Confused about "eating back exercise calories"

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  • wyldfiree
    wyldfiree Posts: 1
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    I was confused when I first started my calorie counting too. At first I thought "if I eat less calories and work out at the same level, or even harder, I'll lose weight faster" BOY WAS I WRONG!! I mean at first it made sense, but then I was burning myself out and seeing NO results, in fact the scale started going in the OTHER direction!!, It wasn't until I finally got the concept, that calories are what the body needs to lose the weight... sounds backwards but its the truth! Otherwise your body goes into starvation mode and slows down your metabolism, the most important aspect of weight lose is a high metabolism to burn the fat. so consciously eat at least 1200 calories, and you'll see the pounds melting off, with moderate exercise and food for fuel. Good luck to all :) (I hope this makes sense)
  • JewelieC
    JewelieC Posts: 1
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    I too am very confused. I am 54 years old. Doing cardio and strength training 3-4 times per week. About 500 calories total per work out. I am eating 1400 calories target, when I work out it adds that extra 500 calories to my daily calorie intake.
    I don't eat wheat and I limit my grain intake. I eat no white starches. I lost 6 pounds and I gained it back last week. The trainers at gym say I am not eating enough,,,, I am full and I can't get 1900 calories down. HELP!!! My clothes are fitting very loose but my scale is going up ! I need my BMI to drop. I am very depressed. Seriously more calories?
  • Toyasecret
    Toyasecret Posts: 4
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    I hope somebody give me some advice.. I'm doing 90minutes of cardio a day (just started) And I'm burning between 800-1250 in calories during a workout. I'm consuming usually about 1500 calories, is this enough ? If my goal is 1200 can I burn 1200 and only consume 1200?? Lol but in really serious from experience can somebody suggest to me how many calories I should realistically be consuming while doing 60-90 mins of cardio atleast 5 days a week??
  • pewels
    pewels Posts: 2 Member
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    I think this is my problem also, as I've completely plateaued and am stalled out at 17 pounds lost (shooting for 30). MFP had me pegged at 1440 cals which I've been sticking to, but I also exercise about 3-4 times per week riding fast pace 15 mile circuits on my road bike.

    I'm going raise it up to 1800 for a few days a week and then go back down to 1500 for the rest and drop an exercise day. I hope this shocks my system back into burn mode. I was afraid it might have gone into hibernation mode, and based on this thread's responses it may very well have.

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  • emistevenson
    emistevenson Posts: 12 Member
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    If you're having trouble meeting your daily goal, eat more healthy fats. Put butter on things. Cook your veggies in coconut oil. Have an extra tbsp of olive oil on your salad. Enjoy some full-fat dairy products instead of that watered-down crap. Slice up half an avocado and eat it with a bit of salt. You can easily add fat calories without it feeling like you're eating a lot of food, and as long as you choose healthy fat sources, it's really good for you. While carbs are the preferred fuel of your muscles, fat is the primary fuel used by your brain.

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