Undereating? Not counting calories? Not hungry?

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  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Thank you for this excellent post. You broke down the science of it, in a matter-of-fact, dignified manner, without lecturing or condescending. Awesome.

    I wish I'd had your advice when I first started here. I too went on the 1200 calorie a day plan, figuring it was enough for me. It's not. Combined with 30-40 minutes of cardio and 20-30 minutes of strength training, six days a week, I was hungry to the point of fatigue, and stopped losing weight. At some point, I was so hungry I simply had to eat. It was like my muscles were screaming for energy. Very specifically I craved protein. I added as many healthy calories as I needed to feel "energized" -- the perfect middle ground between empty and overly full. Sure enough, I started slimming down again.

    No problem :smile: It can definitely be surprising how many calories we actually burn, and counterintuitive to think you have to eat more to ensure fat loss. I have been there with the hunger hehe...I went as low as 1400 calories at one point, and even that had me absolutely exhausted. I'd train, eat, and just pass out. That's no way to live! Some days I eat 1700 now, and I always throw in a high calorie day every couple of weeks. Eating maintenance (everything you burn) won't make you gain fat, and it will prevent plateaus. No one has to be starving to diet...in fact, if I have enough time to eat exactly every 3 hours, I'm never hungry or full, just always satisfied. I'm glad that you listened to your body, it will be nice in return hehe :happy:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Can anyone tell me about how many calories I am burning while doing 100 abdominal machine crunches with the weight set at 80 lbs, 6 sets of 12 each repetitions on a thigh abductor machine with the weight set at 100 lbs, and 3 sets of 12 repetitions on a forward rowing machine with the weight set at 30 lbs. I really would like to know because when I did the BMR calculator it was 1292 and I consistantly burn 225 calories every day on an ellipitical trainer so that would mean a total of 1517 calories a day and if I subtract 500 calories from that I could only have 1017 calories a day and I don't think that would be too healthy. Any help on figuring this out would be appreciated.

    Well first of all....do less crunches my dear :laugh: Try situps instead, or something that you can't do 100 of in a row! That won't do anything but cause lactic acid buildup and fluid retention in the muscles. A great range for abs is 15-20 per set, 3-5 sets (5 is very advanced). If you want a firmer tummy, you need to lose fat first of all, and secondly have some muscle there...so the weight aspect is great, just reduce the reps (unless you're doing something like 4 sets of 25, that's okay, but still a bit high).
    Are you doing any other lifts, or just those 3?

    As far as calories burned...when you add in your exercise, search for 'calisthenics' and 'strength training'. The time it takes you to do ab work should fall under 'calisthenics', and any resistance training under 'strength training'.

    You are burning far more than 1517 calories a day. You are walking, standing, eating, lifting, and driving all day, and all of that burns calories. You should check out a few different BMR and Activity Calculators and add in everything you do alllllll day.
  • filergirl
    filergirl Posts: 240
    Well, pretty much I walk to the bus stop 10 minutes (just note that I walk very fast), another 10 minutes once I get off. 20 minutes of walking at lunchtime. and then 20 minutes of walking after work.

    The worst part is I work in an office, so I pretty much sit all day other than that. By the tie I get home it's 7pm, when I make dinner. Not too much time to work out after that.

    I really appreciate your help by the way!!!!

    Ah, the old "7 pm and haven't made dinner" dilemma. My trick is this: I walk in the door, take off boots and coat, go directly to my room, and put on my fitness gear. Once i have my sneaks laced up, I eat a handful of almonds or some other small, healthy snack, which staves off any hunger pangs. I do my half an hour or so of cardio, and then I run back upstairs, quickly prep dinner, throw it into the oven, and then do my strengh training and floor exercises, using hand weights and my stability ball. By the time I'm done that, dinner is usually done cooking. Also, I only cook a couple times a week, but make enough for leftovers and freeze them. Whenever I have need for a quick meal, I pop the leftovers in and throw a salad with it. I also keep Amy's frozen entrees in the freezer, too.

    It helps that I live in a condo and my gym is downstairs. If I didn't have a gym, I'd probably either jog outdoors or get an exercise bike.

