Am I eating too many calories/too few?! Getting confused!

amyonkman

I just started counting calories on here and doing P90X. According to the P90X guide i should take in 1800 calories a day, but according to this website I should only do like 1340. which seems pretty low, Im afraid if Im eating too few of calories its going to make it harder to lose weight or im going to plateau soon, or something?! Im 26, about 5'6" and 130-135 lbs, trying to lose my pregnancy weight! Im looking to lose about 15 lbs or so, or tone up at least, so Im not too crazy about the number on the scale as long as Im happy with how I look, but I know I have a lot of weight to lose around my midsection. I bumped up my calories per day on here manually to 1500, with working out about an hour 6 days a week. Does this seem like too many calories, or two few still? Anyone have any advice??

Living4Liz2012

That's how I was with instanty....just play around with calories and see what works for you with loosing weight...
I find as long as I eat more than 1200 but less than 1700 the weight is coming off for me. I know were all different but you can't go wrong or lose....Start off with 1430 and if the weight is coming off then stay. If it isn't just add little by little until you find out what works for you:)

pander101

You can eat back you exercise calories. Depending on how much you are trying to lose per week your number can be that low. I'm 5'8" and 180lbs. I'm on 1.5 lbs per week for weight loss and it has me eating 1320 calories. I workout 5 times a week. I eat back my calories that I burned. I've just been netting about 1320 and I've been losing.

A good thing to remember though: If you're hungry you should probably eat something.

TLCEsq

P90X is an intense exercise program and I honestly don't think there's any way you could sustain yourself on ~1300 calories a day doing that type of workout program. When I did P90X I was eating 2200-2400 calories a day. Granted, I am six feet tall and that sounds like a lot but it's really not uncommon. Currently I am pregnant and I see women on here who are concerned about pregnancy calories, but I've been super hungry and eating ~2150/day while walking 5x/week and strength training 2x/week. You have to listen to your body, and 1340 for you sounds too low to me! Plus you don't have a whole lot to lose so you should focus on body recomposition and getting rid of fat while maintaining/increasing your muscle mass.

TLC1975

This can be very confusing...I don't go by MFP setting to be honest, I set my own. At ur height and weight and activity level 1500 should be fine for weight loss, but don't do it too long (12 weeks max), change it up...if after 2 weeks at this count, and no loss, trying adding more, everyone is different so it will be abit of trial and error for you at the beginning. The other very important note I have to add is quality of calories, you could keep the 1500 and eat processed sugars and wheat, or take out and not lose a pound, for effective weight loss especially while training, stick to complex carbs, lean proteins and lots of water and veggies!
Good Luck!

sheiwat

I think P90x is saying 1800 total calories. The website recommends 1340 without exercise...so once you add in your exercise for that day, you get more calories with would probably be close to 1800..hope that helps

mocha106

MFP suggests 1340 without exercise but when you workout you are able to eat additional calories. How many calories do you burn when you workout? If you are burning around 400-500 calories then the calorie suggestions seem accurate.

morkiemama

P90X is a demanding program and requires fuel for the workouts. However, I'm assuming that plan has you eating at a flat rate of 1800 a day. Basic MFP works in that you are already set at a deficit and earn more cals through exercise. Don't mix the two systems and get confused.

For instance, I started out on basic MFP eating around 1400-1500 cals NET. Meaning, whatever my HRM said I burned during exercise I would eat back. This usually put me around 1700-1800 (or more) total cals, to net my set 1400-1500.

I have since switched to the EM2WL philosophy and aim to eat a flat 1800ish every day based on an activity level of at least 3 hours of exercise/activity per week. I'm only on week 2 of this new philosophy. This flat approach works better for me because it takes some stress off the counting for me, which I need right now.

I am working more on balancing my macros and eating better, which I find to be easier at a flat rate rather than a varying one. It also helps me to take the time to workout, which I need right now. I'm experiencing a very stressful time prepping for a HUGE licensing exam and I found studying was slowly consuming my entire existence. I wasn't taking the me time and my stress levels were rising due to the lack of exercise. However, at the new flat rate approach, my workouts are factored into my calorie allotment. Thus, there is extra incentive to fit them into my schedule because I already ate as if I did them.

Whichever approach you decide to follow, don't try to mix them and get confused. If you go the MFP route, I suggest investing in an HRM and eating your exercise cals back. If you go the flat plan route, I suggest not entering your exercise in until the end of the day so it is easier to stick to your flat rate without MFP changing your numbers on you because of the exercise.

