Someone decode this "eat your workout calories back" shiz fo
Replies
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I am 5'5" and weigh 146 lbs. And actually, I try to not exceed 1000 net calories a day.
You are already within a normal BMI. (I know because I'm 5'5" and I know what a normal BMI is for that height) You shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs a week. That's too much. If your workouts are intense, you shouldn't be trying to lose 2lbs per week either. That's not enough energy to sustain the intense workout schedule. Change your goals in MFP to lose 1 lb per week.
And eat your exercise calories.
If you are skeptical that you may be over estimating your exercise calories, don't eat them all until you feel you know how your body is reacting.0 -
EAT. THEM.
MFP has a deficit already worked into your net, so if you hit it exactly, you are at the right deficit to lose without stressing your body and metabolism out, which causes weight loss to stall. So even if you burn 1000, and you are eating 2200 to hit your net of 1200, you are STILL at a deficit. Less sometimes is NOT more. Sometimes it means more on the scale. Not kidding. I have been there.
EAT.
Got it!!!!! I will aim to hit the net of 1200 and see if that makes a difference. There are days that my net is at around 600-800...ugh...
I was going through the same thing! I was running a ton, and evne when I ate a lot, my nets were a scary 600 to 800... But I didn't really think about it because I was still eating a "lot" (upwards of 2000+ calories some days, it's just that I was running, say, 10 or 12 miles that day too.) I didn't lose ANYTHING. Last week I figured I should try this whole 1200 net thing again and guess what, I'm FINALLY losing after weeks.
YMMV, but remember, if 1200 net only creates a 300-calorie deficit for you, that probably means you are close to your goal already so the weight is just gonna come off more slowly. Enjoy the fact that you aren't overweight and are in the lucky position of only losing weight that you *want* to lose, not necessarily medically *need* to lose, you know? Good luck!!
Thanks!! :happy:0 -
I am 5'5" and weigh 146 lbs. And actually, I try to not exceed 1000 net calories a day.
You are already within a normal BMI. (I know because I'm 5'5" and I know what a normal BMI is for that height) You shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs a week. That's too much. If your workouts are intense, you shouldn't be trying to lose 2lbs per week either. That's not enough energy to sustain the intense workout schedule. Change your goals in MFP to lose 1 lb per week.
And eat your exercise calories.
If you are skeptical that you may be over estimating your exercise calories, don't eat them all until you feel you know how your body is reacting.
No, I really do have at least 10 lbs to lose! I carry it all in my lower body. I want to be lean. The goal to lose 2 lbs a week is just so I could lose it and get it over with already and be in maintenance mode but it's not happening! :mad:
Thanks!! 0 -
Forget everything you think you know.Supposedly, if my maintenance calories are at about 1500, then if I eat 1200 (that's what MFP calculated for me) I create a 300 deficit and if I work out I create another 200-300 (usually a lot more!) calories deficit, which makes it at least 500 calories a day x 7 days a week =3500 calories deficit to lose 2 lbs (correction - 1 lb a week)! I haven't lost anything in over 2 weeks even though my workouts are intense! "EAT more" just sounds crazy to me! It goes against all and everything I know or have done so far....
If I eat my work out calories back then I don’t create as much of a deficit. It works in theory but it doesn’t work in practice!!!
Help!!!
Eat back your exercise calories.
MFP calculates our total daily calorie intake WITHOUT exercise to lose 1 pound or so per week.
And after we log exercises, our daily calorie limit increases.
Why?
Because MFP telling us to eat our exercise calories.
Large deficits are unhealthy, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
In many cases you'll lose lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS your metabolic rate, making weight loss harder.
These crash diets work well for a season -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so
few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly -- and you gain weight.
Be smart.
Exercise well both cardio and resistance, and eat back the calories.
The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.0 -
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, just a guy who has read entirely too much stuff on fitness on the interwebs.I am 5'5" and weigh 146 lbs. And actually, I try to not exceed 1000 net calories a day.
