Eating back calories counterproductive to weight loss
Replies
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I normally stay away from this one question, but..........I did read that the following applies to each and everyone of us.....
if your are MORBIDLY OBESE, OR OBESE.........No, dont eat any of your exercise calories back
if you are OVERWEIGHT, .....................................Eat only half of your exercise calories back
if you are NORMAL, ............. Eat all of your exercise calories back
again, I only read this, so I guess its hear say.............I usually ate about half for the last year ,and it paid off...........best of luck
This can be true. It applies more to the smaller people than the obese. So the obese could probably get away with going under 1200 for quite a while. I'm small and have a small maintenance calorie number so I have to make sure I do try and eat up to 12000 -
Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.
Very, very simply:
I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.
WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.
WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.
I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
I have a question to add to this....
I work out after work at night. I usually go to the gym around 8 or 8:30 and work work for approximately 90 minutes and burn anywhere from 1200 to 1500. By the time go to the gym i'm over on my cals somewhere between 250 and 350. There is no way I can eat the extra calories at 10:30 at night right before I go to bed. I don't want to eat an extra 1200 calories before I go to the gym in case something happens and I only burn...lets say....500 calories. What should I do in this case?
most people would tell you to try and guess what your calorie burn is going to be in the evening and try to eat it through out the day0 -
Wait, do you agree you SHOULDN'T eat them back or you should eat half back?I agree!!! finally someone who agrees!!!0 -
Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.
Very, very simply:
I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.
WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.
WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.
I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
AMEN! this is so true. Do what you wish, but by starving yourself, you will lose weight, Muscle weight, not FAT WEIGHT. I have a hard time understanding why people don't understand this as well.
Also true. (Adaptive thermalgenesis). Your body will stop burning fat, store what you eat and dig into your lean muscle mass for fuel.0 -
Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.
Very, very simply:
I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.
WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.
WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.
I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
I have a question to add to this....
I work out after work at night. I usually go to the gym around 8 or 8:30 and work work for approximately 90 minutes and burn anywhere from 1200 to 1500. By the time go to the gym i'm over on my cals somewhere between 250 and 350. There is no way I can eat the extra calories at 10:30 at night right before I go to bed. I don't want to eat an extra 1200 calories before I go to the gym in case something happens and I only burn...lets say....500 calories. What should I do in this case?
In this case you shouldn't do as high intensity of a work out. BUT if you plan on doing this much exercising, plan your meals out in the morning so that you eat that many calories through out the day so you don't have such a deficit at the end of the day. I log my work out calories at the begining of the day too. It forces me to make sure I get to the gym. If I find that I am full, then I don't work out as much (and by work out I mean calorie burn as much So Iw ill lift more weights), If I find that I am hungry I try to burn more calories.0 -
I have a question to add to this....
I work out after work at night. I usually go to the gym around 8 or 8:30 and work work for approximately 90 minutes and burn anywhere from 1200 to 1500. By the time go to the gym i'm over on my cals somewhere between 250 and 350. There is no way I can eat the extra calories at 10:30 at night right before I go to bed. I don't want to eat an extra 1200 calories before I go to the gym in case something happens and I only burn...lets say....500 calories. What should I do in this case?
If I were you I would make an effort at working more calories into your day before working out - not necessarily all of them (since you don't always know what workout you'll be doing ahead of time), but some. You could also eat a larger breakfast the next day (your calorie balance doesn't "reset" at midnight - if you burned a ton the night before, a large breakfast is reasonable if you had an extra large deficit the prior day due to the exercise), though that would make your food diary look "off" that day since the exercise was logged the day before.
Anyways - spreading the calories out and eating a bigger breakfast/lunch/dinner on the days you know you'll be exercising is the easiest way to get to a healthy number of calories. Try eating maybe 500 extra during the day, and then if you need to eat some more after working out because you burned a lot, do that too. I personally will eat a large snack right after working out (also at night). The whole not eating at night thing is a myth - as long as it doesn't cause you digestive discomfort, go for it! (I'd stay away from really heavy foods...)0 -
Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.
Very, very simply:
I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.
WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.
WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.
I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
Totally... thats how I feel. I dont know why its hard to understand that MFP already starts you at a deficit. I think if they made it more clear when you are setting up your account it might be easier for people to understand. Like after you fill in your info, it will be a page you read before logging in for the first time. Might be helpful?0 -
This is a good editorial on the perils of weight loss, but it doesn't answer our question specifically. I believe Virgin inferred through the piece that she doesn't eat extra calories on the days she works out, regardless of how intense her workouts are. But she is in favor of four meals throughout the day, or eating every 4-6 hours.this is equally interesting *S*
http://www.edmontonsun.com/life/columnists/cary_castagna/2011/02/25/17405911.html0 -
Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.
