Is it more than just counting calories?
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To the op experimenting works for me at a 2-4 week time period. You have to let your body adjust to the new changes and actually see if it works! Good luck, don't get discouraged
I will do, thanks bubz
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You guys have all been so helpful! thank you so much lovelies!
I am going to take everything into consideration and I guess experiment *cringe* XD
Haha, just be sure to stick with your experiments long enough to make sure that it's working or not working before you switch to something else! Sometimes it takes some work to figure out what the right numbers are, but you'll get there!
How long is long enough to experiment? I need to get this right XD
I would go 2 to 3 weeks at least to see changes. Some might even say 6 but I could never stick it out that long.
I don't think I could either XD thanks hun0 -
I checked our your diary and noticed that you are eating white rice, noodles, etc on occasion. If you are going to eat carbs go with the complex ones I.E brown rice, whole grains, etc.....ditch any kind of carb that is processed.
You might want to eat a little less carbs, and more protein.
What is your exercise regimen like? I would do a routine that has you doing total body weight training three days a week and cardio (steady state and HIIT Training) two days a week. Then once you melt off some weight, you can go a little stronger on the weights and back off cardio to build in some lean muscle...
just my two cents worth...
Another 2 cents - try more green leafy vegetables and fruits. They are filling and should be part of a balanced, healthy diet. Although they show up as carbs, they are far less in calories than the starchs for the volume consumed.
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD0 -
I have seen a lot of people here who eat back those exercise calories. If you burn it off, and then eat it back, you have not created a calorie deficit. Not sure if that is what you do, just putting it out there.
umm... wrong.
Your calorie deficit is built into the number MFP spits out. If you eat back your exercise, you still maintain your calorie deficit that you have setup in your goals.
No. Not wrong. The people who have talked about eating back their calories, are going by the little caption under their diary that tells them how many calories the earned through exercise. They are going back and eating what that little caption tells them.
You do not understand how this works, then. Eating back the little calories it lists under there is how you maintain the deficit you are supposed to have. If you don't eat those, you are netting BELOW the calories you are supposed to have in a day. If that net amount is far below your BMR, it's bad for your health.0 -
You guys have all been so helpful! thank you so much lovelies!
I am going to take everything into consideration and I guess experiment *cringe* XD
Haha, just be sure to stick with your experiments long enough to make sure that it's working or not working before you switch to something else! Sometimes it takes some work to figure out what the right numbers are, but you'll get there!
How long is long enough to experiment? I need to get this right XD
At least a few weeks! I know it sucks to wait that long, but it's really the only way to tell! Some people will even recommend at least a month!0 -
Not everyone is built the same.
If I eat my exercise calories back, I lose nothing. If I don't eat my exercise calories back, I lose.
Also, MFP is very generous with what it says you are burning. If I run 5 miles, MFP says "congrats, you just burned 850 calories", whereas a heart rate monitor would tell me "congrats, you just burned 550 calories". That's pretty dangerous.... that's a 300 calorie difference.
So if I go nom nom nom and eat 850 calories back, what I've really done is sabotaged myself and gone over 300 calories, which adds up.
Second - MFP uses basic average maintenance levels to determine what you should eat.
A man my size should eat 2500 - 2800 calories a day to maintain, says science.
After three years of testing and watching what my body does, my maintenance level has been confirmed to be 1600-1800 calories a day, not 2500-2800 calories a day. Another obstacle I had to find the hard way which was annoying and frustrating for me.
So MFP is a good starting guideline but two things:
* get a heart rate monitor
* find your true maintenance levels for weight loss. More than likely its close to the average, but some people can eat a lot more than the average and lose weight, and others must eat much less than the average just to maintain.
Anecdotal case in point - I have a couple buddies that both cram about 5000 calories down their gullet every day on average, and not health food either... we're talking whole milk, candy, cake, pizza, etc... have no workout activity at all, and stay below ideal weight with low body fat because that is how they are genetically built.
The rules do not apply to everyone, every body is a different machine with different settings. Some people have to work harder than others to achieve the same results, some people don't have to work at all.0 -
I found this thread useful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12. Using that method allowed me to increase calories to a more sustainable level, and I don't have to think about exercise calories.
I second this! I use the Road Map. Lost another half pound last week. 0 -
Back to the topic, in MY personal journey, I tend to stall ever so often. This will last from 2-5 weeks. It is frustrating, yes, but keeping on track helps. There are suggestions here to try different things such as changing from white rice to brown, or adjusting you diet.