    Point is, there are always excuses not to do things. The people who succeed find creative solutions, which is part of making the lifestyle change -- figuring out what works for you. You'll succeed. It's just a process of trial and error at first.
  • WillPillageYourVillageForFood
    WillPillageYourVillageForFood Posts: 777 Member
    Thanks for the info. I guess I should have made it clearer that the crunches are spaced out into five sets of 20 each. The abs, thighs, and rowing machine are the 3 things that I use consistently along with the ellipitical trainer. I am unsure of what other types of exercise I should be doing and frankly the "personal trainers" at my gym are not all that helpful unless you have signed up for an ungodly amount of time with them at exhorbitant prices. :laugh:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Thanks for the info. I guess I should have made it clearer that the crunches are spaced out into five sets of 20 each. The abs, thighs, and rowing machine are the 3 things that I use consistently along with the ellipitical trainer. I am unsure of what other types of exercise I should be doing and frankly the "personal trainers" at my gym are not all that helpful unless you have signed up for an ungodly amount of time with them at exhorbitant prices. :laugh:

    Haha I was worried you were on that thing for a half hour just crunching away :bigsmile:

    You definitely want to do more than those....they are supplemental, but don't do much on their own. Here is a very short list of the most functional lifts...they work multiple body parts and are easy to figure out.

    Flat Bench (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
    Incline Bench (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)

    Lateral Pulldowns (Biceps, Back)
    Cable Rows (Biceps, Back)

    Biceps Curls (Biceps, Forearms)

    Triceps Cable Pulldowns (Triceps, Forearms)

    Squats (Legs)
    Stiff Leg Dead Lifts (Hamstrings/Glutes)
    Lunges (Leg Stabilizers--inner/outer thighs)

    You don't have to do all of these every day. If you want, you can do all of them 3 times a week for a full-body workout. Or, you can split it into Chest, Back, Arms, and Legs. In any case, they should be a part of everyone's workouts. These are the foundation of even the most advanced training programs. If you want to supplement them with things like ab/adductor machines or other exercises that target smaller muscle groups within the larger ones, that's great too.
  • WillPillageYourVillageForFood
    WillPillageYourVillageForFood Posts: 777 Member
    Thanks for all the great advice. I'll start tomorrow and try to incorporate more of those lifts into a regular routine.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Thanks for all the great advice. I'll start tomorrow and try to incorporate more of those lifts into a regular routine.

    You're very welcome :smile: You can find instructional videos on bodybuilding.com, and I'm sure there are plenty of other sites as well. Just remember to rest a day between lifting so you can recover. Use 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, but no more than that. The weight needs to be heavy in order to increase muscle density. High reps can increase muscle size, but that's due to fluid retention rather than an increase in density.
  • wibrown
    wibrown Posts: 30
    Hey I love the info. But I was wondering How I am to eat 1700 Calories a day when I can't eat the sites reccomended 1540. Today (with the walking I did) I still have 669 left (sorry I did miss breakfast, yes I know it was wrong). Most days I have 200 left. I am stuffed after every meal. any suggestions?
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Hey I love the info. But I was wondering How I am to eat 1700 Calories a day when I can't eat the sites reccomended 1540. Today (with the walking I did) I still have 669 left (sorry I did miss breakfast, yes I know it was wrong). Most days I have 200 left. I am stuffed after every meal. any suggestions?

    Try eating more calorically dense foods, like olive oil, PB, salmon, 80/20 Beef. Or, less filling carbs, like unsweetened puffed wheat cereal. If you really can't increase your intake in a week or two, you might want to go to your doctor. He/she can prescribe an appetite stimulant. Or, if you want to take a trip to Vitamin World or a similar store, they'll have an appetite simulant as well. Some bodybuilders need to eat 4000-5000 calories a day to gain any muscle mass, so they'll use the same things with great results. It won't make you want to eat 4000 calories a day, but it may help you grow accustomed to a larger volume of food.
  • wibrown
    wibrown Posts: 30
    Great thank you so much
  • kckat96
    kckat96 Posts: 72
    :flowerforyou: I'm 328 lbs and I row on a fly wheel rowing machine 15 minutes 2x a day. I do about 1 to 1.5 hours of Tai Chi (breath work, joint opening exercises, and moving meditation exercise combined) each day and I water walk 40 minutes 1 to 2x a week (verious types of exercise and swimming combined). Would you think this is enough exercise. The rest of my week is sitting at a desk 8 hours a day 5 days a week, but I do try to get up each hour and take a 5 min walk around the area. :smile: Thanks for all your advice. Hugs from kckat96
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    :flowerforyou: I'm 328 lbs and I row on a fly wheel rowing machine 15 minutes 2x a day. I do about 1 to 1.5 hours of Tai Chi (breath work, joint opening exercises, and moving meditation exercise combined) each day and I water walk 40 minutes 1 to 2x a week (verious types of exercise and swimming combined). Would you think this is enough exercise. The rest of my week is sitting at a desk 8 hours a day 5 days a week, but I do try to get up each hour and take a 5 min walk around the area. :smile: Thanks for all your advice. Hugs from kckat96

