eating calories burned???? really?!? im confused!

dunlunicor

I've lost weight eating 2500+ calories in a day... as long as what you eat is less than you use, you will lose. Over time, losing weight it all comes down to this simple formula:

Calories In - Calories Out = Change in weight

Fitness is another story and pushing yourself requires paying more attention to the macro nutrients that you eat (the protein/fat/carb breakdown).

Edited to add - there is no magic number, i.e. 1200, 1400, 1500, 3000... the Calories Out number will be different for everyone, depending on your BMR and your level of exercise in a day.

Way off topic, but...

Holy *kitten*, Manowar! Lol, my parents had a friend who was really into them. Took me to a concert when I was about 4 years old. I slept through it. The manager happened to see me sleeping on my mom's lap and freaked out that any kid could sleep through a concert that loud. Took me backstage to meet the band, so somewhere, my dad has a picture of me on the Bass player's lap and a bunch of signed stuff that they gave me. Memories out of nowhere!

rkspendlove

It depends on your goals and how fast you want to get there. If you stay at 1200 healthy calories and eat back your exercise you will still lose the weight that your MFP program has projected. 1200 is very hard to maintain for long periods of time. If you don't mind slowing down your weight loss a little (slowing down, not stopping) you can consider upping your calories and still eat back your exercise calories.

I have been on 1500-1700/day for two years, since my twins were four months old. It has taken me this long to lose 37 lbs, but I went slow intentionally. I just started with MFP and it set me at 1200 to reach my goal by Feb. 9th which is the goal deadline I set for myself. I have been plateaued for 4 months so the drop was what I needed for the final push. I actually go about 100 over each day which is what I calculated using the formulas I have learned in personal trainer program. I've been on this since Thursday and already dropped two pounds. Bye bye plateau!
IMHO, slow weight loss is better than fast. It gets you where you are going without stressing you out mentally or physically, and you don't look like the saggy baggy elephant when you are done. Evaluate your goals and adjust to what is best to meet them, but don't starve your body or you will shut down your weight loss entirely.

many_splendored

I just figure if I'm close to my net calories for the day, I'll be fine - I have days I eat up to 2000/2100 calories after exercise calculations, but that's because I know I'll be miserable if I don't have an actual dinner.

Mcgrawhaha

i do not eat back my excersize calories... i lose an average of 2 pounds a week, and i have 1 cheat day every 2 weeks... i eat 1200 cal a day, and will do so until i reach 45 pounds lost, then i will up it to 1400 calories until i loose another 20 pounds, then will up it again to 1600...

wswilliams67

It is probably one of the worst myths of weight loss ever and promoted by companies/websites with advertising etc to keep people using their product. If you get your required nutrition without eating back exercise calories - you'll lose weight faster. It's basic science.

This is true until your metabolism adapts and you hit a wall.

Folks it's all about your BMR and your TDEE. If you calculate your TDEE to include your activity level then you do not need to eat back your exercise calories. However if you calculate your TDEE as a sedentary levels then yes you WILL need to eat back your exercise calories to avoid a drastic caloric deficit and the eventual plateau it will cause. If you recalculate your numbers every 10 pound loss you will stay on track and avoid plateaus or metabolic shutdown.

1200 calories while exercising 3-5 days/week (intensely not *****-footing around) is a recipe for disaster. Ask any certified trainer. If you are on a 1200 calorie diet and exercise regularly and your weight loss has stalled for 2-3 weeks, then you aren't eating enough. 1200-1500 is fine if you never exercise, but then again you are probably losing lean muscle rather than fat.

I myself was eating 1500/day but my TDEE is like 3400/day and I was burning 400-600 calories/day in exercise... see the problem? I hit a wall at about 6-7 weeks and was stuck at the same weight for 2 weeks straight. Trainer said eat more and calculate my numbers correctly. So I did. Once I increased to 2000+/day, BOOM dropped 4 pounds in 3 days (not water weight either).

