Eating back your calories rant.
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I do NOT eat mine back. I will burn on some days over 1000 (according to MFP) and I only eat around 800 or 900 a day. Phoooy on eating them back. I'm here to lose not exercise so I can eat more. I do want to get a HRM and may just get it for Christmas. But if I'm hungry I'm going to eat no matter where I'm at with my calorie count.
It's not about exercising to eat more. It's about eating enough so you can work out.0 -
I don't eat my calories back- I find it just speeds up my weight loss- sometimes I'll allow myself a few extra- but I will try not to use them all. Hope this helps- however I do have PCOS so I do find I have to do 4 x as much work to lose 1lb than the average person. :-(0
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I don't eat mine back either and I've been losing consistently since I started. I'm on High Blood pressure medicine which makes it harder to lose as well. It's an individual choice.0
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Starvation Mode: Dispelling the Myths If you've been on a diet, you've surely heard about it. The dreaded starvation mode. How many people have said to you, "be careful not to dip below 1200 calories. Your body will go into starvation mode and you'll gain weight." Or, what about, "Oh, you're not eating enough, that's why you're not losing weight. Your body is in starvation mode." A frightful sounding thing indeed. It seems like a dieter just can't win. If they eat too much, they won't lose weight. If they eat too little, they won't lose weight. Can all this really be true? The simple answer is no. Starvation mode has been embellished so much that it's almost a complete lie at this point. So what is starvation mode really? Starvation mode, more formally known as famine response, is part of your body's survival mechanism. When you aren't getting a sufficient amount of calories to run your body, your body does indeed fall into famine response, because normally, when one isn't eating, it's because there is nothing to eat. Starvation mode slows down the body's metabolism to try and save as much energy as it can. It also breaks down muscle, but I'll go into that a bit later. So, yes, famine response, or starvation mode, does slow down your metabolism and does break down muscle, but that's where the truth ends and the embellishment begins. Firstly, starvation mode is not something that kicks in automatically. If you skip a day of eating, your body is not going to freak out and drop your metabolism to a slow crawl. Starvation mode kicks in after continuous fasting or severe calorie restriction, usually longer than a week, but at least 3 days. If you've fasted, or restricted calories severely, you know the feelings of hunger pangs and how horrible they were. That's your body saying, "Eat. I need fuel." Since your body is telling you to eat, it believes there is still food to be eaten, so no starvation mode yet. When the hunger subsides, usually after about 3 to 5 days, your body has decided to there must not be food and uses alternative energy sources. This is a good indication that starvation mode is not far away. People also believe that starvation mode will make you gain weight. This is essentially false. Starvation mode does slow down the metabolism, but if you are eating so little that starvation mode has set in, you are not going to gain weight. The percentage by which the metabolism slows down, which can be as much as 40 percent, does not overshadow the calorie deficit. All it means is that, if you are eating 500 calories a day, and you are supposed to get 2000, you should lose 3 pounds a week with your metabolism running normally. Let's say your metabolism dropped 30 percent. You would have a basal metabolic rate of 1400 calories a day instead, and so you would lose 1.8 pounds a week instead. Considerably fewer amounts of weight, but you would still lose weight. You can not gain weight by taking in fewer calories a day. It does not make sense scientifically, especially if you understand physics. Let's get back to the muscle loss, because that is concerning to most people. Starvation mode does cause muscle loss, partially because it is getting rid of something that uses a lot of energy and partially because it needs protein, which it takes from the muscle. However, what most people don't know is that every diet causes muscle loss, even healthy ones. A healthy lower of calories, that is a 500 calorie deficit, will cause 75 percent fat loss and 25 percent muscle loss. Starvation diets cause a 50 percent fat loss, and a 50 percent muscle loss, however, this has two main causes. The body is not getting enough protein, and people eating small amounts of food, or no food, usually do not have the energy to do strength training. Not that the Atkin's Diet pushes the body into starvation mode, but does not cause excessive muscle loss. This is because Atkin's followers get massive amounts of proteins and so the body does not need to take protein from the muscles and most do strength training, to prevent excessive muscle loss. It works. They end up with the more average 75/25 fat/muscle loss ratio. So, if a person eating 500 calories a day ate it all in protein, and had the strength to do some strength training, they would conceivably end up with a 75/25 ratio as well, or at least something close to that. This is all very interesting, you think, but why should I believe you? Your just a random person writing on the internet. Good point. Let me give