How does this whole getting fit thing actually work?

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

I'll be frank.. I've been fat my entire life.

And, Last week at 267 lbs and 5'2 " I ran across a weightloss journey that really spoke to me.. All I could think was "I want to look like that... I want to be able to run with my kids and not be so tired..."

So I decided I'd eat whatever the hell I wanted, because come the 1st I'm getting a gym membership and I'm changing my life. I was made fun of as a kid... I don't want my kids going through this.

So, I've been working out, 4 days in a row and feel great.. (minus the horrible cold i woke up with today, and I still went and worked out because I'm determined!!!) I've been tracking my calories..

At night, I've had left over calories... (MFP says I can have 1400 a day) and I have a hard time not eating them when I'm not even hungry. The old fat me says "you have calories you can use.. so just go eat some 100 cal snacks"

And I don't understand.. it says I'll lose 2lb a week? Is that JUST if I at those calories, or is that including working out?? I've done 45m of cardio the first day and the 2nd I was working with a trainer and ran out of time on my day care for the Y and he was pretty much just showing me around.. then the last 2 days I did 2 hrs of cardio... Trying to keep myself around 400 cals burned because if I go more than that I feel like I'm dying.

How does exercise translate into lbs burned??

What should I expect to lose each week??

"cheat days" what exactly does that entail anyways?? And is that for fit people working out or fatties like me too?

ladynocturne · October 2013

It's saying you need to eat 1400 calories a day with zero exercise to lose 2lbs per week.

When you exercise, you need to log it the same way to log food in the exercise tab.

You will notice it gives you extra calories to eat, this is a good thing and you should definitely do your best to eat them because a 1000 calorie a day deficit (what you are on to lose 2lbs per week) is really aggressive as it is.

So basically, MFP is saying you maintain your current weight on 2400 calories a day. To lose 2lbs per week you'd need to intake 1000 calories less per day, so that is where it gets the 1400 calories a day from.

Weight loss is not linear, what does that mean? It means that hormones, salt, and other factors can cause the scale to not accurately show weight loss. It doesn't mean you aren't losing fat, it just means that it's being masked by other things. So you might lose 4lbs this week, 1lb next week, nothing the 3rd week, and 2lbs the 4th week, it's not really very predictable, so expect some ups and downs.

Some times for sanity reasons people have a day or two a month (up to you) where they eat up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes more). This doesn't completely "ruin" anything, it might slow your progress down very slightly, but in the long run, it isn't a big deal. Some people don't have cheat days or cheat meals at all. It's really personal preference.

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

It's saying you need to eat 1400 calories a day with zero exercise to lose 2lbs per week.

When you exercise, you need to log it the same way to log food in the exercise tab.

You will notice it gives you extra calories to eat, this is a good thing and you should definitely do your best to eat them because a 1000 calorie a day deficit (what you are on to lose 2lbs per week) is really aggressive as it is.

So basically, MFP is saying you maintain your current weight on 2400 calories a day. To lose 2lbs per week you'd need to intake 1000 calories less per day, so that is where it gets the 1400 calories a day from.

Weight loss is not linear, what does that mean? It means that hormones, salt, and other factors can cause the scale to not accurately show weight loss. It doesn't mean you aren't losing fat, it just means that it's being masked by other things. So you might lose 4lbs this week, 1lb next week, nothing the 3rd week, and 2lbs the 4th week, it's not really very predictable, so expect some ups and downs.

Some times for sanity reasons people have a day or two a month (up to you) where they eat up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes more). This doesn't completely "ruin" anything, it might slow your progress down very slightly, but in the long run, it isn't a big deal. Some people don't have cheat days or cheat meals at all. It's really personal preference.

Strictly eating when I'm hungry, The 1400 cals seems enough. I've actually gone under that every single day.

So, I should be eating what I exercised?? It's not counter productive?

ladynocturne · October 2013

It's saying you need to eat 1400 calories a day with zero exercise to lose 2lbs per week.

When you exercise, you need to log it the same way to log food in the exercise tab.

You will notice it gives you extra calories to eat, this is a good thing and you should definitely do your best to eat them because a 1000 calorie a day deficit (what you are on to lose 2lbs per week) is really aggressive as it is.

So basically, MFP is saying you maintain your current weight on 2400 calories a day. To lose 2lbs per week you'd need to intake 1000 calories less per day, so that is where it gets the 1400 calories a day from.

Weight loss is not linear, what does that mean? It means that hormones, salt, and other factors can cause the scale to not accurately show weight loss. It doesn't mean you aren't losing fat, it just means that it's being masked by other things. So you might lose 4lbs this week, 1lb next week, nothing the 3rd week, and 2lbs the 4th week, it's not really very predictable, so expect some ups and downs.

