DON'T Eat Exercise Calories!!

i don't always eat my excercise calories back, sometimes i'm busy or i forget, but i'd say 95% of the time i do because i'm always hungry lol. and i've lost all my weight by doing this. as long as you are also getting excercise for a little bit every day and cutting your calories back (which is already done for you.. i mean before i started on this site i could probably have eaten well over 2700 calories a day) so 1200 is a big deficit for me. then if i do excercise i most likely burn between 130-400 calories, which puts me at most 1800.. which is still a big deficit from what i use to eat. i think it all depends on what your body type and your old eating habits. i believe that you should eat them, because i think that will give you the best long term results.

and a weight loss center here in la, just stated to me that a 1000 calorie intake is normally suggested for a quick weight loss solution or for trying to get over a plateau.....so theres more than likely more to the conversation between you and this dr than what we are reading......and the reason i checked is because i am trying to do all i am supposed to be doing and hearing something like this is shocking seeing that the average human has to have something in their body to live.......

While I don't know that I could stick to a 1000 calorie diet to lose weight, too each their own. If it works, then good for you.

My concern would be that if a person stuck to a 1000 cal diet for say 8 months and lost 25+ lbs and got to their goal weight, then what? Are they going to stick to 1000 cals a day to maintain or would the person start eating more? Generally we eat more when goal weight is hit, assuming we can maintain it. 1000 cals is so much below what my maintainenace cals would be, that I would assume my body would go from one extreme to the other. Super weight loss to super weight gain. And I don't want that.

And doctors never think about the emotional reasons as to why the person is overweight in the first place. Doctors these days only focus on treating the symptoms of why a person is in their office, rarely do they address the causes of the issues in the first place. If you are constipated for example, they might tell you to buy Miralax to soften the stool, but rarely do they tell you to watch what you eat and maybe suggest you lay off the cheese for a while, you know?
There are always reasons why people are overweight. It can be lifestyle, it can be emotional eating, it can stem from abus, it can be anything really. So while eating 1000 cals a day might make you lose weight, is it going to address the afterlife of weight maintenance?

I like MFP because for most of us, it is a lifestyle change. So I guess my question to you is this: If you are maintaining 1000 calories a day to lose weight, what are your plans to maintain when you get to your goal?

Wow!! I must say that is one of the most interesting topics I've read on here! I, personally, wouldn't last long eating only 1000 cals/day, consistently. However, there are days when I don't eat that much. I try to eat very close to, but slightly less than MFP sets for my daily goal...with or without exercise. I don't strive to eat my exercise cals, but I do have them on standby if I feel hungry. I think that it's important to do what your body tells you to do. I think the most important part, is making sure that you're eating healthy calories, plenty of protien, healthy carbs and sugars, low cholesterol, etc. Everyone's bodies are different and so their BMRs are different and their caloric intake will be different. If you feel good and satisfied, then, chances are, you're doing something right. Good luck to everyone!

1000 calories without exercise calories under a doctor's supervision is going to work when you have over 100 pounds to lose. People in the morbidly obese category have enough fat stores to sustain them through periods of very low calories, especially when the doctor is supplementing their dietary needs with injections and whatnot.

However, not everyone reading this topic is in that category. Some of them are already healthy or slightly overweight and are having difficulty losing those last few pounds simply because there isn't that much to lose. And eating only 1000 calories when they're likely burning at least 500 will put them into the danger zone where things like organ failure can and will happen.

Consider that when the wrong people follow advice that might only be right for certain groups of people, they could be risking more than they think.

lol, I notice some "copy & paste" from the thread started by batty5. :laugh:

Being an old lady (:laugh:), I find it interesting to see how dieting advice has changed over the years. When I first started going structured programs in the late 80s, the common advice was to not go below 1000 calories. Anything else was DANGEROUS we were told. (Oh and we wouldn't lose weight, of course.)

Then, some programs got sued because a small percentage of people lost their gallbladders on their diets due to not enough fat content. So then the programs pretty much all started touting the 1200 calorie limit. Don't go below that because it's DANGEROUS! Oh, and you'll go into starvation mode, and you WON'T LOSE WEIGHT.

