Confused - 1000 calories too little?

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  • VicariousNick
    VicariousNick Posts: 11
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in.

    What? I don't understand? Am I supposed to burn more calories by exercising then i eat??
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in, but not maintain too large a deficit.

    There. Fixed it for you.
  • VicariousNick
    VicariousNick Posts: 11
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    I didn't put sedentary, i put ctive, but thanks everyone. I'll try to... eat more? lol
  • sammycat1
    sammycat1 Posts: 56 Member
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    so 1200 then? (and ignore the profile pic - its old)

    No, not 1200 either.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013?hl=road+map+2013

    Snap, please read. I upped mine to 1400 and lost 3lbs this week. 1200 is way too low.

    Let us know how you get on
  • VicariousNick
    VicariousNick Posts: 11
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    Nick, can you tell us your settings? If MFP recommends 1380, you would also need to add in the lunchtime activities and cycling and eat those calories back. As a young active male, you really do need to eat much more. Think of it this way--by undereating, you are shooting yourself in the foot with your muscle and fitness that you are working so hard at.

    I do record all that stuff. Religiously, you can view my diary if you want, seeing the replys now makes me realise how I was undereating
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in.

    What? I don't understand? Am I supposed to burn more calories by exercising then i eat??

    You are forgetting about the calories you burn just surviving.



    have a look at the threads in here - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

    Especially these

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in.

    What? I don't understand? Am I supposed to burn more calories by exercising then i eat??

    You are already eating at a calorific deficit - the exercise is increasing this.

    There is an optimum calorie deficit for weight loss - too large will slow your metabolism not to mention you will feel like crap from under-eating and probably be cranky and tired the whole time.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Thanks guys for the help - whether it be sarcastic or not.

    Basically, I don't really eat that much. I can easily survive with only eating a little bit. I'm still at school, and I walk for about 45 mins each day to get to and from school. I play either rugby or soccer every lunchtime for about 40 minutes, and usually go home, hop on the Exercycle and go at it for a solid 30 mins. It's only been like this for 3 weeks or so. I noticed that I lost weight over the holidays, and I was sick of being fat lol. I'm 174 cm right now, with a weight of 63.5kg. I used to be in the seventies a few months ago. Funny thing is that I wasn't trying too hard to lose weight over that time period.

    My bmi is 21.2, but I'm still a bit chubs. MFP reccomended 1380 calories a day. I'll stick with that. It may be hard eating that much lol. I guess I'll put some more sugar on my porridge :)

    Thanks for all your help guys, and sorry for the long message :)

    No sarcasm - I promise!

    From what you are saying you are already at the lower end of your ideal weight for your height so I think any worries that you are a bit chubby are probably wrong (we all get paranoid about our weight!).

    Is it that you want to lose weight or actually just improve the body you have?

    You are blessed that as an 18-year-old lad your body is great at burning fat and building muscle and you are physically in a great place to have a look at your exercise. It's great that you are playing rugby and football but you might also get a bit of a confidence boost by picking up some weights too. It will not only help your performance on the pitch but help you get the body shape you want.

    You could either join a gym or buy some cheap weights to use at home (adverts for second-hand equipment can keep the costs down). Weights are not only for people who want to look beefed up - they can really help you look lean and strong too!

    From the figures you have given your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - so the amount of food you need just to maintain your current weight with the amount of exercise you currently get) is around 2700 calories a day. Eat anything less that that figure and you will lose weight. So, you can see, even 1200 calories is far too low.

    To get more in-depth advice, I highly recommend these:

    * Calorie intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013 (the original poster Dan is superhelpful if you need advice)

    * Exercise/getting the body you want: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress (Sara and Sidesteel run this group and, again, are really knowledgable and helpful - and look fantastic! They have some great advice on exercise and macros, which might help - the amount of protein, fat and carbs you should try to include in your diet).

    Hope this helps. And, yes, at 18 you are very lucky to be able to eat more - and you should!
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in.

    What? I don't understand? Am I supposed to burn more calories by exercising then i eat??

    You are forgetting about the calories you burn just surviving.



    have a look at the threads in here - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

    Especially these

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    :flowerforyou:

    You beat me to it! Great minds think alike!
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
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    I wonder how many studies we need before people understand that this whole lowered metabolism thing is a myth :-) Those myths stay alive no matter what... and that's because people keep repeating them... over and over and over and over again...

    uh huh :smile:

    Having said that if you keep to 1200 calories you are going to be pretty thin....nothing very pretty about a skinny man!!
  • VicariousNick
    VicariousNick Posts: 11
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    Thanks guys for the help - whether it be sarcastic or not.

