the net calorie debate
julyakw
Posts: 3 Member
So. I have been dieting since January with rosemary Conley and have lost 31lbs. For the past 2 months I have started running and am doing 15-20 miles a week with 3 runs mostly. My weight for the past 2 months has been static based on me earing 1400 calories. The instructor told me to up to 1600 calories daily, but still no weight loss, so I joined MFP 2 weeks ago to ty and help with my weight loss and fitness regime. I am using runtastic to log my runs so this feeds the information into MFP.
I have set my target loss of 2lbs a week so have 1200 calories daily. On the days I dont run, this is what I eat. On my run days, I sometimes burn 1000 calories (I have my profile set at sedentary).
As I have so clearly not been eating enough doing my running and rosemary Conley, I need to make sure I do this right and dont get despondent and just start eating rubbish again, I need some help please. I nedd to carry on losing weight and with 2 months of real effort and commitment I should be losing but am not - im giving up the will....... is this my years of weighloss yoyo - im now paying the price. I need to kick my metabolism into touch!
So, I weigh 160lbs and 168cm tall, female age 43.
1200 calories plus 800 ( accrued that day through running) - should I eat all of these 2000 calories on this day. On my rest days stick to 1200 and if I follow this lose 2lbs every week?
Please help
I have set my target loss of 2lbs a week so have 1200 calories daily. On the days I dont run, this is what I eat. On my run days, I sometimes burn 1000 calories (I have my profile set at sedentary).
As I have so clearly not been eating enough doing my running and rosemary Conley, I need to make sure I do this right and dont get despondent and just start eating rubbish again, I need some help please. I nedd to carry on losing weight and with 2 months of real effort and commitment I should be losing but am not - im giving up the will....... is this my years of weighloss yoyo - im now paying the price. I need to kick my metabolism into touch!
So, I weigh 160lbs and 168cm tall, female age 43.
1200 calories plus 800 ( accrued that day through running) - should I eat all of these 2000 calories on this day. On my rest days stick to 1200 and if I follow this lose 2lbs every week?
Please help
0
Replies
-
The biggest mistake people make is adjusting their caloric intake too quickly and expecting a certain result. Random jumps in calories sometimes doesn't boost metabolism at all and just stalls it out. Your diary is locked, but the ratio of your macro nutrient also has a roll to play and not just calories. Whatever your calories are now that are giving you the results you want try adding 10-20 carbs every 7-10 days. This is called reverse dieting and it gives your body a chance to adjust and in a sense the bro-science theory is it re-invigorates your metabolism. I assume you're hitting a good protein and fat macros.. maybe you've had this discussion with your instructor.
The general consensus is to only eat back 20% of exercise, so you could figure out the average calories you burn in a week. if it's 1000 make your goal 200 calories daily to work back up to.
Week 1: 1200
Week 2: 1240
Week 3: 1280
Week 4: etc. until you get
14000 -
Hello
Have you worked out your BMR? This is the amount of calories that your body would burn if you were in a coma, so literally doing nothing so you need to be eating at least this amount of calories to keep your body functioning correctly.
With the info you gave I used this site:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/
to calculate your BMR and your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). Your TDEE is the amount of calories you burn in a day doing everyday activities such as getting dressed, taking a shower etc.
The general consensus is that to lose weight you need to be eating an amount of calories between your BMR and your TDEE figures. Most people go with 20% off of their TDEE. That way you're burning more calories than you take in.
Your BMR is 1459 so you should be eating at least that many calories. Your TDEE based on your exercise level being sedentary is 1751. So if you take 20% off of the 1751 you will have 1401. This is below your BMR BUT if you are exercising as well then simply eat back your exercise calories.
The other option is to factor in your exercise to your TDEE. Your TDEE with 3-5 days of moderate exercise (I'm assuming that is what you would call three days of running) works out at 2261. Minus 20% from that and you have 1809. If you decide to eat these amount of calories then you don't eat back your exercise calories as your activity has already been taken into account when calculating your TDEE.
So to sum up, if you choose to use this method, and most people that have done their research on MFP will tell you it is the best method, then on days when you don't exercise you should be eating roughly 1460 calories. On days you do exercise your intake should be around 1800 or eating back any exercise calories earned on top of the 1460.
This post helped me A LOT when I was researchign this myself:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/931670-bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide?hl=bmr
It's a lot of info and numbers but it does work and it makes sense too. Eat the calories that your body requires to function properly but eat less than you burn off. Eating 1200 calories a day will cause you to lose weight for a little while but your body will start to realise that it is not getting enough of what it wants and will start to hold on to the fat and everything you're trying to lose!
