I think I am working out too much

tj_17
tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! Some useful information about my diet & exercise routine:
I'm 5' 1.5", I weigh 190.5 pounds & my goal weight is to be at 122-125 pounds. I'd like to lose 8-10 pounds a month. I'm 20 years old & I began to gain weight when I was 18.
I've had MyFitnessPal for about a year (if not more) & I've constantly ignored coming here because I've always given up on my goals. I'm here now though & I've been exercising for this entire month; exercising & eating better is now a habit of mine(: My BMR is 1683. I began at 195 pounds & I was down to 189.5, but unfortunately I binged this weekend & now I'm back to 190.5 pounds.
Now, I have some exercising videos (cheesy, I know, but I can't go to the gym unfortunately) & these videos have aerobic exercises. One is of Richard Simmons (just when you thought it couldn't get cheesier) & it's about 35 minutes long with 17 minutes being low impact aerobics & 18 being high impact aerobics. I have another video that has 17 minutes of low impact aerobics. I do them both daily; Richard Simmons twice (70 minutes) & the other video twice as well (34 minutes) . I also go on a daily 30 minute walk at a speed of 3.0 mph. Altogether, I am burning 999 calories (according to MyFitnessPal) & I my daily intake goal is 1,200 calories. I've gone over my calories multiple times, & have gone under multiple times.
Along with my 10 pounds a month goal, I was also thinking about adding a more rigorous exercise after each 10-15 pounds lost (ie: walking upgraded to jogging, jogging to running, etc.) so I don't plateau as much; what do you think about this?
I'd like to have some useful information on these topics; it would be greatly appreciated! :smile:
On a more personal note, I think I try to do so much because I feel like these videos won't work (which I KNOW obviously do, since I see results). I feel like now that my eating habits are better I am getting more positive. Thank you for taking the time to read this! :flowerforyou:
I am ignorant on many topics so please forgive me if the answers should be common knowledge. I'm just trying to do the best I can, & I certainly would not like my rigorous exercising to backfire! Again, thank you for understanding! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Dee_84
    Dee_84 Posts: 431 Member
    You should not eat under your BMR.
    So your minimum intake should be 1683 calories and then eat back some of your exercise calories.
    Binging happens when you undereat for a longer time and your body gets back what it missed out on.
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    Okay! :smile: Thank you very much for that useful information!!(:
  • cherio256
    cherio256 Posts: 219
    I eat 1200 calories plus eat back exercise calories and have lost 35 pounds in 3 months. Just eat back those calories and you will do good.
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    I guarantee you didn't burn 999 calories doing your exercises. MFP's exercise estimates are usually over inflated. Rather than trying to stay with 1200, eat at a cut from your TDEE. you have more to lose so you can cut 20% to 27%. Or, set your calories goal as your BMR, and eat an extra 100-300 calories on days you work out. You don't need to be working out 70+ minutes. Find an effective 30-60 minute video that gets your heart rate up. Walk if you enjoy it, but at 3mph i wouldn't really consider it "working out." I'm on my phone so i apologize in advance for any typos.
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    I eat 1200 calories plus eat back exercise calories and have lost 35 pounds in 3 months. Just eat back those calories and you will do good.

    So however many calories I burn by exercise I have to eat back?(: Or just some?
  • usmc01462
    usmc01462 Posts: 1,944 Member
    Ok, ease up on the cardio and work on your diet. If you really want to lose the weight then you need to work on what your eating. I cut out all meats, dairy, and most carbs. My diet is pretty much veggies and some fruits. I have also been a personal trainer for over 20 years. The trick to dieting is first cut out all the junk food and start eating what your body is suppose to be taking in. Im not gonna go into the why's we shouldn't be eating meats and so on.. If you want to see if this really works For one week do nothing but veggies and fruit and watch how much weight you lose. Then research it or research it while doing it.

    As far as Cardio if you starting a diet be that I mean cleaning up your meals to more healthy style your going to lose lots of weight. once you start slowing down on the weight loss then you would add in your cardio..Such as walking set a normal pace as you start losing more weight again continue at that pace and increase speed or distance i think incline works the best
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    I guarantee you didn't burn 999 calories doing your exercises. MFP's exercise estimates are usually over inflated. Rather than trying to stay with 1200, eat at a cut from your TDEE. you have more to lose so you can cut 20% to 27%. Or, set your calories goal as your BMR, and eat an extra 100-300 calories on days you work out. You don't need to be working out 70+ minutes. Find an effective 30-60 minute video that gets your heart rate up. Walk if you enjoy it, but at 3mph i wouldn't really consider it "working out." I'm on my phone so i apologize in advance for any typos.

    Okay, for sure! :smile: Thank you for your detailed reply! :bigsmile:
  • Long_Road
    Long_Road Posts: 14
    Bump
  • janebshaw
    janebshaw Posts: 168
    Make sure you take a few rest days every week when you only do light exercise so your muscles will have time to heal.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    MFP tends to over estimate the calorie burns. I recommend only eating 80% of the exercise calories unless you have some sort of tracker that monitors exactly what you do. But yes, in a nut shell, you should be eating your exercise calories. Lastly, your diet is the most important. No matter how much you exercise, if you aren't great with your diet, it wont matter.
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    Ok, ease up on the cardio and work on your diet. If you really want to lose the weight then you need to work on what your eating. I cut out all meats, dairy, and most carbs. My diet is pretty much veggies and some fruits. I have also been a personal trainer for over 20 years. The trick to dieting is first cut out all the junk food and start eating what your body is suppose to be taking in. Im not gonna go into the why's we shouldn't be eating meats and so on.. If you want to see if this really works For one week do nothing but veggies and fruit and watch how much weight you lose. Then research it or research it while doing it.

    As far as Cardio if you starting a diet be that I mean cleaning up your meals to more healthy style your going to lose lots of weight. once you start slowing down on the weight loss then you would add in your cardio..Such as walking set a normal pace as you start losing more weight again continue at that pace and increase speed or distance i think incline works the best

    I already don't eat much red meat or milk so that's a start(: I will definitely research on the topic; as for my cardio, how much time is a good time? Thank you for your very detailed answer, I appreciate it! :smile:
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    MFP tends to over estimate the calorie burns. I recommend only eating 80% of the exercise calories unless you have some sort of tracker that monitors exactly what you do. But yes, in a nut shell, you should be eating your exercise calories. Lastly, your diet is the most important. No matter how much you exercise, if you aren't great with your diet, it wont matter.

    I think I am going to do that!(: & yes, unfortunately I learned the hard way but now I know! :bigsmile: Thank you for your suggestion! :smile:
  • usmc01462
    usmc01462 Posts: 1,944 Member
    I would start off at a mile or two. I would ge the diet down...Try it for one week..No chicken,fish, nothing..Just fruits and veggies. Try and do you fruit during the day due to the sugar (natural) and do you veggies from mid day and on. if you need help just send me a message I will help you on this.
  • Adw7677
    Adw7677 Posts: 201 Member
    The most important thing: Do what works FOR YOU, not what everyone here says. We're all different.

    Having said that.... 1200 is likely not enough calories for you. My "sweet spot" is around 1400-1600. If I eat back ANY of my exercise calories, I gain weight. PERIOD. If I walk/jog 6 miles, burning 1500 extra calories, and my total for the day is 2000 calories - I'll gain at least a pound. But that's just me.

    People will tell you "it's simple, just burn more than you take in." Again, that doesn't apply to a lot of people. You have to find what works for you. If what you're doing now doesn't work, I would try stepping it up by 200-calorie increments until you find what works (and don't worry about eating back exercise calories.)
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Ok, ease up on the cardio and work on your diet. If you really want to lose the weight then you need to work on what your eating. I cut out all meats, dairy, and most carbs. My diet is pretty much veggies and some fruits. I have also been a personal trainer for over 20 years. The trick to dieting is first cut out all the junk food and start eating what your body is suppose to be taking in. Im not gonna go into the why's we shouldn't be eating meats and so on.. If you want to see if this really works For one week do nothing but veggies and fruit and watch how much weight you lose. Then research it or research it while doing it.

    As far as Cardio if you starting a diet be that I mean cleaning up your meals to more healthy style your going to lose lots of weight. once you start slowing down on the weight loss then you would add in your cardio..Such as walking set a normal pace as you start losing more weight again continue at that pace and increase speed or distance i think incline works the best

    How are you so big(muscle) by just eating veggies and fruits? where does your protein come from?
  • tj_17
    tj_17 Posts: 15 Member
    The most important thing: Do what works FOR YOU, not what everyone here says. We're all different.

    Having said that.... 1200 is likely not enough calories for you. My "sweet spot" is around 1400-1600. If I eat back ANY of my exercise calories, I gain weight. PERIOD. If I walk/jog 6 miles, burning 1500 extra calories, and my total for the day is 2000 calories - I'll gain at least a pound. But that's just me.

    People will tell you "it's simple, just burn more than you take in." Again, that doesn't apply to a lot of people. You have to find what works for you. If what you're doing now doesn't work, I would try stepping it up by 200-calorie increments until you find what works (and don't worry about eating back exercise calories.)

    Thank you very much!! I find your response the most understanding & open & yet informative! :flowerforyou:
  • cherio256
    cherio256 Posts: 219
    I agree about MFP overestimating calories burned. I would rather show that I burned 150 calories and eat those back even if I did burn a little more. I never count cleaning or my daily activities as exercise, that's just more calories burned. It works good for me. I agree also that you have to find what works for you. Not just for now, as a lifestyle change. You have to be able to keep doing it.

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