Running and Weight Loss TRUTHS?

minorlight
minorlight Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all. I am a relatively new member of the MFP community, and this is actually my first post, so please bear with me.

I have just finished week 2 of C25K and I have some mixed emotions. I guess that first of all, I am really actually proud of myself for sticking with an exercise to the degree that I wanted to get off of the couch last weekend to run - and actually got up and did it. I am really enjoying running and I hope it turns into a lifelong success story.

However, one of my main motivations is weight loss. And honestly? After two weeks, I feel like the scale should have at least budged a little. I mean, not a lot... just a LITTLE bit. I've been good about it, following MFP and logging meals, etc. but nothing! So, today I started googling and as far as I can tell from reading other people's posts and it comes down to this:

***Running as a method of weight loss WILL NOT WORK unless calories are reduced.***

Well, okay, sure. I get that. I've been reducing calories through MFP and then recording meals and workouts... So, again.... Why am I not losing weight?

Other than water weight or muscle weight, which is a legit obstacle, sure, I think it's because inputting daily workout regimen into MFP means that you get some calories back. Let's say for example that my "allowance" is 1600 calories/day if I want to lose 1.5 lbs. per week. So, I stick to that plan to the letter through lunch time (using 1000 calories with 600 left over for dinner) and then come home and run/walk for 30 min. which burns 150 calories. Suddenly my 600 calorie allowance for dinner jumps up to 750 calories after I input my exercise for the day.

Well, going back to the golden rule from above - I shouldn't actually be deducting exercise calories burned from daily intake... right? Does the 1600 number automatically account for the deficit? Should I STOP logging my runs and exercise, and stick with MFP as a food journal primarily? Am I missing something? Does any of this even make sense?

It's Friday and I need help and guidance. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • Early_Riser
    Early_Riser Posts: 127 Member
    I stick to my calorie goal each day. I run for cardio. i do not pay attention to the MFP "ectra calories" thing. I was able to lose easily.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
    I don't think you will see too much weight loss in just running alone. I only run and run everyday and my scale hardly moves. there is a guy on face book that is on 940days running and he has run a couple of 100 mile ultra marathons and countless marathons and half marathons and he has only lost 60lbs. which is a lot but if you scale it down to your two weeks of running you won't see the scale move. you need to build muscle so it will burn the fat. I lost most of my weight by drastically reducing my calorie intake and since I started eating a little more, the scale stopped moving. I really need to lift weights to lose weight.

    not that this is the rule for everyone, I mean everyone is different but i see most people who lose weight is from lifting weights or resistance training. good luck to you. you will be more healthy by running and that's a good thing.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    My advice would be to hold out and be patient.

    I started a new exercise regime a while ago and I gained 2 pounds until my body got settled into things.

    The golden rule is that if you are eating at a deficit - you WILL lose weight. It just doesn't always happen immediately and especially if you are making quite a few changes to your body through diet/exercise.

    Stick with it. Don't weigh in too often, even when I was losing weight I wouldn't bother stepping on the scales more than once a fortnight. Take measurements and relish the achievement of doing the C25K - that in itself is something to be proud of.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Two weeks is not long enough to decide if something is working.

    Also, you're only on week 2 of the program. You're not getting major burns...running isn't a miracle. Track your exercise, and try eating only 50% of the calories it says you burned. Give it time.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    When you get to where you can run the 5K without walking and do it several times a week you will see movement. I started really slow and as I worked up I settled into 4 miles with a Nautilus workout in the middle (I run to the gym) every Monday Wednesday Friday and a six mile on Tuesday Thursday. For a while I was adding in a ten mile on sunday too. The pounds melted very quickly.
  • moranlarap
    moranlarap Posts: 6
    I think it depends on how long/fast you are running and what you are eating. I don't know what is your pace and distance, but 30 minutes of walking and running is not enough for me. I think you would lose weight but REALLY slow.