Very, very simply:
I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.
WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.
WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.
I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.
You're right about the deficit, it's in there at 500 calories per day. My deficit is 1000-1200 per day depending on my workout that day. I feel that because the 500 deficit is so low, over the course of a week you could easily overestimate your calories expended, and end up eating into your deficit, lowering your 1 pound per week weight loss to decimal points you won't even notice. Over time your body gets used to eating more, and is used to your exercise that it just gets comfortable, therefore not losing any more weight. This is what happened to me after 6 months, and for the past 2-3 months. One week of not eating my calories back and I'm seeing some real results - in pounds gone and inches lost. That is all...0 -
Here we go again. If you are at 1200 calorie goal and you burn 500 during exercise that will put you at 700 calories. 1200 is the baseline number for Starvation Mode. If you go under that number for too long then your body will start to adapt to the number by stopping the fat burning process for fear of famine (My 'comatose' BMR is 1188 and I'm pretty little so 1200 is a good number). Your weight loss will slow down and you can possible start gaining. I am proof of that. I gained 20 pounds in less than a year by "not eating". You eat the 500 calories to get you back up to your daily goal. You want your NET calories to stay above 1200. This is why MFP will not go below a 1200 daily goal.
Please check out the links in my signature especially the "frantic about adhering to calorie...".
Heck I upped my goal from 1250 to 1480 2 weeks ago and have dropped another 1 1/2 pounds.
Oh I don't mean too sound mean. This is the one biggest ongoing issue on this site. Some days I am under 1200. I just don't stay under for more than 2 days.
I get what you're saying, but have you read or heard about HCG diet? It overlaps somewhat on this principle stating you're not devoid of calories just because you haven't eaten 1600 calories today....when you exercise, the point is to burn fat. If there are no food calories to burn if the body needs fuel, it will burn the fat. Isn't this the whole entire point of weight loss?0 -
In general...I am referring to normal workouts, ranging from about 200-800 calories burned...Not heavy-duty physical, athlete-type training. In your case I would double my protein (one drink before, one drink after), but that's it. Maybe an extra apple. But I wouldn't pack on 1000-1200 calories extra because of running 9 miles.Hmm after my nine mile run today I think I need to eat some of the extra calories.0 -
NOT EATING YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES BACK =/= (does not equal) STARVING YOURSELF! LOL. I never recommended anyone go below 1200 calories. That isn't what we're talking about ppl.AMEN! this is so true. Do what you wish, but by starving yourself, you will lose weight, Muscle weight, not FAT WEIGHT. I have a hard time understanding why people don't understand this as well.0 -
Here we go again. If you are at 1200 calorie goal and you burn 500 during exercise that will put you at 700 calories. 1200 is the baseline number for Starvation Mode. If you go under that number for too long then your body will start to adapt to the number by stopping the fat burning process for fear of famine (My 'comatose' BMR is 1188 and I'm pretty little so 1200 is a good number). Your weight loss will slow down and you can possible start gaining. I am proof of that. I gained 20 pounds in less than a year by "not eating". You eat the 500 calories to get you back up to your daily goal. You want your NET calories to stay above 1200. This is why MFP will not go below a 1200 daily goal.
Please check out the links in my signature especially the "frantic about adhering to calorie...".
Heck I upped my goal from 1250 to 1480 2 weeks ago and have dropped another 1 1/2 pounds.
Oh I don't mean too sound mean. This is the one biggest ongoing issue on this site. Some days I am under 1200. I just don't stay under for more than 2 days.
I get what you're saying, but have you read or heard about HCG diet? It overlaps somewhat on this principle stating you're not devoid of calories just because you haven't eaten 1600 calories today....when you exercise, the point is to burn fat. If there are no food calories to burn if the body needs fuel, it will burn the fat. Isn't this the whole entire point of weight loss?
Unless it starts burning muscle, which is what happens in the case of constant severe calorie deficits.