The true myth is reducing your calories to the point of famine-mode.

c_mckenney

Our healthcare provider gave us an option to talk to their dietitian just once to qualify for a lower rate. I agreed and was surprised about how many calories he told me to aim for each day to loose weight. It was actually about 200 more calories per day than what my fitness pal suggested. He explained that by eating less calories you will loose weight, but your body will go into starvation mode and your metabolism will slow down making it difficult to maintain that weight loss. I decided to try it for one month and I have lost weight. I aim for anywhere between what my fitness pal suggest and what he told me. I don't worry if I go a little over my fitness pals recommended calorie intake, and I am losing weight. He said to add a couple hundred extra calories when you exercise. Again, that is so your body doesn't think it is starving and slows down your metabolism. If I burn an extra 600-800 calories through exercise, I don't eat that many more calories; I just eat a couple hundred more such as a granola bar which is 170 calories.

wswilliams67

There is no magic number, i.e. 1200, 1400, 1500, 3000... the Calories Out number will be different for everyone, depending on your BMR and your level of exercise in a day.

^^^ THIS

+1

ecw3780

so, should I be eating 1200 cal if im not exercising and eating whatever i do burn in a day or should i up my cal to 1500 plus eat back my exercise cals? I just dont understand how I will lose this way... i guess in my mind if you eat you gain if you dont you lose lol I know i need to retrain my mind which is why im trying to figure all this out! thanks for your help!!!

Because most people over estimate what they actually burn in one day, if I were you, I would keep my calories at 1200 and eat back exercise calories. MFP figures out what you burn during daily activity, and subtracts calories from that giving you your 1200 calorie goal. You could never exercise and you would lose weight if you stayed at 1200 calories. If you exercise you should eat those back because those are extra calories MFP has not included in it's calculations. If someone is very active, they may be given more than 1200 calories. If your diary is set to sedentary, you would only get 1200 calories. You can't really compare yourself to someone else though because everyone is different.

I highly recommend some sort of tracker that syncs with MFP. I let mine sync and then I eat back the extra calories I earn. I have mine set to sedentary, so I start out with 1200 calories. I have been pretending the gym doesn't exist lately, and I have still lost weight only eating 1200 calories a day. That being said, if I have a day that goes over, I don't freak out unless it goes beyond 1500.

Also, to address the weight watchers comment- WW is pretty much the same as MFP, except they have point systems instead of calories, etc. They also expect you to eat back your exercise points. I did not know this when I did WW, and I never lost weight.

kelly_e_montana

I don't exercise for weight loss. I exercise for health, to feel strong, have endurance, relieve stress, and hike mountains. I also exercise so I can have more cals available and just feel like I have a healthy, non-restricted lifestyle that I can maintain for the rest of my life. I'm trying to behave as this is the way I will always behave from now on. I have not gone on a diet. I have changed my life to be active and eat well. I may lose weight more slowly, but there will be no transition because this is me. I always gain weight back when I "diet." This is not dieting. This is how I live now.

Do you want to diet or do you want to be the new you NOW?

Before any change can be made in your body, the change must be made in your mind.

cajunchicla2

Wow! Thanks so much everyone!!!!! I am always so overwhelmed at how nice everyone is on here and is so willing to give advice!!!! Ok so I have upped my cal to 1300 because the last thing I would ever want is to send my body into starvation mode. While everyone had something different to say almost everyone was saying the same basic thing... I burn about 1000 cal a day and I eat very healthy since I have come out of my discouraged state of mind! Mostly all of you were saying to eat all odds my days worth of cals and wether or not I eat back exercise cals is up to me and moat of you ate only half of yours back!

