I need some help please

diannetrim
diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been eating 1200 calories for the last year now. When I workout and burn anywhere from 400-500 calories I do eat them back. [At times I do eat/drink a lot more than that..] My weight is at a stand still. I do a lot of running, and strength training. I do insanity and Jillian Michaels dvd's....So should I or should I not be eating those exercise calories back? I don't want to mess up my body and end up screwing something up keeping me from losing weight, or ending up gaining it all back because I didnt do it right. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you in advance! :]

Replies

  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    what is your bmr?

    I have had quite a bit of success losing weight and I never created a deficit of more than about 500 calories a day and I always eat back my cardio calories. If you are exercising, you need to be eating.

    However, I am guessing that 1200 calories is too low for you.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    So I've been eating 1200 calories for the last year now. When I workout and burn anywhere from 400-500 calories I do eat them back. [At times I do eat/drink a lot more than that..] My weight is at a stand still. I do a lot of running, and strength training. I do insanity and Jillian Michaels dvd's....So should I or should I not be eating those exercise calories back? I don't want to mess up my body and end up screwing something up keeping me from losing weight, or ending up gaining it all back because I didnt do it right. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you in advance! :]

    Are you taking measurements?

    I agree with the other poster, 1200 calories might be to low for you. You should try at the very least to net your BMR.
  • Whipppets
    Whipppets Posts: 267
    Eat back your calories
    What is your height weight what is your goal. .Have you lost anything, inches somewhere?
    Your doing some intense workouts you need to fuel up.. I eat tons of carbs and have maintained
    for 3 years.
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    .
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    You may not be eatting enough. If you don't fuel the fire, it ain't gonna burn! :-)
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    You may not be eatting enough. If you don't fuel the fire, it ain't gonna burn! :-)
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    what is your bmr?

    I have had quite a bit of success losing weight and I never created a deficit of more than about 500 calories a day and I always eat back my cardio calories. If you are exercising, you need to be eating.

    However, I am guessing that 1200 calories is too low for you.

    I'm 5'2, and currently weigh 144. My BMR is 1445.9. My goal weight is 125. I have lost inches and I've lost over 30 pounds already. [Had a baby last year]

    Mondays I run, and have leg day
    tuesdays I do insanity and arms/chest
    wednesdays i run, and do some leg workouts
    thursdays i do a dvd [insanity or jillian michaels]
    and it goes on from there.
    But on sundays I rest.

    I started eating clean a few weeks ago, or as clean as I can. and I also started taking protein shakes.

    Coming up with meal plans to follow is really hard as well.
  • Whipppets
    Whipppets Posts: 267
    you know what do not worry about that clean crap.. As long as its not candy soda or cigs
    just eat your calories.
    You have a good goal weight.. your doing the right things and it will happen.
    I try to wake up each day and say how can I be fitter. Then just do that.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    what is your bmr?

    I have had quite a bit of success losing weight and I never created a deficit of more than about 500 calories a day and I always eat back my cardio calories. If you are exercising, you need to be eating.

    However, I am guessing that 1200 calories is too low for you.

    I'm 5'2, and currently weigh 144. My BMR is 1445.9. My goal weight is 125. I have lost inches and I've lost over 30 pounds already. [Had a baby last year]

    Mondays I run, and have leg day
    tuesdays I do insanity and arms/chest
    wednesdays i run, and do some leg workouts
    thursdays i do a dvd [insanity or jillian michaels]
    and it goes on from there.
    But on sundays I rest.

    I started eating clean a few weeks ago, or as clean as I can. and I also started taking protein shakes.

    Coming up with meal plans to follow is really hard as well.

    Wow, that is a lot of activity for 1200 calories to support. Since your BMR is 1446, you are already eating too little before the exercise. In case you aren't aware, your BMR is how many calories you would need for your organs to function if you were in a coma. If you were sedentary, you would need somewhere around 1735 calories just to maintain your weight. Considering you have a pretty active exercise regimen, you would need even more than that to maintain.

    How quickly are you losing weight so far?
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I'm 5'2, and currently weigh 144. My BMR is 1445.9. My goal weight is 125. I have lost inches and I've lost over 30 pounds already. [Had a baby last year]

    If you've already lost 30 lbs. doing what you're doing now, and you're just on a short plateau, don't change anything. You may just be retaining water or solids for some reason. Your new diet might be a reason: if you're eating the same number of calories, but more veggies and legumes, you're consuming more water and solids with each meal. Until your digestive system gets accustomed to the new diet, you'll retain some of that.
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    what is your bmr?

    I have had quite a bit of success losing weight and I never created a deficit of more than about 500 calories a day and I always eat back my cardio calories. If you are exercising, you need to be eating.

    However, I am guessing that 1200 calories is too low for you.

    I'm 5'2, and currently weigh 144. My BMR is 1445.9. My goal weight is 125. I have lost inches and I've lost over 30 pounds already. [Had a baby last year]

    Mondays I run, and have leg day
    tuesdays I do insanity and arms/chest
    wednesdays i run, and do some leg workouts
    thursdays i do a dvd [insanity or jillian michaels]
    and it goes on from there.
    But on sundays I rest.

    I started eating clean a few weeks ago, or as clean as I can. and I also started taking protein shakes.

    Coming up with meal plans to follow is really hard as well.

