eating back calories?

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momtoeric
momtoeric Posts: 33 Member
in Getting Started
What exactly does that mean? I've been eating under 1200 calories and burning 500 or so at gym...no weight loss at all in three weeks!, getting discouraged

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  • Will32283
    Will32283 Posts: 1,361 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    What exactly does that mean? I've been eating under 1200 calories and burning 500 or so at gym...no weight loss at all in three weeks!, getting discouraged

    So you're netting 700 calories a day and not losing any weight?
  • Foltz
    Foltz Posts: 10 Member
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    Eating back calories is when you're slated for 1200, you burn off 500, and then you eat it all back (cause it's like.. bonus right?). My wife ran at 1200 Calories and had no loss with exercise, we bumped up her Calories some using another formula for how many calories she should have and she started losing weight again. Check out Scooby's post for an adjusted Calorie target.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
  • nianderson86
    nianderson86 Posts: 3
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    Yes, Fotlz is right. Although, if you're not even eating 1,200 in a day that's not a good thing. If you don't eat enough calories your body can go into starvation mode and your metabolism will be totally shot. Also, are you being honest with yourself and counting every single thing you eat in a day? Every little bite counts. Also a high sodium diet can hinder weight loss. Hope you can figure out a good balance. Best of luck to you on your journey!
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    First off, it's not a good thing to go under 1,200 calories a day. If you don't eat enough calories your body can go into starvation mode and your metabolism will be totally shot. Also, are you being honest with yourself and counting every single thing you eat in a day? Every little bite counts. Also a high sodium diet can hinder weight loss. Hope you can figure out a good balance. Best of luck to you on your journey!

    Zero percent chance the OP is netting 700 calories and not losing weight. Starvation mode (whatever that means) would not account for no weight loss. As I said in another thread today, eating too little is a bad thing. But it's a bad thing that results in weight loss. Not healthy or likely sustainable weight loss. But weight loss all the same. No weight loss means no calorie deficit means no starvation mode.

    I agree. Almost certainly eating more than you realize.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    Starvation mode, at least as it is being used here, is a myth.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/761810-the-starvation-mode-myth-again

    Again.
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
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    bump.gif

    [still confused]
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    What exactly does that mean? I've been eating under 1200 calories and burning 500 or so at gym...no weight loss at all in three weeks!, getting discouraged

    So you're netting 700 calories a day and not losing any weight?

    Yeah...I'm guessing that you're eating more than you think you are OP. Either that or you need to see a doctor to see if you have any medical conditions/nutrient deficiencies (actually likely at that calorie intake)/hormonal imbalances, etc. Actually, too low of calories can jack with your hormones which can impede weight loss as well...so can certain nutrient deficiencies...well, because those deficiencies are what jacks with your hormones.

    You eat back calories because your exercise activity is not accounted for with MFP. Your 1200 calorie goal is a massive...big *kitten*...huge deficit from your theoretical maintenance calories (unless you are extremely tiny and/or old).

    So I'm assuming that you put into lose 2 Lbs per week...that's a roughly 1000 calorie deficit from maintenance...MFP won't go below 1200 calories because at that point your just depriving your body of required nutrients...so MFP is estimating that your theoretical non-exercise maintenance calories are around 1800 - 2000 (avg female). So let's just say it's 1800 calories...that means at 1200 net calories you have a 600 calorie deficit which is actually just over 1 Lb per week...if your maintenance is closer to 2000 you're at around a 1.5 Lb per week deficit. Now you exercise and burn 300 calories...you log that and MFP ups your calorie GOAL to 1200 + 300 = 1500...because now your maintenance is 1800 + 300 = 2100 and 2100 - 1500 = that same 600 calorie deficit.

    Netting below 1200 calories is not doing yourself any favors...really, you can't get proper nutrition going much below that and you will ultimately run into nutrient deficiencies and hormonal whacked-outness.

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