And yes, if you're someone who needs to lose 50-100lbs or more, and you are ok with going up into a 1,000 calorie deficit or more, AND you stay above approximately 1200/day, then you can play around with the calories. But if you need to lose less than that, then it's not as safe.0 -
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*Do not invoke The URL...Do not invoke The URL....* :explode:
^___________^0 -
Bump....for later0
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What is the source of this information? Where did you hear this?I normally stay away from this one question, but..........I did read that the following applies to each and everyone of us.....
if your are MORBIDLY OBESE, OR OBESE.........No, dont eat any of your exercise calories back
if you are OVERWEIGHT, .....................................Eat only half of your exercise calories back
if you are NORMAL, ............. Eat all of your exercise calories back
again, I only read this, so I guess its hear say.............I usually ate about half for the last year ,and it paid off...........best of luck0 -
Here we go again. If you are at 1200 calorie goal and you burn 500 during exercise that will put you at 700 calories. 1200 is the baseline number for Starvation Mode. If you go under that number for too long then your body will start to adapt to the number by stopping the fat burning process for fear of famine (My 'comatose' BMR is 1188 and I'm pretty little so 1200 is a good number). Your weight loss will slow down and you can possible start gaining. I am proof of that. I gained 20 pounds in less than a year by "not eating". You eat the 500 calories to get you back up to your daily goal. You want your NET calories to stay above 1200. This is why MFP will not go below a 1200 daily goal.
Please check out the links in my signature especially the "frantic about adhering to calorie...".
Heck I upped my goal from 1250 to 1480 2 weeks ago and have dropped another 1 1/2 pounds.
Oh I don't mean too sound mean. This is the one biggest ongoing issue on this site. Some days I am under 1200. I just don't stay under for more than 2 days.
I get what you're saying, but have you read or heard about HCG diet? It overlaps somewhat on this principle stating you're not devoid of calories just because you haven't eaten 1600 calories today....when you exercise, the point is to burn fat. If there are no food calories to burn if the body needs fuel, it will burn the fat. Isn't this the whole entire point of weight loss?
When you diet and cardio you will lose some muscle mass and some fat mass. There is no way around this other than to get plenty of protein and strength training. If there are no calories to burn and the body needs fuel it will also burn protein (i.e. lean muscle mass).
I don't believe in the HCG diet. From what I have read here and online (which can be very confusing) once the drops stop the weight comes right back on. I can understand doing something like this under dire health circumstances. This isn't something you can do the rest of your life.0 -
rworthy , I copied it 2 weeks ago, on this site from a poster asking the same question. This was there reply , so I cite my source from MFP.........Lloyd0
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In general...I am referring to normal workouts, ranging from about 200-800 calories burned...Not heavy-duty physical, athlete-type training. In your case I would double my protein (one drink before, one drink after), but that's it. Maybe an extra apple. But I wouldn't pack on 1000-1200 calories extra because of running 9 miles.Hmm after my nine mile run today I think I need to eat some of the extra calories.
I have my cals spaced out throughout the day and eat half of them. Trust me i dont go eat a whopper or something :] I tend to burn up to 2000 calories some days.And I have seen many people burn 1000+ a lot too.
Have to note I am an athlete but i dont burn 2000 very often haha but normalls 900-1000+0 -
I would recommend a protein shake before and one after your workout. And a good breakfast the next day. I wouldn't eat back the calories - especially at night. That's just ridiculous.I have a question to add to this....
I work out after work at night. I usually go to the gym around 8 or 8:30 and work work for approximately 90 minutes and burn anywhere from 1200 to 1500. By the time go to the gym i'm over on my cals somewhere between 250 and 350. There is no way I can eat the extra calories at 10:30 at night right before I go to bed. I don't want to eat an extra 1200 calories before I go to the gym in case something happens and I only burn...lets say....500 calories. What should I do in this case?0 -
*Do not invoke The URL...Do not invoke The URL....* :explode:
They seriously need to add a "like" button to this.
^_______^
Should I?... Ah, eff it. For troll's sake, I invoke The URL:
http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
*Sigh of relief* ... There... I just dropped a deuce on the boards... I feel better. This is gonna become my new addiction. :devil:0 -
the Minnesota Starvation Diet is not Starvation Mode. They aren't the same thing.
Anorexia is also a starvation diet, not starvation mode.
I've seen both articles before and I agree. Starvation Mode doesn't kick in immediately. It can take a few days to a week. I think that's why calorie cycling (zig zagging) is successful for a lot of people. But they are both confusing a starvation diet with starvation mode.0 -
the Minnesota Starvation Diet is not Starvation Mode. They aren't the same thing.
Anorexia is also a starvation diet, not starvation mode.
