HELP

SweetMommaof21981

I m in need of some help, I need some answers to a few questions I have, if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated.

1. DO I EAT MY EXERCISE calories?
2. I am an impulsive eater any I ideas how to deal with this?
3. When I first started MFP, I did NOT exercise at all. Now I am exercising 6 nights a week for 40-50 mins should I be changing my fitness level now?

Thank you in Advance.

dls06

I would not change your fitness lever. If you exercise and enter it, it will give you more calories to eat. If you miss a day it won't mess you up.

lizard053

1. Yes and No. You're gonna get both. If you're hungry eat. If you're not, don't eat.
2. Put everything away, only keep healthy foods around so if you binge it's not too bad.
3. You could change you fitness level, it will give you more calories to eat in a day.

To lose weight, you need to find what works for you. If you're steadily losing weight, and you're not starving all the time, why change it? Keep on keeping on, only change things if you stall out.

PrincessLou71186

1. DO I EAT MY EXERCISE calories? - Yes, however, if I'm not hungry I don't eat them all back.

2. I am an impulsive eater any I ideas how to deal with this? Displacement. Sounds simple enough but it's not. Lol. When you want to eat, work out why and if there is anything you can do that will help. If you still want to eat, have something healthier.

3. When I first started MFP, I did NOT exercise at all. Now I am exercising 6 nights a week for 40-50 mins should I be changing my fitness level now? I exercise as and when I feel like it, although tomorrow I am joining the gym so hopefully it will be six days a week. Can't really answer than one, sorry.

Elf_Princess1210

I don't know about the fitness level. As for the impulsive eating, what has helped me is telling myself that I can eat whatever I feel like eating as long as I stay within my calorie goals. I tend not to eat my exercise cals but that's because the doctor doesn't want me to eat more than 1300 cals.

Fit_Canuck

I m in need of some help, I need some answers to a few questions I have, if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated.

1. DO I EAT MY EXERCISE calories?
2. I am an impulsive eater any I ideas how to deal with this?
3. When I first started MFP, I did NOT exercise at all. Now I am exercising 6 nights a week for 40-50 mins should I be changing my fitness level now?

Thank you in Advance.

It all depends,

1. How many calories are you eating a day
2. How many calories are you burning during your workouts
3. What is your BMR

lacharp

1) Yes, eat at least some of your exercise calories, otherwise your net calories for the day will be too low. There have been other posts on this site that further explain the reasoning behind this, and will do so better than I can.

2) I, too, am an impulsive eater. I'm much better about it than I was, but there's been no one trick that helped me with it. When impusles strike I just take a moment to focus my attention somewhere other than whatever I want to eat... reminding myself that I planned out lots of healthy fuel for my body, that I'll regret whatever it is I'm about to eat, stuff like that. Or I physically remove myself from the situation to distract myself. It is an ongoing challenge for me!

3) You might try changing your fitness level if you're finding yourself hitting a plateau.

taso42

the faq might help with some of your questions
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

SweetMommaof21981

My Calorie in take is 1260
I am burning around 460 Calories during my workouts.

sarahgilmore

impulsive eater: make a deal with yourself - you can have what you want, but you have to eat a carrot and drink a glass of water first!
You won't feel like you're denying yourself anything (which for some people can make the impulse eventually turn into a massive binge when they just can't handle the deprivation any more), but you're likely to be satisfied with your craving after a much smaller amount of it consumed.

mmarcy11

I m in need of some help, I need some answers to a few questions I have, if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated.

1. DO I EAT MY EXERCISE calories?
2. I am an impulsive eater any I ideas how to deal with this?
3. When I first started MFP, I did NOT exercise at all. Now I am exercising 6 nights a week for 40-50 mins should I be changing my fitness level now?

Thank you in Advance.

1. I always use the rule of thumb that women should not eat below 1200 net calories. I normally plan my meal for the day the night before so I know what I 'm going to be eating and if I will be over my goal. If I am, then I plan on how much I will need to work out at the gym to make sure my net calories are at 1200 or at least not much above or below. I normally work out in the evenings so if Im hungry I will go ahead and eat but then work out a little extra longer at the gym.

2. Normally I will take a snack to work and munch on them throughout the day. Right now I have low fat pretzels but Im trying to find something healthier. I pack 1 serving in a baggie and I will eat some before lunch and then after lunch. I think its a pretty good idea to do that as long as I'm not eating a lot of them and its 1 serving spread out.

3. I haven't changed my fitness level and it seems to be working for me.

Rae6503

1. Yes. That's how MFP is designed. If you eat 1260, burn 460, then it's about the same as eating 800 calories, which is obviously not healthy.

2. Plan your days out in advance. Know when and where you have room for extra calories. Chew gum, or drink a glass of water when you have an impulse.

3. Maybe. What is your weekly goal? Most people have more success if they set it to a half pound to a pound a week. It's just easier to maintain in the long run.