Some times for sanity reasons people have a day or two a month (up to you) where they eat up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes more). This doesn't completely "ruin" anything, it might slow your progress down very slightly, but in the long run, it isn't a big deal. Some people don't have cheat days or cheat meals at all. It's really personal preference.

Strictly eating when I'm hungry, The 1400 cals seems enough. I've actually gone under that every single day.

So, I should be eating what I exercised?? It's not counter productive?

No quite the opposite. The human body is incredibly complex, when we try to maintain too high of a calorie deficit it floods our body with stress hormones that can cause weight loss to stall. Not only that but our bodies actually need a certain amount of net calories to run, because calories are energy. The brain is the only part of the body that cannot use fat stores, so if you do not give yourself enough calories, your brain will start to convert your lean muscle mass as energy.

Will you lose weight if you eat 1400 calories and don't eat your exercise calories? Yes. But keep in mind that just because the scale is going down doesn't mean it's just fat that's being lost.

The only reason it would be counter productive is if you were eating 2400 calories and exercising off 500 a day to lose 1lb per week. In this scenario, you'd be creating your deficit solely from exercise and none from your diet.

cwolfman13 · October 2013

1) Weight loss is largely about your diet; you cannot out exercise a ****ty diet.

2) Weight loss is all about consuming less calories than you burn. By "burn" I'm not talking about just exercise...the calories you burn during exercise are actually rather insignifcant as compared to the calories your body just burns to keep you alive and then your day to day stuff.

3) You should focus 100% on your diet for weight loss/weight control; and 100% focus on your exercise for fitness

4) This all requires time and patience...especially if you've never been fit before, it will be a long haul...doesn't happen overnight. Don't think in terms of weeks or months...in fact, don't think of time in general. Having a fitness body requires proper nutrition and a "life" dedicated to fitness, not just a few weeks, months, or even years. It's a forever kinda deal.

5) realize that your MFP calorie goal already has a weight loss deficit built in...when you have a lot to lose it is generally ok to leave yourself some leftover calories after exercise, but the leaner you get, the more muscle tissue you will start to burn by creating too large of an energy deficit...when you have a lot of fat stores, your body can generally handle that kind of abuse to an extent.

6) With MFP, you are in fact supposed to eat back exercise calories...that is the way this tool is set up...exercise should NOT be accounted for in your activity level and is thus an extra activity above and beyond your day to day that needs proper fuel. Again, if you have a lot to lose this is not as big of an issue as when you start to lean out and are having big, regular calorie burns from exercise. Be careful with burn estimates...you have to account for estimation error...if it seems "too good to be true" then it probably is. Exercise is actually a really ****ty way to create a calorie deficit...people just don't "burn" what they think they burn. Databases can be horibly off...HRMs are reasonably good for an aerobic event, but still can be as much as 20 - 30% overestimate of actual calorie burn.

7) Your 2 Lb per week goal is if you ate those calories alloted you would theoretically lose 2 Lbs per week. You do not need exercise for weight loss...simply a calorie deficit which, once again, is built into that calorie goal. Weight loss isn't linear though...nobody loses exactly X Lbs per week...you'll hae weeks with good losses...weeks with small losses...weeks where you lose nothing and weeks where you gain due to some water retention/hormones, etc.

8) you have to have patience...focus on the process and being a better you. Focus on being more awesome today than you were yesterday and sleep well in knowing you will be more awesome tomorrow than you are today. Don't focus on some arbitrary finish line...there is no finish line...this is a forever deal.

9) build up your fitness base slowly...you can't go from 0 - 100 and expect anything but burn out and/or injury. Building up a fitness base takes a lot of time and work.

10) I don't believe in "cheat" days. I believe in getting my proper nutrition and hitting my calorie and macro goals. I don't categorize food as "good" or "bad"...food is fuel there are more nutrient dense options and less nutritent dense options. I eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins...and I love Jelly Beans. When I was losing I would on occasion go over my calorie goal, but was almost always still at a deficit or just to maintenance. I don't call that cheating...I've been at this for a year and that term still makes me want to claw my eyes out...it is indicative of having an unhealthy relationship with food.

EvanKeel · October 2013

It's saying you need to eat 1400 calories a day with zero exercise to lose 2lbs per week.

When you exercise, you need to log it the same way to log food in the exercise tab.

You will notice it gives you extra calories to eat, this is a good thing and you should definitely do your best to eat them because a 1000 calorie a day deficit (what you are on to lose 2lbs per week) is really aggressive as it is.