I also suggest going in and setting custom goals to adjust your carbs/protein/fat percentages to mimic the eating plan you want to follow. (40c/30p/30f is standard for many workout plans)

If you are interested in the EM2WL philosophy, here is a link to the group on MFP:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Whatever you do, do NOT eat only a flat 1340 while doing a workout program like P90X. It is a workout program that requires fuel. You need to at least eat back the calories you burn on it if you are going to use the MFP basic numbers.

wild_wild_life

MFP suggests 1340 without exercise but when you workout you are able to eat additional calories. How many calories do you burn when you workout? If you are burning around 400-500 calories then the calorie suggestions seem accurate.

Exactly! MFP is often right on target with cut from TDEE methods if you include exercise calories.

amyonkman

Ok! Thanks everyone! Definitely helped clear things up, so probably stay at the 1300 or so and eat back my workout calories and see how it goes for a couple weeks...Im new to all of this though...so I guess I just don't understand why you would want to eat back your workout calories? Doesn't it seem counter-productive? I dont actually know how many calories Im burning because I dont have a HRM...Im looking for one right now. Ive just been going with the generic 177 calories it says for weight training/lifting, even though it kind of goes back and forth from weights with cardio days and cardio mixed in, so my hearts always pumping and Im always sweating!

wild_wild_life

The reason for eating your workout calories is that you are already on a deficit before exercise (1300) -if you exercise and don't eat more, you could be creating too large a deficit. You eat exercise calories to keep your deficit the same, under the assumption that mfp has set you up with an appropriate deficit for your goals.

As far as figuring out how much you burn during exercise, that is another question. People say mfp tends to overestimate. You could consider eating 3/4 of them back to be conservative.

emmarangel

I'm confused about that "eating back the calories too. At the end of each day the program tells me I'm allowed XX amount of calories because of the exercise I did. I was told not to eat those "extra" calories if I'm trying to lose the weight. The program initially suggested I eat 1200 calories a day but I was having a hard time eating that many so I changed my goal to 1100 calories a day. After two weeks of eating somewhere between 1000 and 1100 calories, my clothes are fitting better and I can tell a difference. I work out 5 days a week either doing cardio of some kind or strength training. Do you guys recommend I try to eat the extra couple hundred calories it's suggesting I eat? I don't see how I can get them in....I eat every 2-3 hours now and it seems I'm eating all the time LOL

amyonkman

I will definitely need to get a HRM then! I looked into it a little, and since the workouts can be so different in P90X is can vary each day, but one day is plyometrics, and it says on average someone can burn up to 430 calories in the hour, o even if I cut that is half its still more than MFP is saying, so I'll have to figure it out more exactly. Would it be a bad idea to up how much I wanna lose in a week to a pound and a half? its saying I'd need about 1200 calories, plus eating back whatever workout i do? Too much? Or better to start there and as my workouts get more intense the further into the program I get I can slowly add more to keep from hitting a plateau? I've really been focusing on eating healthy, getting in proteins and complex carbs, and drinking almost all water minus my morning coffee.

amyonkman

I feel like Im eating all the time, and way more than i did before! haha Im eating way better foods, and eating every two hours or so, but i know that is good for your blood sugar!

HemsireJosie

I would eat the 1800 that your program recommends. When I started NROLFW I was concerned about taking in the recommended 2000kcals a day, (MFP recommended 1770 or something to maintain) but I followed it and with the exercise I do I found I averaged 1875kcals NET and I'm 5'6" maintaining 120lbs with that amount. Reading back through the NROLFW book, the idea of the program is to speed up the metabolism through proper nutrition and weight training. It might be that if you cut your calories to low your be unable to build the muscle required to speed up your metabolism and shed body-fat, which would be detrimental to your progress. Trust the program your on

wild_wild_life

I'm confused about that "eating back the calories too. At the end of each day the program tells me I'm allowed XX amount of calories because of the exercise I did. I was told not to eat those "extra" calories if I'm trying to lose the weight. The program initially suggested I eat 1200 calories a day but I was having a hard time eating that many so I changed my goal to 1100 calories a day. After two weeks of eating somewhere between 1000 and 1100 calories, my clothes are fitting better and I can tell a difference. I work out 5 days a week either doing cardio of some kind or strength training. Do you guys recommend I try to eat the extra couple hundred calories it's suggesting I eat? I don't see how I can get them in....I eat every 2-3 hours now and it seems I'm eating all the time LOL

It depends. A lot depends on your current weight and what deficit mfp has set you (aka what rate of loss you are set for).

In general, eating below 1200/day is not recommended so I'd say work on that before you worry about exercise calories.

