THE answers to THE questions

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  • fishlover888
    fishlover888 Posts: 132
    Please check out another post (for whatever reason I can't link to it here for you... called "for those confused or questioning eating your exercise calories" (if you search the forums, it should be near or at the top).

    Essentially, it's not just a "the less calories the better for weight loss" game...but it's a sweet spot of deficit you need to find. Although reducing calories can kick-start weight loss that has stalled, so can raising calories for some. It's about keeping your body confused and adapting.

    I am an advocate of eating at least your BMR calories, but if you have more to lose, you can go lower than your BMR. But, the closer you get to your goal, the smaller your deficit has to be to continue losing successfully.

    IMHO, if you can lose successfully without severe calorie reduction, you should do it. The more severe your "diet", the more difficult it is to maintain your weight loss...just my opinion, mind you...but what worked for me.

    HTH


    just to clarify. there are some great posts in the beginning of this topic about BMR. BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to purely survive and maintain tissue as is-not build muscle, walk downstairs, EVER get out of bed or even digest food (yes, it takes energy to digest). you should not ever eat a level of calories lower than your BMR, it will make you feel awful and in many people stops weight loss. i believe what she probably meant was that you can eat below your daily calories needed for the activities that you do regularly (non-exercise) such as talk on the phone, sit on the couch, go to work, drive, eat, etc. (MFP already sets your goal caloric intake to below this.)

    i really recommend you check out the posts on page 1 about BMR
  • orangegalt
    orangegalt Posts: 47
    i'm stuck at 143 for basically three weeks, after averaging 1000ish calories a day for the last 2-3 months. i truly don't feel hungry, ever. myfitnesspal says my BMR is 1380, and this thread says never to eat less than that, even though MFP says to eat 1200 to lose 1.1 lbs per week (at this point, even when i set it to lose 2 lbs per week, it won't say anything different--i guess with what i've already lost that isn't safely possible or something).

    i exercise about 4-5 days per week; usually 3-4 of those are 25 minutes of jogging + 8 min abs and/or buns videos on youtube, and the other 1-2 days might be only the videos or an extra 45 minutes of fast walking. i don't eat any exercise calories, but sometimes i will eat the full 1200 on days that i run.

    i'm thinking about eating an extra 1/2 cup of cocoa-roasted almonds (not chocolate coated, just roasted/dusted with cocoa) a day to add an extra 300 with something that's healthy-ish but i still like enough to make myself eat when i'm not actually hungry. i'm also sort of equally considering drinking 2 tsps of apple cider vinegar three times a day (my boyfriend does this for weight loss) and/or trying the master cleanse. both of those options are less intimidating than eating more.

    thoughts? it's scary to eat more than i've been eating; i sort of expect to immediately gain 5 lbs.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    i'm stuck at 143 for basically three weeks, after averaging 1000ish calories a day for the last 2-3 months. i truly don't feel hungry, ever. myfitnesspal says my BMR is 1380, and this thread says never to eat less than that, even though MFP says to eat 1200 to lose 1.1 lbs per week (at this point, even when i set it to lose 2 lbs per week, it won't say anything different--i guess with what i've already lost that isn't safely possible or something).

    i exercise about 4-5 days per week; usually 3-4 of those are 25 minutes of jogging + 8 min abs and/or buns videos on youtube, and the other 1-2 days might be only the videos or an extra 45 minutes of fast walking. i don't eat any exercise calories, but sometimes i will eat the full 1200 on days that i run.

    i'm thinking about eating an extra 1/2 cup of cocoa-roasted almonds (not chocolate coated, just roasted/dusted with cocoa) a day to add an extra 300 with something that's healthy-ish but i still like enough to make myself eat when i'm not actually hungry. i'm also sort of equally considering drinking 2 tsps of apple cider vinegar three times a day (my boyfriend does this for weight loss) and/or trying the master cleanse. both of those options are less intimidating than eating more.

    thoughts? it's scary to eat more than i've been eating; i sort of expect to immediately gain 5 lbs.

    One of the reasons you could be not hungry is because one of the symptoms of starvation mode is lack of appetite. When I was undereating my BMR calories, I was literally repulsed by food at times.

    If you are exercising, you should definitely be eating more than 1200 calories a day.

    IMHO, and based on my reading/experience, consistently undereating your BMR is not good for you or your efforts.

    Almonds are a great way to up your calories. Think calorie dense foods, so that you don't need to eat a lot of volume and easily up your calories.