Hope that helps and hasn't scrambled your brain too much! 0 -
The general consensus is to only eat back 20% of exercise.
Where on Earth do you get that "consensus" from?
MFP is designed so that you eat ALL your exercise calories back.
Yes there are issues around the accuracy of the calorie burns but encouraging someone to under-eat is a really bad idea.
OP - You would probably do much better in the long term to set a less aggressive weight loss target as you don't have a huge amount to lose. Be more patient and eat in a way that is sustainable long term rather than look at a "quick fix".
Either follow the TDEE minus a percentage or the MFP method but whichever way you do it you have to be consistent and think long term.0 -
From looking at lots of posts about TDEE and that when you factor in exercise it (generally) net puts people who eat back 20% puts them at a normal range of weight loss of 1-2 lbs a week.
The general consensus is to only eat back 20% of exercise.
Where on Earth do you get that "consensus" from?
MFP is designed so that you eat ALL your exercise calories back.
Yes there are issues around the accuracy of the calorie burns but encouraging someone to under-eat is a really bad idea.
OP - You would probably do much better in the long term to set a less aggressive weight loss target as you don't have a huge amount to lose. Be more patient and eat in a way that is sustainable long term rather than look at a "quick fix".
Either follow the TDEE minus a percentage or the MFP method but whichever way you do it you have to be consistent and think long term.0 -
@Warchortle.
You are confusing two very different things. Calculating TDEE minus 20% is nothing like eating back only 20% of your exercise calories.0 -
You're splitting semantic hairs... because exercise literally can be factored into TDEE.0
-
If you use MFP calculations - you eat ALL of your exercise calories
If you use TDEE-20% calculations - your exercise is already factored in.
Simple.0 -
You're splitting semantic hairs... because exercise literally can be factored into TDEE.
No - you have the concept of TDEE completely wrong and it is making the advice you are trying to give the OP incorrect.
TDEE includes your exercise hence the TOTAL part of TDEE.
I know your intention is to be helpful but you will end up confusing people.0 -
Ok so your bmr Is your basic metabolic rate, this is how many calories you burn if you sat in bed all day and did nothing, your tde is your total daily expenditure so basically your bmr plus additional calories burned from your daily routine. MFP gives a daily allowance based on your tde and how much weight you state you want to lose the MFP figure has a built in defecit for you, for example your tde may be 1900 MFP gives you an allowance of 1200 calories to eat so therefore you have burnt 700 calories more than you have eaten, so if you burn 800 calories of exercise, your tde will be the 1900 figure plus the 800 ie 2700, therefore you should try and eat your exercise calories for example you eat 1200 plus 800 total 2000 you have still kept your defecit of 700 calories, I would not worry about the maths to much just stick to the figures MFP states you can eat, if you don't eat most of your exercise calories and create to big a defecit you run the risk of slowing your metabolism and either slowing or halting your weight loss .
You could buy a set of digital scales I got some from argos which tell me my bmr figure.
I also own a Fitbit - a fancy pedometer which tells me my total daily burn and syncs to MFP and alters my calorie allowance accordingly.
If you don't want to estimate your exercise calories you could invest in a hrm (heart rate monitor) (polar are good ones but you need the polar ft4 upwards to show calorie burn) which will give you an accurate calorie burn.
Plus be honest with your food diary and measure everything, don't guestimate.
Good luck with your journey.0 -
You're splitting semantic hairs... because exercise literally can be factored into TDEE.
No - you have the concept of TDEE completely wrong and it is making the advice you are trying to give the OP incorrect.
TDEE includes your exercise hence the TOTAL part of TDEE.
I know your intention is to be helpful but you will end up confusing people.
^^^ THIS^ Sijomial is talking sense....PLEASE listen to him OP and other posters who are telling you:
Either follow MFP calorie goal and eat back ALL of your calories or;
follow TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) - 20% as your calorie goal.
Both of these ways will give you a sustainable weight loss that will stay off !!0 -
This is a challenge I have as well. The net calories really confuse me, but I know one thing for sure, that if I
was to eat all the calories that the program says I can have because I earned them from my run, I would not lose weight!