Sometimes the smallest changes help. Good luck and keep the faith!0 -
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD
Go into your Goals and manually change them after working out your macros, pretty sure i linked a site before.
Protein intake should be roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight, yours is currently 57 which is great for RDA, but RDA is wrong!0 -
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD
Go into your Goals and manually change them after working out your macros, pretty sure i linked a site before.
Protein intake should be roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight, yours is currently 57 which is great for RDA, but RDA is wrong!
I thought it was 1g per pound of lean body mass....is that what you meant or am I wrong in thinking that?0 -
I found this thread useful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12. Using that method allowed me to increase calories to a more sustainable level, and I don't have to think about exercise calories.
I second this! I use the Road Map. Lost another half pound last week.
Yes. OP, check out the road map. It is a good sensible plan of action.0 -
Is it really that hard for people to understand that these people are not staying within theior guidelines? do you understand THAT? They have mistakenly went over because they were mislead by those "calories earned" . They are in the red, not the green.
No. Everyone understands that these people are not within their guidelines. That much is obvious. You, unfortunately, don't understand why that is. It's not because they ate back their exercise Calories - it's because, as someone else mentioned - these people ate MORE than that total amount.
If you don't believe us, contact the MFP site administrator(s) and ask them how the system works.0 -
Oh, also that link is broken because of the period. Here's the link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-120
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You should eat back only half the calories you earned from exercise. This is to offset the fact that it is actually quite difficult for most people to accurately measure their caloric burn in an activity.
Your protein and your calorie goal seem appropriate for your efforts.0 -
You should eat back only half the calories you earned from exercise. This is to offset the fact that it is actually quite difficult for most people to accurately measure their caloric burn in an activity.
Your protein and your calorie goal seem appropriate for your efforts.
Agreed. I never 100% of mine back, just in case I'm off a bit. I also subtract 10% from my HRM, just to be safe. As long as I'm above my BMR (1500) and at or below my calorie goal (1870), I do okay.0 -
Oh, also that link is broken because of the period. Here's the link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Use this! I stalled for 2 months and after much trial and error I found this link and I'm finally losing again. I dislike many sources of protein (so eating more than 100 g protein was overwhelming)bso I adjusted my macros to 45 carbs/25 protein/30 fat. Seems to be working for now and I'm getting used to eating more protein
I noticed you also don't eat much early in the day, just a thought but for me I feel the best and seem to lose better when I have a protein carb and fat everytime I eat. Plus if I consume my calories evenly throughout the day I find myself not wanting to splurge at night.
Feel free to add me. I know how frustrating stalls can be! I thought I was going crazy for 2 months!0 -
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD
Go into your Goals and manually change them after working out your macros, pretty sure i linked a site before.
Protein intake should be roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight, yours is currently 57 which is great for RDA, but RDA is wrong!
I thought it was 1g per pound of lean body mass....is that what you meant or am I wrong in thinking that?
No you're right sorry, 1g per lb of LBM0 -
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD
Go into your Goals and manually change them after working out your macros, pretty sure i linked a site before.
Protein intake should be roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight, yours is currently 57 which is great for RDA, but RDA is wrong!
I thought it was 1g per pound of lean body mass....is that what you meant or am I wrong in thinking that?
No you're right sorry, 1g per lb of LBM
Actually, that's a common misconception. The MAXIMUM amount per lb proven to yield benefits is 0.8g/lb of lean mass.. And we're talking about strength athletes here. Admittedly drug enhanced bodybuilders eat more, however.
The only conceivable benefit to eating that much protein is the fact that protein has a higher TEF (you burn more calories digesting it than fat or carbs), and it's satiating properties (you feel fuller from protein-rich meals).0 -
Oooh! ok, I kinda wondered about some foods when they're meant to be high in protein end up being so high in carbs XD
Go into your Goals and manually change them after working out your macros, pretty sure i linked a site before.
Protein intake should be roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight, yours is currently 57 which is great for RDA, but RDA is wrong!
I thought it was 1g per pound of lean body mass....is that what you meant or am I wrong in thinking that?
No you're right sorry, 1g per lb of LBM
Actually, that's a common misconception. The MAXIMUM amount per lb proven to yield benefits is 0.8g/lb of lean mass.. And we're talking about strength athletes here. Admittedly drug enhanced bodybuilders eat more, however.
The only conceivable benefit to eating that much protein is the fact that protein has a higher TEF (you burn more calories digesting it than fat or carbs), and it's satiating properties (you feel fuller from protein-rich meals).