    All of that activity sounds great! The only thing you're lacking is resistance training, and that is a key element to fat loss and a longer quality of life. It is so important because it increases both muscle and BONE density, which we start losing at age 30-40 for females (and why we're at such a risk of osteoporosis). On top of that, one lb of muscle can burn 40-60 calories a day AT REST...so if you have a lot of muscle, that's a lot of calories being burnt! If you're losing muscle (which we all do while dieting), you're actually reducing how many calories you burn at rest, so you're slowing your metabolism.

    You don't have to lift a lot. 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week is all you need. I believe I wrote a list of the most functional lifts in this thread. You don't have to do all of those in one day; you could split it into 3 days of lifting easily. For upper body, perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions with a minute or 90 seconds of rest between everything. The weight should be too heavy to do more than 12. So, 4 sets of 12 reps is the highest you should go. For lower body, 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps is good because your legs have more endurance.

    This is important, and it's for everyone!!: If you lift light weights a bunch of times, you will not elicit the same response as heavy lifting, and will not reap the benefits. It will not increase the density of your muscle tissue, so it won't increase your bone density. Throw out any notions that high rep, light weight 'tones'. It doesn't do squat. And that's not even what 'tone' means. :tongue:

    This is also important, and also for everyone!!: If you are a female, heavy lifting will not make you bulky or manly. You don't have enough testosterone for that. If it were really that easy to put on muscle mass, I'd be Ms Olympia already :wink:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Just bumping it up again. :smile:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,449 Member
    thbump2.gif
  • jodiebs
    jodiebs Posts: 10
    Okay I'm kind of confused here and need clarification. I'm new to MFP and I do know about using my BMR, but I was under the impression that your total calories allowed using MFP takes that into account including the calories you burn daily. Is this not true? Please advise.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Okay I'm kind of confused here and need clarification. I'm new to MFP and I do know about using my BMR, but I was under the impression that your total calories allowed using MFP takes that into account including the calories you burn daily. Is this not true? Please advise.

    yes and no. MFP does take into account your BMR, but will allow you to eat below it. Essentially, if you're eating 1200 calories, unless you weigh 120 pounds, you're eating under your BMR. Technically, if you eat your BMR, and still perform your daily activities, you're at a deficit.

    MFP works best if you eat your exercise calories and don't set too high a calorie deficit for yourself. (and so will your body.:wink: )

    Here's another great post on the subject (that explains the whole calorie deficit thing and why it shouldn't be too agggressive).

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,449 Member
    V, he he. I'm a firm believer in "drive-by posting." It occurs to me that I bumped a somewhat combatant OP. I've been going through all my saved old posts from Banks, viviakay, songbyrdsweet, TamTastic, Kerrilucko, etcetera, and I've found a lot of gems that I want to put into a new "Links".

    For everyone:

    Click on the number (of posts) in blue below songbyrd's picture (she wrote the OriginalPost). ....It will take you to her previous posts. Read through them.

    Also click her name for her profile/qualifications. Here's what she wrote:
    In May 2009 I graduated with my Bachelor's in Exercise, Sport, and Health Education.
    In January 2010 I began my PhD in Skeletal Muscle Physiology & Biochemistry.
    I am currently a graduate teaching assistant for Metabolic Nutrition; I also work in the lab as a research assistant. My goal is to earn all A's for the duration of my degree and eventually become a tenured professor at a small university.

    Songbyrdsweet doesn't post here much anymore, but she is very knowledgeable. College educated knowledgeable. Not the school of Google.

    It scares me that people who have been on this site for a week and have never lost any weight are giving advice. EDUCATE yourselves people. DON'T necessarily believe the advice given by someone with no track record.


    ____________________________________________________
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,449 Member
    he he. I'm here, too.
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