Don't understand something...

nsgrimm

Hello all!!! I just started my new lifestyle on Monday, I have been doing 45 min cardio daily and watching what I eat. The problem I have is that I don't eat enough calories each day. I was playing around tonight with the food tracker to see if I ate this or that how it would effect my weight in 5 weeks. No matter what I added it made my weight go up but at the same time if I didn't eat at least the 1200 calories per day (or more due to the cardio) it would tell me that I need to eat more. So I don't get it. If I eat less calories per day then it has my weight lower in 5 weeks, if I eat right at the 1200 it has my weight higher...why is that? This probably doesn't make sense .. hahaha Hope someone can help me!!!

JDHINAZ

I don't even use the 5 week thing. I feel like it's judging me! :laugh: I only go by my alloted calories for the day. I suggest you ignore the 5 week button and just follow your calorie plan for the next week or two and see what happens. Make your adjustments that way.

And welcome! You'll have fun here.

nsgrimm

lol, yes, it's like it's taunting me!!!!! I just feel so bad eating MORE calories because I worked out, does anyone else feel that way or am I just weird....lol It's like I worked my butt off for those burned calories and now you want me to eat more??? Do you stick with the 1200 calories even after a workout or do you go by their calorie count ?

I love this page so far and I just discovered the message boards today and I am having fun reading the posts and getting ideals on food!!

Being_Healthy

I used to eat every single one of my exercise calories, because that is what I read you are suppose to do. Then I realized that I wasn't losing a single pound this way :mad:

So now I eat some of my exercise calories (about 40% of them). I don't want to deprive my body of what it needs, but I am in this to LOSE the weight...not keep at my current (disgusting) weight.

As for eating less than 1200 calories a day, sorry I love to eat and can't even picture that :laugh: :blushing:

olgawill

I dont eat the calories that I get for working out. I only eat the 1200 per day.
I feel like if I eat those calories I am going to gain weight. I worked with a trainner a few years ago and he told me not to use those calories as a food reward. I hope this will help you.
olga

KatWood

Eating your exercise calories does not need to be regarded as a "food reward." It is simply providing your body with the extra fuel it needs. It should not be used as an excuse to eat someting unhealthy. If you burn a significant amount of calories during a workout you should definitely eat at least some of them back. How much really does vary from person to person so it can take some time to find out what is optimal for your body.

Initially, if you have too high of a calorie defict you will lose weight, but as your body adapts your metabolism will slow down and so will the rate of weightloss. And if you stop working out or increase your calories, you will likely start to regain the weight, since your metabolism is still low and you are not using the calories as efficiently.

I have had a trainer and he advocated eating more on my workout days, not as a reward but as a necessity. In particular I eat fruit before my workout (sometime also a granola bar) and protein shortly after.

KatWood

Hello all!!! I just started my new lifestyle on Monday, I have been doing 45 min cardio daily and watching what I eat. The problem I have is that I don't eat enough calories each day. I was playing around tonight with the food tracker to see if I ate this or that how it would effect my weight in 5 weeks. No matter what I added it made my weight go up but at the same time if I didn't eat at least the 1200 calories per day (or more due to the cardio) it would tell me that I need to eat more. So I don't get it. If I eat less calories per day then it has my weight lower in 5 weeks, if I eat right at the 1200 it has my weight higher...why is that? This probably doesn't make sense .. hahaha Hope someone can help me!!!

Sorry one more comment. And I apologize if it sounds harsh. It is not meant to. I simply mean for it to make a point.

If you eat less it will show your weight to be lower in 5 weeks.
Of course if you completely starve yourself you will lose more weight in 5 wks than if you eat. The point is not to lose the weight as fast as you can, but to lose it in a way that is healthy and can be maintained. I know eating less can be tempting and eating more can be scary but in the end this is really all about being healthy and happy, which for me means having a well balanced life that includes food and exercise.

Good luck. You can do this. It takes time but the rewards will last you a lifetime!:flowerforyou:

lessertess

The weight loss tracker really only adds the calorie deficit and equate that to pounds. So if you had a 500 calorie deficit today the tracker would assume a 500 calorie deficit every day for 5 weeks and say that you will lose 5 pounds.

No matter what, if you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight . But there is a diminishing return. Weight loss isn't as linear as a mathematical formula. There are factors that impact it: including your health, nutrition, metobalic rate, water weight, time of the month, etc. Even hormones can affect weight loss and weight gain.

If you eat too few calories you can slow your metabolism and you will begin to burn less calories while doing the same activities. Which means that you are losing less weight than the math indicates. Extreme calorie deficits over a period of time can trigger starvation mode which can cause your body to store fat and burn muscle and organs. The tracker does not take that into account.

Bottom line, you need to eat enough to get proper nutrition and to fuel your body. You will have to find the right balance between a caloric deficit that is low enough to allow you to lose weight but not so low that it slows your metabolism or pushes your body into starvation mode. When it comes to weight loss you'll find that slow and steady wins this race.

Additionally, studies have shown that people who lose weight quickly are more likely to put it back on (plus about 10% more) while people who lose weight slowly are more likely to maintain that loss.

The best post on this is the one about 700 calories a day and not losing weight.

OH--about eating your exercise calories.....

Remember that all of these numbers are estimates based on averages. The numbers don't account for age, body composition or fitness level. As we get older our metabolism slows, muscle burns calories but fat doesn't and , as you become more fit, your body becomes more efficient and burns less calories on the same exercises.

It seems to be human nature to overestimate the calories we burn in exercise and underestimate the calories eaten. Most of us tend to overestimate our exertion levels as well. You do need to eat your exercise calories. The trick is in getting an accurate estimate. If you were eating all your exercise calories and not losing weight then it is more than likely that your estimates were too high for how many calories you were burning and potentially too low for how many calories you were eating.

Use the numbers as a guideline and then use proper nutrition goals as a double check. (And, no...vitamens and supplements to not make a good substitute for eating right).

spicy618

I usually eat all of my exercise calories and I have been losing at a "slow and steady" pace. I have not gained back anything, except during TOM and that is gone shortly afterwards.
Just my .02 :flowerforyou:

nsgrimm

Thank you for all of your comments =O) I really appreciate each and every one of them!!! Here's to never being this size again!!!

SHBoss1673

if your asking strictly why the 1200 calories doesn't go down on the site when you put less than 1200 in, but the 5 week "this is what you would weigh" does go down, then the answer is this:

Mike set up MFP to have a floor of 1200 (because general consensus is that females should never eat less than 1200 calories unless under a doctors supervision), but that little gadget that tells you what you would weigh doesn't conform to that floor, it will show you a straight theoretical weight loss, it does NOT take into account "starvation mode" or your body adjusting down your metabolism to account for reduced calorie intake.

Tamishumate

I play around with it sometimes I eat some of them sometimes I eat all of them back. When I am not losing I change it up. It has worked so far? Good luck!

dartboarddiva

I feel stupid , but I don't know what you all are talking about with this 5 week gizmo. Where is that? I haven't found that yet ...

I have another question. I just realized that I never "complete today's entry." Does that make a difference?

BrendaLee

I feel stupid , but I don't know what you all are talking about with this 5 week gizmo. Where is that? I haven't found that yet ...

I have another question. I just realized that I never "complete today's entry." Does that make a difference?

On the "My Home" tab, when you click "Complete Today's Entry" it will show you what you will weigh in 5 weeks...theoretically.

No, you don't have to click that button.

dartboarddiva

Ahhhh ... thanks ... you know it is amazing what all this site will do. I could explore it for days and still find stuff ...