Recent research shows that the RDA doesn't appear to meet the needs of exercising adults. One of the top researchers in this field, Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, "the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day". Dr Lemon came to this conclusion after citing several studies (Fern, 1991, Tarnopolsky et al., 1992) which used amounts of protein ranging from 1.3 - 3.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
At Kent University researchers tested 3 different groups of people:
- On a low protein diet which was 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- Another group eating 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- A group eating 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
Both sedentary and strength training groups were involved. The results showed that 1.4 grams resulted in protein synthesis while there were no changes in the low protein group and, finally, the group that ingested 2.4 grams of protein did not see any more increased protein synthesis than the 1.4 grams of protein group.0 -
Recent research shows that the RDA doesn't appear to meet the needs of exercising adults. One of the top researchers in this field, Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, "the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day". Dr Lemon came to this conclusion after citing several studies (Fern, 1991, Tarnopolsky et al., 1992) which used amounts of protein ranging from 1.3 - 3.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
At Kent University researchers tested 3 different groups of people:
- On a low protein diet which was 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- Another group eating 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- A group eating 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
Both sedentary and strength training groups were involved. The results showed that 1.4 grams resulted in protein synthesis while there were no changes in the low protein group and, finally, the group that ingested 2.4 grams of protein did not see any more increased protein synthesis than the 1.4 grams of protein group.
1.4 grams per KILOGRAM of bodyweight.. 1KG = 2.2 lbs.
So that would suggest the max necessary level is 0.63g of protein per lb of muscle mass. Even less than I stated.
Note that the group who ingested 2.4g/KG of bodyweight (1.09g/lb) experienced no greater benefit.
Also, Dr. Lemon's suggestion of 1.7-1.8g per KG is roughly the same as 0.8g per lb.0 -
try eating/not eating your calories back and see if it make a difference or try a refeed or change your macros to more protein less carb etc
everyones different so its bit hard to give advice on breaking that plateu0 -
A simple thought - as you lose weight your BMR changes - less body mass to support, less calories burnt at rest or doing regular activities. If you've lost 100lbs for instance, the BMR you have now may be as many as a few hundred kcals/day less then when you started. Maybe think of it as the start of a fresh attempt and re-test for your BMR.
Also, with regard to eating back calories, being cautious with the online estimations of calories burnt is a good idea, very few people actually burn that amount in real life exercising - those are lab conditions with no breaks and accurate intensity measures. Similar to car speedometers (which are almost always optimistic because that's what people like...) the calorie burn calculations are optimistic.
But more importantly for eating back exercise calories is that exercise is fueled by fat oxidation and glucose metabolism at the same time. The ratio varies depending on intensity but a good rule of thumb is that if you are working out at around 70% of your lactate threshold or below (corresponding to about the point where you start breathing deeply and fast and can no longer talk easily but can still talk if needed) then you are probably torching about 4kcals/minute from fat. You don't really have to eat those back if you don't want, but failing to eat the rest back will mean you're not re-loaded for the next exercise session, and then that next one will feel pretty awful - you'll be very sluggish.
Hope this helps0 -
Recent research shows that the RDA doesn't appear to meet the needs of exercising adults. One of the top researchers in this field, Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, "the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day". Dr Lemon came to this conclusion after citing several studies (Fern, 1991, Tarnopolsky et al., 1992) which used amounts of protein ranging from 1.3 - 3.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
At Kent University researchers tested 3 different groups of people:
- On a low protein diet which was 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- Another group eating 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
- A group eating 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
Both sedentary and strength training groups were involved. The results showed that 1.4 grams resulted in protein synthesis while there were no changes in the low protein group and, finally, the group that ingested 2.4 grams of protein did not see any more increased protein synthesis than the 1.4 grams of protein group.
1.4 grams per KILOGRAM of bodyweight.. 1KG = 2.2 lbs.
So that would suggest the max necessary level is 0.63g of protein per lb of muscle mass. Even less than I stated.
Note that the group who ingested 2.4g/KG of bodyweight (1.09g/lb) experienced no greater benefit.
Also, Dr. Lemon's suggestion of 1.7-1.8g per KG is roughly the same as 0.8g per lb.
Which would be total bodyweight, not LBM. Which ends up being close to the original number given for a lot of people.0 -
1.4 grams per KILOGRAM of bodyweight.. 1KG = 2.2 lbs.
So that would suggest the max necessary level is 0.63g of protein per lb of muscle mass. Even less than I stated.