    For me, I didn't lose any weight until I started doing more than 3 miles or when I started working on reducing my pace.

    In regards to eating habits, even if I stay within the calorie allowance, I will not lose any weight if my choices are not the best.

    I always count my extra calories. I would worry about my health if I didn't, especially after a long run.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I have just finished week 2 of C25K and I have some mixed emotions. I guess that first of all, I am really actually proud of myself for sticking with an exercise to the degree that I wanted to get off of the couch last weekend to run - and actually got up and did it. I am really enjoying running and I hope it turns into a lifelong success story.

    Well done, I started C25K about 15 months ago, and I'm now part way through a half marathon training plan, having lost a couple of stone and significantly improved my bodyshape and health.
    ***Running as a method of weight loss WILL NOT WORK unless calories are reduced.***

    The only thing that will lead to weight loss is working at a calorie deficit, that is you consume fewer calories than you expend.

    Any form of training will help by increasing the number of calories that you expend, however if you're using the MFP model then there is a deficit already planned in, so you should recover, at least a proportion, of those calories to maintin your planned deficit.
    Well, okay, sure. I get that. I've been reducing calories through MFP and then recording meals and workouts... So, again.... Why am I not losing weight?

    If you're making a number of changes all at once then it's not out of the question that it'll take time to see results. Two weeks isn't long, and if you're new to logging your intake and your expenditure then it may take some time to tune your understanding of what it is on both sides of that equation.

    An observation that I'd make is that when I started my calorie goal was set a bit low, and whilst the principle stacked up it was actually affecting my background activity level because I was so fatigued and hugry. I was opting to send an email rather than walk up two flights of stairs to speak to someone face to face. When I corrected that, I saw results.
  • Dawnog
    Dawnog Posts: 39 Member
    Stick with it. I actually put on 7lbs when I started running and was told which makes sense, that you are toning up and replacing fat with muscle, and muscle weighs heavier than fat. After a while the weight started to come off and ive now lost 2 stone and have stayed at a size 8 for 2 years, by eating within my calorie allowance most of the time ( ofcourse I have days where I fancy treats and I have them). To maintain my weight as it is, I run approx. 15 miles a wk, swim twice a week and bike once a week and although I don't loose anymore weight I maintain and can have treats. It will take a while but you will get there, you are doing brill keep it up.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Stick with it. I actually put on 7lbs when I started running and was told which makes sense, that you are toning up and replacing fat with muscle, and muscle weighs heavier than fat.

    That's very unlikely when one is in calorie deficit, although as long as there is adequate protein in the diet there shouldn't be significant loss in the leg muscles.

    Muscle is higher density than fat, hence many people staying at the same weight but being much trimmer in terms of appearance.

    My own approach is predominantly running with a small amount of resistance training, but it's always worth including some resistance training in a running programme. Resistance work helps reduce injury risk and later in ones running development it can help running performance as well.
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    No, y'all are absolutely right - two weeks isn't long enough to measure anything, really. I am not too put out by the scale, honestly. Didn't mean to suggest that at all. My success story right now is that I'm sticking with my original plan and my numbers and am looking forward to C25K week 3 instead of dreading it. That's huge for me, as someone who hated running in school and have always thought poorly (and judgmentally) of running, unless it was from a zombie horde... But I digress!

    I think that in the context of the original post, what I meant to suggest was this: if MFP calculates the calories burned in an exercise I just completed, then adds that same amount back into the daily allowance which I then use, doesn't that offset itself?

