Am I eating too little calories?

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clactongirl2002
clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing insanity and other fitness DVDs but not been sure of how many calories I've burned so I've estimated at 60 calories each time. However some days I'm not reaching my 1800 calorie goal and I've noticed that even though I lost 9lbs in my first week, my second week I've not lost anything. If I exercise do I need to eat more calories? Just needing some guidance so I don't screw this up.im currently stuck at 243lbs.

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  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Well how long is the workout?

    60 cals sounds way under-estimated .
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,365 Member
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    Your food diary does indicate you are undereating, sometimes by as much as 400 to 500 cals.

    Generally a lot of the first weight loss is water...but 9lb is probably quite a bit to lose in the first week..but if you were retaining fluid this could account for the extra big loss but the undereating probably has a bit to do with it too.
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    It's for around 25 minutes but I have to rest in between. I under estimated because I didn't want to give myself too many extra calories. I've ordered a heart rate monitor though so I can work out what calories I burn better. So I should be striving to eat 1800 calories and Do I stick to that even when I exercise?
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Have you worked out your BMR ? TDEE?

    25 mins will burn atleast double the amount of calories you are estimating
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    Okay gonna sound stupid what is TDEE?
  • mimieon
    mimieon Posts: 182 Member
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    If you exercise you want to also eat those calories. So if your mfp goal is 1800, and you exercise away 100, you should be eating 1900.

    It is probably also a good idea to calculate bmr (basic metabolic rate) and tdee (total daily energy expenditure), to see how that levels with your mfp goals.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • snowmaniac
    snowmaniac Posts: 600 Member
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    Maybe I am remembering incorrectly, but doesn't Insanity come with a nutrition guide which has a walkthrough on how to determine how many calories you should be eating while doing the program? I remember P90X does and I thought Insanity did as well.

    Here is a pdf versoin of the nutrition guide and it does guide you on calculating your caloric needs.
    http://www.teamunify.com/cast/__doc__/Insanity Nutrition Guide.pdf

    Btw, this calculation takes the exercise into account by recommending you use moderately active or very active. If you have a basically sedentary lifestyle outside of this program, try moderately active and see how it goes.
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    According to that site it says my TDEE is 2573
  • mimieon
    mimieon Posts: 182 Member
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    This may be interesting for you as well:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    Maybe I am remembering incorrectly, but doesn't Insanity come with a nutrition guide which has a walkthrough on how to determine how many calories you should be eating while doing the program? I remember P90X does and I thought Insanity did as well.

    Here is a pdf versoin of the nutrition guide and it does guide you on calculating your caloric needs.
    http://www.teamunify.com/cast/__doc__/Insanity Nutrition Guide.pdf

    I have borrowed insanity from a friend so didn't get any nutritional info or anything will check that out though
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    So my TDEE is 2573 calories that I burn so how do I work that out when it comes to what I should eat?
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    So my TDEE is 2573 calories that I burn so how do I work that out when it comes to what I should eat?

    So according to the TDEE , you need 2573calz a day to maintain your current weight . 2000calz should result in a 1 pound fat loss per week because 3500cals= 1pound fat

    You need to experiment and eat at 2000cals for around 10-14 days and monitor weight changes . If weight drops at around 1lb a week , we have a good deficit . if it stagnates , means your TDEE is lower than stated . If your weight drops too much , your TDEE is actually higher than stated . So its important you experiment and monitor if you want results.

    Protein : Min 0.8g - 1g per pound lean bodyweight
    Fats : Min 0.4g per pound lean bodyweight
    Carbs : The remainder of calories
  • clactongirl2002
    clactongirl2002 Posts: 21
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    So I'm actually eating too little calories then? I'll give that a go and see how I get on. Thanks for the advice.
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    So I'm actually eating too little calories then? I'll give that a go and see how I get on. Thanks for the advice.

    Yes you are most definitely not eating enough . A 9lb weight loss in 1 week and extreme hunger isn't the way to go . I sent you a FR . will help you

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