Note that the group who ingested 2.4g/KG of bodyweight (1.09g/lb) experienced no greater benefit.
Also, Dr. Lemon's suggestion of 1.7-1.8g per KG is roughly the same as 0.8g per lb.
Which would be total bodyweight, not LBM. Which ends up being close to the original number given for a lot of people.
"Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, 'the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day'".
I never disputed that it wasn't for total body weight.
If you were calculating it using lean body mass, then the protein intake would be even smaller, obviously.
Argue with me all you wish, and if you want to consume unnecessary amounts of protein that's fine: the supplement companies love people to believe they need excessive amounts of protein so they can sell them convenient protein shakes. It's long documented that around 0.8g per POUND OF TOTAL BODY MASS is the maximum level that yields benefits in terms of protein synthesis, in individuals who are not using steroids, and are engaging in resistance training.
EDIT: if you meant the number given by MFP then I'd say it's a little low? Assuming a person weighs 80KG at 30% body fat, then that would be 56*1.7 = 95.2g of protein. I believe the RDA in the UK for protein is about 45g per day for an adult. That said, most people don't engage in resistance training.0 -
I have seen a lot of people here who eat back those exercise calories. If you burn it off, and then eat it back, you have not created a calorie deficit. Not sure if that is what you do, just putting it out there.
umm... wrong.
Your calorie deficit is built into the number MFP spits out. If you eat back your exercise, you still maintain your calorie deficit that you have setup in your goals.
No. Not wrong. The people who have talked about eating back their calories, are going by the little caption under their diary that tells them how many calories the earned through exercise. They are going back and eating what that little caption tells them.
yes, wrong. I promise.
Umm.... unless you have been reading my messages, you have no clue what I am talking about. I know when someone tells me that their calories OVER their daily plan are because they ATE BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALORIES BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY! Geesh. Carry on.
If they are following MFP calories exercising then eating those cals back then you are wrong. The way MFP is set up is to eat them back otherwise you are creating too bigger deficit.0 -
"Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, 'the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day'".
I never disputed that it wasn't for total body weight.
If you were calculating it using lean body mass, then the protein intake would be even smaller, obviously.
Argue with me all you wish, and if you want to consume unnecessary amounts of protein that's fine: the supplement companies love people to believe they need excessive amounts of protein so they can sell them convenient protein shakes. It's long documented that around 0.8g per POUND OF TOTAL BODY MASS is the maximum level that yields benefits in terms of protein synthesis, in individuals who are not using steroids, and are engaging in resistance training.
Who gives a crap about 0.2 of a gram per lb?
even if the person was 200lbs TOTAL BODY MASS then that is only an extra 40g of Protein a day... not really that excessive hence why everyone says ROUGHLY 1g per lb0 -
I have seen a lot of people here who eat back those exercise calories. If you burn it off, and then eat it back, you have not created a calorie deficit. Not sure if that is what you do, just putting it out there.
Well you should look in to what you are saying, for example my setting is nonactive and to lose 1 lb a week it is set for 1250 cals. I workout everyday today I burn 900 calories, so you are saying you should not eat calories back then I would only have 350 calories for my body to survive on for today if I did not eat my calories. The body needs at least 1200 to 1500 calories each day just run properly.Put in a workout you have to eat them back.Hey if you believe in what you are doing go for it .I would love to see your results in 6 months on that plan of not eating your calories back. If you are not working out hard then maybe you should not eat calories back.0 -
A point I'd like to make briefly, reading back on the posts is that I mistakenly said "0.8g per lb of LEAN MASS". This was said in error; I've always calculated using total body weight.Who gives a crap about 0.2 of a gram per lb?
even if the person was 200lbs TOTAL BODY MASS then that is only an extra 40g of Protein a day... not really that excessive hence why everyone says ROUGHLY 1g per lb
Because protein is the most expensive macronutrient, for one. Admittedly there's no harm in ingesting more as I have previously stated. But the "more is better" attitude is irritating.
However, regardless of whether or not you think 40g of protein is a significant amount, you made a point that was incorrect. And remember we're talking about the upper ranges of requirements for resistance trained athletes here. Your average Joe doesn't even need 0.8g per lb, let alone 1g per lb, period.
Also, your highly adept assessment of that study by Dr. Lemon, which you believed to be based on lbs and not KGs would suggest that people should eat 1.7-1.8 grams per day per lb of body weight. So for a 200lb person that would be an excess of 200 grams.0
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