Over on calories but nutritionally better.... Advice?

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  • staplebug
    staplebug Posts: 189
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    dude. 20 calories is 2 extra minutes of medium-high intensity exercise. But be sure you are not underestimating the rest of your foods for the day. If your 20 extra calories is actually 100, then you may have trouble taking it off as fast as you like.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    The extra 20 calories over you ate won't make you gain weight. But just because all your calories came from nutritious sources doesn't mean you'll lose weight, either. You'll stick around the same weight.

    Actually, you'll probably still gain weight because you can bet your patootie that you're overestimating your calories burned during exercise by more than just 50. It's not your fault, there's just no truly accurate way to judge so all the estimates given to you are just going to be wrong. A better solution is to assume half of what you're told.
  • spookiefox
    spookiefox Posts: 215 Member
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    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?

    Because 1200 calories is a deficit for virtually everyone. A bigger deficit is not necessarily better. It may be "impeding your goals" but your goals may not be reasonable either.
  • alishacupcake
    alishacupcake Posts: 419 Member
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    Another thing, I'm reading about calories and all the stuff I read says eat 1200 calories and move. Doesn't say to eat the calories back.... I know this is a thing on MFP and its recommended to eat back calories but could that be impeding my goals? My mother says yes, the articles say so.... Why is MFP made to eat them back?

    Because 1200 calories is a deficit for virtually everyone. A bigger deficit is not necessarily better. It may be "impeding your goals" but your goals may not be reasonable either.

    +1
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Depends. How much is your goal of 1800 less than your TDEE?
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    Think of the calorie goal like a game of horseshoes, not a race finish line. You want to end up pretty close - but 20 calories over or under...you're probably getting more variation just due to estimation / nutrition label error here.

    Don't sweat 20 calories!
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
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    Depends. How much is your goal of 1800 less than your TDEE?

    MFP says 1200 is my daily but I walk almost 8 miles daily....like 7.8 miles daily so when I log it it gives me a huge deficit to fill in. When I asked before, ppl onMFP said eat the calories you workout back....so I did....

    None if us on this site is perfect so I get the underestimating over estimating issues, but I weigh, measure, and track very accurately. I plug in what's on the label and that is how I get my numbers. As far as the exercise, why is everyone beating me down lol...I walk at a 4.0 mph pace with a 30lb toddler in a stroller for 7.8 miles five days a week. I plug it in to all kinds of calculators and my pedometer /hr monitor give me a range of 650-700. So I log in 600 calories..I've just started in August for my fifteenth attempt in six years and yes I want it gone fast but reality has finally hit and I realize it will take time to get this off. Anyways, I'm here for support hoping ppl who have succeeded can guide me.

    About follow thru....yes I have a problem with it like thousands of MFP users do, but I'm still learning and still trying to get it done.... So here I am asking for advice..... Thank you...
  • tmt2003
    tmt2003 Posts: 176 Member
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    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa

    This.

    Everything here. also- is there any particular reason you are walking 7+ miles a day? You might benfit more from 3-4 miles of alternating jogging/walking... by 7/8 miles- you probably need to up the intensity rather than the distance.. interval jogging would be the first guess.. or make the toddler hold bricks.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
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    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa

    This.

    Everything here. also- is there any particular reason you are walking 7+ miles a day? You might benfit more from 3-4 miles of alternating jogging/walking... by 7/8 miles- you probably need to up the intensity rather than the distance.. interval jogging would be the first guess.. or make the toddler hold bricks.

    I'm basically speed walking following my son to school on his bike while pushing my daughter. Started out as a need cuz the car broke down but now I love it and my kids do too. Just this week my friend and I started trying to jog at intervals but we are just getting a bit at a time to get it going, we are newbies and outta breath after the first minute.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
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    I don't think anyone is beating you up about your exercise (though it may come across like that online) basically just going back to the saying that "people tend to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed".

    The bottom line is creating a calorie deficit. If you are eating too much food to have a calorie deficit you will not lose weight/gain weight. It dosent matter how nutritious the food is. While 20 calories is negligble, over time (due to over/under estimation mentioned above, no matter how careful you are the numbers are all estimates) it may have a bigger impact than you would think.

    my advice is to follow the program you want, but create a sensible deficit that you can sustain for the long term (since last time you tried counting calories you had problems sticking with it - maybe your deficit was too big)

    Good luck-
    Teresa

    Thank you Teresa,

    This is just so frustrating because I figured if I eat a green pepper instead of a pop tart then I'm better off...lol... I only did this onetime before the summer before college, and all I did was stop eating out, only ate homemade foods, didn't stop eating anything in particular, just portion control, and worked out for 30 min 4 times a week. Lost twenty pounds in two months.....

    Now 7years and two kids later I'm 60 lbs over and so down that when I don't see the number budge I give up and totally destroy any progress I did make.
  • Mongognom
    Mongognom Posts: 123
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    And some other day you eat a few calories less then your goal, at the end of the week as long as your not consistently way over your goal it doesn't matter.

    And I assume you're eating at a deficit? Then eating a little over might make you lose weight a little slower, but as long as you stay below your maintain calorie goal then you will lose weight.
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
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    And some other day you eat a few calories less then your goal, at the end of the week as long as your not consistently way over your goal it doesn't matter.