SweetMommaof21981

1. Yes.

2. Take a few minutes to weigh or otherwise measure your food, and if you can enter it into MFP before you eat it. This extra step may help you avoid your impulse. If you find this tedious, and you have a smartphone app, you may want to start using the MFP app. The app makes it really easy to enter your food. It even has a bar code scanner.

3. If you are asking about how you answer the "How would you describe your normal daily activities?" question in your MFP diet profile, leave it set to how you spend your day when you are no exercising. This will set your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to the correct value for your normal daily activities. This also ensures you are not adding your exercise calores to your calorie allowance more than once. If you increase your normal daily activity level because you exercise and then eat your exercise calories, you run the risk of eating more calories than you should for the rate of weight loss you selected in your Diet Profile.

With the impulsive eating it seems to be more on the weekends (when I m not working) maybe I m eating out of boredom
During the week I do weigh plan out and log before I eat, and I do stay on track. But on weekends I m not so I probably answered my own question.

Thank you

Cross_fitter

as per advice from Precision Nutrition, you shouldn't eat your exercise calories unless you are lean and then they will boost your metabolism to work harder. You should, however, eat all of your required calories and make sure you have enough EG, I know from other professional advise and experience this App didn't set enough calories for me in the first place so I changed it from 1200 to 1500 so firstly you need to make sure that is correct!! (a guide: 5,4' at 156pounds or 71kg = 1500calories)

thatlook

the way i see your problems fixed!!

1) i always enter my days worth of exercise in the evening, therefore i am generally eating my daily allowance and not extra's, i personally find that if your putting in the extra effort and not hungry what is that point of eating more than you actually need to and not reaping the benefit of burning those extra calories!! as someone else sated if your hungry eat if not then don't!

2) if you think your hungry drink a large glass of water (most 'hunger' comes from an actual thirst) if you are still hungry 20-30 mins later then you genuinely are hungry!! again as already stated only have healthy foods in eyesight, when stocking your fridge/cupboards put all the things you 'want to eat' at the back (if you have children that's where to put their goodies!!) then pack the front of the fridge/cupboard with the foods you should be eating if/when hungry!

3) if your lifestyle is still the same (in my case sedintary) leave it the same, if your are now more active generally then change it to a more appropriate one.

hope this has helped!!

lloydlec

OK so here is something! You are exercising too much. If you are working out correctly then your body needs time to recover. If you are running give your self a break every second day or run shorter but faster and then rest. You HAVE to let your body recover all this work out work out is wrong.

I have lost 25 KG about 55lb in old language and I was working out 5 to 6 time a week hit a wall and never got anywhere until I started running intervals and resting every second day. IF I had to work out on a rest day it was a slow walk or bike ride. Yopur heart rate will tell you if you are getting fitter.

chattipatty2

Well, I have like 580 calories left for the day, exercise included, and am not going to "try to eat them." I may have a snack in a bit, but It wouldnt be a 580 calorie one, probably a mozz cheese string stick and a few almonds.
Remember, NO carbs at night. And most importantly to me:
The quote, "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" So at the end of the day, if you have included your exercise and have alot of calories left over, you are to still eat like a pauper.

taso42

as per advice from Precision Nutrition, you shouldn't eat your exercise calories unless you are lean and then they will boost your metabolism to work harder. You should, however, eat all of your required calories and make sure you have enough EG, I know from other professional advise and experience this App didn't set enough calories for me in the first place so I changed it from 1200 to 1500 so firstly you need to make sure that is correct!! (a guide: 5,4' at 156pounds or 71kg = 1500calories)

You do realize that if you left it at 1200 and ate back the calories, as the system is designed to be used, it would be effectively the same as you setting it to 1500 and not eating them back, right? (this is assuming you burn ~300 cals a day).

BevsCalerieCount

It is unhealthy to eat less than 1200 per day, so I make sure my net calories are at leat 1200. As for eating, I ask myself if I'm hungry, if the answer is no, I try to focus in on why I want to eat. My thinking is eventually this will help me take control of my eating habits. At the end of the day I eat what I want as long as I am within my calorie goal. If your exercise is consistent I would change it.

ShoeZilla

For the eating..........make yourself sit at the table and eat anything you are going to eat. Do not sit at your desk or in front of the television to eat. Be aware of every bite and taste. When your done, wash and put away the plate. I got pretty half sized plates at Goodwill and it has worked for me. Plus I do not buy the things i would binge on anymore like Cheetos and Cheezits or chips. Hope this helps you break the cycle hon.

brechingirl

I was an impulsive eater. I now make myself a giant cup of Chai tea(black) in the morning and in the afternoon. I usually have a fruit with the afternoon one. If I feel myself getting munchy I boil the kettle and make that giant tea (my cup is equal to 2 cups). By the time I finnish that tea I am so not hungy anymore. It has totally topped my munching in the daytime. I would pobably have one at night but the caffeine would keep me up all night. I do not like the caffeine free chai.