You are already within a normal BMI. (I know because I'm 5'5" and I know what a normal BMI is for that height) You shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs a week. That's too much. If your workouts are intense, you shouldn't be trying to lose 2lbs per week either. That's not enough energy to sustain the intense workout schedule. Change your goals in MFP to lose 1 lb per week.
And eat your exercise calories.
If you are skeptical that you may be over estimating your exercise calories, don't eat them all until you feel you know how your body is reacting.
No, I really do have at least 10 lbs to lose! I carry it all in my lower body. I want to be lean. The goal to lose 2 lbs a week is just so I could lose it and get it over with already and be in maintenance mode but it's not happening! :mad:
Thanks!!
Try this and see if it works:
Stop all cardio.
Continue with weights (p90x should be fine).
Ensure adequate protein intake (probably around 150g-175g/day for you, so 600-700 calories worth). Turkey is a great, filling, low-fat protein source.
If you're really exhausted, reduce workout frequency (3x/week should be fine for you).
What a lot of people don't take into account is that women (some women more than others) have much less robust thyroid function than men, and lots of cardio can cause issues with T3 levels for women (men too, but it's generally a bigger issue for women). Great article on the subject here http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/
Also, 2 pounds per week sounds way too aggressive. The lower your body fat percentage gets, the less fat your body can mobilize for energy in a given day. 1 lb/week should be feasible.
You calorie intake looks a bit low, TBH, but if you're comfortable with it, and not having fatigue/recovery difficulties, then you're probably OK.
If it is a hormonal issue, then it may take a week or two to get you back on track, after which you should start seeing pretty noticeable results week-on-week.
I hope that this is helpful!0 -
[/quote]
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, just a guy who has read entirely too much stuff on fitness on the interwebs.
Try this and see if it works:
Stop all cardio.
Continue with weights (p90x should be fine).
Ensure adequate protein intake (probably around 150g-175g/day for you, so 600-700 calories worth). Turkey is a great, filling, low-fat protein source.
If you're really exhausted, reduce workout frequency (3x/week should be fine for you).
What a lot of people don't take into account is that women (some women more than others) have much less robust thyroid function than men, and lots of cardio can cause issues with T3 levels for women (men too, but it's generally a bigger issue for women). Great article on the subject here http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/
Also, 2 pounds per week sounds way too aggressive. The lower your body fat percentage gets, the less fat your body can mobilize for energy in a given day. 1 lb/week should be feasible.
You calorie intake looks a bit low, TBH, but if you're comfortable with it, and not having fatigue/recovery difficulties, then you're probably OK.
If it is a hormonal issue, then it may take a week or two to get you back on track, after which you should start seeing pretty noticeable results week-on-week.
I hope that this is helpful!
Ok, I am interested... you got me at Stop All Cardio.... When you say I should continue P90X, that includes cardio workouts so I am confused.
At this point, I am willing to try anything and everytihng, if someone will tell me to go and eat tree bark because that's what really works I would probably be grinding the trees in the park because I am so frustrated and emotionally drained from this fight!0 -
I am 5'5" and weigh 146 lbs. And actually, I try to not exceed 1000 net calories a day.
You are already within a normal BMI. (I know because I'm 5'5" and I know what a normal BMI is for that height) You shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs a week. That's too much. If your workouts are intense, you shouldn't be trying to lose 2lbs per week either. That's not enough energy to sustain the intense workout schedule. Change your goals in MFP to lose 1 lb per week.
And eat your exercise calories.
If you are skeptical that you may be over estimating your exercise calories, don't eat them all until you feel you know how your body is reacting.
No, I really do have at least 10 lbs to lose! I carry it all in my lower body. I want to be lean. The goal to lose 2 lbs a week is just so I could lose it and get it over with already and be in maintenance mode but it's not happening! :mad:
Thanks!!