So basically, MFP is saying you maintain your current weight on 2400 calories a day. To lose 2lbs per week you'd need to intake 1000 calories less per day, so that is where it gets the 1400 calories a day from.

Weight loss is not linear, what does that mean? It means that hormones, salt, and other factors can cause the scale to not accurately show weight loss. It doesn't mean you aren't losing fat, it just means that it's being masked by other things. So you might lose 4lbs this week, 1lb next week, nothing the 3rd week, and 2lbs the 4th week, it's not really very predictable, so expect some ups and downs.

Some times for sanity reasons people have a day or two a month (up to you) where they eat up to their maintenance calories (or sometimes more). This doesn't completely "ruin" anything, it might slow your progress down very slightly, but in the long run, it isn't a big deal. Some people don't have cheat days or cheat meals at all. It's really personal preference.

Strictly eating when I'm hungry, The 1400 cals seems enough. I've actually gone under that every single day.

So, I should be eating what I exercised?? It's not counter productive?

The idea is that when you set your goals, you entered your activity level without taking extra exercise into consideration. The site takes that information and calculates a goal based on how big of a deficit you want. The number you see includes a deficit. So, any extra exercise you log allows you to eat more calories while maintaining a deficit.

Here's the kicker: logging exercise can be a bit tricky. It can be very easy to log more than burned b/c it's generally kind of difficult to guess, even if you're equipment that gives that information.

So it's a balancing act. On one hand you want to make sure that you're giving your body enough nutrients to fuel and recover from your work outs. On the other you don't want to over estimate the caloric burn.

Try eating back half of your exercise calories, assuming you didn't factor in your exercise into your general activity level when setting your goals.

CJ_Holmes · October 2013

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to you for making such a big decision and commitment to changing your life! I love your attitude!

The way MFP works is it gives you a calorie budget based on the calories you need just to stay alive and get your daily tasks done, MINUS 1000 calories if you are trying to lose 2 pounds a week. So if you did nothing and ate 1400 calories, you should lose 2 pounds per week. As your body gets smaller, that number will readjust.

When you exercise, you have to add more calories to the budget, or you get into a place where you are eating too little. It may not affect you in the short term, but from a lot of info out there, it could in the long term cause you to have a really hard time keeping the weight off, along with other health problems.

As far as "cheat days" it seems to be highly personal. I hate the word, because I don't like it to sound "sneaky" or "wrong." I try to look at the calories for the whole week, and one or more days may include chocolate and lots of cheese and wine. Some people have problems with binging, others don't. Some people need a strict regimen, other don't.

My best advice is to just log everything, every day. Log if you eat a whole pint of ice cream, log if you eat a perfect day, log if you're embarrassed, log if you don't feel like it. That's how you will learn what is working and what isn't. You'll see your patterns and your progress. For me, logging makes me feel like I have information and control.

Good luck on your journey!!!! You can do this!

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

1) Weight loss is largely about your diet; you cannot out exercise a ****ty diet.

2) Weight loss is all about consuming less calories than you burn. By "burn" I'm not talking about just exercise...the calories you burn during exercise are actually rather insignifcant as compared to the calories your body just burns to keep you alive and then your day to day stuff.

3) You should focus 100% on your diet for weight loss/weight control; and 100% focus on your exercise for fitness

4) This all requires time and patience...especially if you've never been fit before, it will be a long haul...doesn't happen overnight. Don't think in terms of weeks or months...in fact, don't think of time in general. Having a fitness body requires proper nutrition and a "life" dedicated to fitness, not just a few weeks, months, or even years. It's a forever kinda deal.

5) realize that your MFP calorie goal already has a weight loss deficit built in...when you have a lot to lose it is generally ok to leave yourself some leftover calories after exercise, but the leaner you get, the more muscle tissue you will start to burn by creating too large of an energy deficit...when you have a lot of fat stores, your body can generally handle that kind of abuse to an extent.

6) With MFP, you are in fact supposed to eat back exercise calories...that is the way this tool is set up...exercise should NOT be accounted for in your activity level and is thus an extra activity above and beyond your day to day that needs proper fuel. Again, if you have a lot to lose this is not as big of an issue as when you start to lean out and are having big, regular calorie burns from exercise. Be careful with burn estimates...you have to account for estimation error...if it seems "too good to be true" then it probably is. Exercise is actually a really ****ty way to create a calorie deficit...people just don't "burn" what they think they burn. Databases can be horibly off...HRMs are reasonably good for an aerobic event, but still can be as much as 20 - 30% overestimate of actual calorie burn.