    The master cleanse is not advised (even by its creator) for weight loss. It is very likely that after the "cleanse", the weight comes right back on.

    Eat. Your body is a machine, and it needs fuel.
  • orangegalt
    orangegalt Posts: 47
    i'm going to give it a try for a week or so. yesterday i ate all my 1200 calories plus almost all of my 250ish exercise calories. this morning, the result is a .4 lb gain :frown:
    i'll keep you posted...
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    i'm going to give it a try for a week or so. yesterday i ate all my 1200 calories plus almost all of my 250ish exercise calories. this morning, the result is a .4 lb gain :frown:
    i'll keep you posted...

    Also, don't weigh yourself everyday. In the course of a given day, your body has natural fluctuations.
  • jolhor
    jolhor Posts: 6
    Great information - thanks (oh, and I like you "very opinionated" comments!)
  • Positively_Me
    Positively_Me Posts: 1,499 Member
    thanks for the great information!
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    Great post!
  • 623Hernandez
    623Hernandez Posts: 458
    love it!
  • sslopez24
    sslopez24 Posts: 110 Member
    OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

    Question #1:

    Should I eat all my calories?

    Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

    Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
    MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

    Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
    UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

    Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

    Question #2:
    I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

    Answer:
    Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

    Question #3:
    I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

    Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

    Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

    Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

    Question #4:
    So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

    Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
    You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person. (this is a generalization. I don't hate models, but this is their lifestyle. . .I used to be a "dresser" at shows, and I saw a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff.

    Does that help? Please say it does.:flowerforyou:

    Thank you for posting this. I was so afraid of eating my exercise calories burned. I am at a plateau! I will start to eat them and let you know if it works for me! :smile:
  • jallott1976
    jallott1976 Posts: 1
    why should i eat my exercise calories? I have lost 70lbs over the last two years - i want to ideally lose another 20-28 lbs..... i exercise a lot, I play ladies football (soccer) once a week and we train twice a week. I walk my two dogs for at least an hour a day, and I manage to hit the gym at least three times a week.

    The weight should surely be flooding off me but isn't. I have now joined MFP as it was recommended by a friend - i am cutting down on carbs (not completely out) as i feel my diet is too carb heavy.

    Not sure what else I have to do, but one thing i know is I can't exercise any more than I am doing.............................. can anyone offer any sound advice?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    why should i eat my exercise calories? I have lost 70lbs over the last two years - i want to ideally lose another 20-28 lbs..... i exercise a lot, I play ladies football (soccer) once a week and we train twice a week. I walk my two dogs for at least an hour a day, and I manage to hit the gym at least three times a week.

    The weight should surely be flooding off me but isn't. I have now joined MFP as it was recommended by a friend - i am cutting down on carbs (not completely out) as i feel my diet is too carb heavy.

    Not sure what else I have to do, but one thing i know is I can't exercise any more than I am doing.............................. can anyone offer any sound advice?

    weight loss is primarily about how you eat, not how you exercise, exercise is a catalyst, not the determinant. You could exercise all day, but if you eat more calories than you burn, you're still going to gain weight.

    We tell people to eat their exercise calories on My Fitness Pal, because the site already creates a deficit for you, which will allow you to lose a preset amount of weight safely and in a healthy manner, exercise calories would increase that deficit, we don't want that as it can lead not only to inconsistent loss, but also, given time, to possible health risks.
  • TTabour
    TTabour Posts: 13
    Here is my dilemma. I gained 3 lbs while being under my daily calorie goal nearly every day, in he past 7 days, due to exercise calories. Some days I was under even without exercising (walking at a fast pace).
    The conundrum is this, if i eat the calories i gain through exercise what kind of foods should I be eating. Just more of the low fat foods on my diet or something else. I have been at this yo yo diet for most of my life. i am tryng to change my life style eating and am confused by all the data I read, as much of it conflicts with eachother.

    We all know metabolism is a real enemy to wieght loss and is not really understood well, by the science I read let alone us lay people.

    FYI
    1270 calories alowed daily for 2 lbs per week weight loss
    Walking at a fast pace 5-6 times a weeky 40-70 minutes =300-550 calories burned.

    i have been using MFP since mid March and lost 26lbs then gained back 3 lbs last week Gained weight was not a result of increased food consumtpion, acutally the reverse is true.
  • shellshalla
    shellshalla Posts: 263 Member
    great post!!!
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Okay someone please help I get the whole eat your exercise calories and everything but I am still confused so my question is your BMR is the basic calories you need to normally function on a day to day basis and maintain well if I didn't work out I would subtract 500 from that number and create the deficit I need to lose weight right?