I try to eat the same amount of calories each day (give or take0 and when I exercise and burn more, that is just going toward
the total calorie burn for the week. I use the Body Fit Media device to track my actual calories burned and it really keeps it more clear because it shows you actual calories burned.0 -
The thing is if you eat all those calories back in all likelihood you will be overeating. No matter what system you use to calculate your exercise calories they are still an estimate (an educated one maybe but still an estimate) A long with your calorie counting which are also educated estimates there is huge chance of large errors. Going straight in to eating them all back in my opinion is a bit over the top. The common sense approach would be to increase your calories that you eatback so you can see what works other wise the chances are that you eat the full estimated exercise calories and end up taking in to much calories. 50% of your exercise calories to start should seem to be a common sense approachIf you use MFP calculations - you eat ALL of your exercise calories
Just my opinion I just think there can be no hard and fast definate "you must do this" when you are in reality working off estimated figures and working with human physiology which differs greatly between individuals. Common sense is the key.0 -
This is a challenge I have as well. The net calories really confuse me, but I know one thing for sure, that if I
was to eat all the calories that the program says I can have because I earned them from my run, I would not lose weight!
I try to eat the same amount of calories each day (give or take0 and when I exercise and burn more, that is just going toward
the total calorie burn for the week. I use the Body Fit Media device to track my actual calories burned and it really keeps it more clear because it shows you actual calories burned.
Hi guys, I'm brand new here (like 5 minutes ago kind of new) and this jumped out at me because I have the same question. If I ate back the calories I burn, wouldn't that mean I have no calorie deficit and hence no weight loss?
I've lost 12.5 kg since November (about 27 pounds), and feel AMAZING but I still have 7kg to go until I reach my goal, and more importantly I still want to halve my body fat percentage. So I'm eating between 1300 and 1400 calories a day. My BMR is 1450 according to google, so I have calculated that I need to do enough exercise so that my overall deficit is about 500 calories a day which should equate to 1/2 kg a week weight loss.
It seems to be working out pretty well so far, so I'm not particularly worried, but I'm trying to avoid the plateau/loss of motivation BEFORE it happens, if that makes sense...0 -
This is a challenge I have as well. The net calories really confuse me, but I know one thing for sure, that if I
was to eat all the calories that the program says I can have because I earned them from my run, I would not lose weight!
I try to eat the same amount of calories each day (give or take0 and when I exercise and burn more, that is just going toward
the total calorie burn for the week. I use the Body Fit Media device to track my actual calories burned and it really keeps it more clear because it shows you actual calories burned.
Hi guys, I'm brand new here (like 5 minutes ago kind of new) and this jumped out at me because I have the same question. If I ate back the calories I burn, wouldn't that mean I have no calorie deficit and hence no weight loss?
I've lost 12.5 kg since November (about 27 pounds), and feel AMAZING but I still have 7kg to go until I reach my goal, and more importantly I still want to halve my body fat percentage. So I'm eating between 1300 and 1400 calories a day. My BMR is 1450 according to google, so I have calculated that I need to do enough exercise so that my overall deficit is about 500 calories a day which should equate to 1/2 kg a week weight loss.
It seems to be working out pretty well so far, so I'm not particularly worried, but I'm trying to avoid the plateau/loss of motivation BEFORE it happens, if that makes sense...
This site is based on a calorie deficit of 500 - 1000 cals a day depending on your goal. So if you eat back your exercise cals you theoretically will still have that deficit.
Reality is there is no need to obsess over eating back exercise calories. Eat them back if you feel super hungry, if you don't then don't. People want to argue about that until the cows come home when it matters very little compared to the lifestyle change that comes along with a low calorie diet day in and day out, for life.1 -
This is a challenge I have as well. The net calories really confuse me, but I know one thing for sure, that if I
was to eat all the calories that the program says I can have because I earned them from my run, I would not lose weight!
I try to eat the same amount of calories each day (give or take0 and when I exercise and burn more, that is just going toward
the total calorie burn for the week. I use the Body Fit Media device to track my actual calories burned and it really keeps it more clear because it shows you actual calories burned.
Hi guys, I'm brand new here (like 5 minutes ago kind of new) and this jumped out at me because I have the same question. If I ate back the calories I burn, wouldn't that mean I have no calorie deficit and hence no weight loss?
I've lost 12.5 kg since November (about 27 pounds), and feel AMAZING but I still have 7kg to go until I reach my goal, and more importantly I still want to halve my body fat percentage. So I'm eating between 1300 and 1400 calories a day. My BMR is 1450 according to google, so I have calculated that I need to do enough exercise so that my overall deficit is about 500 calories a day which should equate to 1/2 kg a week weight loss.
It seems to be working out pretty well so far, so I'm not particularly worried, but I'm trying to avoid the plateau/loss of motivation BEFORE it happens, if that makes sense...
This site is based on a calorie deficit of 500 - 1000 cals a day depending on your goal. So if you eat back your exercise cals you theoretically will still have that deficit.
Reality is there is no need to obsess over eating back exercise calories. Eat them back if you feel super hungry, if you don't then don't. People want to argue about that until the cows come home when it matters very little compared to the lifestyle change that comes along with a low calorie diet day in and day out, for life.
