do you use the additional Kcals

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jonnyc1708
jonnyc1708 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
see if i'm trying to eat 1770kcals a day but i lift weights 4x per week and i'm inputting my cardio.

some days its saying to eat 2200kcals.

should i just stick to the 1700kcals or could i eat a little extra and still lose bodyfat ?

Replies

  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Why are you logging your food and exercise?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    The goal is to find the maximum number of calories at which you lose weight, not the minimum.

    It will take trial & error to find what works for you. Eat back half your exercise calories for two weeks, then reevaluate. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
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    MFP wants us to eat exercise calories back so I normally eat some of them, not all to allow for miscounts
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    see if i'm trying to eat 1770kcals a day but i lift weights 4x per week and i'm inputting my cardio.

    some days its saying to eat 2200kcals.

    should i just stick to the 1700kcals or could i eat a little extra and still lose bodyfat ?

    you are netting 1300 calories...so yes you could eat some of those calories back and still lose.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    What Iron Smasher means is:

    What are your goals? Why are you doing this?

    To "just lose weight and be skinny"?
    To "gain some muscle and lose fat at the same time"?
    To "build lots of muscle and be ripped"?

    The answers to "how much should I eat?" vary greatly depending on what it is you are trying to accomplish....
  • jonnyc1708
    jonnyc1708 Posts: 10
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    Im following Jim wendlers 5,3,1 program which is power lifting based workouts 4 days per week low reps alot of weight to try and maintain muscle tissue, and 3 days of 45 minutes cardio in the gym "run,bike,swim,Cross trainer etc"

    I'm trying to maintain muscle tissue and lose body fat, not soo interested in the weight on the scale although i know i need to lose around 30lbs to be at my ideal body comp
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Im following Jim wendlers 5,3,1 program which is power lifting based workouts 4 days per week low reps alot of weight to try and maintain muscle tissue, and 3 days of 45 minutes cardio in the gym "run,bike,swim,Cross trainer etc"

    I'm trying to maintain muscle tissue and lose body fat, not soo interested in the weight on the scale although i know i need to lose around 30lbs to be at my ideal body comp

    If I were you and you are consistent with your lifting I would switch to TDEE...weight lifting calories are too hard to estimate.

    With TDEE you eat the same amount of calories everyday regardless of working out.

    You can use an online calculator but I prefer to use my own data with the following calculation over a 3 week period

    Total calories consumed+(pounds lost x 3500)/#days

    So basically take all the calories you ate and multiply your weight loss by 3500 calories and divide it by 14 or 21 days depending on the amount of time you used for total calories consumed..

    That gives you TDEE for you specifically...not estimates, no wondering on what your activity level is...then subtract 15-20% off that and eat those calories everyday..regardless of exercise.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Im following Jim wendlers 5,3,1 program which is power lifting based workouts 4 days per week low reps alot of weight to try and maintain muscle tissue, and 3 days of 45 minutes cardio in the gym "run,bike,swim,Cross trainer etc"

    I'm trying to maintain muscle tissue and lose body fat, not soo interested in the weight on the scale although i know i need to lose around 30lbs to be at my ideal body comp

    then yes, you need to be netting at least 1700 if you are on this kind of program..

    as someone else mentioned you may want to switch to TDEE method and eat in a 15% deficit….

    If you chronically under eat while trying to do 5,3,1 your performance is going to go to crap….

    at the end of my lat aggressive cut I was eating like 1900 a day and my gym performance went in the tank towards the end of that….
  • jonnyc1708
    jonnyc1708 Posts: 10
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    cheers for the info guys. will go and workout TDEE.

    i had only been tracking my cardio exercise on myfitness pal. so 3 45 sessions in gym and daily i'll walk for hour with my dogs
    i wasnt taking my lifting into account at all.

    i was making sure to eat carbs before and after training.

    1g protein per LBM
    and i ate .35g per lb of total body weight in fats.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    of and if you have not yet done this, go into MFP custom settings and change your macro % to 40P/30F/30C
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    you never mentioned your height and weight, but one can assume, unless you're like 5'4".... you're not going to gain any muscle at all eating below 2000 a day.

    Do like others said, use a TDEE calc.
    Using your current activity, find your TDEE. Set your diary to that -15%, then eat that and don't log exercise because it's already included in the TDEE.

    If you're losing more than 1/2 a pound a week doing that after 3-4 weeks, eat more. Losing more than half a pound a week will for most people mean you won't be building any muscle.
  • Alehmer
    Alehmer Posts: 433 Member
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    I have a hard time trusting TDEE when if gives me 3228 kcal/day and I am very, very slowly losing at a net 2200 (non-exercise) kcal intake.

    Of course, eating it all on the day I work out doesn't seem optimal either, when I have practice (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in the evenings and it's the next day when I feel starved.

    In the end, OP, the best thing is always to keep track of your strength, bodyfat %, weight, and have the patience to experiment over a long period. We all respond differently and online calculators only give you a vague target.

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