BeantownSooner

Ok! Thanks everyone! Definitely helped clear things up, so probably stay at the 1300 or so and eat back my workout calories and see how it goes for a couple weeks...Im new to all of this though...so I guess I just don't understand why you would want to eat back your workout calories? Doesn't it seem counter-productive? I dont actually know how many calories Im burning because I dont have a HRM...Im looking for one right now. Ive just been going with the generic 177 calories it says for weight training/lifting, even though it kind of goes back and forth from weights with cardio days and cardio mixed in, so my hearts always pumping and Im always sweating!

I've done 3 rounds of P90X and what the last couple of posters are suggesting is accurate. When mixing MFP and the P90X nutrition program you want to eat back your workout calories IF you've set up your goals to "lose X lbs a week". The reason is that you've already factored in the calorie deficit and by not eating back the workout calories you'll be double dipping. It'll work for a while but you'll end up crashing in workouts and ultimately stalling. The other way to do it is to set your goals as "maintenance". That number will probably be between the 1300 and 1800. Use that as your target number as it's less than P90X suggests (i.e. creating a deficit) but more than MFP suggests for maintenance (i.e. assumes no workout).

I would highly recommend the heart rate monitor that has a chest strap when making your purchase. Wrist ones don't seem to be as accurate and part of the algorithm is motion of your arms. You'd think you did nothing when doing Yoga X. P90X is pretty demanding and I can assure you that if you're hitting the workouts hard (as you suggested) your calories are likely in the 500 - 800 calorie range for most workouts with Plyometrics getting upwards of 1,000 in the early phases.

amyonkman

I went back to mine and put it back to what they are recommending, and it's for losing one pound a week, so Im at 1490 calories a day, and thats a 500 calorie deficit, So that really should be good for me being able to lose weight, but Ill just have to try it out and see how it goes I guess. I was getting nervous about taking in too few. But if I eat back my workout calories I should be good..or at least close so I can still get the benefits from P90X..its a lot of work to not be eating right to make it worthwhile! :happy: And it says I should lose five pounds by august 3..so we'll see! Thanks so much for everyones input!

wild_wild_life

I will definitely need to get a HRM then! I looked into it a little, and since the workouts can be so different in P90X is can vary each day, but one day is plyometrics, and it says on average someone can burn up to 430 calories in the hour, o even if I cut that is half its still more than MFP is saying, so I'll have to figure it out more exactly. Would it be a bad idea to up how much I wanna lose in a week to a pound and a half? its saying I'd need about 1200 calories, plus eating back whatever workout i do? Too much? Or better to start there and as my workouts get more intense the further into the program I get I can slowly add more to keep from hitting a plateau? I've really been focusing on eating healthy, getting in proteins and complex carbs, and drinking almost all water minus my morning coffee.

I don't know anything about p90x or how it calculates the carories it recommends. If you only need to lose 15 lbs, I think a 1 lb/wk rate is right on. You will get different opinions on that though. Sounds like a HRM is what you need. Really I don't think the difference between 1200 and 1340 is big enough, considering all the estimations involved, to make much difference. I guess it depends whether you want to err on the high side or the low side of your estimate. Personally I like to eat and would rather lose a touch slower and not be hungry, but do what feels right for you!

amyonkman

thanks rbrow01! That might make it less confusing if I just put in the somwhere in the middle ground for calories and dont put in the workouts..I think thats whats been throwing me off, and then I wind up having extra calories leftover at the end of the day and I dont want to have a huge snack before bed later in the night! I feel like it will be really hard for me to eat 1800 calories though!

amyonkman

I guess it depends whether you want to err on the high side or the low side of your estimate. Personally I like to eat and would rather lose a touch slower and not be hungry, but do what feels right for you!
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I agree...I have been a little hungry between meals, but not like Im not eating enough, more like my metabolism is getting on track and working better than before! I was eating whatever, whenever and not paying attention to it at all!

amyonkman

I guess it depends whether you want to err on the high side or the low side of your estimate. Personally I like to eat and would rather lose a touch slower and not be hungry, but do what feels right for you!
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I agree...I have been a little hungry between meals, but not like Im not eating enough, more like my metabolism is getting on track and working better than before! I was eating whatever, whenever and not paying attention to it at all!

wild_wild_life

I went back to mine and put it back to what they are recommending, and it's for losing one pound a week, so Im at 1490 calories a day, and thats a 500 calorie deficit, So that really should be good for me being able to lose weight, but Ill just have to try it out and see how it goes I guess. I was getting nervous about taking in too few. But if I eat back my workout calories I should be good..or at least close so I can still get the benefits from P90X..its a lot of work to not be eating right to make it worthwhile! :happy: And it says I should lose five pounds by august 3..so we'll see! Thanks so much for everyones input!