    Basically, I don't really eat that much. I can easily survive with only eating a little bit. I'm still at school, and I walk for about 45 mins each day to get to and from school. I play either rugby or soccer every lunchtime for about 40 minutes, and usually go home, hop on the Exercycle and go at it for a solid 30 mins. It's only been like this for 3 weeks or so. I noticed that I lost weight over the holidays, and I was sick of being fat lol. I'm 174 cm right now, with a weight of 63.5kg. I used to be in the seventies a few months ago. Funny thing is that I wasn't trying too hard to lose weight over that time period.

    My bmi is 21.2, but I'm still a bit chubs. MFP reccomended 1380 calories a day. I'll stick with that. It may be hard eating that much lol. I guess I'll put some more sugar on my porridge :)

    Thanks for all your help guys, and sorry for the long message :)

    No sarcasm - I promise!

    From what you are saying you are already at the lower end of your ideal weight for your height so I think any worries that you are a bit chubby are probably wrong (we all get paranoid about our weight!).

    Is it that you want to lose weight or actually just improve the body you have?

    You are blessed that as an 18-year-old lad your body is great at burning fat and building muscle and you are physically in a great place to have a look at your exercise. It's great that you are playing rugby and football but you might also get a bit of a confidence boost by picking up some weights too. It will not only help your performance on the pitch but help you get the body shape you want.

    You could either join a gym or buy some cheap weights to use at home (adverts for second-hand equipment can keep the costs down). Weights are not only for people who want to look beefed up - they can really help you look lean and strong too!

    From the figures you have given your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - so the amount of food you need just to maintain your current weight with the amount of exercise you currently get) is around 2700 calories a day. Eat anything less that that figure and you will lose weight. So, you can see, even 1200 calories is far too low.

    To get more in-depth advice, I highly recommend these:

    * Calorie intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013 (the original poster Dan is superhelpful if you need advice)

    * Exercise/getting the body you want: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress (Sara and Sidesteel run this group and, again, are really knowledgable and helpful - and look fantastic! They have some great advice on exercise and macros, which might help - the amount of protein, fat and carbs you should try to include in your diet).

    Hope this helps. And, yes, at 18 you are very lucky to be able to eat more - and you should!

    Wow, thanks so much, what a great reply! I am not thinking "oh woe is me" or anything, but i am kinda fat. Like i was known as the fat kid haha. Never obese, just fat, and I just wanna be normal. Actually, I do have weights in my garage (along with a pull up bar) And i do some every now and then - they just bore me. I was wondering, if i do a half hour excercyle thing 6 times a week, will my legs get all beefy? Because that is NOT what I want haha. My genes made it easy for me to gain muscle, and fat. This can be harsh at times, but I guess it's a good thing too. I just wanna look like the other people my age (those damn people that never watch what they eat but still stay skinny!) I just want to be lean I guess. And I'm getting there. Thanks for the support and tips :)
  • VicariousNick
    VicariousNick Posts: 11
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    Oh and my TDEE is 2895
  • Change_is_Good_
    Change_is_Good_ Posts: 272 Member
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    but i am kinda fat.

    I know i can say it till I'm blue in the face but a 21 bmi is NOT fat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    There is no such thing as normal, I'm panicking reading what you have written because it reminds me of my brother. He always thought he was fat, he under ate and over exercised and yes he lost weight but he also became extremely ill! Please

    Someone earlier said "nothing nice about a skinny guy" or words to that effect, eat more and build muscle with weights that is a much more attractive look and these "skinny" guys will soon be the one's envying you.

    If you just do the diet and cardio you may find that stubborn wobbly spot (that maybe no one else notices) won't go away but you will waste away everywhere else.

    Who ever you choose to listen to please lose the weight in a sensible way, making yourself ill will ruin your life.

    Sorry I'm rambling, I'll stop now
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Options
    Thanks guys for the help - whether it be sarcastic or not.