    Example:
    1,600 calorie daily allowance
    + 175 calories burned by walk/light run exercise
    = 1,775 revised calorie allowance
    (Which is still less than the BMR or whatever it's called that is 2,300+ per day)

    But I think you guys have more or less addressed that by saying that MFP calculates a deficit regardless of exercise, right? Ugh! I can't stand it when people don't understand simple concepts, and well, it looks like I'm one of them today! :)
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Example:
    1,600 calorie daily allowance
    + 175 calories burned by walk/light run exercise
    = 1,775 revised calorie allowance

    Yes

    :)

    That said, I rarely eat back all of my exercise calories. I did when I was early in C25K as 200-300 cals isn't a lot, but right now I have 1200 available and I'm about to head out for a 12km recovery paced run where I'll burn another 800-900 or so. There is no way I can eat 2000 plus in one meal.
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    THANK YOU! That puts my mind at ease. I will try not "eating back" all of my lost calories. Unless, you know, I'm just starving, and someone offers me a slice of watermelon. I can say no to a lot of things, but I can't say no to watermelon. It's too damned hot in Texas to say no. Plus, fruits and vegetables and minerals and healthy and stuff. Thanks again!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    No, y'all are absolutely right - two weeks isn't long enough to measure anything, really. I am not too put out by the scale, honestly. Didn't mean to suggest that at all. My success story right now is that I'm sticking with my original plan and my numbers and am looking forward to C25K week 3 instead of dreading it. That's huge for me, as someone who hated running in school and have always thought poorly (and judgmentally) of running, unless it was from a zombie horde... But I digress!

    I think that in the context of the original post, what I meant to suggest was this: if MFP calculates the calories burned in an exercise I just completed, then adds that same amount back into the daily allowance which I then use, doesn't that offset itself?

    Example:
    1,600 calorie daily allowance
    + 175 calories burned by walk/light run exercise
    = 1,775 revised calorie allowance
    (Which is still less than the BMR or whatever it's called that is 2,300+ per day)

    But I think you guys have more or less addressed that by saying that MFP calculates a deficit regardless of exercise, right? Ugh! I can't stand it when people don't understand simple concepts, and well, it looks like I'm one of them today! :)

    Your MFP goal includes your deficit. So you eat back exercise calories to keep your deficit from getting too large. You're likely retaining water from starting new exercise. It will go down in a couple of weeks.

    So for the sake of argument let's say my calorie goal is 1500. That's 500 calories less than I need to maintain my weight. So if I run and burn off 300 then my deficit is now 800, which is too much. I'd eat that 300 back to keep my deficit the same. Make sense? For me MFP's exercise calories are always spot on. Others find them to be high so they only eat back half. I'd give it a couple of weeks though before you change anything.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1318741-in-5-weeks-you-ll-lose-10lbs-why-is-it-not-working

    Take a look at this ^

    Stick with your running, for the whole program. Be proud of your accomplishment!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Stick with it. I actually put on 7lbs when I started running and was told which makes sense, that you are toning up and replacing fat with muscle, and muscle weighs heavier than fat. After a while the weight started to come off and ive now lost 2 stone and have stayed at a size 8 for 2 years, by eating within my calorie allowance most of the time ( ofcourse I have days where I fancy treats and I have them). To maintain my weight as it is, I run approx. 15 miles a wk, swim twice a week and bike once a week and although I don't loose anymore weight I maintain and can have treats. It will take a while but you will get there, you are doing brill keep it up.
    You are not going to put on muscle running while eating at a calorie deficit. You did not put on 7 pounds of muscle. It takes eating a surplus of calories plus lifting lots of heavy things to put on muscle and even then its not easy. Any initial weight gain while running is due to water and an increase in glycogen

    Weightloss is calorie deficit that's it. How you create that deficit is up to you but if your not in deficit you wont lose weight so yes you need to control your diet as well if running is part of your routine. You can run all you like but if you're eating too much you wont lose weight.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    I ran for almost a year before I started tracking calories, and I didn't lose an ounce during that time. Make sure you're weighing and measuring and do be sure to fuel those runs by eating enough. Only you can decide if you want to eat back your exercise calories, but if you aren't fueled you will surely burn out and it would be sad if you stopped running! Listen to your body within reason. Give your body time to adjust to the new routine.