you some examples. First, basic anatomy. The body uses glucose as fuel. Well, no food equals no glucose. So what does the body do? It breaks down fat. It has to break down fat because it uses the glycerol there to fuel the body. There is no possible way for the body not to break down fat, because it would die otherwise. It also uses the ketones produced by the breakdown of fats to fuel the brain, and the brain is obviously very important. There's also the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study, that took place in 1944. The men ended up losing 25% of their starting body weights, even though their metabolisms slowed by 40 percent, and they were of average weight to begin with. Anorectics, who impose starvation on themselves, also disprove most of the starvation mode myths. They do not gain weight or stay the same. They continue to lose weight, even though they are severely underweight. Finally, Very Low Calorie Diets are used by physicians to treat obesity in some cases, and these diets are typically under 800 calories daily. There you have it. The reality of starvation mode. Not nearly as frightening as made out to be. Of course, I don't support starvation type diets, and these will make you gain weight. Most likely because you will be very hungry, and most people do not have the willpower to consistently eat very little and will end up binging, and yes, your body will hold on to those calories because it has already depleted some of its storage, and you will gain weight. Furthermore, starvation diets tend not to give your body enough nutrients. Did you know a potassium deficiency can cause a heart attack? Not something you want to play around with. That being said, if you drop below your calories for a day, you don't have to fear a dead metabolism and rapid weight gain.
This is arguably the most complete and understandable explanation i've ever read. It’s simple, to the point and logical. It was a pleasure reading. Thank you very much !0 -
After being disappointed with the last two months of hardly losing any weight/gaining weight I now know where the problem lies. A few months ago I put up a topic with regards to eating calories back, do you/don't you etc. I give reasons why it didn't seem to make sense working out and then having to eat them all back and although some of you were more than helpful and said they don't eat them back, there were others who were downright rude and nasty about it and throw in some rather sarcastic answers along with their views.
Before I start I eat around 1550 calories a day before exercise. Some days I would burn over 1000calories a day doing Tae bo.
So sticking to the advice that I received about eating back calories I decided to do that and for the past two months hardly any change was received par a 1/2 pound here or there.
So today I hired a personal trainer. He made me wear this heart monitor thing as well and off we went to work out. I did 35mins on Elliptical Trainer and the monitor read 520 calories. He told me that I didn't need to eat my calories back as weighing over 300lbs I should have enough fat restore in my body however he did add if I was hungry to eat half but he preferred me not to.
Out of a matter of interest I checked on here how many calories would I have burned and it came back with a figure of 730 calories for the same amount of time. 210 calories is allot to be out and explains how I haven't been able to lose any weight when I have been eating extra calories over and above. I guess that is why I am so angry that I was given sarcastic advice on here with regards to my eating habits and eating back my calories, fad diets and that if I didn't eat them back I was starving myself to death so all along adhering to their so called advice I have been sitting on the fence wondering why the heck was I not losing any weight?!
Now I seem to be questioned with regards to the burn I did today whether it is correct or not as it seems rather high. I don't need to prove anything to anyone on here, my results will speak for themselves next week, god willing.
In future I think if you want to give instructive advice please make sure you know what you are talking about before belittling someone's efforts. No doubt there will be a back lash from the same 'rude' people again on this thread but I am past caring what you think!
So to anyone else that has the same amount of weight to lose like me please do not eat all your calories back that is suggested on here otherwise you will either gain weight or won't lose it. Instead get yourself a heart rate monitor thing and go by that.
Anyways rant over and out!
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0 -
That's one of the reasons I don't log my exercise on MFP. The two things that constantly trip people up are portion size and calorie burn.0
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I totally agree with the OP. I don't understand why people don't want to deprive themselves. I've had years of indulging myself whatever I want. A bit of 'deprivation' (otherwise known as control) is fine.
You shouldn't get your pleasure from food anyway. If I want pleasure now I either get it from a non eating based activity or learn to live without.0 -
The problem is, you aren't talking about your REAL exercise calories burned, so your argument is flawed. The fact that the heart monitor said you burned less than what MFP says simply implies that you CAN'T just go on a loose estimate and then eat whatever calories back that number is. Especially if you have quite a bit of weight to lose.