I totally agree with you on that last point - long term I know I'll reach my goal and be able to maintain it, it's just that I've been doing this awhile now and I'm in a hurry for more results :-)
I think my problem is that I've lost quite a bit of weight quite quickly, but I manually over-rode the calories that MFP set for me, and replaced it with what I felt comfortable eating on no-exercise days, so now I'm not sure how many calories MFP thinks I should be eating... I wonder how I can find out?0 -
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. Im going to stick with MFP but not eat all the additional calories on my exercise days. Ill see how I go for a few weeks and adjust if I need to.
Thanks0 -
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. Im going to stick with MFP but not eat all the additional calories on my exercise days. Ill see how I go for a few weeks and adjust if I need to.
Thanks
Eat all of them back, a deficit has already been factored into your MFP calories before you exercise. So if you dont eat them all back the deficit you are creating could be too large and be counter productive to your weight loss0 -
This is a challenge I have as well. The net calories really confuse me, but I know one thing for sure, that if I
was to eat all the calories that the program says I can have because I earned them from my run, I would not lose weight!
I try to eat the same amount of calories each day (give or take0 and when I exercise and burn more, that is just going toward
the total calorie burn for the week. I use the Body Fit Media device to track my actual calories burned and it really keeps it more clear because it shows you actual calories burned.
Hi guys, I'm brand new here (like 5 minutes ago kind of new) and this jumped out at me because I have the same question. If I ate back the calories I burn, wouldn't that mean I have no calorie deficit and hence no weight loss?
I've lost 12.5 kg since November (about 27 pounds), and feel AMAZING but I still have 7kg to go until I reach my goal, and more importantly I still want to halve my body fat percentage. So I'm eating between 1300 and 1400 calories a day. My BMR is 1450 according to google, so I have calculated that I need to do enough exercise so that my overall deficit is about 500 calories a day which should equate to 1/2 kg a week weight loss.
It seems to be working out pretty well so far, so I'm not particularly worried, but I'm trying to avoid the plateau/loss of motivation BEFORE it happens, if that makes sense...
This site is based on a calorie deficit of 500 - 1000 cals a day depending on your goal. So if you eat back your exercise cals you theoretically will still have that deficit.
Reality is there is no need to obsess over eating back exercise calories. Eat them back if you feel super hungry, if you don't then don't. People want to argue about that until the cows come home when it matters very little compared to the lifestyle change that comes along with a low calorie diet day in and day out, for life.
I totally agree with you on that last point - long term I know I'll reach my goal and be able to maintain it, it's just that I've been doing this awhile now and I'm in a hurry for more results :-)
I think my problem is that I've lost quite a bit of weight quite quickly, but I manually over-rode the calories that MFP set for me, and replaced it with what I felt comfortable eating on no-exercise days, so now I'm not sure how many calories MFP thinks I should be eating... I wonder how I can find out?
You can very easily find out by switching back to mfp's recommended settings.0 -
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. Im going to stick with MFP but not eat all the additional calories on my exercise days. Ill see how I go for a few weeks and adjust if I need to.
Thanks
I think you should do that you think is best for you & your body, no one piece of information is 100% correct for everyone. I never eat back my entire exercise calories if I get in a good burn that day, this is partially due to the fact that my daily calorie allowance is already pretty high (1840). But I consider my exercise calories a back up of sorts. There are days, esp during ToM where I am extra hungry, so my exercise calories are basically there so that I can still stay under for the day but eat if I am hungry. However 99% of my exercise calories are left uneaten & I've managed to lose 34+ in 10wks.
I do think though that maybe you should set your goal to lose 1lb/wk not 2lbs because you don't have a huge amount to lose. This might help you see a result a little quicker.
Also make sure you are doing your measurements every few wks, just because your scale isn't moving doesn't meant your body isn't losing it in inches. Good luck!0 -
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. Im going to stick with MFP but not eat all the additional calories on my exercise days. Ill see how I go for a few weeks and adjust if I need to.
Thanks
Eat all of them back, a deficit has already been factored into your MFP calories before you exercise. So if you dont eat them all back the deficit you are creating could be too large and be counter productive to your weight loss
This0 -
Wow. Thanks for all the advice. Im going to stick with MFP but not eat all the additional calories on my exercise days. Ill see how I go for a few weeks and adjust if I need to.
Thanks
Eat all of them back, a deficit has already been factored into your MFP calories before you exercise. So if you dont eat them all back the deficit you are creating could be too large and be counter productive to your weight loss
This, that's why MFP gives you the additional calories in to your eating allowance.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions