Please help - I am confused!

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linzi1985uk
linzi1985uk Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok! Basically I am trying to maintain my wright but tone up and lose fat etc.
Have been using MFP for a while.
I have set my activity level to light and have set it to lose 0.5 a week.
This gives me 1510 cals a day.
Now do I add my exercise calories as well or is that included in my activity level?
At the moment I have been and my net averages between like 1300-1600 a day. (Some days more oops!)
I exercise quite a lot-
Monday/ Kettlebells (45min)
Tuesday - Insanity class (50 min)
Wednesday- Body attack (60 min)
Thursday - Insanity and CX Worx (60 min)
Friday - Body Pump or Insanity (45 min)
Every second Sat - metafit
Some Sundays - body combat

Using my HRM I burn an average of 300-500 cals per class that I do. I am also a teacher so I am on my feet quite a bit in the day.
But nothing is moving! And it's making me lose interest and eat rubbish!
(I used to be 8 stone heavier so maybe I should just be grateful)

Any advice??

Thanks all :)

Replies

  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 209 Member
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    If you are burning 300-500 calories a day and and your calories are 1510, that would mean some days you are eating around 1200 net calories which is pretty low when you want to maintain your weight. I would recommend calculating your TDEE at an active level so your exercise is already included and then eat those calories and do not eat exercise calories back.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    MFP takes your activity setting into account (sedentary, lightly active, etc) but not your planned exercise. This is why it adds more calories to your goal after you log your workouts. If your activity setting is set low then I would make sure you eat at least some of your earned exercise calories back.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Now, is that why you aren't losing? Probably not. When you're only set to lose 1/2 pound per week then you need to make sure that you're being as accurate as possible with your food logging. It's possible that you're eating more than you realize and wiping out the caloric deficit you think you have. Or you could be retaining water (hormones, exercise, sodium, etc) which can mask weight loss for a couple of weeks.
  • schnicklefritz1
    schnicklefritz1 Posts: 130 Member
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    You said you are trying to maintain your weight and it sounds like you are doing that? If you are trying to tone up, lose some fat, but not really lose weight....I would just make sure you do your normal cardio and also make sure you are adding in more weights. You are doing a lot of cardio which is awesome....

    I am sure you are going to look at my weight and say, "meh" what does she know. LOL And that's okay, I am actually studying and learning as I go to become a trainer with NETA. It is an awesome journey and I have had highs and lows. . . but weight training may need to start being more of a key player in your work out routine. ALSO....change it up....if you do the same thing every week... your body and brain is going to get bored.

    Good luck and keep up the awesome work.
  • spinedocmfp
    spinedocmfp Posts: 109 Member
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    I would try eating only 1/2 your exercise calories back. It gives you a buffer for error on both the exercise and intake side. Nutrition labels are allowed to be off by as much as 20%, so if you do the math it is nor hard to overeat on a 250 cal deficit. Try that for a few weeks, then see how you are doing. Remember at a 1/2 pound per week, it can take weeks to see a scale change, especially with daily fluctuations thrown in.
  • JediAndi
    JediAndi Posts: 2 Member
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    Log *everything* as accurately as you can. Be really brutally honest with your measurements, err on the side of caution; assume that food has more calories than you think and that exercise doesn't burn as much as you think. The more accurate your diary the faster you'll get the results you set out for.
    Your exercise gets added into your calorie goal when you log it, but unless you're using an activity monitor or HRM during all your exercise you should only eat back half of those calories at most.
    Gear your workouts more around weights, and look into using heavier weights (don't just do things like kettlebells or resistance based stuff) Cardio is good for you, but in order to get the real fat burn & muscle toning you have to lift some heavy things.
    Remember that if you are losing fat and gaining muscle that your weight will increase as your body gets more shape, so don't put all your focus on the scales. Try something like a weekly progress photo; take a mirror selfie at the same time each week, standing in the same spot, wearing the same thing, you'll start to notice the difference after a couple of weeks. :)
    Keep your game face on, and come at this like any other challenge! :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    What do you mean by "nothing is moving"? Are you just trying to go by what the scale says or or you also taking body measurements, progress pics, etc? Are you really not seeing any progress or just not seeing progress move as quickly as you'd like?

    Also, it wouldn't hurt to add in a rest day here and there. The body needs this as much as good nutrition, adequate sleep, etc.
  • linzi1985uk
    linzi1985uk Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks everyone!
    Believe me I am brutally honest! I am lifting heavy things both at kettles and at pump- I don't just stay with light weights.

    My inches are not budging at all and neither are the scales. Yet I work very very hard to try and make things move?
    I don't actually want to lose more but would like to tone up and lose some
    Inches but everything I try just doesn't work.

    I don't currently eat my exercise calories either and I log them accurately with my HRM. If I hve a day out etc them obviously I do eat them bit on a usual day I don't.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    You need to be eating back at least half of your execise calories. If you want to "tone", that means at least retaiing the muscle you have and getting rid of the fat to help those muscles show. When your calorie deficit is too high, you risk losing muscle. Therefore not eating your calories back is not going to give you the result you're looking for.

    Or custom set your goals using this guide:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

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