why eat back calories???
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Just eat enough back so that you get your net up to 1200.
So.... My net today is 685. I'm not starving myself, but I'm eating low-calorie meals and snacking on low-calorie stuff all day. And I'm not hungry. If I ate back the 515 calories to get to a net of 1200, I'd feel sick like I'm overeating.
And I'm not anorexic nor do I have an eating disorder. I only started counting calories and working out a week ago. Not every day is this low, but my net is under 1000 calories every day. Maybe I'll start feeling effects from it and want to eat more? I don't know. But right now, I don't feel hungry so I don't want to eat.
If your calorie intake is too low and your aerobic training is too tough, your body will produce the catabolic hormone cortisol, which breaks down muscle tissue. Your body will cannibalize your muscles to get the energy to burn fat. This is a bad thing. You don't want to reduce muscle, you want to preserve as much of that as possible.
With only 14 pounds left to lose, this is just not enough food. I predict you aren't going to be happy with the shape your body is in when you hit your goal weight. And as you go into maintenance, eating at a more normal level, you will gain it all back and more. Because you will have reduced your muscle mass and the weight you put on will be fatter than before.0 -
That. And people also don't see to get that a 3,000 calorie deficit is not 6 times better than a 500 calorie deficit.Whether you feel full or not is not a good indicator of whether you are eating the appropriate amount. Hunger is regulated by hormones. Hormones can be off balance by eating too little, or eating too much, or eating too much of certain things.0 -
Two things I just wanted to add.
1. As to if there being no need to eat back exercise calories, that just simply is not true. As a personal example, I go on long hiking trips burning who knows how many calories each day and let me tell you it is the worst trying to keep up with calories on those trips. I am never hungry and I am sure if I gave in a listened to my stomach, I would also never eat anything more than an apple on those days. However, if I do not force myself to eat at regular intervals I would bonk and being halfway up a mountain feeling like death is not good (I know from experience :sad: ). Our stomachs stink at knowing when we need to eat.
Yes I know this is an extreme example, but habitually depriving our bodies of the food it needs to rebuild and refuel will eventually have the same effect. I will admit that calories earned from light physical activity (which is different for everyone) do not need to be eaten back since you earn so few that even small over and underestimations in calorie content or calories burned can nix the deficit earned.
2. Wellness coaches do not need to be certified in the US. There are a couple certification classes you can take, but there is no law saying a wellness coach NEEDS certified. So, a wellness coach may be highly knowledgeable or he can be talking out of his behind with absolutely no formal training or client successes to back it up. RDs, doctors, and PAs all require advanced degrees and a lengthy certification process before they can practice and will likely give you good advice0 -
thanks!Two things I just wanted to add.
1. As to if there being no need to eat back exercise calories, that just simply is not true. As a personal example, I go on long hiking trips burning who knows how many calories each day and let me tell you it is the worst trying to keep up with calories on those trips. I am never hungry and I am sure if I gave in a listened to my stomach, I would also never eat anything more than an apple on those days. However, if I do not force myself to eat at regular intervals I would bonk and being halfway up a mountain feeling like death is not good (I know from experience :sad: ). Our stomachs stink at knowing when we need to eat.
Yes I know this is an extreme example, but habitually depriving our bodies of the food it needs to rebuild and refuel will eventually have the same effect. I will admit that calories earned from light physical activity (which is different for everyone) do not need to be eaten back since you earn so few that even small over and underestimations in calorie content or calories burned can nix the deficit earned.
2. Wellness coaches do not need to be certified in the US. There are a couple certification classes you can take, but there is no law saying a wellness coach NEEDS certified. So, a wellness coach may be highly knowledgeable or he can be talking out of his behind with absolutely no formal training or client successes to back it up. RDs, doctors, and PAs all require advanced degrees and a lengthy certification process before they can practice and will likely give you good advice0 -
MFP isn't about trying to eat the fewest possible number of calories. It's about learning to eat at a healthy level for your body - not too much and not too little.
So you do need to eat all of your base calories and at least half of your exercise calories. Here are some ideas for adding healthy calories:
Chicken with the skin
Steak
Cheese
Whole eggs (including deviled eggs, egg salad)
Full fat dairy (including cottage cheese, yogurt)
Fruit,
Peanut butter or other nut butters
Nuts
Avocado
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, apples)
Dark chocolate
Salmon
Add Chia seeds to salads or yogurt
Olive oil
Smoothies
Granola/sports nutrition bars
Whole grains or whole grain products (like brown rice, Quinoa, oatmeal)0 -
Just eat enough back so that you get your net up to 1200.
So.... My net today is 685. I'm not starving myself, but I'm eating low-calorie meals and snacking on low-calorie stuff all day. And I'm not hungry. If I ate back the 515 calories to get to a net of 1200, I'd feel sick like I'm overeating.
And I'm not anorexic nor do I have an eating disorder. I only started counting calories and working out a week ago. Not every day is this low, but my net is under 1000 calories every day. Maybe I'll start feeling effects from it and want to eat more? I don't know. But right now, I don't feel hungry so I don't want to eat.
If your calorie intake is too low and your aerobic training is too tough, your body will produce the catabolic hormone cortisol, which breaks down muscle tissue. Your body will cannibalize your muscles to get the energy to burn fat. This is a bad thing. You don't want to reduce muscle, you want to preserve as much of that as possible.
With only 14 pounds left to lose, this is just not enough food. I predict you aren't going to be happy with the shape your body is in when you hit your goal weight. And as you go into maintenance, eating at a more normal level, you will gain it all back and more. Because you will have reduced your muscle mass and the weight you put on will be fatter than before.