    Next month I will have been running, strength training, AND eating at a deficit for one year, and I'm finally starting to see some muscle definition and fat loss in my trouble areas. It takes so much time and patience! But it's worth it. Don't give up!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Example:
    1,600 calorie daily allowance
    + 175 calories burned by walk/light run exercise
    = 1,775 revised calorie allowance
    (Which is still less than the BMR or whatever it's called that is 2,300+ per day)

    But I think you guys have more or less addressed that by saying that MFP calculates a deficit regardless of exercise, right? Ugh! I can't stand it when people don't understand simple concepts, and well, it looks like I'm one of them today! :)

    Provided that you have set up your activity correctly, MFP gives you a calorie that includes your weight loss deficit WITHOUT exercise (this is why you get those calories to eat back when you log them). MFP basically calculates what your maintenance calories would be if you just lived your day to day life without any deliberate exercise and then takes a cut from that number as per your desired rate of loss. When you exercise, that becomes additional activity which would increase that maintenance number and thus increase the calories you could eat while dieting to lose weight while maintaining the same deficit.

    Where people tend to go wrong here...1) they underestimate their intake...even professionals have difficulty accurately estimating their intake. I highly recommend a food scale at least to establish whether or not your estimated servings of whatever is accurate. 2) they overestimate calorie burn. You should be giving yourself some margin for error here...data bases and calculators are notoriously inaccurate for calorie burn...often by as much as 50%...same for many apps. I use a cycling app that tells me I burn around 1,100 calories cycling 15 miles in an hour...my actual burn is somewhere between 500 - 600 calories. So, you're going to want to leave a "cushion" when estimating your burn and calories to eat back.

    Additionally, these calculators are pretty good starting points...they are pretty on for a lot of people and not so much for others. Ultimately, nobody has a calorie requirement of exactly XXXX calories...so you have to make adjustments as per real world results. That said, I'd give it longer than a mere two weeks. I've been hammering away at all of this going on 2 years...2 weeks is a drop in the bucket.

    Along your little safari here you're going to find weeks where you have bigger losses and weeks with smaller losses and weeks with no losses...and even weeks with gains from excess waste in your system from the last time or water retention or whatever...it happens. Ultimately you have to look at all of this as a trend...you have to perform trend analysis over a much longer period of time...this is far more important than the week to week or day to day numbers. I'd also suggest doing some heavy reading on natural body weight fluctuations...particularly as a female, they are going to be a major player in your little safari.
  • hezzyfoofie
    hezzyfoofie Posts: 57 Member
    If your daily goal was 1200 calories a day and you were running for 2+ hours a few times a week, I would say yes, eat back your exercise calories.

    1600 calories is a reasonable goal, and I think an activity such as couch to 5K isn't a huge calorie burn. If it were me, I would not eat back my exercise calories. I find it's easy to over estimate how much you've burned, since it's difficult to judge intensity, especially in an activity where you are varying intensity (walking and running). For me, I would look at those work outs as a little boost to my weight loss efforts.

    Once you complete the program, if you continue with running, and you start running longer and at a higher intensity, then you should start looking at eating some of your exercise calories. But for me I find there is a fine balance between eating enough, and eating too much.

    From personal experience I found when I first started running and watching my eating (I did Weight Watchers initially) that I lost weight fairly easily. I think because running was new to my body. That's not to say I didn't have weeks where I stayed the same or even gained. When you are breaking down muscles you will retain water afterward. Do not get discouraged.

    I think I am now at a point where my body has become very efficient at running (mainly because I run slow and long). I have to be really careful with not eating too much, or I won't lose.

    This is just my own personal experience.

    Keep up the good work! I'll warn you, running is addictive. :)
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    So for the sake of argument let's say my calorie goal is 1500. That's 500 calories less than I need to maintain my weight. So if I run and burn off 300 then my deficit is now 800, which is too much. I'd eat that 300 back to keep my deficit the same. Make sense? For me MFP's exercise calories are always spot on. Others find them to be high so they only eat back half. I'd give it a couple of weeks though before you change anything.