Mathematically, it's still possible to eat back exercise calories and lose weight. It works for me, but I purposefully underestimate how many calories I burn doing a given activity. (I often hula-hoop and do kundalini yoga, for example, and I base my calories burned off various estimates I found online for my body weight, and then go off a bit lower number.)
It's all abut accuracy. While it may be true that eating back only half of your exercise calories is fine if you're hungry and eating 1700 a day, it changes a bit when you're someone like me who only eats 1200 a day before exercising. I burn lot of calories and I have a fast metabolism, so when I don't eat back most of mine, I get a lot of bad side-effects. And I lose weight quite quickly as long as I'm staying at a good net.
Different things work for different people, but usually it's the math that's flawed and not the method.
I guess you really didn't have much weight to lose to start off with? So don't judge your experience on mine. The fact is I have over 200lbs to lose and I have been told by a professional that I don't need to eat my calories back. Regardless of your mathematically gibberish I will stick to what the professionals tell me and after all they know best!
Also as stated in another post the HRM matched the calories burned on the machine that I was using. Use your Mathematical skills on that one and come up with an answer!!
I never read your last thread but i can perhaps see why a lot of people seemed to turn on you - your replies are quite aggressive and really inviting people to have a go at you. Don't be so defensive and chill out a bit
You admited yourself you were over estimating your calories burned so your net was higher than you throught and that is probably why your weight loss stagnated. Is your net that matters so no don't eat your calories back especially if you're not hungry- keep them in the bank for a rainy day.
Sorry about that. I have developed a no tolerance attitude to these people as they were the ones that give the cr*p advice in the first place. Call me names and I ain't going to sit back and let it happen.
I just want to point something out here I didn't know that the calories were being over estimated until yesterday when I seen my pp. He made me wear a hrm and it was found out there then. When I wrote the first post back a few months ago I came onto this site to lose weight and needing help instead all I got was a few sarcastic comments saying that I will go into starvation when people has said clearly here that they haven't. In fact all they were doing was basing their experience and think they have the answers to everything when they actually know nothing. As I said in my first thread I really do not give a hoot what these people think about me, I am here for my goals and not to listen to garbage! But thanks for your advice, its noted, now I won't be eating any calories back and will keep them for many rainy days in uk! Take care0 -
The problem is, you aren't talking about your REAL exercise calories burned, so your argument is flawed. The fact that the heart monitor said you burned less than what MFP says simply implies that you CAN'T just go on a loose estimate and then eat whatever calories back that number is. Especially if you have quite a bit of weight to lose.
Mathematically, it's still possible to eat back exercise calories and lose weight. It works for me, but I purposefully underestimate how many calories I burn doing a given activity. (I often hula-hoop and do kundalini yoga, for example, and I base my calories burned off various estimates I found online for my body weight, and then go off a bit lower number.)
It's all abut accuracy. While it may be true that eating back only half of your exercise calories is fine if you're hungry and eating 1700 a day, it changes a bit when you're someone like me who only eats 1200 a day before exercising. I burn lot of calories and I have a fast metabolism, so when I don't eat back most of mine, I get a lot of bad side-effects. And I lose weight quite quickly as long as I'm staying at a good net.
Different things work for different people, but usually it's the math that's flawed and not the method.
I guess you really didn't have much weight to lose to start off with? So don't judge your experience on mine. The fact is I have over 200lbs to lose and I have been told by a professional that I don't need to eat my calories back. Regardless of your mathematically gibberish I will stick to what the professionals tell me and after all they know best!
Also as stated in another post the HRM matched the calories burned on the machine that I was using. Use your Mathematical skills on that one and come up with an answer!!
I never read your last thread but i can perhaps see why a lot of people seemed to turn on you - your replies are quite aggressive and really inviting people to have a go at you. Don't be so defensive and chill out a bit
You admited yourself you were over estimating your calories burned so your net was higher than you throught and that is probably why your weight loss stagnated. Is your net that matters so no don't eat your calories back especially if you're not hungry- keep them in the bank for a rainy day.
^This. In particular the part about the aggressive replies--I would actually say that the OP's response to this person describing the "math" thing was quite rude...I'm sorry if you didn't like the responses to your "rant" about why you personally don't eat exercise calories back, but wow...if you don't want a variety of responses (some of which you may not agree with and many which are simply based on individuals' various experiences) DON'T post on a public message board. Just message your friends individually and your professional person (trainer?) to get the answers you want to hear.
sheesh.