I am so so thankful to be apart of a great weightloss community! Thanks so much everyone I really appreciate it :-)

EvanKeel

Wow! Thanks so much everyone!!!!! I am always so overwhelmed at how nice everyone is on here and is so willing to give advice!!!! Ok so I have upped my cal to 1300 because the last thing I would ever want is to send my body into starvation mode. While everyone had something different to say almost everyone was saying the same basic thing... I burn about 1000 cal a day and I eat very healthy since I have come out of my discouraged state of mind! Mostly all of you were saying to eat all odds my days worth of cals and wether or not I eat back exercise cals is up to me and moat of you ate only half of yours back!

I am so so thankful to be apart of a great weightloss community! Thanks so much everyone I really appreciate it :-)

1. There's lots of jerks on the internet and sometimes they spend time here. Just be cautious. I hate to see people's expectations dashed.

2. The calories in/calories out works. However, it only works if the information you're going from is accurate. You have to do what you can to make sure that what you're logging is correct (measure your food with a food scale when you can). And your calories burned may not be accurate, either. This leads me to..

3. The number 1 best piece of advice I can give someone with these questions (in addition to what people have already said) is to have patience. Realistically, I'd suggest that everyone spend two or three weeks trying to be as accurate as they can about their logging while trying to eat at maintenance. The goal there is that you'd have a good idea about what your true maintenance is. There's some trial and error that happens.

From there you can make small adjustments. The problem with that is that it takes awhile to see any results, which can be demotivating for people.

So have patience, log honestly, live your life, and know that it's just going to take some time.

WendyTerry420

Ok, So I dont understand why I see some people eating back their calories... why would you spend time burning off calories only to eat them back!?

Also, Why is it that I see most everyone is eating well over 1200 calories? Did I miss something? Please help me understand... especially if it means quicker weightloss!

If you don't know what your TDEE is and you're on 1200 calories a day, it's very likely that you are not eating enough. For example, my TDEE is 2400 calories per day. Currently, I eat about 1900 calories, so I have a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. This causes weight loss of one pound per week. Your TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day.

A lot of people tend to underestimate how many calories they burn in a day. Since I have a desk job, I always considered myself sedentary, but my daily burn is actually closer to lightly active. You need to find the number that's right for you. The caveat is that if your calorie deficit is too high, then it will actually stall your process. Not eating enough can lead to hormonal imbalances, including the dreaded cortisol, which prevents fat burning. You need to eat *enough* but not *too much* in order to lose weight. The lower your calorie deficit, the more fat and less lean body mass you will lose.

Check out this thread to find your TDEE:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


EDIT: I don't exercise to lose weight. I eat less food to lose weight. I exercise to get fit!

WendyTerry420

It is probably one of the worst myths of weight loss ever and promoted by companies/websites with advertising etc to keep people using their product. If you get your required nutrition without eating back exercise calories - you'll lose weight faster. It's basic science.

Science says that if you lose too much too fast, then you lose lean body mass along with the fat. In addition to muscle, this includes internal organs and bone density. Your hair and nails can also suffer if you aren't eating enough healthy fats.

WendyTerry420

i do not eat back my excersize calories... i lose an average of 2 pounds a week, and i have 1 cheat day every 2 weeks... i eat 1200 cal a day, and will do so until i reach 45 pounds lost, then i will up it to 1400 calories until i loose another 20 pounds, then will up it again to 1600...

Your cheat day is probably saving you.

junejadesky

so, should I be eating 1200 cal if im not exercising and eating whatever i do burn in a day or should i up my cal to 1500 plus eat back my exercise cals? I just dont understand how I will lose this way... i guess in my mind if you eat you gain if you dont you lose lol I know i need to retrain my mind which is why im trying to figure all this out! thanks for your help!!!

You will lose, it is how our bodies work. What you have to think of is if you want to lose weight you set your calorie goal and stick to it. If you exercise eat those calories back, if you don't, don't eat more. It is really confusing at first, but give it a month and you will be amazed by your results. I saw someone said food is fuel... just like you fill a car with gas when it runs, your body needs food when it burns.