    Basically, I don't really eat that much. I can easily survive with only eating a little bit. I'm still at school, and I walk for about 45 mins each day to get to and from school. I play either rugby or soccer every lunchtime for about 40 minutes, and usually go home, hop on the Exercycle and go at it for a solid 30 mins. It's only been like this for 3 weeks or so. I noticed that I lost weight over the holidays, and I was sick of being fat lol. I'm 174 cm right now, with a weight of 63.5kg. I used to be in the seventies a few months ago. Funny thing is that I wasn't trying too hard to lose weight over that time period.

    My bmi is 21.2, but I'm still a bit chubs. MFP reccomended 1380 calories a day. I'll stick with that. It may be hard eating that much lol. I guess I'll put some more sugar on my porridge :)

    Thanks for all your help guys, and sorry for the long message :)

    No sarcasm - I promise!

    From what you are saying you are already at the lower end of your ideal weight for your height so I think any worries that you are a bit chubby are probably wrong (we all get paranoid about our weight!).

    Is it that you want to lose weight or actually just improve the body you have?

    You are blessed that as an 18-year-old lad your body is great at burning fat and building muscle and you are physically in a great place to have a look at your exercise. It's great that you are playing rugby and football but you might also get a bit of a confidence boost by picking up some weights too. It will not only help your performance on the pitch but help you get the body shape you want.

    You could either join a gym or buy some cheap weights to use at home (adverts for second-hand equipment can keep the costs down). Weights are not only for people who want to look beefed up - they can really help you look lean and strong too!

    From the figures you have given your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - so the amount of food you need just to maintain your current weight with the amount of exercise you currently get) is around 2700 calories a day. Eat anything less that that figure and you will lose weight. So, you can see, even 1200 calories is far too low.

    To get more in-depth advice, I highly recommend these:

    * Calorie intake: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013 (the original poster Dan is superhelpful if you need advice)

    * Exercise/getting the body you want: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress (Sara and Sidesteel run this group and, again, are really knowledgable and helpful - and look fantastic! They have some great advice on exercise and macros, which might help - the amount of protein, fat and carbs you should try to include in your diet).

    Hope this helps. And, yes, at 18 you are very lucky to be able to eat more - and you should!

    Wow, thanks so much, what a great reply! I am not thinking "oh woe is me" or anything, but i am kinda fat. Like i was known as the fat kid haha. Never obese, just fat, and I just wanna be normal. Actually, I do have weights in my garage (along with a pull up bar) And i do some every now and then - they just bore me. I was wondering, if i do a half hour excercyle thing 6 times a week, will my legs get all beefy? Because that is NOT what I want haha. My genes made it easy for me to gain muscle, and fat. This can be harsh at times, but I guess it's a good thing too. I just wanna look like the other people my age (those damn people that never watch what they eat but still stay skinny!) I just want to be lean I guess. And I'm getting there. Thanks for the support and tips :)

    You're welcome! I can assure you you will not get beefy legs from cycling indoors, especially for three hours a week. My boyfriend is a road cyclist and cycles outdoors up very big hills for several hours a week and while he has muscular legs he is really slim and is a fan of skinny jeans, which he wears well! If you are just using an exercise bike then you will be mainly getting cardio exercise anyhow.

    I agree that weights can be boring - I usually stick the TV or some music on in the background :smile:

    Using a programme where you can see your progress might also help make it more effective and interesting. There are some good links to programmes such as Stronglifts here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/864338-f-cking-strength-training-101
  • debendavey
    debendavey Posts: 12
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    To lose weight, you need to use more calories than you are putting in. This can be done by continuing on 2500 calories a day but adding in exercise each day (10-20 minutes brisk walk + 10 minutes on resistance bands + any other exercise you can fit in), and that way you will lose 1-2 Ibs per week.

    If you eat 2500 calories, then to keep exactly the same weight, you would need to burn 2500 calories. This is not 2500 calories burnt via exercise - this is via every day activities - cooking, shopping, using the brain, etc.

    However, if you want to lose weight and you only burn 2500 calories each day, you will need to reduce your calorie intake to maybe 2000, giving you a net loss of 500 calories.
    If you continue to eat 2500 calories, then to lose weigh, you could exercise each day and burn 500 calories, which would give you a net loss of 500 calories per day.
  • DjDiggity
    DjDiggity Posts: 20
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    Way too low buddy. It might seem like it's working but you're hurting your body and losing muscle mass. You might want to contact your physician if you're confused and don't like mfp standards. You've got a long life ahead of you. you.you need that body!!! I eat over 2000 a day.

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