Confused about "eating back exercise calories"

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Ayne6246
Ayne6246 Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
OK, I've been working on wosing 30# since the begining of the year and pleased to say I've lost nearly 16# as of today but....
My daily calorie goal is 1200 calories. I use a HRM to get accurate calories done in exercise and doing 80 minutes of Richard Simmons twice a day I'm burning between 500-700 calories per sesson. If I add an average of 1000 calories in exercise to my daily calorie goal that brings me up to 2200 calories/day consumed. I have difficulty staying within my medical diet restrictions to lower my cholesterol and getting even 1200-1400 calories a day consumed most days. I do have some days that I get close to 1800 calories consumed but usually I am right around 1200 calories/day. My body fat % right now is 28%. I drink a protein shake for breakfast because I just can't face food that early in the morning...am trying to stick to a high protein low carb diet and am staying away from fried foods. Basically nothing "white" in the diet. MFP's prediction has been a weight loss/5 weeks WAY more than what I'm seeing in actuality. I don't undetrstand why there is such a difference in the predicted weight loss & what I am actually seeing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I have lost nearly16# just confused as to why there is such a drastic difference in what my predicted weight loss is and what I am actually seeing at least 8# less lost.
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Replies

  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
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    You need to NET at least 1200 a day, you're eating way too little.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    There are any number of reasons. First, there are many factors that affect scale weight. Second, everything is an estimate, even your HRM so you may not be consuming/burning what you think you are. Also, you are eating little and logging larger burns which can have an effect on hormones which can affect weight loss.

    If you are having trouble eating enough, then cut back on the exercise. Large calorie burns and low food intake is a recipe for disaster. It will be difficult to maintain your weigh loss (been there done that).


    160 minutes (if I am reading that right) a day of exercise is excessive. More cardio is not always the best course for weight loss.
  • smr1015
    smr1015 Posts: 6 Member
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    It's really important that you get at least enough calories to support your every day life. Honestly, my biggest suggestion to you is to EAT MORE!

    A woman usually needs between 1400-1800 calories for their body to just to be alive and at rest - laying around all day, sitting at a desk all day, or other non-moving activity. For me, it's right around 1600. To lose weight, you want your NET calories to end up a little below that each day, but if you go too low, your body starts to hold on to those calories because it is starving for energy. I aim for about 1300 net calories; in other words Calories in - Calories out = 1300

    Just imagine your body like a car... if you were running low on gas and weren't sure you were going to make it to the gas station, you might tend to coast a bit more than you normally would, or accelerate a little slower. If you've conditioned your body to do 160 minutes of exercise each day, and it's not getting enough fuel, your metabolism is actually going to slow down, so you conserve the energy for your workout.

    When you're losing weight, you need to keep your body well fed so that you continue to burn calories while you're at rest, as well as when you're exercising. If you're only eating 1200 calories during the day, and you need at least 1400 to just "live", you're already -200 calories for the day. When you add 1000-1400 calories worth of exercise and don't "eat them back", you're going to be at -1200 to -1600 for the day. This is way, way too low.

    At the very least, you should end almost every day in the positive calorie range, not the negative. Stick with finding protein for those calories, but don't be afraid of a few carbs. Not all carbs are terrible for you, so just avoid the carbs that come from simple sugars.

    Hopefully this helps explain a little about this... and keep up the good work!!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    What you have to realize is that exercise is extra activity...you don't have to do a bunch of exercise and burn a bunch of calories every day...your weight loss deficit is built into your diet. By not eating back exercise calories and burning that much, you are taxing your body in a mighty way and it's making attempts to slow your metabolism to store more because it doesn't have enough energy (calories) to just keep up with the day to day, let alone all of the exercise.

    Personally, I'd get your caloric intake in order and stop exercise for now...get your diet straight. Then set some fitness goals that are independent of weight loss goals and calorie burn and work to achieve those goals rather than working to burn off 1000 calories per day. That's just an insane amount of exercise and in reality, if you can't eat like an athlete you have no business training like one.

    Hell, I work out pretty intense and only burn around 300 calories per day...but I achieve my actual fitness goals which don't revolve at all around calorie burn. I use my diet to control my weight...i.e. cut/lose fat, maintain, gain muscle...and I exercise for fitness.
  • Ayne6246
    Ayne6246 Posts: 37 Member
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    It is actually 40 minutes twice a da for a total of 80 minutes. But I understand what you are trying to say. :smile:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    It is actually 40 minutes twice a da for a total of 80 minutes. But I understand what you are trying to say. :smile:

    30-45 minutes of aerobic cardio 3-5X weekly is more than enough for general fitness and heart health. I usually do 30 minutes of aerobic cardio 3x weekly and 45 minutes of recovery cardio 2x weekly (on my Tues/Thurs lift days) and have either my farmer's carry or sled pulls after my Saturday lift session. You don't have to do tons of cardio and you reach a point of diminishing returns with lots of cardio.