I'm pretty certain this has happened to me before. I've always liked to exercise, I've almost always been overweight, and I rarely eat enough. I don't necessarily eat back all of my calories, but I try because I want to have the energy to have quality exercise sessions.0 -
thanks that is a big problem for me is not knowing how or what to eat i appreciate the ideas!!MFP isn't about trying to eat the fewest possible number of calories. It's about learning to eat at a healthy level for your body - not too much and not too little.
So you do need to eat all of your base calories and at least half of your exercise calories. Here are some ideas for adding healthy calories:
Chicken with the skin
Steak
Cheese
Whole eggs (including deviled eggs, egg salad)
Full fat dairy (including cottage cheese, yogurt)
Fruit,
Peanut butter or other nut butters
Nuts
Avocado
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, apples)
Dark chocolate
Salmon
Add Chia seeds to salads or yogurt
Olive oil
Smoothies
Granola/sports nutrition bars
Whole grains or whole grain products (like brown rice, Quinoa, oatmeal)0 -
Because it's delicious. It's not an exact science anyways with the estimations. I just count my activity level higher and don't bother with eating back or not.0
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To all the people who say they feel too full eating back their exercise calories to a healthy net amount.... if that few calories truthfully makes you feel overly full then logically you shouldn't have ever gained too much weight in the first place! Aren't you on here counting calories and trying to lose weight because you had no trouble with eating too much to begin with?
No. I feel full now because I'm eating a reasonable amount rather than eating all the food available to me - most of which was high-calorie food - like I used to.0 -
thanks that is a big problem for me is not knowing how or what to eat i appreciate the ideas!!
It is an amazingly common problem that a lot of people have trouble understanding. Stick around, get some good friends and stay off the main boards. You'll figure it out. Good luck to you!0 -
These threads make me sad. So many people abusing themselves and believing they are getting healthy. The damage some of you are doing will take YEARS to reverse.0
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I will tell you this because it is very important--when I was in SUPER good shape, I was eating 1200-1400 calories a day and exercising hard with a personal trainer 3 days a week, exercising alone two more. I did not eat back calories. My weight stalled and did NOT budge for six weeks. I kept up the exact same routine. I was a little tired, but I wasn't super hungry because I had gotten used to eating so little.
But it wasn't until I readjusted my calories and ate MORE (1600-1800) that I started losing weight again. You may not be stalling now, but that day will come and you may wish you had been eating back exercise cals. Like others have said, you need to at LEAST eat your BMR, otherwise you are not just losing fat, you are losing water, fat, and muscle (not what you want). I wish I had known better earlier.0 -
otherwise you are not just losing fat, you are losing water, fat, and muscle (not what you want).
Don't forget bone density loss.0 -
Different things work for different people.
I personally don't eat my calories back. I eat 1200-1500 a day, work out lightly and have a fairly quiet non-active lifestyle (I work from home) though I do some light strength training every day, and cardio 3x a week. When MFP asks if you have a non-active lifestyle to figure out how many calories you should be eating it's a generalized formula that doesn't take into account whether you work, leave the house, run after children, and all the rest.
I've been losing a steady 1 pound a week (sometimes slightly more), don't feel tired or cranky or worn out or upset. I'm actually quite proud of what I've done so far, it's almost 3 months and I'm almost 15 pounds down. I feel fantastic. I'm not out of breath chasing after my husband in the parking lot any more as we go shopping. I feel my stamina building. I'm keeping in mind that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. I have protein with every meal, and if I'm craving something I try to find a healthier way to accommodate for it. I'm pleased with my progress so far and honestly NONE of this matters because YOU need to figure out what works for YOU. A thousand different people on here will tell you a thousand different things relating to their own personal experiences in losing weight.
Find a healthy method of weight loss that works for you and ignore the petty bickering on the forums.0 -
otherwise you are not just losing fat, you are losing water, fat, and muscle (not what you want).
Don't forget bone density loss.
Weakened bones, hormone function, brain function. lowered immune system, slower metabolism, muscle loss, on and on.0 -
i never eat mine back since i dont have a HRM and such but i dont panic if i go over the calorie coal mfp puts me in when i know i worked out today so i might eat 1700 instead of 1500 if i am hungry in that day and know it wont matter to much since i worked out0
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My only concern for the OP is that her diary shows she is "earning" some very high calories from her cardiovascular exercise - over 1000 calories for a day is not unusual (which is great). If I were going to eat back that many calories, I would want to make sure that I knew to a high degree of certainty that I was actually burning that many calories.
Obviously, we all have to make estimates in our diaries, for both food and exercise. Being off 20% on a 250 calorie burn is 50 calories: in other words, a rounding error. Being off by 20% on a 1100 calorie burn starts to get into the area of an actual issue if compounded daily. And I don't think 20% is a big number to be off by in estimating exercise calories. I've seen some MFP estimates that could easily be off by that kind of percentage.
For someone who is serious about losing weight and is going to use cardiovascular exercise to that extent, it makes sense to get a lot of certainty about calorie burning by using a HRM.0 -
I used to net 600 to 800 calories a day and did this for a couple of years. I lost a ton of weight. I lost fat, muscle, hair, and my metabolism slowed to the point 1200 was maintenance (proven through lab test. I just resently came off my heart medicine i was on because under eating and over training weakend my heart. I had to eat more to get better and gained everything back. This time i did eat my calories back and actually fed my body what it needed. I am not ignorant enough to believe 800 calories is enough to fuel a grown adult, Though I can see this site is full of ignorance and disordered eating. It is very sad.0
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Eat back? Think drink back and relax for a moment.
^^^ Ha ha. This! :drinker:
ETA: I actually exercise just so I can eat/drink more. I don't always eat back all of my exercise calories, but I always eat back some of them. I'm not losing super fast, but I don't have a whole lot to lose.0
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