eating the calories you burn off

kkutch

no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200

Vivian_Phoenix

If I feel extra hungry I will..if not I dont force myself

gashinshotan

You have to do custom settings and change the goal calories...

no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200

erickirb

Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.

Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals

I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

kateroot

Damn 20 miles a day.... how many of the exercise calories do you eat back then?

Haha not 20 miles a day, but a 20-mile day about once a week. 4-8 miles most other days. On a 20 mile day, I probably eat an extra 5-700 calories.

hottottie11

Eating back my exercise calories (and lifting heavy) has given me a better body

kkutch

Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.

Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals

I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

dang! i want this weight off and it's gonna go so slow wanted most of it off before Christmas. my fiance is losing much faster than me but he's 220 lbs

CMmrsfloyd

no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200

MFP won't give you a goal lower than 1200 (that's the lower limit on the site). People who are really overweight can safely lose weight at a faster rate, but people that are already close to or in their healthy weight range generally need to lose weight slower for it to be healthy and sustainable. You don't have a whole lot of weight to lose so your daily calorie needs are already lower than say a 200 lb person looking to get into their healthy weight range. I know what it's like to want to get to your goal as quickly as possible, but there are limits to what the body can safely do.

Good luck to you - this site is a great tool for helping you reach your goals.

CMmrsfloyd

Also, you may want to consider whether what you really want is to 'lose weight' or if you want to be smaller and in better shape and look better. Sometimes you can get into smaller clothing and look better by working out your muscles to get definition without necessarily having to drop a lot of LBs. Some people on this site who were already at or close to their healthy weight range have had really amazing results by focusing on exercise to build/define muscle rather than focusing on the weightless aspect. I don't know your personal situation, just something to consider. :-)

hottottie11

Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.

Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals

I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

dang! i want this weight off and it's gonna go so slow wanted most of it off before Christmas. my fiance is losing much faster than me but he's 220 lbs

The slower the better..lol...I'm giving myself until spring to lose 9 lbs...

CMmrsfloyd

Oh and don't compare yourself to your fiancé - a person that is much bigger than you can automatically lose weight faster than you. They just have more 'room' to lose the weight. Don't let that get you down, focus on your own progress. It might help to seek out 'friends' on this site that have similar starting points and goals as you, too. It's much easier to see what other people similar to you are doing to get results, and easier to compare strategies and successes.

kkutch

wow! well hopefully i'll be ready for summer i really only need to lose my gut and some on my legs so i've been doing mainly cardio for about an hour a day. guess i'll just have to be patient

summalovaable

Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.

Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals

I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

dang! i want this weight off and it's gonna go so slow wanted most of it off before Christmas. my fiance is losing much faster than me but he's 220 lbs

You should have mentioned you plan on losing all your weight by christmas! That changes things completely!! If your goal is just to lose weight as fast as possible then, a very low calorie diet and strenuous amounts of exercise would do the trick! However, if your goal is to lose FAT, in a healthy and sustainable matter, you may want to look into what others are saying. I switch back and forth between eating my excercise calories and not, because honestly some days I'm so exhausted after a work out I just want sleep!

hottottie11

wow! well hopefully i'll be ready for summer i really only need to lose my gut and some on my legs so i've been doing mainly cardio for about an hour a day. guess i'll just have to be patient

I HIGHLY recommend lifting weights (lifting heavy and consistently)....it'll give you a better body than doing cardio for an hour every day.

LauraS916

awesome advice

kkutch

maybe i will sometimes eat them and sometimes not. i just don't want to slow down my metabolism but most of the time im really not hungry after i work out

CMmrsfloyd

wow! well hopefully i'll be ready for summer i really only need to lose my gut and some on my legs so i've been doing mainly cardio for about an hour a day. guess i'll just have to be patient

Check out some workouts like Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred - she gives you cardio, strength, and abs workouts all in about 25 minutes. I did it for the first time the other day and it KICKED MY BUTT. Really feeling it in my thighs and abs. The DVD is only about $9 at Walmart and lots of people on here have seen really amazing results from it. You just need the DVD and a set of weights (I got 3 lb but others may get bigger or smaller depending on their fitness level). She has other DVDs too that focus on specific areas, but this one gets everything you need all in one workout.

P.S. You can still do other workouts in addition to it, and you can do it as often as you are able. Some people do it 30 days straight, I have to take a break for recovery. LOL And it's done in 3 different levels so that it progressively gets harder as you move on.

kkutch

I have the insanity workouts but they're so hard you have to be in good shape just to do the warm ups so i'm trying to get in better shape on the treadmill. gonna try some strength training along with cardio. thanks everyeone for all the advice!

kateroot

wow! well hopefully i'll be ready for summer i really only need to lose my gut and some on my legs so i've been doing mainly cardio for about an hour a day. guess i'll just have to be patient

I HIGHLY recommend lifting weights (lifting heavy and consistently)....it'll give you a better body than doing cardio for an hour every day.

Yes, yes, yes! Lift, and lift heavy! I recommend seeing a professional when you start out so you don't get hurt, but lifting is where it's at for fat loss. Long, sustained effort cardio sessions can actually increase cortisol production in your body, which is a stress hormone that correlates directly with increased fat storage. I'm not saying cardio is bad for you.. as I mentioned, I regularly run for long periods of time. But a good strength training program is absolutely essential.

erinrose07

Nicely put!

There are a few reasons.
1. You set a weekly weight loss goal MFP gave you calories to meet that goal assuming no exercise, once you exercise you have to eat those back to ensure your deficit is so that you lose your goal amount of weight.
2. If your deficit is too large you will lose a higher % of lean muscle and less fat, lowering your metabolism and making it easier to gain weight.

Since you don't have a lot to lose it is even more important as your deficit could be smaller and you still burn muscle vs. someone that has a lot to lose.

Look at it this way. If you eat 1200 and burn 500 from exercise, is the same as eating 700 and not exercising. (1200-500) and 700 is not enough fuel for your body to function properly.

As an example your day to day requirements are like a tank of gas. if you use a tank of gas/week going to and from work, if you go on any extra trips or errands you will need to add more gas in order to have enough gas to get to work. So if you need 1200 for day to day stuff (you will lose weight with 1200 cals and no exercise), then when you do extra (workout) you need to put more calories in your body.

The benefits of exercise are not necessary to lose weight, that comes from a caloric deficit regardless how you get there. the benefits of exercise are to ensure you lose less muscle as you lose weight, make you healthier, and help you avoid being skinny fat (thin, but at a high % body fat)

ajbeans

Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.

Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals

That's because you don't have much to lose. It would be really difficult to lose faster than that at your current stage of health, and it would likely be an unhealthy loss that would be hard to maintain. .4 lbs a week is actually a great rate of loss. Stick to your calories goals and try to eat at least some of your exercise cals. Your body will thank you.
I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs