How often should I exercise?

b33zy727 · February 2014

I'm 35 years old at 148 pounds and I've been on this program for two weeks. I am allowed 1200 calories a day, which to me isn't a whole lot. I exercise 5 times a week to increase my calorie intake but is it necessary to exercise everyday to be under my calories? I've been pretty good at staying under my calorie intake but I'm always hungry. My body does feel better but I always get little hunger pains - if that even makes any sense. Any advice would help.

beamer0821 · February 2014

my advise is eat when you're hungry and have an exercise schedule & regiment you can stick with long term.

with that said trial and error with food as some foods will be more satisfying to your hunger than others. like a 100 calories worth of raw almonds does the trick for me as a snack. if 1200 seems to little try 1300, you will still lose. play with a calorie range that works for you and you still lose. you will not stick to something for a long period of time if you continue to feel hungry.

good luck!

yarwell · February 2014

set the thing for a lower rate of weight loss - instant extra calories. Exercising to get more calories isn't very productive.

Imsprod1 · February 2014

I would switch to every other day on the exercise and allow a couple hundred more good healthy calories on those days or your body will try and hold onto fat to protect its self.Slow and steady wins the race in the long run, if you keep the current pace your will wear yourself out. Also dense fruit (apples.ect) and vegetables along with lots of water can help hunger between meals.

geebusuk · February 2014

You are probably on a lot net calories because you've set yourself up for a big deficit. With only 14lb to lose, you might do better on a smaller deficit.
YES, it will take longer, but you'll lose less muscle and are more likely to stick to it.
I'd even consider maybe going for .5 - .75lb a week; not much more than that.

As you say, as far as weight loss goes, exercise allows you to eat more.
Of course, it does have other benefits. If you're doing weights (especially low reps/heavy), you should keep more muscle, meaning just fat is left.
This week I'll probably have seven 3-8 mile runs as well as three or four weights sessions. The runs burn some calories, give the dogs some exercise (I am looking after a friend's dog too) and some will improve my cardio performance - though less so the gentle ones which probably don't offer much over a walk.

mlclark86 · February 2014

I generally do a 6 days on one day off...but some days are harder than others. One day I might burn 500-600 calories and the next only 100-200. My thing is to do something everyday...even if it is to take a 15-20 min walk or march in place for a while when watching t.v . Even on my day off I do p90x X stretch to keep my body doing something. It isn't necessary to exercise every day...just have to watch calorie intake so that your intake matches your calorie burn.

As for the calorie intake, I also have an intake of around 1200 and I don't have an issue with hunger. Perhaps different choices of what you are eating would help you feel fuller without going over calorie goals on lighter exercise days. I really bulk up the veggies which fill me up and add very little calories. I also make sure I reach my protein goal so I will feel fuller.

Also, to help with cravings, I have taken to drinking herbal tea and or water before I eat any snacks in between meals. Sometimes 0 calorie cup of herbal tea will crush the craving and trick my body just because it gave me something to do.

Another issue could be your goals...maybe your goals are too high just to start with? I don't know what your goals are, but if you are going for 2 lbs a week then maybe drop it to 1.5 or even 1 a week. this will give you more calories and then you can slowly work back and get your body used to a smaller calorie count

train_01 · February 2014

I don't think it's necessary to exercise every day. I usually go by my weekly calorie intake to judge progress, not my daily. I usually exercise 4-5x per week as well but I don't feel too bad going a little over on the days I don't exercise as long as I stay under my total calories for the week. Also, I noticed when I first started I was hungry a lot too. I think it takes time for your body (or your mind) to get used to eating less. The first few weeks were tough for me, but now I'm 9 weeks in and don't have too much trouble staying within my weekly calorie goals.

b33zy727 · February 2014

I have played with my fitness goals and the outcome is still the same at 1200 calories a day. I have actually heard before that eventually you do get used to eating less so I will wait it out since it's been only two weeks. I tried this app before but dieting was just not my thing but I'm more determined this time around. I know everyone is different but how long did it take for you to start losing weight? It's only been two weeks and I lost one lb but I'm sure it's probably just water weight or something. I apologize on my orignal post. I don't exercise to only be able to eat more. I actually exercise because I do enjoy it :-D But there will be days I won't be able to and was concerned that my calorie intake will go over. Sometimes I think I obsess on calories too much but how else will I shed the pounds if I didn't?

ChaplainHeavin · February 2014

I'm 35 years old at 148 pounds and I've been on this program for two weeks. I am allowed 1200 calories a day, which to me isn't a whole lot. I exercise 5 times a week to increase my calorie intake but is it necessary to exercise everyday to be under my calories? I've been pretty good at staying under my calorie intake but I'm always hungry. My body does feel better but I always get little hunger pains - if that even makes any sense. Any advice would help.

Exercise is more about being fit than losing weight. Is the 1200 calories for losing 2 pounds, 1.5, 1 or .5 pounds.

jim180155 · February 2014

B33, it's hard to answer some of those questions because we can't see your profile or diary. We don't know how much you weigh or how quickly you're trying to lose.

Keep in mind that 1200 calories is the lowest that MFP will allow. You may have set your goals pretty aggressively and it may take less than 1200 calories to meet them, but MFP bottoms out at 1200 calories. If it would take 900 calories to meet your goal, MFP won't show you that, it'll tell you your daily allowance is 1200.

I'm guessing that you're already pretty trim and that you set your goals to take off that 14 pounds quickly. As others have suggested, it might be a good idea to reset your goal to losing only a half pound a week. That'll give you more daily calories as you adjust to your new way of living.

jim180155 · February 2014

Oops. I missed the part where you said you weigh 148.

cwolfman13 · February 2014

I'm 35 years old at 148 pounds and I've been on this program for two weeks. I am allowed 1200 calories a day, which to me isn't a whole lot. I exercise 5 times a week to increase my calorie intake but is it necessary to exercise everyday to be under my calories? I've been pretty good at staying under my calorie intake but I'm always hungry. My body does feel better but I always get little hunger pains - if that even makes any sense. Any advice would help.

Your calorie goal already includes the deficit before any exercise whatsoever...it's built in...you do not have to be under your GOAL...you should be achieving it. With MFP, exercise is additional activity that is unaccounted for so you're supposed to eat an estimate of those calories back when you workout. Not doing so will deprive the body of nutrition and energy needed to repair the body that you are breaking down with exercise. You just have to be careful not to overestimate burn...don't just take some number from the database or some calculator as gospel...do some reasonableness tests and research on calorie burn for various exercises.

Your exercise frequency and intensity will be dependent on your actual fitness goals (independent of weight loss, calorie burning, etc).

lizziebeth1028 · February 2014

set the thing for a lower rate of weight loss - instant extra calories. Exercising to get more calories isn't very productive.

^^This! 1200 calories is not enough for most people! It's most likely under your BMR. If you do a search of the boards for - 'eat more to weigh less' or general info on BMR (basal metabolic rate and TDEE total daily energy expenditure) you will get a better feel for the amount of calories you can and should be eating.

geebusuk · February 2014

OP; what height are you? (So we can see what your TDEE might be.)
As above, what deficit have you got it set at? What was the lowest deficit that still gave a weight loss?

1200 calories is not enough for most people! It's most likely under your BMR.

What has BMR got to do with it? The 'guide' not to eat under your BMR is a very rough guide not actually based on any kind of evidence that I can see - it doesn't apply to all.

How often should I exercise?

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