7) Your 2 Lb per week goal is if you ate those calories alloted you would theoretically lose 2 Lbs per week. You do not need exercise for weight loss...simply a calorie deficit which, once again, is built into that calorie goal. Weight loss isn't linear though...nobody loses exactly X Lbs per week...you'll hae weeks with good losses...weeks with small losses...weeks where you lose nothing and weeks where you gain due to some water retention/hormones, etc.

8) you have to have patience...focus on the process and being a better you. Focus on being more awesome today than you were yesterday and sleep well in knowing you will be more awesome tomorrow than you are today. Don't focus on some arbitrary finish line...there is no finish line...this is a forever deal.

9) build up your fitness base slowly...you can't go from 0 - 100 and expect anything but burn out and/or injury. Building up a fitness base takes a lot of time and work.

10) I don't believe in "cheat" days. I believe in getting my proper nutrition and hitting my calorie and macro goals. I don't categorize food as "good" or "bad"...food is fuel there are more nutrient dense options and less nutritent dense options. I eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins...and I love Jelly Beans. When I was losing I would on occasion go over my calorie goal, but was almost always still at a deficit or just to maintenance. I don't call that cheating...I've been at this for a year and that term still makes me want to claw my eyes out...it is indicative of having an unhealthy relationship with food.

Thank you , This was all very helpful!!! I am like 140 lbs overweight.. And right now my goal is to lose 100lbs. I've got a lot of extra weight to lose.

JustJennie13 · October 2013

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1111190-it-s-not-a-diet-it-s-a-lifestyle

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to you for making such a big decision and commitment to changing your life! I love your attitude!

The way MFP works is it gives you a calorie budget based on the calories you need just to stay alive and get your daily tasks done, MINUS 1000 calories if you are trying to lose 2 pounds a week. So if you did nothing and ate 1400 calories, you should lose 2 pounds per week. As your body gets smaller, that number will readjust.

When you exercise, you have to add more calories to the budget, or you get into a place where you are eating too little. It may not affect you in the short term, but from a lot of info out there, it could in the long term cause you to have a really hard time keeping the weight off, along with other health problems.

As far as "cheat days" it seems to be highly personal. I hate the word, because I don't like it to sound "sneaky" or "wrong." I try to look at the calories for the whole week, and one or more days may include chocolate and lots of cheese and wine. Some people have problems with binging, others don't. Some people need a strict regimen, other don't.

My best advice is to just log everything, every day. Log if you eat a whole pint of ice cream, log if you eat a perfect day, log if you're embarrassed, log if you don't feel like it. That's how you will learn what is working and what isn't. You'll see your patterns and your progress. For me, logging makes me feel like I have information and control.

Good luck on your journey!!!! You can do this!

Right now I'm to scared to have anything *unhealthy*. I feel like if I eat any "bad" foods then I'll just fail.. I need to lose at least 100lb to be healthy.

heybales · October 2013

And don't trust your hunger.

Trust your brain. So now that you understand the concepts, follow them to your body's better benefit.

There are all kinds of reasons you may not feel hungry, but that doesn't mean your body is fully fed.

If you want exercise at decent amount tomorrow, it's better to have some food post workout to help that happen better.

Your hormones can get so screwed up taking too big a deficit, you'll stop feeling hungry - that's not good.

Except the fact that normally it comes on slow, it's going off slow.

And also realize people don't see a scale tied to your back with the weight on it (at least I hope you don't wear one), but they see you.
So inches can be more important than scale weight.

Because just starting to exercise, you are asking your body to make improvements - and that rarely has weight loss as an effect.
But you'll still drop fat inches before scale weight possibly.

BabyNurseJen · October 2013

You don't need to lose 100 lbs to be healthy. You need to lose 100 lbs to be at what is considered a healthy weight. Through a good diet and exercise, you'll probably reach healthy quite a bit before that. Obesity predisposes us to a lot of issues, but the idea that health only comes in certain sizes is ridiculous. I'm 225 lbs. I'm fat. I'm not unhealthy.

OK, now that I have that off my chest (sorry for the rant!), try not to deprive yourself. As long as you track everything you eat and stay within your calories, you can have the occasional treat. You decide how often occasionally is for you. Some people have ice cream every single day and lose weight. They can do that because they plan it.

Also, with the gym, just be sure you don't overdo it at the beginning. 4 days in a row is great, but if you end up hurting yourself, you'll do more damage than good. Take at least one day a week off.

LiftAllThePizzas · October 2013

A couple of tips:

1- don't get caught up in the mentality that there are 'good' and 'bad' foods and that you can only be successful eating only "good" foods. Learn how much of the things you like will fit into your calorie budget and continue to enjoy eating tasty foods as well as getting good nutrition.