Your opinion really doesn't matter to me, honestly Sheesh......0 -
Why is this thread not locked yet?0
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My comments being you are doing the exact same thing you're asking others NOT to do. You said:
"...In future I think if you want to give instructive advice please make sure you know what you are talking about before belittling someone's efforts..."
and then:
"...So to anyone else that has the same amount of weight to lose like me please do not eat all your calories back that is suggested on here otherwise you will either gain weight or won't lose it...."
So, you aren't an expert, but you're telling others the best way to lose (according to YOU.) Your tone is really aggressive and maybe a "this is what worked for me" comment would have made this so much less rude. In MY experience, I lose more when I eat back my calories (or the majority of them), so I would hope you realize that what works for you might NOT be what works for everyone. If you're so beyond caring what others think, why go through this big ranty post? Just get on with your journey. It's not a contest, you vs. everyone else. Just old you vs. new you. I hope new you wins. And relaxes a LOT, or you're headed for worse health issues down the road, due to stress.
Nope not an expert, never said I was and when I wrote that last night I was indeed very angry and it may have appeared to be very aggressive however i have absolutely nothing to apologize for my feelings. If you feel offended seriously that is nothing to do with me, that is your problem, surely?? Also I knew the same people would comment on this thread as they have commented on the first one so I was prepared for the back lash and as I said have developed a no tolerance attitude for abuse, give abuse, don't expect me to sit back and take it. The reason for my post was as stated that for the past two months I haven't lost anything due to listening to advice on here. However I have now readjusted the calories etc on here and won't be eating back any of my calories.
I have no doubt that the 'New me' will win as its only me from this day forward that will get me there but thanks for your concern but I am sure I will be fine. I have got a wonderful bunch of friends of MFP and gained another 15 from this post last night that we can all support each other on our weightloss journey. My stress levels are perfect too but thanks for the warning though will definitely watch out for the signs, take care0 -
Addressing the OP, I'm sorry people were rude to you. Unfortunately, on the internet, people think they can hide behind the safety of their computer screen. There's no excuse for it, but they must be very unhappy people so I try to feel sorry for them.
IMO, there really is no correct answer to the "should I eat my calories back" question. Personally, I have found that right now, for me, eating my calories back is necessary. And that's the key point, figuring out what works for you at whatever stage you are in your fitness journey. Everyone is different. What works for one person, won't always work for another. And what works for you now, may not work for you in six months. Stay open minded, listen to your body, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you will be surprised at what you can do. Sounds like you are off to a great start. Enjoy the journey!0 -
Do you really care what people have to say? I could care less they don't know me nor do they really care. You just hang in there and remember the pounds may not tell the whole story... Inches remember inches.. muscle weighs more than fat. all the best ok
Honestly no I really do not care what they have to say. I have learnt the hard way and hopefully things will be improving from this day forwards. Funny you should mention taking measurements that was one thing the pp insisted on and took measurements everywhere. Like he said there will be days when I won't lose anything and others that I will have the inch loss to prove it. Anyways thanks, take care0 -
The problem is, you aren't talking about your REAL exercise calories burned, so your argument is flawed. The fact that the heart monitor said you burned less than what MFP says simply implies that you CAN'T just go on a loose estimate and then eat whatever calories back that number is. Especially if you have quite a bit of weight to lose.
Mathematically, it's still possible to eat back exercise calories and lose weight. It works for me, but I purposefully underestimate how many calories I burn doing a given activity. (I often hula-hoop and do kundalini yoga, for example, and I base my calories burned off various estimates I found online for my body weight, and then go off a bit lower number.)
It's all abut accuracy. While it may be true that eating back only half of your exercise calories is fine if you're hungry and eating 1700 a day, it changes a bit when you're someone like me who only eats 1200 a day before exercising. I burn lot of calories and I have a fast metabolism, so when I don't eat back most of mine, I get a lot of bad side-effects. And I lose weight quite quickly as long as I'm staying at a good net.
Different things work for different people, but usually it's the math that's flawed and not the method.
I guess you really didn't have much weight to lose to start off with? So don't judge your experience on mine. The fact is I have over 200lbs to lose and I have been told by a professional that I don't need to eat my calories back. Regardless of your mathematically gibberish I will stick to what the professionals tell me and after all they know best!