But, if it wasn't dangerous for most people (only a small percentage lost their gallbladders) to eat 1000 calories a day, why would it be dangerous to eat 1100? And does it really make sense that, if you eat 1200 every day, you'll be fine, but if you eat 1199, horrible things will happen to you? Plus, does it makes sense that 1200 is the magic number for EVERYONE all the time?

I say none of that makes sense. I think there are people on this site merrily eating 1200 calories a day and they aren't getting proper nutrition because of their food choices. Heck, there are people on this site who eat back their exercise calories who still are not getting adequate nutrition. OTOH, the less calories you take in, the harder it is, even if you are really knowledgeable about nutrition. That's why you routinely see the advice to not go below X calories without a doctor's supervision. If you are seeing a doctor regularly, they can watch you for signs of malnutrition, order regular lab work, and look over your food diaries to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of the essentials.

But, while 1000 is fine for a lot of people, 1200 isn't enough for others. Guys and tall people probably need more. The younger you are, the more your metabolism is revved up so you might need more too.

IMO the key to successful dieting is to pick something that you can stand to do for the time you need to do it and to have whatever it is be something that is as close to how you'll live once you get to maintenance as possible. For some people that means eating their maintenance calories for the weight they want to be. For others, it's eating as little as possible while still having adequate energy so they can be motivated by excellent weight loss to stay with their program. (Studies show that losing weight faster is more motivating and people do better when the lose it faster.) For others, it's exercising a lot and using those calories to increase their indulgences. For others, it's exercising a lot and not using those calories so they lose faster.

But it's going to be different for everyone.

It's very irresponsible to advise others to starve themselves.
Do whatever you feel you need to do under "medical supervision" but PLEASE don't suggest others should do the same.
It's a bad bad bad idea for long term weight loss.

Well she seems to be doing okay on it whereas the previous way she wasn't. I would also like to say that I think qualified dieticians will know what they are talking about, for some people eating their exercise calories works, for others it does not. :flowerforyou:

To the original poster, I have been on 1000 calories per day diet myself, didn't eat my exercise calories and never once did I go into starvation mode. I also used to lose 2lb per week on it, doing aerobic three times per week. The weight went back on after I had my second baby and I stuffed myself stupid and was greedy, no excuses, that is the reason.

This time round I am on 1200 calories but do not eat my exercise calories, the most I have gone into these exercise calories is eating an extra 100 or something, but that was not to stop myself going into any starvation mode, it was because I was ravenous lol.

If I were to be told on a forum, advice regarding some medical problem I posted a subject about that conflicted with the advice my doctor gave me, what one do you think I would choose for my own health and wellbeing.... let me see now, well I'll give you all a clue.....

......it sure wouldn't be the answer written on a message board by some stranger that could be anybody, I would choose my doctor anytime.

It has been known for doctors to make mistakes, but there is a hell of a lot more chance of a massive mistake being made following blindly the advice given by unqualified people.

I agree! Thanks for saying this - I hadn't gotten around to replying yet, but now I don't need to!

And does it really make sense that, if you eat 1200 every day, you'll be fine, but if you eat 1199, horrible things will happen to you? Plus, does it makes sense that 1200 is the magic number for EVERYONE all the time?

I say none of that makes sense. I think there are people on this site merrily eating 1200 calories a day and they aren't getting proper nutrition because of their food choices. Heck, there are people on this site who eat back their exercise calories who still are not getting adequate nutrition. OTOH, the less calories you take in, the harder it is, even if you are really knowledgeable about nutrition. That's why you routinely see the advice to not go below X calories without a doctor's supervision. If you are seeing a doctor regularly, they can watch you for signs of malnutrition, order regular lab work, and look over your food diaries to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of the essentials.

But, while 1000 is fine for a lot of people, 1200 isn't enough for others. Guys and tall people probably need more. The younger you are, the more your metabolism is revved up so you might need more too.

But it's going to be different for everyone.

ditto!