Thinking about only eating back 1/2 my exercise calories
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Spokez70
Posts: 548 Member
Okay- I'm sold on the eat more to weigh less concept. I've been eating more for 6 weeks or so and feeling so much better...and therefor exercising more and more...and therefor eating more and more...and now suddenly I'm just not seeing the results.
I started at 6'3" and 322lbs and dropped the first 30lbs or so on a very restrictive 1200 Calorie diet- but the last 20lbs (now backslid to 18) has been lost while gradually ramping it up to 2500 calories plus exercise. I weigh and measure almost all my food. I don't know if I'm overestimating calories burned or what- I bought a Polar FT7 HRM and the calories there are fairly close to what is listed on MFP so I don't think that's off either. My BMR is 2235 and I have a sedentary job so I figured my TDEE at 2629 and just planned to eat my exercise calories. It seemed to be working fine with light exercise (30 minutes walking, light strength training) but now with more intense workouts (60 minute+ bike rides, Insanity) I'm stalled or loosing ground. On hard workout days I feel like I am just eating soooo much food like I use to- maybe I should just eat back half of the exercise calories? Or go the other direction and give up the though that I am still 'sedentary' and eating exercise cals and just go with a 'moderately active' TDEE of 3396 calories? (That really scares me because it's what I'm eating now on the hardest workout days- what happens if I miss a workout?)
Posting it here because I'm not really looking to debate going back to 1200 cals/day. Any advise would be appreciated.
I started at 6'3" and 322lbs and dropped the first 30lbs or so on a very restrictive 1200 Calorie diet- but the last 20lbs (now backslid to 18) has been lost while gradually ramping it up to 2500 calories plus exercise. I weigh and measure almost all my food. I don't know if I'm overestimating calories burned or what- I bought a Polar FT7 HRM and the calories there are fairly close to what is listed on MFP so I don't think that's off either. My BMR is 2235 and I have a sedentary job so I figured my TDEE at 2629 and just planned to eat my exercise calories. It seemed to be working fine with light exercise (30 minutes walking, light strength training) but now with more intense workouts (60 minute+ bike rides, Insanity) I'm stalled or loosing ground. On hard workout days I feel like I am just eating soooo much food like I use to- maybe I should just eat back half of the exercise calories? Or go the other direction and give up the though that I am still 'sedentary' and eating exercise cals and just go with a 'moderately active' TDEE of 3396 calories? (That really scares me because it's what I'm eating now on the hardest workout days- what happens if I miss a workout?)
Posting it here because I'm not really looking to debate going back to 1200 cals/day. Any advise would be appreciated.
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Replies
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If you did all of your calculations based on an activity level of sedentary with only doing "light exercise (30 minutes walking, light strength training)" and you've now bumped up your workouts to "more intense workouts (60 minute+ bike rides, Insanity)" and suddenly your body has stalled....well....I think you have answered your own question.
You don't need to go down. You need to go up! Insanity is no joke! It requires serious fuel.
I think you already know you need to bump it up since you did the calculation using a more appropriate "moderately active". Take a deep breath...reset your goals....and give your body what it's asking for.
Remember, you don't really gain fat unless you eat over your TDEE consistently for a long period of time. So you have a nice big range between your BMR and your moderate TDEE calculation of 3396. So what have you got to lose by experimenting within that range to find your body's sweet spot? Personally, I'd go for 3396-15% which equals 2887. Which you might notice is actually higher than what you calculated your TDEE at for sedentary. It really looks like you aren't eating enough to fuel your new routine.0 -
Redo all your math to match your current activity level. Do not calculate as sedentary. Then your daily TDEE will include your exercise calories and you won't need to eat back extreme calories on workout days (unless you net below BMR of course), it will all just average out and you will be giving your body the consistency it craves!0
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You should consider friending Fiveohmike, because his numbers are like yours and he nearly fell over when he realized he needed to eat so many calories:-)
Ok, yes, if you are doing insanity, you DEF want to recalc using moderate activity. Also, if there is a way to do some heavy lifting 3 days a week and cardio more like 2 days, you will build lean muscle mass/or hold more of it and burn more fat.
