I need to reduce my carbs and sugar too and increase my water intake. Little by little..... trying to get this OLD body healthier.... so this OLD body will get OLDER, LOL!