Question for anyone who has gone from not eating exercise ca

AH2013

Yet again, I have gone down this path of trying to eat back my exercise calories (less approx 150-200 cals to account for underestimating food and overestimating calories burned) due to being constantly hammered about the amount of exercise I was doing and not eating all my exercise calories back.

I'm now over 3 weeks with no weight loss and no difference at all on the tape measure. I keep hearing that if I eat all my exercise calories the pounds will just drop off and I'll notice a difference on the tape measure etc etc...nope, not happening!

I'm in the red on my protein each day, don't ever go over my fat or carbs. Do cardio and weights but my body is having none of it. I'm going to go back to not eating back my exercise cals unless someone can give me a valid reason as to why this is happening??

I'm overweight!!.....I need to lose weight!!.....I'm not just trying to get buff here, so this is frustrating!!!!

Athena413

Do what works for you. I rarely eat back my exercise calories and it seems to have been working fine for me. One thing may work for one and one thing for another.

katcena

You have to give your body time to adjust....it can take some time. But, you are eating more and not gaining weight? so....you are already winning right there. Just give your metabolism time to get going. You are on the right track!!

gmrgirl

Everyone is individual and there is no one right way for every person to lose weight. I need to eat back my exercise calories or I'll stop doing anything. This may not work for you.

If you can exercise and get through the day without feeling hungry or irritable and you're not eating all your workout calories back *shrug* as long as you are being safe about it, it's ok. Listen to your body.

This is no different than picking one diet over another. for some people low carb works. for other people points work. for other people just eating sensibly works. It's all about what works for you. Be safe, don't be silly and do what works for your body.

By the by, if you are doing any serious weight lifting/resistance training it could take up to 3 months to see the scale move and to be certain that you are not losing lean muscle mass.

paced2day

What's your sodium intake like? Lowering my sodium to 1,500 mg per day or less got me over my plateau... is that how its spelled? :blushing:

SaishaLea

I do not eat my exercise calories and I have lost 28 pounds in 2 months.
I eat a lot of veggies to help me feel full on 1200 calories a day.

melvac

I agree with all of the advice, do what works for you. I personally eat between 1200 to 1500 calories per day period irregardless of the exercise. One thing I have done is I eat something every 2 to 3 hours to keep my metabolism up while keeping it sensible and healthy and I drink lots of water.

MFPfriend

How about this?
Let's forget about the losing weight aspect for a second, and focus on overall health.

If you eat 1500 calories a day, then exercise 2000, you're getting yourself into trouble.
1500-2000 = -500 NET. You should net bare minimum around 1200 calories, depending on your height and weight and such.

When you DON'T fuel your body, it will begin to disrespect you as well. Weight gain/stalls in weight loss is one aspect. But fatigue, mood swings, and heart problems are other sides of the story. Your heart is a muscle. Muscle requires fuel (calories) to function. What happens when your heart stops functioning correctly? Bad things, my friend, bad things.

Our bodies are machines. They need to be fueled to run properly. Losing weight requires walking a fine line between calorie deficits and still fueling the body.

Hope that was somewhat helpful.

jweidner33

How about this?
Let's forget about the losing weight aspect for a second, and focus on overall health.

If you eat 1500 calories a day, then exercise 2000, you're getting yourself into trouble.
1500-2000 = -500 NET. You should net bare minimum around 1200 calories, depending on your height and weight and such.

When you DON'T fuel your body, it will begin to disrespect you as well. Weight gain/stalls in weight loss is one aspect. But fatigue, mood swings, and heart problems are other sides of the story. Your heart is a muscle. Muscle requires fuel (calories) to function. What happens when your heart stops functioning correctly? Bad things, my friend, bad things.

Our bodies are machines. They need to be fueled to run properly. Losing weight requires walking a fine line between calorie deficits and still fueling the body.

Hope that was somewhat helpful.

Excellent post. :glasses:

knivas

Try to avoid checking weight on regular basis. That would demotivate you.
Weight changes plus or minus 10 pounds depending on salt and water content in the body.

As long as you are under the goal of the calories you need to eat, as per the fitnesspal table...you should be fine.
You would notice the loss slowly. You are obviously on right track and have everything it needs to reach the goal.

Ideally consider the weight for once a month or once in two months.
All other measurements, just for fun.