Also as stated in another post the HRM matched the calories burned on the machine that I was using. Use your Mathematical skills on that one and come up with an answer!!
Honestly, it's your life so make your own choices on what to do. I make mine, so you can make yours. Eat them back. Don't eat them back. Whatever you want.
But your attitude is bull$hit. If someone agrees with you they are smart. If someone disagrees they are rude and unhelpful and shouldn't judge you. Here in the real world, if someone thinks you are wrong, and they tell you so, that's what help is. If you have it all figured out, congrats, I'm happy for you. Do your thing and lose your weight. But I'm reading through your posts on here and you're the rude one, but have the nerve to call everyone else rude.
You came on here asking for advice. You got it. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't give you carte blanche to call people stupid or ignorant. A lot of the people giving you advice have been successful by doing exactly what they are telling you. They aren't trying to hurt your progress.
If you've got it all figured out, do what you do and keep your rudeness to yourself.0 -
Whew! There's a lot of bad advice in this thread. There's a lot of bad advice out there in general, but I would encourage any new users to step away from this thread and look for people on here who have been successful in losing and maintaining their weight loss, and get advice from those people. Then take that advice with healthy skepticism and research for yourself what you are being advised to do. Many of the successful MFP old-timers have a pay-it-forward attitude and are happy to share tips that helped them. Newcomers with a chip on their shoulder are not the best source for tips on successful weight loss strategies.
My advice would be to newcomers don't take any advice at all, get professional opinion and if you can't resource the internet before listening to anyone as unfortunately whether you are here 20 years or 2 there are some know it alls out there that can't help but think they are gods0 -
The problem is, you aren't talking about your REAL exercise calories burned, so your argument is flawed. The fact that the heart monitor said you burned less than what MFP says simply implies that you CAN'T just go on a loose estimate and then eat whatever calories back that number is. Especially if you have quite a bit of weight to lose.
Mathematically, it's still possible to eat back exercise calories and lose weight. It works for me, but I purposefully underestimate how many calories I burn doing a given activity. (I often hula-hoop and do kundalini yoga, for example, and I base my calories burned off various estimates I found online for my body weight, and then go off a bit lower number.)
It's all abut accuracy. While it may be true that eating back only half of your exercise calories is fine if you're hungry and eating 1700 a day, it changes a bit when you're someone like me who only eats 1200 a day before exercising. I burn lot of calories and I have a fast metabolism, so when I don't eat back most of mine, I get a lot of bad side-effects. And I lose weight quite quickly as long as I'm staying at a good net.
Different things work for different people, but usually it's the math that's flawed and not the method.
I guess you really didn't have much weight to lose to start off with? So don't judge your experience on mine. The fact is I have over 200lbs to lose and I have been told by a professional that I don't need to eat my calories back. Regardless of your mathematically gibberish I will stick to what the professionals tell me and after all they know best!
Also as stated in another post the HRM matched the calories burned on the machine that I was using. Use your Mathematical skills on that one and come up with an answer!!
Honestly, it's your life so make your own choices on what to do. I make mine, so you can make yours. Eat them back. Don't eat them back. Whatever you want.
But your attitude is bull$hit. If someone agrees with you they are smart. If someone disagrees they are rude and unhelpful and shouldn't judge you. Here in the real world, if someone thinks you are wrong, and they tell you so, that's what help is. If you have it all figured out, congrats, I'm happy for you. Do your thing and lose your weight. But I'm reading through your posts on here and you're the rude one, but have the nerve to call everyone else rude.
You came on here asking for advice. You got it. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't give you carte blanche to call people stupid or ignorant. A lot of the people giving you advice have been successful by doing exactly what they are telling you. They aren't trying to hurt your progress.
If you've got it all figured out, do what you do and keep your rudeness to yourself.
Thanks I will take everything you said with a pinch of salt.0 -
A little update from my first post. My PT has now set my calories on here to 1550 and we intend to workout 60mins a day doing various activities. Depending on the burn I won't be eating my calories back based on the advice from the PT. Thanks to everyone else who emailed and give positive advice and to other trainers on here who also emailed and told me what to do when I reach below 200lbs, cheers for that. Also thanks to everyone who commented whether it was good or bad I took with me various advice to help along my journey and I will be sure to watch those stress levels too! Take care all0
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However the point that I was trying to make and seemed to have got missed is that people have been telling me to eat back my calories even when they were over estimated and when I didn't really have to.