    Perfectly valid point, especially about not changing anything just yet. Glad to know that I'm not shooting myself in the foot - necessarily - by "eating back" some or all of my calories. I will keep an eye on it, and if I'm still not seeing the loss I want, I will try eating back none or at least less!

    Part of the issue, too, is accurate numbers. I went with "sedentary" on my profile, but honestly it's somewhere between "sedentary" and "lightly active." I figured guessing low would be smart, and any extra exercise during the day would simply be a bonus... but isn't that a bit of a slippery slope? Maybe it doesn't matter because, like you pointed out, two weeks isn't a good comparison point for anything!

    Ahh. Perspective. Such a relief.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    Weight loss is about calorie deficits. Are you burning more than you're eating? I run...a fair amount...plus crosstrain. And, because I LOVE TO EAT, I am having a hard time getting back into weight loss mode. I'm active. I run fast and long. I win my age group in races. But, the scale doesn't change because I'm eating enough calories to stay put.

    And, when I did lose the weight, it took 6 weeks before the scale budged. 6 long, freakin' weeks!
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    If your daily goal was 1200 calories a day and you were running for 2+ hours a few times a week, I would say yes, eat back your exercise calories.

    1600 calories is a reasonable goal, and I think an activity such as couch to 5K isn't a huge calorie burn. If it were me, I would not eat back my exercise calories. I find it's easy to over estimate how much you've burned, since it's difficult to judge intensity, especially in an activity where you are varying intensity (walking and running). For me, I would look at those work outs as a little boost to my weight loss efforts.

    Once you complete the program, if you continue with running, and you start running longer and at a higher intensity, then you should start looking at eating some of your exercise calories. But for me I find there is a fine balance between eating enough, and eating too much.

    From personal experience I found when I first started running and watching my eating (I did Weight Watchers initially) that I lost weight fairly easily. I think because running was new to my body. That's not to say I didn't have weeks where I stayed the same or even gained. When you are breaking down muscles you will retain water afterward. Do not get discouraged.

    I think I am now at a point where my body has become very efficient at running (mainly because I run slow and long). I have to be really careful with not eating too much, or I won't lose.

    This is just my own personal experience.

    Keep up the good work! I'll warn you, running is addictive. :)

    This is exactly the information I was looking for. THANK YOU.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    MFP will go by the guidelines of your targeted net loss for that week via caloric intake. If you are targeting 1lb a week weight loss and it has you setup to eat 1600 cals a day to accomplish that AND you work out then it will up your calories to you are still at only a 1lb a week weight loss. (basically will add calories in so you are not losing more than 1lb a week according to their formula.

    At the end of the day though their formula for weight loss can only be as accurate as a guesstimate can be. For some and most, it will be wildly off in either direction. Different factors for each individual person can lead to inaccuracies in their formula. That is why whenever you see a legit weight loss study they usually try to first determine a persons basic caloric maintenance (intake to remain the exact weight they currently are at) with things like a controlled liquid diet for a given amount of time.

    MFP caloric recommendations are just that, recommendations. You really need some time to really ACCURATELY record your caloric intake and daily caloric burns to see how you body handles different caloric intake.

    As for running and weight loss. Running can net a huge caloric burn but that doesn't necessarily net a caloric deficit. If you run 5 miles and burn 600 calories during the run then turn around and eat 600 cals of extra food that day then it is basically a wash as far as just pure weight loss is concerned. Many runners, including myself, have actually gained weight when training for a marathon and nope, it wasn't muscle or water retention....good ole belly fat....drinking heavily after running long distances is fun.

    Good luck to ya.
  • margelizard
    margelizard Posts: 89 Member
    My understanding is that, generally, for me to maintain my current weight I would need to eat 1,500 calories per day.