    Well I am asking because on MFP mines was 1432 cal and I subtract 500 I would get 932 okay then if I go and workout and burn 500 calories then I should eat 1432 and I should still see the loss because I have a deficit in there right?

    So I am wondering why MFP starts me off at 1200 calories each day if my BMR was 1432 it didn't give me the full deficit or am I doing it wrong?
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Okay someone please help I get the whole eat your exercise calories and everything but I am still confused so my question is your BMR is the basic calories you need to normally function on a day to day basis and maintain well if I didn't work out I would subtract 500 from that number and create the deficit I need to lose weight right?

    Well I am asking because on MFP mines was 1432 cal and I subtract 500 I would get 932 okay then if I go and workout and burn 500 calories then I should eat 1432 and I should still see the loss because I have a deficit in there right?

    So I am wondering why MFP starts me off at 1200 calories each day if my BMR was 1432 it didn't give me the full deficit or am I doing it wrong?
  • katbass
    katbass Posts: 351 Member
    Your BMR is the number of calories your body needs to lie still and do "nothing" except keep your organs functioning. So if you were to lay in bed allll day, exerting ZERO energy, your body would use 1432 calories just to keep your lungs going, your kidneys working, your eyes blinking, your blood circulating, etc. So the second you sit up and get out of that bed, you are burning calories. By the time youve walked to the bathroom, washed your face, brushed your teeth, and stepped on the scale, you've already burned calories and eaten away at that 1432 your body needed to be still in bed.

    So if you are burning 500 calories while exercising, then you need to eat those back in order to give your body the nourishment it needs to continue functioning and burning fat. If your body needs those 1432 calories, and then you go an burn 500 of them, you are only giving your body 932 calories...and it needs 1432 just to keep your blood going!

    I didnt understand this entirely either, and was frustrated that MFP would start my caloires at 1200, but as ViviaKay and so many other patient, experienced MFPers have explained over and over again, 1200 cals is just like "an industry standard" that does have some scientific merit, but is certainly not THE magic number.

    I hope this helped explain a little bit. I was eating 1200 cals, exercising, and not losing ANY weight. Then I read this thread and seen results. Good Luck!
  • katbass
    katbass Posts: 351 Member
    PS do NOT subract 500 cals from your BMR in order to create the deficit to lose weight. By simply sitting up and getting out of bed, you are creating a deficit. At a MINIMUM you need to eat those 1432 cals. everyday, whether you work out or not. If you work out, you need to eat back those calories, too.
    If you eat 1432 calories, you will lose weight and keep it off. If you work out, you get to eat more, as youve "earned" those extra calories, and it will help you lose faster and help keep your metabolism funtioning properly.
    If you subtract 500 calories from your BMR, you are not giving your body the fuel it needs.
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    Thanks for the info and sorry for the double post!!
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    Thank you! definitely helps!! :happy:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    bumping
  • Irishaingeal
    Irishaingeal Posts: 29
    Great post as I was wondering about those exercise calories to. I knew I had to eat them, but wasn't sure if I had to eat them all. I will give it a shot and try to eat all of my calories a day. It just looks like so much food to me and i hardly ever eat that much on my work out days. But thanks so much for the time to help us all.

    Go raibh maith agat
  • georgette70
    georgette70 Posts: 158
    *bump* :smile:
  • Unicornlover
    Unicornlover Posts: 101 Member
    Another helpful post! :flowerforyou:
  • Kamila02
    Kamila02 Posts: 54 Member
    bump
  • lesleybritton
    lesleybritton Posts: 41
    This is FAB!
  • miss_amy
    miss_amy Posts: 351
    this is such a great thread. i think it's been burned in all of our brains that to lose weight we need to cut calories (sometimes drastic) and like everyone else, i've tried it in the past and seen little results. i will be eating the calories MFP tells me from now on (including exercise calories)! thanks for all of the info!

    also, i can't believe how much i am able to eat. i feel like i'm cheating everyday, but i've lost 6lbs so far! :)
  • MamaRandall
    MamaRandall Posts: 243 Member
    GREAT POST!!! thanks
  • zippy111
    zippy111 Posts: 2,241 Member
    tag
  • caroeden
    caroeden Posts: 31
    This is such great information! Thanks!!
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