2- don't think of exercise as a way to lose weight, but as a way to improve your fitness level. When people do the former, they get caught in the trap of "what's the point of exercising to burn off X calories if I just eat them all back?" The point is not burning calories, the point is that your body responds by becoming more and more capable of doing fun and energetic things, and that is the real benefit of exercise.

3- don't be afraid of heavy lifting or resistance/strength training. It is not just for men. See this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1045433-women-lifting-heavy-with-pics

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

A couple of tips:

1- don't get caught up in the mentality that there are 'good' and 'bad' foods and that you can only be successful eating only "good" foods. Learn how much of the things you like will fit into your calorie budget and continue to enjoy eating tasty foods as well as getting good nutrition.

2- don't think of exercise as a way to lose weight, but as a way to improve your fitness level. When people do the former, they get caught in the trap of "what's the point of exercising to burn off X calories if I just eat them all back?" The point is not burning calories, the point is that your body responds by becoming more and more capable of doing fun and energetic things, and that is the real benefit of exercise.

3- don't be afraid of heavy lifting or resistance/strength training. It is not just for men. See this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1045433-women-lifting-heavy-with-pics

I actually want ot lift weights and my trainer is going ot have me lifting every 3 days. We're just waiting till I get used to my cardio and he's teaching me all the weight stuff on Monday.

LurveTheDoctor · October 2013

You don't need to lose 100 lbs to be healthy. You need to lose 100 lbs to be at what is considered a healthy weight. Through a good diet and exercise, you'll probably reach healthy quite a bit before that. Obesity predisposes us to a lot of issues, but the idea that health only comes in certain sizes is ridiculous. I'm 225 lbs. I'm fat. I'm not unhealthy.

OK, now that I have that off my chest (sorry for the rant!), try not to deprive yourself. As long as you track everything you eat and stay within your calories, you can have the occasional treat. You decide how often occasionally is for you. Some people have ice cream every single day and lose weight. They can do that because they plan it.

Also, with the gym, just be sure you don't overdo it at the beginning. 4 days in a row is great, but if you end up hurting yourself, you'll do more damage than good. Take at least one day a week off.

Just bc my DR says theres nothing wrong w/ me and I have perfect BP and all that doesnt mean I'm healthy. I'll be healthy when I can go out to get the mail and my heart rate doesn't raise..

SezxyStef · October 2013

I so agree with other posters about making food "good" or "bad"....try not to do that.

Eat your calories and if you really want dairy queen chicken fingers have them, I just did...mind you I paired it with a salad...:happy:

it's great you are starting to lift weights it's great.

Exercise makes you feel good and it's a good way to lose weight but that being said....it's not always gonna be the answer...trust I've been down this road...lost a lot of weight doing cardio but couldn't maintain it...exercise because you love it...that's what I am doing this time...lifting heavy things.

And congrats on your decision and asking all the questions. Good luck to you and your journey.

asilman · October 2013

I agree with lots of the posts ... except that depending on your personality, "cheat days" may need to enter your future at some point. I'm really a terrible eater when it comes to junk food: I can't just have one piece of chocolate. So I have 3 cheat days a month so that I can enjoy the taste of junk food. And after a week of eating 1000 calories a day, I can't eat as much junk on my day off anyway!

And good on you for making this choice! I've got a family history of obesity ... my mother is still quite overweight but 2 years ago made the decision to begin exercising. Her eating is still a work in progress, but her body is in better shape now than it has been in probably a decade. I'm only about 25-30 pounds overweight, and have only been overweight for about 5 years. But it's really hard to get rid of the weight and keep it off! So ... encouraging words to you! Good luck!

LiftAllThePizzas · October 2013

A couple of tips:

1- don't get caught up in the mentality that there are 'good' and 'bad' foods and that you can only be successful eating only "good" foods. Learn how much of the things you like will fit into your calorie budget and continue to enjoy eating tasty foods as well as getting good nutrition.

2- don't think of exercise as a way to lose weight, but as a way to improve your fitness level. When people do the former, they get caught in the trap of "what's the point of exercising to burn off X calories if I just eat them all back?" The point is not burning calories, the point is that your body responds by becoming more and more capable of doing fun and energetic things, and that is the real benefit of exercise.

3- don't be afraid of heavy lifting or resistance/strength training. It is not just for men. See this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1045433-women-lifting-heavy-with-pics

I actually want ot lift weights and my trainer is going ot have me lifting every 3 days. We're just waiting till I get used to my cardio and he's teaching me all the weight stuff on Monday.

Sounds like you're going to do great. Here's another one that's fun to look through: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1102508-mfp-fitspiration

How does this whole getting fit thing actually work?

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