Sounds like a good plan. I lost 20 lbs on a 250-500 cal daily deficit and was never uncomfortably hungry and never plateued. I got so used to it it was hard to go back up to maintenance. The trick is getting your burn estimate accurate to maintain that sort of deficit. Good luck!

amyonkman

I actually just read the P90X guide says to add back 600 calories from the workouts. Im just a beginner though, so Im taking breaks here and there so I wouldnt add them all back..so staying around what MFP has me at is probably good..unless i just put around 1500/1600 calories in there and figure for no work out?

amyonkman

seriously though..thought i could cut a few calories, workout a little and lose weight..haha...seems WAY more involved to lose a few pounds, sheesh!

BeantownSooner

I'm confused about that "eating back the calories too. At the end of each day the program tells me I'm allowed XX amount of calories because of the exercise I did. I was told not to eat those "extra" calories if I'm trying to lose the weight. The program initially suggested I eat 1200 calories a day but I was having a hard time eating that many so I changed my goal to 1100 calories a day. After two weeks of eating somewhere between 1000 and 1100 calories, my clothes are fitting better and I can tell a difference. I work out 5 days a week either doing cardio of some kind or strength training. Do you guys recommend I try to eat the extra couple hundred calories it's suggesting I eat? I don't see how I can get them in....I eat every 2-3 hours now and it seems I'm eating all the time LOL

If you're happy with your progress and not stuck where you are then I say keep going. At some point you'll stop losing as most females have a minimum BMR of 1,300. This is basically how many calories it takes to stay alive (MFP uses your input to calculate this). That said some very easy ways to add a couple hundred calories if you've stalled out on your weight loss. Nuts and nut butters (Almond butter, Peanut butter, etc.--stay all natural if possible) are you're best friend! Don't be afraid of the fat as it's "good fat". 1/4c of almonds or cashews is just under 200 calories. Very easy to simply grab a handful and chomp away! Also, protein shakes are another simple way as well especially if you add some fruit such as a banana. All good for you but quick ways to add calories without making a full meal.

BeantownSooner

I actually just read the P90X guide says to add back 600 calories from the workouts. Im just a beginner though, so Im taking breaks here and there so I wouldnt add them all back..so staying around what MFP has me at is probably good..unless i just put around 1500/1600 calories in there and figure for no work out?

As one of the other posters said it's trial and error. If you don't eat them back as some point in the future you will stall out and crash. Happened to me on my 1st round. Literally couldn't lift my legs during one workout...very weird feeling. Also, don't get too obsessed with it either. You could even bounce a round from 1300 one day to 1800 the next to 1500 the day after. Just keep it within that 1300 - 1800 range and you should be fine. Also, see my other note to the other poster. Very easy way to add good calories are nuts, nut butters and protein shakes with fruit.

BeantownSooner

seriously though..thought i could cut a few calories, workout a little and lose weight..haha...seems WAY more involved to lose a few pounds, sheesh!

P90X and other intense programs like Insanity don't help. They're counter what everyone's belief is...eat less lose weight. Not so much with those programs.

Also, one other tidbit if you can stand it. Pay zero attention to the scale with P90X if possible. You'll be replacing fat with muscle and since muscle is more dense than fat (i.e. same weight in smaller package) your scale may not move for a while. Generally you start to see it move in month 2 so don't get frustrated if you haven't lost a pound. Measure yourself instead and gauge progress with inches lost vs. lbs.

wild_wild_life

seriously though..thought i could cut a few calories, workout a little and lose weight..haha...seems WAY more involved to lose a few pounds, sheesh!

You can! It's only as complicated as you want it to be. Personally I like complicated.

Google TDEE calculator and see what your maintenance is for moderate activity. Anything under that, you will lose weight. 500 under that should lose you 1 lb/wk. Don't eat exercise cals though cause they're factored in already. All the methods really work out about the same.

amyonkman

As one of the other posters said it's trial and error. If you don't eat them back as some point in the future you will stall out and crash. Happened to me on my 1st round. Literally couldn't lift my legs during one workout...very weird feeling. Also, don't get too obsessed with it either. You could even bounce a round from 1300 one day to 1800 the next to 1500 the day after. Just keep it within that 1300 - 1800 range and you should be fine. Also, see my other note to the other poster. Very easy way to add good calories are nuts, nut butters and protein shakes with fruit.

thanks! I guess im probably being too crazy about it! haha..but if I go according to my stats on here and add back my workout it puts me right around 1800, so Ill just go with it and see how my days go! I ve been trying to plan my days ahead of time so Im knowing what Im going to eat and not make last minuted decisions, trying to avoid binging and grabbing something quick that isnt good!

amyonkman

jsl_mfp...I just did that now, it says 1424..so thats figuring activity/workout, so thats where I should be per day without eating back calories? or subtract five hundred from that?!