Eating back calories?

TashaMargarita
TashaMargarita Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What is the general rule with eating back calories burned during workouts? I've hit a wall and I'm wondering if that is because I'm not eating more than 1,200 calories even on the days I'm burning 400+ working out?

Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Are you weighing all of your food?

    Under eating for a long period of time can cause damage, but it's pretty rare. Instead you might need to re-evaluate if you are truly eating as much or as little as you think.

    It isn't really a plateau until it's been at least 4-6 weeks of staying the same weight, you might want to just give it more time.

    When people stall out from eating back exercise calories it's more likely that their estimation for their calories burned is inflated.

    If you have noticed that you aren't losing the amount of weight you have calculated in 4-6 weeks, then it might be time to only eat back between 50%-80% of the calories you think you are burning.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    You should always net at least 1200.

    So eat them back to get there. I usually only do 50% of them.
  • TashaMargarita
    TashaMargarita Posts: 3 Member
    I'm not weighing food, I don't know where to start there... but I'm not eating back to net 1200 calories. I just got the Polar FT7 to keep better account of how many calories I'm actually burning though. Maybe that is my problem, not eating back to 1200 net calories...
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    You're too young to be eating that little. That's the short answer.

    Most people here say anyone who is eating at a deficit and not losing is not logging faithfully or is overestimating their calories burned from exercise. With younger people, though, I take the opposite approach. I think you should raise your goal and hit it, net, every time.

    I'm not saying you should eat more because you're in "starvation mode" or whatever people like to call it. I'm saying you should eat more because you still have a metabolism that hasn't slowed down due to age, and because I'm sure you'd like to have more energy.

    What is your BMR? You can calculate it here if you don't know: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
    This is a number I would recommend as your lower limit to eat in a day. I just wouldn't go under this without medical supervision.

    That being said, you should of course weigh and measure all of your food and do your best to get an accurate representation of recipes that you make so that you know you are logging faithfully.

    Edited because it seems you already bought a fitness tracking device!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    MFP is designed not to take your planned exercise into account until you actually log it. So yes, it's designed for you to be eating back the extra calories you earn through exercise. With the caveat that gym machines and MFP may overestimate certain exercises, which is why many people will eat back 50-75% of those extra calories.

    As to whether or not that's why you've hit a stall, probably not. But diagnosing this sort of thing usually requires more info.

    How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? Weight loss isn't linear and a week or three without a loss is generally just something as simple as a little extra water weight. Especially if you've recently increased your exercise, intake, or sodium.

    Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look? You can find this under Settings > Diary Settings > Public and then save changes.

    Are you logging everything accurately? By that I mean that you log your condiments, log any cheats, snacks, meals out, etc. Calorie creep is very real and if you're forgetting to log certain things it can wipe out your deficit.

    Are you using a food scale? You can lose weight without one, but you might have to put up with more bumps and stalls along the way. Measuring cups are only so accurate and a food scale is the best way to determine whether or not you're actually eating the amount you think you are. Again, the little inconsistencies with measuring cups or eyeballing portion sizes can wipe out your deficit over the day.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I'm not weighing food, I don't know where to start there... but I'm not eating back to net 1200 calories. I just got the Polar FT7 to keep better account of how many calories I'm actually burning though. Maybe that is my problem, not eating back to 1200 net calories...

    I don't weigh every thing that goes into my mouth and I'm losing. But I would definitely weigh meats, carbs, and "junk food" as a starting point.
  • TashaMargarita
    TashaMargarita Posts: 3 Member
    MFP is designed not to take your planned exercise into account until you actually log it. So yes, it's designed for you to be eating back the extra calories you earn through exercise. With the caveat that gym machines and MFP may overestimate certain exercises, which is why many people will eat back 50-75% of those extra calories.

    As to whether or not that's why you've hit a stall, probably not. But diagnosing this sort of thing usually requires more info.

    How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? Weight loss isn't linear and a week or three without a loss is generally just something as simple as a little extra water weight. Especially if you've recently increased your exercise, intake, or sodium.

    Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look? You can find this under Settings > Diary Settings > Public and then save changes.

    Are you logging everything accurately? By that I mean that you log your condiments, log any cheats, snacks, meals out, etc. Calorie creep is very real and if you're forgetting to log certain things it can wipe out your deficit.

    Are you using a food scale? You can lose weight without one, but you might have to put up with more bumps and stalls along the way. Measuring cups are only so accurate and a food scale is the best way to determine whether or not you're actually eating the amount you think you are. Again, the little inconsistencies with measuring cups or eyeballing portion sizes can wipe out your deficit over the day.

    Yes, my diary is completely open... I didn't log this weekend, however, we went on a "no cell phone/technology" vacation. :)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    MFP is designed not to take your planned exercise into account until you actually log it. So yes, it's designed for you to be eating back the extra calories you earn through exercise. With the caveat that gym machines and MFP may overestimate certain exercises, which is why many people will eat back 50-75% of those extra calories.

    As to whether or not that's why you've hit a stall, probably not. But diagnosing this sort of thing usually requires more info.

    How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? Weight loss isn't linear and a week or three without a loss is generally just something as simple as a little extra water weight. Especially if you've recently increased your exercise, intake, or sodium.

    Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look? You can find this under Settings > Diary Settings > Public and then save changes.

    Are you logging everything accurately? By that I mean that you log your condiments, log any cheats, snacks, meals out, etc. Calorie creep is very real and if you're forgetting to log certain things it can wipe out your deficit.

    Are you using a food scale? You can lose weight without one, but you might have to put up with more bumps and stalls along the way. Measuring cups are only so accurate and a food scale is the best way to determine whether or not you're actually eating the amount you think you are. Again, the little inconsistencies with measuring cups or eyeballing portion sizes can wipe out your deficit over the day.

    Yes, my diary is completely open... I didn't log this weekend, however, we went on a "no cell phone/technology" vacation. :)

    I'll ask again how long you've been stuck at the same weight. I ask because it makes a difference.

    Looking at your diary, the 600-900 calorie days aren't doing you any favors. 1200 calories is the minimum safe recommendation for a sedentary woman. Eating so little makes it hard to get enough nutrients (especially the important things like protein, fat, fiber, calcium, etc) into your body and the less you eat the more likely to are to see your body lose that all important lean muscle mass.

    I would suggest getting a food scale (They're pretty cheap. You can usually find one for $10-$20) so that you know you're working with accurate information.

    I would also suggest eating up to 1200 calories and at least a portion of your exercise calories. It looks like you don't have much more to lose, so you might consider resetting your profile to lose 1 pound per week (I'm assuming you're set to lose 2 pounds/week. Most people are.). Try it and give your body 3-4 weeks to adjust to the new goals before you change things.

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