    However, myfitnesspal has my calorie intake set at 1,200 calories, because I want to lose weight.

    In order to burn 1lb of fat, it takes around 3,500 calories (this is a hot debate, but I'm using it to highlight the general idea behind MFP)

    So, by eating 1,200 calories per day, I'm already cutting out 300 calories. That's 2,100 (300 x 7) calories per week that I am not ingesting.

    In addition to this, I workout, say, 4 times a week. Assume my workout burn is 350 calories per workout. That's 1,400 calories burned in a week.

    2,100 (calories saved from reducing food intake)
    +
    1,400 (calories burned during exercise)
    3,500 calories

    Assuming these numbers are accurate (and it's pretty much impossible to be 100% accurate), then THEORETICALLY you would lose 1 lb in that week.

    So, when you take a walk later in the day and get your 150 extra calories, that gives you 150 calories to eat, because MFP is set up so that the 300 calorie per day deficit is already built into your program.

    There's debate over whether you should eat back those 150 calories or not. For myself, I generally eat about half of my exercise calories back in food, but you'll find what works for you. Personally, when I didn't eat them back, I found my loss floundering. This improve significantly when I started to eat the calories back after exercising.

    Really, it's a lot of trial and error and working out what your body wants. Everyone is different and there's no fixed formula for success. Running and walking have worked for me, along with a calorie reduced diet, so it is possible. Just keep going and find what works for you (and most importantly, don't lose heart if the weight doesn't shift immediately, just give it time)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    So for the sake of argument let's say my calorie goal is 1500. That's 500 calories less than I need to maintain my weight. So if I run and burn off 300 then my deficit is now 800, which is too much. I'd eat that 300 back to keep my deficit the same. Make sense? For me MFP's exercise calories are always spot on. Others find them to be high so they only eat back half. I'd give it a couple of weeks though before you change anything.

    Perfectly valid point, especially about not changing anything just yet. Glad to know that I'm not shooting myself in the foot - necessarily - by "eating back" some or all of my calories. I will keep an eye on it, and if I'm still not seeing the loss I want, I will try eating back none or at least less!

    Part of the issue, too, is accurate numbers. I went with "sedentary" on my profile, but honestly it's somewhere between "sedentary" and "lightly active." I figured guessing low would be smart, and any extra exercise during the day would simply be a bonus... but isn't that a bit of a slippery slope? Maybe it doesn't matter because, like you pointed out, two weeks isn't a good comparison point for anything!

    Ahh. Perspective. Such a relief.

    :flowerforyou:

    It takes tweaking to get everything set up sometimes. As long as you have the patience to tweak, and to know when not to, you'll be fine.

    This whole process is based on estimates, so you should always be willing to adjust based on your actual results. I always give myself 4 weeks before I change anything. There have been times when I was convinced I was gaining weight, only to wait it out and realize I hadn't gained at all. I just had some freak fluid retention that went away on its own.
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
    It is not surprising. You might want to take a set of body measurements now as well. You might not see much weight loss, but may see inches lost. I went through a whole year of that.

    I have also found that after a particualrly long or stressful step-up in my running level (even though I might have a huge calorie deficit), my weight goes up instead of down (at least in the short-term). The hypothesis is that part of the body's recoveriy mechanism is to increase water in the muscle tissue to "repair" the stressed or damaged tissue.

    It makes sense and has shown a consistent pattern after running a race or a long, hard run. My weight has swung by as much as 8 pounds in the week immediately following a half or full marathon and then dropped all of that weight in the following week.

    Keep at it and don't let your defici get too large. Success comes from the long haul, not the short one.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    My advice would be to hold out and be patient.

    I started a new exercise regime a while ago and I gained 2 pounds until my body got settled into things.

    The golden rule is that if you are eating at a deficit - you WILL lose weight. It just doesn't always happen immediately and especially if you are making quite a few changes to your body through diet/exercise.