    And I assume you're eating at a deficit? Then eating a little over might make you lose weight a little slower, but as long as you stay below your maintain calorie goal then you will lose weight.
    So I am supposed to leave a deficit right? Like not eat all my calories back after the ones I lost after walking?
  • tmt2003
    tmt2003 Posts: 176 Member
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    Thank you Teresa,

    This is just so frustrating because I figured if I eat a green pepper instead of a pop tart then I'm better off...lol... I only did this onetime before the summer before college, and all I did was stop eating out, only ate homemade foods, didn't stop eating anything in particular, just portion control, and worked out for 30 min 4 times a week. Lost twenty pounds in two months.....

    You lost because you WERE creating a calorie deficit , you just didn't know it ;)

    Yes you are supposed to eat at a deficit. When you set up MFP you plugged in the deficit you wanted (500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound a week, 1000 calorie deficit to lose 2) MFP gave you a daily calorie goal to consume that would allow you to have this deficit daily with food. By adding exercise you burn more calories. You can either consume those burned and still have your 1000 calorie deficit (if you set up yup goals for 2pounds a week loss) or not eat those and have a bigger deficit and (theoretically) lose faster.

    HTH
    Teresa
  • Sasha1417
    Sasha1417 Posts: 59 Member
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    I don't know what your stats are (height, weight) but 1200 might be too low anyway. MFP suggested 1350 for me and after some good advice from people on the boards, I changed it to ~1700 and have lost weight faster. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

    Hi,

    I'm 5'3 and weigh 178 now! When i plugged in my stats it gave me 1200 cals and then I walk so I have been eating the calories back like everyone has said to do. So I'm eating about 1800 daily, isn't that the way to look at it?

    I'm pretty sure the six pounds I've lost these last three days are just water weight, but I'm soooooooo happy. I gained those same six in one weekend for the last five weeks consecutively then I'd lose it during the week, my body is retaining tons of water lately...:-/ Doing the abs diet ( not a diet at all to be honest) has kept my cravings at bay and my hunger pangs down..... The weekend will be the real test.....
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    20 calories is nothing

    ^^^^ this

    the margin of error even when weighing your portion sizes will be more than 20 calories. Personally, I consider hitting my calorie goal to mean being within 100 cals either side of the target. 20 cals isn't even over in my book. Seriously, if you feel full and satisfied and you're 20 cals over, then that sounds like an excellent day.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    I don't know what your stats are (height, weight) but 1200 might be too low anyway. MFP suggested 1350 for me and after some good advice from people on the boards, I changed it to ~1700 and have lost weight faster. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

    Hi,

    I'm 5'3 and weigh 178 now! When i plugged in my stats it gave me 1200 cals and then I walk so I have been eating the calories back like everyone has said to do. So I'm eating about 1800 daily, isn't that the way to look at it?

    I'm pretty sure the six pounds I've lost these last three days are just water weight, but I'm soooooooo happy. I gained those same six in one weekend for the last five weeks consecutively then I'd lose it during the week, my body is retaining tons of water lately...:-/ Doing the abs diet ( not a diet at all to be honest) has kept my cravings at bay and my hunger pangs down..... The weekend will be the real test.....

    First, 20 cals is well within the margin of error for calorie intake and expenditure. We don't know precisely enough how much we burn each day or how much we eat each day for 20 cals to matter.

    Second, MFP sets your goal based on how much you tell it you want to lose per week. Many people enter 2 lbs per week when actually that may be too fast for them (if you don't have a lot to lose, you will lose more slowly). How fast did you say you wanted to lose?

    The exercise cals are added back and should be eaten per MFP's method. The 1200 cal goal is before any exercise so if you are already at a 1000 cal daily deficit to lose 2 lbs per week and then burn another 500 cals, your deficit is now 1500 which is too high for most people. That is why MFP automatically adds exercise cals back to your goal.

    Other programs don't do it this way because they calculate a defcicit that already includes planned exercise, while MFP doesn't give you credit for exercise until you enter it.

    Here is a guide for appropriate rates of loss per week depending on how much you have to lose. Telling MFP you want to lose 1.5 lb per week and then eating back a conservative proportion of your exercise cals should give you good results.

    75+ to lose = 2lbs 
    50-75 to lose = 1.5-2lbs 
    25-50 to lose = 1-1.5lbs 
    15-25 to lose = 1lbs 
    0-15 to lose = 0.5lbs 
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Other programs don't do it this way because they calculate a defcicit that already includes planned exercise, while MFP doesn't give you credit for exercise until you enter it.

    depends on how you set said other program up- I use TDEE- but set it at sedentary and eat back. It's easier for me since my workouts are REALLY really really not uniform... and I do sit at a desk all day.

    you just have to be educated- but yes- other programs do ALLOW to add that exercise input- therefor eliminating that guess work- you just need to know which one you chose to do.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    Other programs don't do it this way because they calculate a defcicit that already includes planned exercise, while MFP doesn't give you credit for exercise until you enter it.

    depends on how you set said other program up- I use TDEE- but set it at sedentary and eat back. It's easier for me since my workouts are REALLY really really not uniform... and I do sit at a desk all day.

    you just have to be educated- but yes- other programs do ALLOW to add that exercise input- therefor eliminating that guess work- you just need to know which one you chose to do.

    Good point, I don't actually know what "other programs" I was referring to, just that the concept of net calories seems to be specific to MFP. :smile:

    I do agree that understanding the basics of it is the most important thing as then you can really do it however works best for you. A lot of people don't care about understanding it, they just want the program to tell them how much to eat. If you set yourself up on MFP properly, you don't really need to understand it, you can just eat the green number.

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