Eating back calories

lvsusie

I am having trouble eating back the calories I burn doing cardio. Should I do less cardio and do more weight lifting? I already lift about 20 minutes every other day.

lewcompton

Biggest debate on here is eating back calories... Don't force yourself to eat them all back... A miscalculation of intake or burn will cause you to have too many calories... Eat back at most half of your calories... I've gone solid weeks with negative calories and been just fine... In fact, I've dropped 122 in just over six months and still dropping three or four pounds per week... A lot of factors to consider about cardio and strength training including the condition of your joints, how much weight you need to lose, etc... Personally, I do alot of circuit training with the Total Gym... Bowflex would be another option for home gym... Nautilus circuit at the gym... You get the advantages of strength training and the burn of a good cardio workout...

psuLemon

I too would suggest to eat about 50% of them, especially if MFP calculates them. And with 40lbs left, I would highly suggest adding more weight training and less cardio. Ideally, you want to cut fat without losing muscle. Muscle is tight and lean so if you want a tight and lean body, the more muscle you have the better. Additionally, try to make those calories high in protein. Protein is pretty critical to muscle retention.

now_or_never13

If you are relying on MFP for burn amounts eat half of them back, not all of them as this site tends to way overestimate the burns (the site will tell me almost twice what my heart rate monitor tells me).

And I agree with lifting more and less cardio. You want to lift heavy to preserve your muscle and help with how your body looks. Lifting heavy can change your body more than tons of cardio can.

elain81

do i put in all activities through the day for exercise or just extra?

lvsusie

Thanks for all the help. I don't use MFP for calculating my calories from cardio because they are way too high. I will try eating half of them back. How often and how long should I lift weights? Is it better to use machines or free weights? Right now I am using both.

psuLemon

Thanks for all the help. I don't use MFP for calculating my calories from cardio because they are way too high. I will try eating half of them back. How often and how long should I lift weights? Is it better to use machines or free weights? Right now I am using both.

Free weights will give you more benefit as you will be required to use your core to stabilize. If you have access to a gym, you can look into programs like strong lift 5x5. I would recommend 3 days of WT and 1-2 days of cardio (HIIT if possible).

psuLemon

do i put in all activities through the day for exercise or just extra?

Most just add exercise. If you are constantly active during the day (like you clean for a living or a teach) then you should make sure your lifestyle reflects that with being lightly active.