Oh, I don't think she was telling you you don't have anything to lose, she's saying that for someone w/ a normal BMI, it's very VERY easy to over-do the deficit and send your metabo into angry "hoard everything" mode and stall your weight loss. I am in the same situation, normal BMI w/ about 10 to lose, and I have to set myself to losing .5/week to avoid the issue. This is also at the demand of my nutritionist!0 -
Ok, please bear with me. Can someone please explain to this dull Welsh bloke. If we are given a figure which already includes a deficit to enable us to lose weight, then why are putting in the effort to run, weight train what ever it is we all do. Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
I do apologise for not getting this and I respect everyone's answers and opinions but I really don't get it!
And yes I do quite a bit of running etc as I am training for 2 x half's and a 10 miler later in the year and i really don't want to hamper myself.
Stu0 -
Oh, I don't think she was telling you you don't have anything to lose, she's saying that for someone w/ a normal BMI, it's very VERY easy to over-do the deficit and send your metabo into angry "hoard everything" mode and stall your weight loss. I am in the same situation, normal BMI w/ about 10 to lose, and I have to set myself to losing .5/week to avoid the issue. This is also at the demand of my nutritionist!
Yep. This. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
You don't have a lot to lose, so you shouldn't be setting your goal to 2lbs per week.
I browsed over another post that mentioned some weight work. That's an excellent idea. You may or may not lose the weight, but you will lose the inches and lower your body fat percentage. Which is what you should be focusing on now instead of the weight number.0 -
Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
That is EXACTLY right.
Except if you exercise, you get to eat more. I don't know about you, but I like to eat. It's the reason I got fat in the first place. I don't like eating a measly 1200 calories a day. Give me two grand or give me death! LOL.
The other benefit is you are increasing your cardio strength. Exercise is a good thing for your heart.
If you add strength training in there, then you get the added metabolism boost from increased lean muscle mass. YUM YUM more food.0 -
Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
That is EXACTLY right.
Except if you exercise, you get to eat more. I don't know about you, but I like to eat. It's the reason I got fat in the first place. I don't like eating a measly 1200 calories a day. Give me two grand or give me death! LOL.
The other benefit is you are increasing your cardio strength. Exercise is a good thing for your heart.
If you add strength training in there, then you get the added metabolism boost from increased lean muscle mass. YUM YUM more food.
THIS. All of it. LOL. 2k or (literally) bust!0 -
If you're not eating enough while working out intensely, your body actually goes into a little "starvation mode" because it's not getting the nutrients it needs, so in turn it hangs onto everything it can. This could be why you're not losing weight... I am doing P90X right now and it is SUPER intense, we burn about 500-600 calories in an hour workout. I am 5'4" and my goal is to lose weight and I am eating 1300 on my rest day and around 1800 on workout days. I hope this helps!! Good luck!!
I do P90X Plyo and Cardio and I do Insanity Max Interval Plyo and Cardo, I rotate them every day and run 3 miles on my "rest" days. How many calories to we actually burn on average with those workouts (assuming 45-60 min)???
Youre burning a buttload of calories if youre doing all this. I think you definitely have a case of too much of a calorie deficit if youre only putting in 1200 a day. Recommend eating small meals every couple of hours to rev up that metabolism and shoot for 1500-1600 cals a day. Hope that helps0 -
i burn on average 1000 calories a day at the gym and i'm told to eat 1400 to loose 2lb a week, each day it tells me i am under eating by at least 1100 calories. i have not lost a lb in 3 weeks and last weekend i had a chineese and a bacon and egg breakfast and lost 2.5lb in 2 days so i think if you stop loosing you need to have a binge to kick start the weighgt loss again. i felt the same it goes against everything you believe to eat more.0
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I"ve been using MFP for about 4 months. My experience is the numbers are not an exact science and that everyone's physiology is different. Plus, maybe your exercise isn't burning as many calories as the calculator says,...which could be a numbers issue or at your fitness level the exercise doesn't count as much as the counter says. I'll go 2 weeks, following the numbers exactly, and lose nothing. Then I'll drop 3 lbs in a week.