ShaSimone

With lots of good answers I hope mine helps. I went to a website...scooby's workshop and calculated my BMR and TDEE for my current weight, goal weight, and a couple milestone weights in between so I have some numbers to go by. So currently my daily calories are set to the TDEE intake of my GOAL WEIGHT @ 150 pounds. I am not there yet, so it is going to obviously be a deficit for my current weight and it gets me in the mode of eating at maintanence instead of a very large deficit like 1200. I use my exercise calories for cushion if there is something else during the day that I may want, like a glass of wine with dinner.

DebbieLyn63

My TDEE without exercise is only 1680, so 1180 puts me at 1 pound per week. I average another 250 per day in exercise, so I choose not to eat those back and it gives me another 1/2 pound loss per week. Some days I do eat around 1250, but most days I am under my goal. It works for my body right now, at 49 and another 50 pounds left to lose.

It all depends on your BMR/TDEE and how you choose to figure your TDEE, and how quickly you want to lose. Everyone has their own plan that works for them, and those plans can vary drastically depending on individual circumstances.

Maximumresults

people's approaches and situations are all different...baseline estimates that these programs give for calories to eat or how many are burned are just that, estimates..ballparks...I have never eaten back any large amount of exercise calories and I weight train 4-5 days per week, run 4 days per week at this point about 15-21 miles a week

In my personal situation at 6 ft and 202.5 pounds and very muscular..I rarely go over 2,000 calories...if I did what others did, I'd be fat. How do I know, I have done it, in the trenches...I went from 356 pounds to a pretty lean 202.5 pounds

Katbody10

You can set you weight loss to 1.5 a week or even 1 lb(recommended by MFP) and your intake will change

Well.. eating 1200 calories a day for me is a weight loss of .4 lbs a week .. not even half a pound. However.. I'm tiny and older and my BMR is 1135 calories .. It sucks for us older ones (I'm 46) .. I envy everyone that can eat 1500+ calories a day .. that's what I'm used to eating.. but I quit smoking in August and BANG .. my metabolism took a nose dive and I gained 15 lbs in 30 days! Whoa! I didn't even change my diet .. I was rather shocked to be honest.

So anyway .. I dropped half that weight pretty fast (still NOT smoking...yay) .. and am pretty happy overall where I am. 113 lbs isn't bad ... 105-110 is where I was before I quit smoking and gained.

Not everyone loses 1 - 1.5 lbs or more a week on a 1200 cal/day restriction .. I'm proof of that!

tsaiwins

A couple of people somewhat noted it in this thread, but what they are really trying to say is you need to repair your metabolic system from the metabolic damage that your body has suffered from dieting on such low calories and carbs. It is absolutely terrible and inefficient to diet off 1,200 calories or less. You feel the need to do this because your weight loss and body fat loss has plateau'd but before you lose any more weight you should repair your body from metabolic damage. Think about it this way, if you have 2 people and one person can maintain weight at 500g of carbs a day, and the other maintains weight at 200g of carbs a day, who is going to be able to get to lower body fat % easier, healthier, on more calories, have more energy, and overall health. Clearly the person on 500g of carbs because they have more room to work with. The longer you keep trying to diet on calories of 1,200 or even less all your doing is exacerbating your metabolic damage even more and suppressing your metabolism. You won't lose body fat, and your energy levels are going to tank. By SLOWLY and I mean SLOWLY upping your calories/macronutrients each week by literally 5-10 g of carbs a week, keeping protein and fats where they are or even upping those by 1-2 grams a week, you will actually notice you will maintain your weight and your body fat % that you are currently at, while repairing your metabolism. Eventually you will be at 1600-1700-1800 etc depending on the person, much higher than that. And guess what, losing that weight becomes easy again once you start to taper your carbs down slowly, you have alot more calories to work with, your metabolism has recovered, you can eat more food, lose weight, and don't even need to do cardio which most people OVERDO on this forum. I believe Wswilliam touched on this subject somewhat in a previous comment. Don't listen to the broscience out there.