Something That's Been Bothering Me...

JillyBean819
JillyBean819 Posts: 313 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Since I joined this site, I have learned SO MUCH about weight loss and nutrition. One of the biggest things I learned from MFP and its members is to 'eat your workout calories'.

What bothers me is the fact that I had never heard of this before. It makes total sense and doing so has already had positive effects on my body. In my previous weight loss attempts, I would eat around 950 calories and exercise which would give me about 400-500 net calories a day. Now wonder I felt like crap and had no energy!

Anyway, I'm just angry that all the nutritional experts on tv & in magazines failed to say this. I only ever heard them say to simply 'lower your daily calories' and exercise. How vague is that?

Has anyone else been frustrated by this lack of information by so-called nutrition experts?

Thank heaven above for MFP and all of you!!

Replies

  • Phoenyxlove
    Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
    That is so weird, I was just searching the message boards regarding this exact thing. I really wasn't sure if I should or not. Like you said, I've never heard of this before. I've heard to stay around 1200 cals and if you workout eat a light snack after. So it really works? You lose weight by eating your exercise cals? If that's the case they should really get the word out on that! So many of us wouldn't get so discouraged...and hungry!
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    I agree!

    The same thing bothers me. Like, I've been using the Biggest Loser game for the Wii to work out. I don't have much weight to drop- and the game only allows me 1250 calories per day to eat.

    What FRUSTRATES me is how the game actually penalizes me if I eat above those 1250 calories- even if I've done a forty-minute workout on the game and logged other exercises as well. I guess the creators of the game think it's okay that a person would work out for an hour and a half, burn 700+ calories, and still only eat 1250 calories.

    Needless to say, I don't log my foods through that game AT ALL.
  • Randee75
    Randee75 Posts: 234
    Omg I so so agree with you. I had stopped smoking and was watching what I was eating and exercising. But yet the scale kept going up. I went to the Dr and after a blood test found out I had a lagging thyroid. The Dr put me on thyroid meds and told me to help lose the weight I should keep my caloric intake no less than 1200. I started keeping a food journal to show my Dr and continue exercising. I wasn't gaining anymore weight but I certainly wasn't losing any very much either. After joining MFP I learned if ya workout you need to adjust for those workout calories. After eating these calories betta-bing the weight is going. I seen the Dr this last week and he had noticed I was losing weight and I explained the "workout calories" I was consuming was finally making a difference!!!! I suggested maybe he pass that info on to those patients that are in the same boat as me.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member

    The same thing bothers me. Like, I've been using the Biggest Loser game for the Wii to work out. I don't have much weight to drop- and the game only allows me 1250 calories per day to eat.

    What FRUSTRATES me is how the game actually penalizes me if I eat above those 1250 calories- even if I've done a forty-minute workout on the game and logged other exercises as well. I guess the creators of the game think it's okay that a person would work out for an hour and a half, burn 700+ calories, and still only eat 1250 calories.

    Needless to say, I don't log my foods through that game AT ALL.

    WOW. I did not know that- though I dont use those, I kind of hate Jillian Michaels...a lot (I guess not her personally, just the boot-campy instruction style, the creepyness of how I feel like she is a pretty face they chose to represent their brand...so really the image of her I guess) - but that's just down right SCARY.

    I too am really frustrated by how much people don't know about eating enough. I had never tried to count calories specifically before (I had always ballparked, etc) but the number of people who come on here everyday and ask about this is proof of how poorly discussed this aspect of weightloss is. It makes me insane...well that and "weightloss programs" in general (sorry to cross rant, there was a thing on Dr. Oz today that just made me want to throw a chair through the TV"
  • Tammysboys
    Tammysboys Posts: 23
    Glad to know this, as we were told not to eat the work out calories.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Glad to know this, as we were told not to eat the work out calories.

    Not to pry- but by who? I hope it wasn't someone on here! (Theres a lot of sticky post threads that explain in greater detail why its good for you to make sure you eat enough- if you search like "why i should eat my exercise calories)
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    WOW. I did not know that- though I dont use those, I kind of hate Jillian Michaels...a lot (I guess not her personally, just the boot-campy instruction style, the creepyness of how I feel like she is a pretty face they chose to represent their brand...so really the image of her I guess) - but that's just down right SCARY.

    Actually JM had nothing to do with the Biggest Loser Game- it's all Bob. Don't know who was behind the design of the diet portion of the system.

    As for Jillian, I don't have strong opinion of her either way. I use her Fitness Ultimatum game to work out, and find that it's very challenging. Also, it's pure fitness- no talk about how many calories I should be eating- which I appreciate. I also enjoy her 30DS videos. That said, I disagree with a lot of the things she's been putting her name on lately, and some of the things she's been saying, which are borderline dangerous if not silly.
  • 311Phil
    311Phil Posts: 397
    one reason why i think you should eat your exercise calories on MFP is that your calorie goal is already based on weight loss. so if you didn't exercise, you would still technically lose weight. so by burning off those calories, and then eating them, you are back up to the amount needed for your average weekly loss....if that makes sense.
  • Chelij
    Chelij Posts: 49
    i had a super hard time accepting this, and i still know lots of people i do. aren't you glad we found this site and figured it out? it also gives you an extra incentive to workout.....SO YOU CAN EAT MORE! :)
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    The big confusion comes in because MFP has already established a deficit for people Before exercise calories are taken into account.
    Where as "exercise" programs you see else where use the exercise calories to create the deficit.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    For those who haven't seen them, here are some of the threads that discuss metabolism and exercise cals:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    It is disheartening how little good info there is "out in the world" about proper nutrition and exercise. I think much of it comes from

    a) There isn't really a one-size-fits-all solution. There are so many factors that come into any individual's weight gain/loss that it can be hard to nail down ONE thing that needs to be done. There is a lot of tweaking that needs to come with any nutrition/exercise plan for a specific person.

    b) Marketing/Money-making: There's a lot of money to be made off of diet/exercise gimmicks - so the more they can think up/make up, the more money comes rolling in.

    c) Human Nature: So many of us (myself included, in the past) want it easy. We WANT to be told that we can do this ONE thing and everything will magically be fixed and we can ride off into the sunset. This applies to lots of things, but I think is especially prominent in the nutrition/exercise realm because... Well, because there is no one thing to do, or pill to take, or one food to eat. It's hard work. And let's face it, we've become a society that minimizes and avoids hard work/hard choices whenever possible.

    There's been a lot of damage done by some of the fad diets and by the simple fact that a lot of "quick fix" gimmicks DO work - in the short term. But that's one of the reasons I'm loving MFP - and why I tell everyone about it - to try to counter all the bad/misleading info out there. We'll start a revolution....eventually. :flowerforyou:
  • sohnshine
    sohnshine Posts: 14
    Also... these programs usually are a commercial racket that isn't really looking at YOUR best interest, though they market that they are.
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