I just wanted to add the reading from the hrm was an exact calorie match to the machine that I was using to exercise on. So its 100% accurate!!
No one told you to eat more calories than you burned, and no one ever said mfp was the best place to estimate calories burned.
Nothing is 100% accurate.
I beg your pardon little miss know it all. Actually your not worthy of my response......move on
But, but, you did respond..... :huh:
I might not know it all, but I am right about this
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Good luck OP! For a while I let MFP forums screw with my diary in last few months after successfully losing weight but then feeling a threat of losing friends if I didn't eat right according to the current trend on MFP. Big advocate of do what works for u. My trainer is p*ssed at MFP n thinks eating exercise a crock. She has a university degree m 20 years in the business. She eats lean and clean n may sit around 1200 cals because of this n shes obviously not in statvation mode. She stands before me at 50+ years old as toned/fit as she ever was...so...strangers on MFP? Or trust a professional who is well known for what she does. Once again I've stopped eating exercise, I eat mostly clean at 1200, I am alert/energetic. I am now getting definition. I have more muscle than I did at a skinny 18. I don't care what others do as long as they are achieving what they want comfortably. If they can eat high n lose great!0
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FYI the heart rate monitor and treadmill sync with one another so OF COURSE they say the same thing. That's so that you can use the treadmill to monitor your HR instead of having to look at a watch. Brilliant, huh?0
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Good luck OP! For a while I let MFP forums screw with my diary in last few months after successfully losing weight but then feeling a threat of losing friends if I didn't eat right according to the current trend on MFP. Big advocate of do what works for u. My trainer is p*ssed at MFP n thinks eating exercise a crock. She has a university degree m 20 years in the business. She eats lean and clean n may sit around 1200 cals because of this n shes obviously not in statvation mode. She stands before me at 50+ years old as toned/fit as she ever was...so...strangers on MFP? Or trust a professional who is well known for what she does. Once again I've stopped eating exercise, I eat mostly clean at 1200, I am alert/energetic. I am now getting definition. I have more muscle than I did at a skinny 18. I don't care what others do as long as they are achieving what they want comfortably. If they can eat high n lose great!
Thanks hun, glad you are liking your PT too! Nice to hear you are on the same thinking like myself. Take care and enjoy the experience0 -
Years of battling mindless eating in combination with hypothyroidism have made me an expert on my own weight loss. I know what works for me, physically and mentally, and no one else on MFP can come close to being an expert on that.
There's the obvious stuff, of course. Any dolt can tell you that you need to eat less than you burn in a day to lose weight. But no one is going to know how best to motivate you, what types of meals will make you feel fuller, what types of meals will be enjoyable enough not to make you feel sad about missing out on junk food, what level and kind of exercise you will stay motivated to keep up.
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a regime that works for them. But they are wrong to think it is the best program for you. Only you can be the judge of that. Make baby steps, incorporate activity and foods that will help you reach your goal, all while burning more than you eat. As long as you aren't eating ridiculously small amounts for long periods, don't obsess too much about a low caloric intake. Yes, it's unhealthy to eat too little for a long time, so don't do that. No, you probably won't have a heart attack if you eat 700 calories a day for six days in a row unless you have some OTHER physical condition on top of that.
Honestly, if you like veggies, fill up on them. If you're eating healthy and feeling hungry at 1200, eat more veggies and raw fruits and nuts. Your body receives fewer calories from raw foods than it does from processed foods. If you are eating 1200 calories a day and you are eating "clean" you are not giving your body 1200 calories a day. That is probably why most clean eaters report more energy and feeling better when they bump their calories! Source: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/nutrition/a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie.aspx <-- this is an awesome article
If you do tend to eat a lot of processed foods, it is WAY more important to keep an eye on that number, IMO.
More opinions, though. Just something to think about.0 -
Years of battling mindless eating in combination with hypothyroidism have made me an expert on my own weight loss. I know what works for me, physically and mentally, and no one else on MFP can come close to being an expert on that.
There's the obvious stuff, of course. Any dolt can tell you that you need to eat less than you burn in a day to lose weight. But no one is going to know how best to motivate you, what types of meals will make you feel fuller, what types of meals will be enjoyable enough not to make you feel sad about missing out on junk food, what level and kind of exercise you will stay motivated to keep up.