Again, FiveOhMike would be a great friend to have on your list. Tell him I sent ya:-)0 -
Thats where I am. I actually today am going to increase cardio and eat back half my workout calories and see if that jump starts something.0
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bump to see what others think of this approach.0
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I agree with recalculating TDEE. It's probably about that time anyway, as TDEE should be recalculated whenever we age, lose or gain 5 lbs, or activity level changes.
Try out scooby's calculator, which chooses activity level based on total hours worked out per week. Remember that with TDEE, since the total amount of exercise for the *week* is figured in. The cals are already spread out for you throughout the week, so no need to eat more or less on non/workout days (unless you net under BMR)
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Don't be afraid of going up, if the number is higher, the body does amazing things when fueled properly :flowerforyou:
~Kiki0 -
Wooo another guy in the group!
My numbers are very similar to yours and I am on my 4th week.
My TDEE is 3948
My TDEE Cut (-20%) is 3167
I do Insanity and lift weights during the week, and its definitively in the "moderate" category. So I have some advice.
1. Throw out the scale and dont look back. I honestly weight myself everyday, which I shouldn't...here is why. When I first ramped up (I actually had no ramp time, I went from months of eating 1200 calories to immediately eating 3200 calories a day) I gained I think 4-5 pounds in two days. Scare the CRAP outta me. However with the groups help, its definitely water weight.
I went from eating little carbs to eating "normal" amounts of carbs. When you go back on carbs, you of course gain water weight.
What you need to start doing is measuring yourself on maybe a bi-weekly basis. Take your neck, your stomach, your hips, your bicept (relaxed), your calf and your thigh. Use that to monitor your progress.
2. Your not eating enough, this will stall you. Us big guys need TONS AND TONS of food to keep our big *kitten* going. Hit your TDEE cut target if at all possible.
I know this is hard first hand. I am basically eating all day. I no longer have "meals", but am "foraging" all day. Caveman style.
3. Eat good food. My hardest thing has been watching my sodium intake. I am eating healthy foods, but a lot of it. I was eating lunch meets, eating out at so called "healthy" places ect. However after doing research on these "healthy" places I found some of the damn salads had 3000mg sodium or higher!. So now I make all my lunches, and watch the sodium
Sodium wreaks havoc on your weight consistency. Another reason to go to rule #1. Toss the scale.
4. Did I mention your not eating enough?
5. See rule 2 and 4.
Ok kidding aside. Here are my numbers.
I started this "lifestyle change", and I do mean that as this is not a fad diet ect, and I have lost exactly 1.5lbs in 4 weeks. I hit a low point of 290.6 (I started at 292 ish). I hit a high point of 298.
However I have lost 1.5 inches off my belly, 1 inch off my neck, 1.25" off my hips and GAINED an inch on my calfs
Also what I see in the mirror.....more bumpiness heh, I am noticing some shoulder definition start to come through, I am seeing my triceps bulging a bit, my bicepts are starting to go to tennis ball shapes when flexed ect.
So what I am trying to get across is:
- This lifestyle change require much patience. You didnt put the weight on overnight, and its not coming off overnight in a healthy fashion.
- You need to get over the hump of retraining your body that its gonna get its nutrition.
- You cannot just eat "whatever you want", yo ustill need to make intelligent food choices...us big guys just get to eat a buttload of it.
There are many stories of people here dropping many sizes on what they wear, but there weight staying relatively the same. This is the hardest thing for me to come to grips with since I am a scale *kitten*. However, I am still in the beginning stages of my journey but noticing results...not so much on the scale...just in other areas of my life.
Also I lean on the group a lot because I do second guess myself a lot. You should do the same!
Excuse me while I go stuff my face withe more food.
P.S. I dont think your eating enough
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Holy jesus, sorry about the dreaded wall of text0
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I know this is hard first hand. I am basically eating all day. I no longer have "meals", but am "foraging" all day. Caveman style.
Caveman style. I love it!! Comparatively, I'm only eating about 2100 calories a day. But there are some days I feel the same way. That I'm constantly going back to the kitchen to eat more because A) I'm hungry again or
It's been 2 hours so it's time to eat again.
Keep up the good work!!0 -
I know this is hard first hand. I am basically eating all day. I no longer have "meals", but am "foraging" all day. Caveman style.