    Wow, that is a lot of activity for 1200 calories to support. Since your BMR is 1446, you are already eating too little before the exercise. In case you aren't aware, your BMR is how many calories you would need for your organs to function if you were in a coma. If you were sedentary, you would need somewhere around 1735 calories just to maintain your weight. Considering you have a pretty active exercise regimen, you would need even more than that to maintain.

    How quickly are you losing weight so far?

    Its taken me a year and a few months to lose what I have. My weight hasn't changed but a pound here or there in a few months.
    So I should aim for 1430-1500 a day? And would I eat back what I work off?

    I'm new to all of the eating back, and counting calories thing. I've lost weight in the past before, but I went about it in not the right ways.
  • rmtuesley
    rmtuesley Posts: 39 Member
    Is it really at a standstill, or just super S...l...o...w..? I am 5'3, 149 pounds and an losing at an average of .5 pounds a week. My body is definitely reshaping. I can go a couple of weeks an not lose, and then lose a pound. If I wasn't tracking closely I would probably have gotten frustrated and quit by now. But since I can see it going down over time I keep at it. You could just be at a point where you wont lose as fast, but you are still losing. I eat my TDEE minus about 15%- 20%. The good news is I am getting there, while I am watching others gain and re lose the same 20 pounds. I am not having trouble keeping it off. Oh, and it did seem harder to lose the weight after each baby I had :)
  • rmtuesley
    rmtuesley Posts: 39 Member
    I would think you should try eating your BMR and eat back your exercise calories. I prefer to figure my TDEE, but either way works. Just decide which way you like best. I actually broke though I plateau when I started eating TDEE minus 15 or 20%. I eat between 1800 and 1900 a day now, work out 6 days a week.
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    Is it really at a standstill, or just super S...l...o...w..? I am 5'3, 149 pounds and an losing at an average of .5 pounds a week. My body is definitely reshaping. I can go a couple of weeks an not lose, and then lose a pound. If I wasn't tracking closely I would probably have gotten frustrated and quit by now. But since I can see it going down over time I keep at it. You could just be at a point where you wont lose as fast, but you are still losing. I eat my TDEE minus about 15%- 20%. The good news is I am getting there, while I am watching others gain and re lose the same 20 pounds. I am not having trouble keeping it off. Oh, and it did seem harder to lose the weight after each baby I had :)

    I'm not exactly sure if its at a standstill or just slow. I just know its not going very far ever. Some days I weigh 142 some days I weigh 145.

    This is my third child. I've never had this much trouble losing the weight before, so yeah, you are right.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    If you target 1430-1500 and eat back exercise calories, you should be good to go. Additionally, I would probably take 1 week off and eat at your true maintenance calories (it will probably be somewhere over 2000 calories a day based on your exercise) to get your body back to normal.

    Just for the record, I would expect a slight weight increase for a couple of weeks before you start seeing it decrease again. What has happened is that you have been eating a very low calorie diet for 7 months and losing weight, but your body has managed to adapt to an extent to slow you down. At this point, to continue losing weight, you have 2 options: 1) eat even less than you are now - your body can't STOP weight loss, but can slow it so eating less you increase your weight loss. Or, 2) eat more so your body speeds back up and loses weight at a regular pace.

    I'd suggest option 2 since option 1 isn't all that healthy! =]
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    I've also been lifting weights. [nothing over 10 pounds for now] not sure if that has anything to do with anything
  • kellijauch
    kellijauch Posts: 379 Member
    I do Not eat back exercise calories. If you do, you will just maintain. If you want to lose, you have to have a defecit.
  • diannetrim
    diannetrim Posts: 14 Member
    If you target 1430-1500 and eat back exercise calories, you should be good to go. Additionally, I would probably take 1 week off and eat at your true maintenance calories (it will probably be somewhere over 2000 calories a day based on your exercise) to get your body back to normal.

    Just for the record, I would expect a slight weight increase for a couple of weeks before you start seeing it decrease again. What has happened is that you have been eating a very low calorie diet for 7 months and losing weight, but your body has managed to adapt to an extent to slow you down. At this point, to continue losing weight, you have 2 options: 1) eat even less than you are now - your body can't STOP weight loss, but can slow it so eating less you increase your weight loss. Or, 2) eat more so your body speeds back up and loses weight at a regular pace.

    I'd suggest option 2 since option 1 isn't all that healthy! =]

    Thank you for your help! Its very much appreciated!

    Since I switched it I am many calories under my limit. [Changed it to 1430] So I'm trying to figure out what all to eat for the day... That just seems like sooo much food. Not sure if I can eat that much hahahaha.
  • kellijauch
    kellijauch Posts: 379 Member
    It could be that you are losing fat and gaining muscle (jsut saw the thing about lifting), so that could cancel out any loss because of gaining lean muscle. That's okay though, because you'll still lose inches. Don't focus on the scale. Focus on how you look in the mirror and how you feel.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    I do Not eat back exercise calories. If you do, you will just maintain. If you want to lose, you have to have a defecit.

    If you set up mfp correctly, the deficit is built in... I eat back 100% of my exercise calories.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I do Not eat back exercise calories. If you do, you will just maintain. If you want to lose, you have to have a defecit.

    MFP already has a deficit built in, so you need to eat exercise calories back.

    My deficit before working out is set at 365, if I burn 400 calories (like I came close to today) from exercise and don't eat them back, I'm now at a 765 calorie deficit. If I eat the calories back, I maintain my deficit of 365 calories and lose weight at a healthy rate.

Categories