Try changing up your exercise. Watch your sustained heart rate. Drop your intake by 100 calories per day for a week at a time. Try this and see if you get results.
JMO Good luck!0 -
Yeah I get the whole cardio thing and yes I do afair bit of strength training and enjoy it all, I guess it's just that the old me would just grab a kebeb or 2 big macs but yesterday I had this scenario:-
BMR 1990
Exercise 2020
Remaining 1537
Problem being I ate well and was stuffed, if I ate anymore I probably would have puked, so how do we make up this shortfall if we really ain't hungry.
I should add that this only happens once in a while so does that really have a negative effect?0 -
Weight isn't the best measure of fitness which is why I think it shouldn't be used as a goal.
I agree, but I can't adopt the mentality of "go by how your clothes fit" : )
It's difficult at first, but eventually liberating.
Get a tape measure and keep track of your waist and hips. It is a more accurate measurement of bodyfat percentage vice scale.0 -
Ok, please bear with me. Can someone please explain to this dull Welsh bloke. If we are given a figure which already includes a deficit to enable us to lose weight, then why are putting in the effort to run, weight train what ever it is we all do. Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
I do apologise for not getting this and I respect everyone's answers and opinions but I really don't get it!
And yes I do quite a bit of running etc as I am training for 2 x half's and a 10 miler later in the year and i really don't want to hamper myself.
Stu
Don't be sorry! You're actually completely right, as others have said. You can either: Not exercise at all and eat only your net cal amount given by MFP. OR: work out and eat your cals back. Both will have you at the same net, which will have you at the right deficit to lose at the rate you want. I'm a runner, too, so I can attest to needing to eat those exercise cals. If you want to train and race well, you've got to fuel up, but you can still lose while you do it, which is where the modest deficit MFP creates for you comes in.
P.S. nice to talk to someone across the pond! My mom was from Britain (Birmingham). 0 -
Ok, please bear with me. Can someone please explain to this dull Welsh bloke. If we are given a figure which already includes a deficit to enable us to lose weight, then why are putting in the effort to run, weight train what ever it is we all do. Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
I do apologise for not getting this and I respect everyone's answers and opinions but I really don't get it!
And yes I do quite a bit of running etc as I am training for 2 x half's and a 10 miler later in the year and i really don't want to hamper myself.
Stu
I don't think you're "dull" at all but I did find your comment kinda funny...my answer to "why exercise" is: Um...because exercise feels good, relieves stress, and helps your cardiac fitness, among other health benefits that I am too lazy to look up right now? Because some muscle makes you look a bit leaner, regardless of your scale weight? Because the more lean muscle you have, the more efficient your metabolism seems to become (this is me personally, don't know if this is actually a scientific fact).
If you're training for two half marathons (so am I!) then I am going to hazard a guess that you apparently like running; you must be getting something out of it besides "just exercising." For me, running has become more of a way of life than just "exercise." So why would you consider stopping?
For the OP, for what it's worth, I am currently within a healthy BMI and am down to my last 5-8 pounds. So I know where you're coming from. I have almost always eaten most of my exercise calories, I use an HRM sometimes but mostly guess on calorie expenditure, I measure my food intake sometimes haphazardly, and I've lost about 43 pounds in the past year (actually lost it in about 6 months and have kept it off for another 5), I've lost about 12% bodyfat, and many inches, and feel fit, strong and awesome...but what works for me may not work for the next person, so even though I recommend that people try eating their exercise calories if they stall out on losing scale weight, it doesn't work the same for everyone's body. Good luck!
*Edited for a spelling error, oops!0 -
Hi back from across the pond,
Basically then, if I'm eating back all of those 'extra' cals I'm going to get better results and overall performance and more enjoyable runs.