NoAdditives

You have to give your body time to adjust....it can take some time. But, you are eating more and not gaining weight? so....you are already winning right there. Just give your metabolism time to get going. You are on the right track!!

I agree. If you aren't gaining while eating your exercise calories you may need to just give your body some more time to adjust. A lot of people will see a gain when they first start eating exercise calories but it's not because they're eating too much, it's because their metabolism is used to storing calories instead of burning them.

AH2013

Thanks all for your input!! I agree, I'm in this for the long haul and I want to lose this FAT, I'm just being impatient!! I need to give my body time to adjust. I have to say, I am feeling pretty damn good at the minute, better than when I wasn't eating all my exercise cals.

I'm sticking it out, I've found this website and have fallen in love...no work for me this morning as I've been trawling it for the last hour and a bit. Check it out: http://nerdfitness.com


I spent the first few months on here strictly avoiding eating my exercise calories and getting defensive about it (but that was in reaction to some incredibly rude and crazy posters on the forums.), but I admit I may have been a wee bit wrong! (I'm admitting it...) I now need to start eating better, but more cals. I find as a vegetarian I'm struggling to get the right balance of protein, cals and fats while eating clean-ish. Allowing myself more cals has let me allow myself more sweet stuff which is not good. I need to get that balance right again!

Thanks again xx

lazyspice

When I started in August I had my settings on a 1lb a week loss which gave me about 1500 calories a day and I didn’t eat back my exercise calories – this was not something I had heard of at that time! I struggled to keep to my daily allowance right from the start, I did lose weight for the first few weeks but I was constantly hungry and craving all sorts of things! The weight loss stalled very quickly, so after a LOT of trawling through the forums reading threads, I knocked my settings back to half a pound a week which put me up to about 1750 and I started eating back most of my exercise calories – and the scales started moving again! It’s slow going but I’ve got a fair bit to lose and I’m here for the long haul. I can honestly say I’m never hungry, I’m exercising more and I feel better than I have for a very long time.

I’m a veggie too but I can honestly say I never struggle to eat my calories! I like my carbs, so pasta and baked potatoes use up a lot and eggs for the extra protein – plus a mountain of veg of course! My biggest cravings are always for cheese so I make sure I have some every day and a choccie fix as and when I need it! And the occasional glass of wine . . . I’m an imperfect dieter but I can’t and won’t martyr myself to it – I’m going for the whole lifestyle change and I prefer to lose it slowly so that I stick to it this time. It’s taken me a long time to get to the size I am so it won’t come off overnight!

AH2013

When I started in August I had my settings on a 1lb a week loss which gave me about 1500 calories a day and I didn’t eat back my exercise calories – this was not something I had heard of at that time! I struggled to keep to my daily allowance right from the start, I did lose weight for the first few weeks but I was constantly hungry and craving all sorts of things! The weight loss stalled very quickly, so after a LOT of trawling through the forums reading threads, I knocked my settings back to half a pound a week which put me up to about 1750 and I started eating back most of my exercise calories – and the scales started moving again! It’s slow going but I’ve got a fair bit to lose and I’m here for the long haul. I can honestly say I’m never hungry, I’m exercising more and I feel better than I have for a very long time.

I’m a veggie too but I can honestly say I never struggle to eat my calories! I like my carbs, so pasta and baked potatoes use up a lot and eggs for the extra protein – plus a mountain of veg of course! My biggest cravings are always for cheese so I make sure I have some every day and a choccie fix as and when I need it! And the occasional glass of wine . . . I’m an imperfect dieter but I can’t and won’t martyr myself to it – I’m going for the whole lifestyle change and I prefer to lose it slowly so that I stick to it this time. It’s taken me a long time to get to the size I am so it won’t come off overnight!

I'm thinking the same thing!! My goal is for next Christmas to be rid of as much fat as is healthy. Yesterday morning was a frustrating time for me, but I quickly got over it as the day went on. I still love my cheese and my occasional treat too but I felt I was having too many of them, today I'm changing all that. I'm going to try to eat cleaner as pasta and bread, however much I LOVE them, make me bloated and feel crap so I guess I'm going to try, at least try, to cut it down to once or twice a month. It sounds like you went through the same thing as I'm going through now, so I might do what you did and change my settings from 2lbs loss to 1 or 1 1/2 and do it gradually. It's so hard to change what has been drummed into you for years and years but I just need to get over myself and try it.