    Stick with it. Don't weigh in too often, even when I was losing weight I wouldn't bother stepping on the scales more than once a fortnight. Take measurements and relish the achievement of doing the C25K - that in itself is something to be proud of.

    This ^^

    New exercise often = new temporary water weight. Give your body time to adjust.

    If you are new exercise (were sendentary before) you may also gain some muscle, which is heavier than fat.

    Running burns calories which means increases your calories out in the calories out > calories in equation needed for fat loss. It absolutely can help with weight loss.

    If you entered your activity level as sedentary, then you should log the workouts and eat at least part of those back. (many people like to only eat a percentage to account for over estimation of the burn) If you figured the exercise into your activity level, then you should not eat those calories back.
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    My understanding is that, generally, for me to maintain my current weight I would need to eat 1,500 calories per day.

    However, myfitnesspal has my calorie intake set at 1,200 calories, because I want to lose weight.

    In order to burn 1lb of fat, it takes around 3,500 calories (this is a hot debate, but I'm using it to highlight the general idea behind MFP)

    So, by eating 1,200 calories per day, I'm already cutting out 300 calories. That's 2,100 (300 x 7) calories per week that I am not ingesting.

    In addition to this, I workout, say, 4 times a week. Assume my workout burn is 350 calories per workout. That's 1,400 calories burned in a week.

    2,100 (calories saved from reducing food intake)
    +
    1,400 (calories burned during exercise)
    3,500 calories

    Assuming these numbers are accurate (and it's pretty much impossible to be 100% accurate), then THEORETICALLY you would lose 1 lb in that week.

    So, when you take a walk later in the day and get your 150 extra calories, that gives you 150 calories to eat, because MFP is set up so that the 300 calorie per day deficit is already built into your program.

    There's debate over whether you should eat back those 150 calories or not. For myself, I generally eat about half of my exercise calories back in food, but you'll find what works for you. Personally, when I didn't eat them back, I found my loss floundering. This improve significantly when I started to eat the calories back after exercising.

    Really, it's a lot of trial and error and working out what your body wants. Everyone is different and there's no fixed formula for success. Running and walking have worked for me, along with a calorie reduced diet, so it is possible. Just keep going and find what works for you (and most importantly, don't lose heart if the weight doesn't shift immediately, just give it time)

    Math! Yay! Thank you! This makes complete sense. I also appreciate the reminder that this is all an educated guess. It's easy to put all of your ducks into one basket, but the truth is, whatever the scale says, I'm healthier than I was two weeks ago. Pretty sure something will fall off eventually! Thanks. :D
  • minorlight
    minorlight Posts: 11
    It is not surprising. You might want to take a set of body measurements now as well. You might not see much weight loss, but may see inches lost. I went through a whole year of that.

    I have also found that after a particualrly long or stressful step-up in my running level (even though I might have a huge calorie deficit), my weight goes up instead of down (at least in the short-term). The hypothesis is that part of the body's recoveriy mechanism is to increase water in the muscle tissue to "repair" the stressed or damaged tissue.

    It makes sense and has shown a consistent pattern after running a race or a long, hard run. My weight has swung by as much as 8 pounds in the week immediately following a half or full marathon and then dropped all of that weight in the following week.

    Keep at it and don't let your defici get too large. Success comes from the long haul, not the short one.

    Excellent advice... thank you. I have NOT taken measurements but I will do so today since you mentioned it. I'm OK with progress - any progress - as long as things don't stay the same. But like you said, it's a long-term success. How often do you measure? Is it a weekly thing like a weigh in?
  • emmaxbon
    emmaxbon Posts: 123 Member
    All great advice! I started running for weight loss as there is only so much walking you can do to get a decent calorie burn. I also did c25k and while I don't think it made much difference in at first, once I was running a decent distance time it definitely helped with the pounds coming off.

    Even better, now I run because I love it and the weight loss is a bonus :)

    Keep at it, it'll happen.

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