Ps I'm in South Wales0 -
Yeah I get the whole cardio thing and yes I do afair bit of strength training and enjoy it all, I guess it's just that the old me would just grab a kebeb or 2 big macs but yesterday I had this scenario:-
BMR 1990
Exercise 2020
Remaining 1537
Problem being I ate well and was stuffed, if I ate anymore I probably would have puked, so how do we make up this shortfall if we really ain't hungry.
I should add that this only happens once in a while so does that really have a negative effect?
LOL! this was me the other day! I unexpectedly needed to sub for another spinning instructor so I ended up adding another 700+ cals that I had to 'eat back', and I didn't get home to eat dinner until 8:30pm. I forced it, ate all the way back up to my net, despite a strong desire to stop eating (how freaking weird is that?? Forcing myself to eat more and hating it? Who knew?). I felt sick all night and even had to take some antacid overnight because I felt so gross. I decided I will never ever do that again. One day w/ a deficit of 600-ish isn't a huge deal... I just usually get to plan ahead, and this time I didn't. If that happens again, I'm not going to make myself ill by forcing food. That felt awful.
Here's how I plan ahead: Tonight I know I'll be I doing my weight circuit and teach a spinning class. I typically burn about 800 cals doing that, give or take. I track my whole day in advance, so today I am over by about 750 cals. Once I log my activity, I've got myself pretty much to my net. Not going to worry about anything under 100 cals difference. If you plan for the burn early, you don't find yourself having to gorge at dinner to make it up. Unforseen stuff happens, but hopefully not too often.
If you know you're doing, say, an 8-mile run tomorrow, try pre-tracking and going over your net by 800 so that if you run in the afternoon you've already spread most of that surplus over the full day, and once you do your run, you should be back down close to your net.0 -
Hi back from across the pond,
Basically then, if I'm eating back all of those 'extra' cals I'm going to get better results and overall performance and more enjoyable runs.
Ps I'm in South Wales
Hi!
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
I have never been to Wales, but I have seen enough pictures and enough of England herself to know Wales is gorgeous.
P.P.S. you are not dull! You clearly have a good grasp of exactly what's going on here!
0 -
Ok, please bear with me. Can someone please explain to this dull Welsh bloke. If we are given a figure which already includes a deficit to enable us to lose weight, then why are putting in the effort to run, weight train what ever it is we all do. Because the way I see it is that if we eat our exercise calories back then we are still going to lose the same amount of weight as if we don't exercise at all.
I do apologise for not getting this and I respect everyone's answers and opinions but I really don't get it!
And yes I do quite a bit of running etc as I am training for 2 x half's and a 10 miler later in the year and i really don't want to hamper myself.
Stu
If you're training for two half marathons (so am I!) then I am going to hazard a guess that you apparently like running; you must be getting something out of it besides "just exercising." For me, running has become more of a way of life than just "exercise." So why would you consider stopping?
Yeah your right I do get a lot out of it aswell as enjoyment and exercise I really do get the whole benefit thing about exercise thing for well being etc. I'm just trying to get my head round the whole eating back debate as I've always been under the impression that by burning more than you eat you will lose weight - end of. So it was all a bit confusing for this poor little welshman when he read this.
I think I got it now though. Many thanks to all of you and good luck in all your runs0 -
Hi back from across the pond,
Basically then, if I'm eating back all of those 'extra' cals I'm going to get better results and overall performance and more enjoyable runs.
Ps I'm in South Wales
Hi!
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
I have never been to Wales, but I have seen enough pictures and enough of England herself to know Wales is gorgeous.
P.P.S. you are not dull! You clearly have a good grasp of exactly what's going on here!
Yeah certain places are, check out 'pen-y-fan/brecon beacons' now that truly is a stunning area and also where I take my dog for a bit of hiking.
Thanks again0 -
I ate at a deficit to lose pounds and wear smaller clothes.
I exercised to be healthy. And to look good out of those smaller clothes. :laugh:0 -
Hi back from across the pond,
Basically then, if I'm eating back all of those 'extra' cals I'm going to get better results and overall performance and more enjoyable runs.
Ps I'm in South Wales
Hi!
