A little help please

grammysboy

I have read several comments from successful losers here at MFP that indicated they ate all the calories they were allotted every day. Others indicate they eat only those that they earn through exercise. Because I am a male and started at a relatively heavy weight (255), I have been allotted 1780 calories a day. I have exercised at least 5 days a week in the 500 – 700 calorie range. Most days I have consumed fewer than the 1780 calories I can have, and only once have I exceeded the combined allotment of daily allowance plus calories burned.
The first five pounds came off the first week. The next five took about two weeks. I have only lost another .2 lbs the last two weeks. I have to admit, I’m a little frustrated.
Am I supposed to consume all my daily allowance plus those I exercise off every day, or should I only consume what I burn through exercise?
I have not felt this level of commitment for many years and am encouraged by the success stories I read here at MFP.

A little help if possible.
Thanks in advance.

DenyseMarieL

MFP has you at a deficit anyway. You could eat back your exercise calories and still lose. I am losing .5 lbs per week doing that.

Erienneb

I don't eat back all the calories right now because I don't trust the accuracy of MFP. I always try to underguess for calories burned, but I'm getting my heart reate monitor next week and I bet I will eat them back then.
I'm 5'11'' and my deficit to lose 2lbs a week has me at 1720, so close you you, but I weigh more.
I've lost 4lbs a week for five weeks now. We'll see if it keeps up/

cmriverside

How do you feel? If you feel lacking in energy, start eating more.

I think 1500 is the recommended minimum for men in general, unless you are heavily supplemented, or under a doctor's care. . This site is designed for you to eat those exercise calories.

Here: read these.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calories

FredDoyle

A healthy weight loss is max. 2 lbs. per week and you are over that so, I'm not sure why you are frustrated.

Chief_Rocka

I don't know if MFPs estimations of your calorie burns are correct, but I'm pretty sure that a guy your size can lose weight at a steady pace in the 2,500 range.

robin52077

Eat ALL of them. PLUS the exercise calories.

onesmallcupcake

I don't eat back my exercise unless I am doing more than 2 hours exercise for the day. Then I eat back SOME or I feel too weak. Stick to your calorie limit and if you can, treat your exercise as a bonus ( that is, don't eat extra unless you need to). Try and think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change for a healthy future.

grammysboy

I don't eat back my exercise unless I am doing more than 2 hours exercise for the day. Then I eat back SOME or I feel too weak. Stick to your calorie limit and if you can, treat your exercise as a bonus ( that is, don't eat extra unless you need to). Try and think of what you are doing as a lifestyle change for a healthy future.

Thanks to all. This helps. I'm trying to stay under the 1780 MFP allows. If I have something special on a given day, I try to exercise enough to cover the extra. I know I'm losing at the recommended rate, but was so pleased with the initial loss that I wanted it to continue. I'm making eating healthier and being more active a part of my life for the first time in 20 years. The support from everyone here is truly appreciated.
J.

CkepiJinx

I eat pretty close to my allotted calories everyday I lost about 4 lbs a week my first three weeks then nothing for three weeks, then lost another four, then it took three weeks to lose one pound, then lost almost five. But when I Averaged it out I had lost the 2 lbs a week I had put as my goal. Weight loss is not always linear, some times our bodies need time to catch up.

I only eat back some of my exercise calories because a lot of people think MFP's calculations/ estimates on exercise calories runs high.

I would recommend trying to eat most of your daily calories every day. And be patient it's a marathon not a sprint. We didn't gain it over night we won't lose it over night.

Good luck

californiagirl2012

I have read several comments from successful losers here at MFP that indicated they ate all the calories they were allotted every day. Others indicate they eat only those that they earn through exercise. Because I am a male and started at a relatively heavy weight (255), I have been allotted 1780 calories a day. I have exercised at least 5 days a week in the 500 – 700 calorie range. Most days I have consumed fewer than the 1780 calories I can have, and only once have I exceeded the combined allotment of daily allowance plus calories burned.
The first five pounds came off the first week. The next five took about two weeks. I have only lost another .2 lbs the last two weeks. I have to admit, I’m a little frustrated.
Am I supposed to consume all my daily allowance plus those I exercise off every day, or should I only consume what I burn through exercise?
I have not felt this level of commitment for many years and am encouraged by the success stories I read here at MFP.

A little help if possible.
Thanks in advance.

Only you can decide. The online tools are just a ballpark estimate. You may have to notch up or down to find a sustainable healthy calorie deficit for yourself.

To tell you to eat more is wrong.

To tell you to eat less is wrong.

To tell you to not eat your exercise calories is wrong.

To tell you not to eat your exercise calories is wrong.

To find the exact amount of calories for you to be in a sustainable calorie deficit is correct. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others. Some people have emotional eating disorders and it comes into play. Even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux and everyone is different. If you have emotional eating issues than you are not going to be able to handle such a deep deficit and if you eat to low it will backfire. A better strategy is to eat at a shallower deficit, and sometimes give yourself a break from the deficit and eat at maintenance. This is not going backwards, but eating to low and then binging because you can't sustain it is going backwards. It's better to stay forwards even if it is slower.

Some people need their exercise calories and some people don't. Everyone is different. Only you can decide.

I never eat back my exercise calories even now that I have been maintaining for over a year. I have not gone into starvation mode (but I could if I eat too little right now so I'm careful) and I'm maintaining at 11% body fat. I seem to be good at listening to my body and giving it what it needs before a problem arises. If I seem extra hungry at night before I got to bed because I worked out hard then I will eat a 100 or 200 more calories, or whatever I feel I need. I don't trust the online calculators or HRM, but I trust what my body is telling me and it does work well for me.

I was able to handle a pretty deep calorie deficit because I'm very disciplined and eat healthy (good fuel for the body so I can perform well at the gym) and I do not have emotional eating issues. Maybe it is easier for me because I'm a female over 50 years old and don't have the same hormone issues as younger girls. But the the same time you could say my current hormone situation hinders the process.

Oh and on the slow process. Yes, it is a slow process. The tortoise with patience wins the race in this game.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Exercise is to make your lean body mass pretty, strong, and healthy (especially lifting weights).

A calorie deficit is to lose fat. A calorie budget keeps your fat level where you need to be, either losing fat or maintaining.

Nothing else really matters much.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)