    Excessive cardio without proper fuel actually burns muscle instead of fat...burning muscle = lowering of metabolism = sucky when you get to goal weight and your maintenance calories are peanuts. You'd be better served doing your 40 minutes of cardio and then doing 40 minutes of resistance training to maintain muscle while you're in a deficit of calories, thus preserving your metabolism...and also looking way better at goal.
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
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    Second, everything is an estimate, even your HRM so you may not be consuming/burning what you think you are.

    Just to clarify: Your HRM most likely indicates your heart rate quite accurately depending upon the manufacturer and it's age/condition/etc. The estimation involved is with respect to the calories burned computations.
  • Ayne6246
    Ayne6246 Posts: 37 Member
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    It is actually 40 minutes twice a da for a total of 80 minutes. But I understand what you are trying to say. :smile:

    30-45 minutes of aerobic cardio 3-5X weekly is more than enough for general fitness and heart health. I usually do 30 minutes of aerobic cardio 3x weekly and 45 minutes of recovery cardio 2x weekly (on my Tues/Thurs lift days) and have either my farmer's carry or sled pulls after my Saturday lift session. You don't have to do tons of cardio and you reach a point of diminishing returns with lots of cardio.

    Excessive cardio without proper fuel actually burns muscle instead of fat...burning muscle = lowering of metabolism = sucky when you get to goal weight and your maintenance calories are peanuts. You'd be better served doing your 40 minutes of cardio and then doing 40 minutes of resistance training to maintain muscle while you're in a deficit of calories, thus preserving your metabolism...and also looking way better at goal.

    Thanks, I will try cutting back to just once a day and see how that works out. I spent a lot of years eating only once a day so I know I definitely need work on the diet changes.
  • MAYONNAISESANDWICH
    MAYONNAISESANDWICH Posts: 33
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    Eat like a beast and swole up on some chicken and brown rice.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
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    Please check out these links:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    I recommend them in conjunction with these links:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    Hopefully they will help you figure out proper calorie targets, including exercise and whether or not to eat back those calories.

    Best wishes!
  • aaronlawrenc
    aaronlawrenc Posts: 666 Member
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    just eat but dont eat. However, make sure you eat at least all the time without eating.

    thats the answer to your life
  • KirstenTheFamilyCoach
    KirstenTheFamilyCoach Posts: 327 Member
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    I agree with RBXChas: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • MAYONNAISESANDWICH
    MAYONNAISESANDWICH Posts: 33
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    just eat but dont eat. However, make sure you eat at least all the time without eating.

    thats the answer to your life


    You look like you have sweaty under garments on
  • tonya_yates
    tonya_yates Posts: 13
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    So I just started this today. I workout in the evenings around 8:30, so do I wait and put my exercise calories in my diary the next morning? I'm confused?!!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    So I just started this today. I workout in the evenings around 8:30, so do I wait and put my exercise calories in my diary the next morning? I'm confused?!!

    You don't have to wait. You can eat them earlier. Once you have been here a bit you'll have an idea of what you are going to burn.
    Or you could add them the next day. I often eat more the day before or after a long run instead of eating them all that day.
  • tonya_yates
    tonya_yates Posts: 13
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    Awesome! Thx so much :)
  • abbierbenn
    abbierbenn Posts: 2
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    I need a little help! I understand the eating back calories with MFP but when I figured out my TDEE the calories with the TDEE are significantly higher than the 1200cals MFP suggest I eat.

    My TDEE set at little/no exercise is 2050 - 20% = 1640cals

    So should I start eating the 1640cals or should I stick to what MFP tells me and consume the 1200 cals
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    So it's all pretty simple.

    You set a number, some people choose a number based on semi-realistic research, others just use whatever is given to them as a default.
    You eat, you log, you use your calorie points up. pew pew.
    You work out, you log, you get credit.
    You eat said credit back.
    Over a long period of hitting the daily goal, you lose weight.

    Super simple. You eat what you burn because your goal is to lose X in Y period, not X+ in Y period.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I need a little help! I understand the eating back calories with MFP but when I figured out my TDEE the calories with the TDEE are significantly higher than the 1200cals MFP suggest I eat.

    My TDEE set at little/no exercise is 2050 - 20% = 1640cals

    So should I start eating the 1640cals or should I stick to what MFP tells me and consume the 1200 cals

    What weight loss per week goal did you set? I may be wrong but I suspect you chose 2, which is higher than a 20% deficit.
    If you haven't, choose 1 lb a week and you should find it closer n
  • abbierbenn
    abbierbenn Posts: 2
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    What weight loss per week goal did you set? I may be wrong but I suspect you chose 2, which is higher than a 20% deficit.
    If you haven't, choose 1 lb a week and you should find it closer n

    Yes it was 2lbs, I changed it to 1lb and now it has gone upto 1530cals.

    Thank you for the help I'm new to this so trying to get all the information I can

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