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
I have never been to Wales, but I have seen enough pictures and enough of England herself to know Wales is gorgeous.
P.P.S. you are not dull! You clearly have a good grasp of exactly what's going on here!
Yeah certain places are, check out 'pen-y-fan/brecon beacons' now that truly is a stunning area and also where I take my dog for a bit of hiking.
Thanks again
oh now that is a truly gorgeous place to run!!0 -
OK I get the eat back calories thing, mine is 1450 daily, that's ok but here is my problem:
I do exercise 3X a week and I burn about 1000 to 1300cal at each workout. If I want to eat back all that with food I will bust my daily sugar, fat and etc...... The way I see it, my only solution is to take some protein shake very low in sugar.
It's been only a month since I got back to workout and I have 15pound to loose (or 4% fat) and I lost 2 pound so far (meanly water I gest) but I think I will get to that problem of my body getting in starvation mode because of my cal deficit.
What do you peoples think. ???!!!!0 -
Hi back from across the pond,
Basically then, if I'm eating back all of those 'extra' cals I'm going to get better results and overall performance and more enjoyable runs.
Ps I'm in South Wales
Hi!
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
I have never been to Wales, but I have seen enough pictures and enough of England herself to know Wales is gorgeous.
P.P.S. you are not dull! You clearly have a good grasp of exactly what's going on here!
Yeah certain places are, check out 'pen-y-fan/brecon beacons' now that truly is a stunning area and also where I take my dog for a bit of hiking.
Thanks again
oh now that is a truly gorgeous place to run!!
Yeah wish I had the balls to run it, there's a race up there every July it's only 3.6 mile with a record of 30 min flat. Apparentlt there is a reward if you beat it but check out the elevation!!
I'll stick with walking it for now mefinks0 -
OK I get the eat back calories thing, mine is 1450 daily, that's ok but here is my problem:
I do exercise 3X a week and I burn about 1000 to 1300cal at each workout. If I want to eat back all that with food I will bust my daily sugar, fat and etc...... The way I see it, my only solution is to take some protein shake very low in sugar.
It's been only a month since I got back to workout and I have 15pound to loose (or 4% fat) and I lost 2 pound so far (meanly water I gest) but I think I will get to that problem of my body getting in starvation mode because of my cal deficit.
What do you peoples think. ???!!!!
No use asking me I'm Welsh!! lmao
Seriously, I'm not to sure like you I get the principle but how to actually do it I ain;t a bleeding clue yet, but I do get the why bit.0 -
ahhhhh, lol - I set my calorie intake to 1500 to make sure I am eating enough - I don't eat my workout calories and it makes me feel good - simply because I am mentally tricking myself... hey don't judge what ever works right?
This is also how i roll.0 -
"EAT THEM" -- ditto
It's true that calories out > calories in = weight loss...but if you're not close to your BMR (several factors influence what you actually need before your body starts storing extra fat, i.e. "starvation mode") you can lose lean muscle, which helps drive fat loss.
Know your BMR, figure out your maintenance calories and use those as your guide. It will take some trial and error, but it works.
Often when people hit a plateau, it's because they aren't eating enough -- especially when they're smaller and close to a goal.
This isn't an overnight solution. Each person is different and can tolerate different amounts of weight loss per week (if you break it down per week), but if you're a 145 lb person trying to get to 135 with 15% body fat, you have to go about it differently than a 350 lb person with 40% body fat.
I am going to give it a week, up my calories and continue working out like crazy. Hopefully I will see SOME progress, but I know for sure my workouts are going to be a lot better when there is fuel to burn. Thanks!
You can't do something for a week and expect results. You need to do something for a month at least to allow your body to adjust to the additional calories. Also, beach body suggest no less than 1800 calories for those doing p90x and more for those who are more active or already fit. I eat at level 3 - 3000 calories and don't have an issue losing. Keep in mind, food is fuel so if you don't fuel the body, it will conserve energy as much as possible.0
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