Caveman style. I love it!! Comparatively, I'm only eating about 2100 calories a day. But there are some days I feel the same way. That I'm constantly going back to the kitchen to eat more because A) I'm hungry again or It's been 2 hours so it's time to eat again.
Keep up the good work!!
heh thanks...you should see the size of my salad bowl...its one of the large sized Rubbermaid tupperware bowls....and I use a bigass stainless steel fork to eat it with too..
I think It might be high time i forgoe utensils....and just use my hands...and make grunty noises while eating Ill stop shorty of clubbing my women and taking them back to my cave 0 -
L.O.V.E.D that post Mike!
brilliant!! :bigsmile:
Then again....I'm always a sucker for a good ramble
~Kiki0 -
Thanks for the feedback all- I appreciate the guidance.0
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:flowerforyou: You are so welcome...I can't wait to see your progress pics...you and Mike are just gonna be stars!!!0
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Just a quick update- original post was one week ago today.
After reading all the above last Monday (and another great thread on BMR & Exercise I can't find now) I recalculated all my numbers with http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ and came up with the following:
BMR - 2324
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3602
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2882
So I followed that logic for exactly one week and this morning I am down 5lbs and 2.5" from my waist.
Re-recalculated everything this morning based on 5lb loss and Body Fat going from 26.8% to 25.7% and came up with this:
BMR - 2332
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3615
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2892
Amazing I lost 5 lbs and the calculator is telling me to eat MORE YET AGAIN.
Anyway- thanks again everyone for all the great advice. 0 -
Wow, I love this and I love the results you are getting, just when your inner voice was telling you to work harder and eat less, you listened to logic and it worked! Woohoo! I think we all have that inner voice, and that is why we are here, it's nice to hear when it all falls into place. Congrats and keep it going!0
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I know this is hard first hand. I am basically eating all day. I no longer have "meals", but am "foraging" all day. Caveman style.
Caveman style. I love it!! Comparatively, I'm only eating about 2100 calories a day. But there are some days I feel the same way. That I'm constantly going back to the kitchen to eat more because A) I'm hungry again or It's been 2 hours so it's time to eat again.
Keep up the good work!!
heh thanks...you should see the size of my salad bowl...its one of the large sized Rubbermaid tupperware bowls....and I use a bigass stainless steel fork to eat it with too..
I think It might be high time i forgoe utensils....and just use my hands...and make grunty noises while eating Ill stop shorty of clubbing my women and taking them back to my cave
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Yet, another reason why you are my "freakin' hero" man!!0 -
Just a quick update- original post was one week ago today.
After reading all the above last Monday (and another great thread on BMR & Exercise I can't find now) I recalculated all my numbers with http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ and came up with the following:
BMR - 2324
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3602
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2882
So I followed that logic for exactly one week and this morning I am down 5lbs and 2.5" from my waist.
Re-recalculated everything this morning based on 5lb loss and Body Fat going from 26.8% to 25.7% and came up with this:
BMR - 2332
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3615
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2892
Amazing I lost 5 lbs and the calculator is telling me to eat MORE YET AGAIN.
Anyway- thanks again everyone for all the great advice.
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
YAAAAY!!!!0 -
Yay that is amazing. It's wonderful to see the eating more method working. I'll be looking forward to reading your update next week 0
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Just a quick update- original post was one week ago today.
After reading all the above last Monday (and another great thread on BMR & Exercise I can't find now) I recalculated all my numbers with http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ and came up with the following:
BMR - 2324
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3602
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2882
So I followed that logic for exactly one week and this morning I am down 5lbs and 2.5" from my waist.
Re-recalculated everything this morning based on 5lb loss and Body Fat going from 26.8% to 25.7% and came up with this:
BMR - 2332
TDEE (3-5 Hrs/Wk Mod Exercise) - 3615
Daily Calories @ -20% - 2892
Amazing I lost 5 lbs and the calculator is telling me to eat MORE YET AGAIN.
Anyway- thanks again everyone for all the great advice.
WHAAAA?? That's simply awesome! Congrats on sticking it out- it's not easy but damn is it worth it!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!0 -
Wow, that is just amazing. I can't wait to see your 30 day photos!!!0