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a regime that works for them. But they are wrong to think it is the best program for you. Only you can be the judge of that. Make baby steps, incorporate activity and foods that will help you reach your goal, all while burning more than you eat. As long as you aren't eating ridiculously small amounts for long periods, don't obsess too much about a low caloric intake. Yes, it's unhealthy to eat too little for a long time, so don't do that. No, you probably won't have a heart attack if you eat 700 calories a day for six days in a row unless you have some OTHER physical condition on top of that.
Honestly, if you like veggies, fill up on them. If you're eating healthy and feeling hungry at 1200, eat more veggies and raw fruits and nuts. Your body receives fewer calories from raw foods than it does from processed foods. If you are eating 1200 calories a day and you are eating "clean" you are not giving your body 1200 calories a day. That is probably why most clean eaters report more energy and feeling better when they bump their calories! Source: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/nutrition/a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie.aspx <-- this is an awesome article
If you do tend to eat a lot of processed foods, it is WAY more important to keep an eye on that number, IMO.
More opinions, though. Just something to think about.
Good advice thanks!0 -
I haven't read any of the replies but I still wanted to stick my oar in anyway!
To The OP
I have lost everything by eating back my calores. When I tried not to I just felt ill! Does that mean it is right for you to do the same? No, not really. Maybe where you are right now eating back your calories is counter productive, however keep it in your arsenal for later! One day when you weigh less and your metabolism has improved you may find that not eating them backs stops working. When that happens give it a go. Just like this time give it a fair try and be accurate! Get that HRM just like you say and know what you need to eat back. I started off eating well under my BMR and there are many people on here would really object to that but it worked while I was very heavy. Now I will not eat less than my BMR and I don't need to in order to lose!
Work hard, keep an open mind and good luck!! When you hit a wall trial and error is a God send!0 -
Yeah, the calories burned estimates on FP are wayyy higher than they should be I think. I try not to eat back my workout calories. I could see why smaller people might need to but I have almost 100 pounds to lose so. I think I'll survive. :P Plus obviously, the higher calorie deficit, the more/faster you will lose.0
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I've been battling with my own calculation on eating back your exercise calories. Here's my conundrum....let's say you workout for 60 minutes and burn 500 calories based on your HRM. Let's also say that you wear your HRM during the same amount of time (60 min) and find that on average you burn 100 calories just doing normal daily activities (not exercising). If you would have typically burned 100 calories doing no exercise, does it make sense that the calories you burn during your exercise should be adjusted for what you would have burned doing nothing "extra"? So in this example, you really shouldn't eat more than 400 additional calories if you do want to eat back what you burn since 100 of those calories would have been figured into your daily caloric allowance. Could this be why many people find success in eating back some of their calories, but not all of them?0
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I've been battling with my own calculation on eating back your exercise calories. Here's my conundrum....let's say you workout for 60 minutes and burn 500 calories based on your HRM. Let's also say that you wear your HRM during the same amount of time (60 min) and find that on average you burn 100 calories just doing normal daily activities (not exercising). If you would have typically burned 100 calories doing no exercise, does it make sense that the calories you burn during your exercise should be adjusted for what you would have burned doing nothing "extra"? So in this example, you really shouldn't eat more than 400 additional calories if you do want to eat back what you burn since 100 of those calories would have been figured into your daily caloric allowance. Could this be why many people find success in eating back some of their calories, but not all of them?
^^^This. I absolutely agree! It would be much more accurate if MFP calculated only the amount of exercise calories *above and beyond* your regular activity level. I just do the math in my head and make sure *not* to eat 100-130 calories back for every hour of exercise logged.0 -
Congrats on hiring a professional. I guess unlike myself I do my own research and I realize MFP have a lot of people on here who do not know what they are talking about. So glad you found out the truth and you are now on your way. Your HRM will be a very good investment too Keep up the good work and congrats on taking control of your life babe!:flowerforyou: 0
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Sound advice. I hate to hear people talking about starvation mode and eating back calories and they are morbibly obese. A morbibly obese person does not have to worry about starving if they eat below 1000 calories and if the net calories is below 1000, there is not starvation mode for us because we have plenty of stored fat to lose.He told me that I didn't need to eat my calories back as weighing over 300lbs I should have enough fat restore in my body however he did add if I was hungry to eat half but he preferred me not to.
Again keep up the good work!!!0
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