changing calories??? thoughts suggestions...

bluiz13
bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
okay so i had my goals set to lose 1 lb a week and was not eating my exercise calories for the most part...MFP had me around 1560 per day an i typically burn 500 +/- calories a day on the day i work out (5 a week)

anywho, i had 2 losses in a row and am happy with my progress....

BUT i signed up for the 30 by labor day, i figured i might as well adjust to 2lbs a week for my goal to help me get there...when i make that change in the system, MFP drops me to 1200 calories a day...i'm currently 219.6lbs....if i dont exercise to earn calories, I KNOW that 1200 calories is not enough for me in a day...i'll be hungry and i'll probably not lose....

with that being said i THINK i'm going to stay at the 1200 calories but start eating my exercise calories (well most of them anyway) and see what happens...i was kinda getting a 2lb loss with not eating the calories and with my goal set at 1lb a week so it probably will be a wash but i just wanted confirmation from my MFP friends....

does this sound like a good plan???

Replies

  • dore0021
    dore0021 Posts: 137
    I imagine you'll lose much more than 2lbs / week at 1200+excersice calories a day.... so it's up to you and how much weight you'd like to lose. Good luck!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    If you were losing 2lb per week when MFP set you at 1560 calories....then I would have just let it remain there

    Because even at 1200 calories per day....and you plan to eat some of you workout calories...you will still be at or close to the 1500 calories per day if you eat some of your workout calories

    So it kinds of balances out I guess

    1500 calories is a good number to be at......

    I am anywhere between 1300 and 1500 calories daily
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
    I think it will even out to about the same as before. Eating 1500+ calories with exercise calories not being eaten isn't too far off from 1200 calories while eating exercise calories. As long as you are netting around 1200 calories per day (eaten calories - exercise calories), you should continue to lose weight. Personally for me, I am set for 1200 calories and burn 350-500 a day working out and eat about half of those back, sometimes more. I've been losing 1.5lb per week pretty consistently for the past few months with no plateaus. It's just a matter of finding what works best and adjusting if the scale gets stuck :D
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
    With only 1200 calories, you DEFINITYLY should eat your exercise calories!
  • KatieKitchens
    KatieKitchens Posts: 3
    I am at 1200 calories a day... and I do not eat my exercise calories. I am ALWAYS under 1200 and I eat PLENTY! Part of it is not how much you eat but what you eat. There are a lot of recipes out there that you can fix for lunch/dinner and will fill you up and still be under your calories.

    I aim to meet my 1200 calories b/c it is not good to eat under it. I always get close to it, though. I do not stay hungry through out the day and when I do get hungry, I eat a low calorie snack. I am staying around 2-3 lbs a week.

    As an example - my mom just lost over 50lbs since January by only eating 1200 calories a day... and exercising 3x/wk.

    I've also heard that it is good to alternate you calorie intake... for example, eat 1200 one week and bump to 1400 the next week then repeat. That way your metabolism doesn't get stuck.

    But in the end... it's totally up to you! I just wanted to let you know I (and friends who are doing this with me) are surviving on 1200 calories a day.
  • xTattooedDollx
    xTattooedDollx Posts: 426 Member
    I'm at 1200 calories/day and I eat half-all my exercise calories and ive been losing 2-3 pounds a week.
  • sagithia
    sagithia Posts: 135 Member
    Eat your exercies calories only if you are hungry. Some days I am not and use that twoards my weightloss and some days I eat it because I am starving. Good luck!
  • shell1205
    shell1205 Posts: 138
    I'm also at 1,200 calories a day and it pretty much all of my exercise calories, and am losing consistently... don't let your net calories dip too far below 1,200 per day for too long... that is when you risk starvation mode kicking in, which was a huge problem for me before I started this!!

    Good luck!!
  • stacy_rihel
    stacy_rihel Posts: 47
    I think eating "exercise calories" sort of defeats the purpose of a caloric deficit for losing weight. I have been doing some research and speaking with fitness and nutrition specialists about my plateau and the census from all of them is that you need to stick with your goal number with or without exercise and have 2 refeed days a week, and not back to back. A refeed day is when you do not have a caloric deficit. You eat the amount of calories your body burns naturally in a day. (your BMR "basic metabolic rate")

    For example, my goal is 1200 calories a day for 5 days out of the week and about 1800 - 2000 the other 2 days. (these numbers are examples)

    Link to calc BMR http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

    If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
    If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
    If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
    If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
    If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9


    I am going to try this. I started today, so we shall see how it works :)
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