I've seen both articles before and I agree. Starvation Mode doesn't kick in immediately. It can take a few days to a week. I think that's why calorie cycling (zig zagging) is successful for a lot of people. But they are both confusing a starvation diet with starvation mode.
well ive havent netted 1200 calories in almost a year,im not in starvation mode,im developing muscle nicely and have been losing no more than 2 pounds a week.I logg everything I eat except one day a few days ago.So why am I not in starvation mode.0 -
Gosh, I hope I'm not doing this the rest of my life. To clarify, this is what I'm doing to see real weight loss results, not a pound lost per month....This is only until I reach my goal, then I'll probably increase my calories by 500 or so, with workouts 5 days per week.Here we go again. If you are at 1200 calorie goal and you burn 500 during exercise that will put you at 700 calories. 1200 is the baseline number for Starvation Mode. If you go under that number for too long then your body will start to adapt to the number by stopping the fat burning process for fear of famine (My 'comatose' BMR is 1188 and I'm pretty little so 1200 is a good number). Your weight loss will slow down and you can possible start gaining. I am proof of that. I gained 20 pounds in less than a year by "not eating". You eat the 500 calories to get you back up to your daily goal. You want your NET calories to stay above 1200. This is why MFP will not go below a 1200 daily goal.
Please check out the links in my signature especially the "frantic about adhering to calorie...".
Heck I upped my goal from 1250 to 1480 2 weeks ago and have dropped another 1 1/2 pounds.
Oh I don't mean too sound mean. This is the one biggest ongoing issue on this site. Some days I am under 1200. I just don't stay under for more than 2 days.
I get what you're saying, but have you read or heard about HCG diet? It overlaps somewhat on this principle stating you're not devoid of calories just because you haven't eaten 1600 calories today....when you exercise, the point is to burn fat. If there are no food calories to burn if the body needs fuel, it will burn the fat. Isn't this the whole entire point of weight loss?
When you diet and cardio you will lose some muscle mass and some fat mass. There is no way around this other than to get plenty of protein and strength training. If there are no calories to burn and the body needs fuel it will also burn protein (i.e. lean muscle mass).
I don't believe in the HCG diet. From what I have read here and online (which can be very confusing) once the drops stop the weight comes right back on. I can understand doing something like this under dire health circumstances. This isn't something you can do the rest of your life.
About muscle mass lost...this is what happens when your body doesn't have enough fuel to sustain the workout. This is the purpose of drinking a protein shake after a workout. Who said my workout was only cardio? Are you saying that if you don't eat your calories back after a workout of lifting weights, the result will be a decrease in muscle? This is just preposterous.
Look, I think we can all agree you shouldn't eat less than 1200 calories a day if you're trying to lose weight.
IF YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS YOU'RE GETTING: great for you! You're probably in the early stages (1-6 months into weight loss plan), and probably still seeing results. By ALL MEANS, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR RESULTS: You're getting pissed that all the exercising and dieting is leveling off - you lose a pound or so here or there, or you might even gain a pound or two here or there, BUT YOU'RE NOT MAKING SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS....this tells me YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. What worked for me is exercising 6 days per week, and NOT EATING MY EXERCISE CALORIES BACK. I did not say that I am "starving myself" or going "below 1200 calories.....but I'm not EATING MORE JUST BECAUSE I RAN THREE MILES THAT DAY. If I DID run 3 miles today, I will simply drink plenty of water, and have a protein shake with 25-30 grams of protein within 45 minutes after a workout.0 -
reread and realized i misunderstood, never mind. 0
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I only "eat back" my calories after exercise if I happen to be hungry. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat them back. Since I usually do my exercise right before bed, I am usually not hungry and so do not need to eat back the calories.0
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For me it depends on what my goals are. Strictly weight loss? I'd probably skip it unless I was truly hungry or needed them to compensate for an indulgence. However, right now I'm doing P90X and while I do want to lose weight at the moment I'm concentrating on strength and building a little muscle. Since I need the calories to feed my body's recovery and growth I will eat them. I do have a HRM that I am tracking what I've really burned instead of guessing so even if my HRM isn't the perfect tool for knowing how many calories are burned, at least I'm closer to reality and not having huge errors either direction. I feel that if I were to eat the 3,000 plus calories the P90X nutrition guide says I should be eating I'd gain weight rather than lose it. And we can't be doing that! :P0
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So how many calories are you eating a day on the HCG diet? How many are you netting after exercise? How much weight have you lost and how much do you want to lose? I'm just curious.
I researched the HCG diet last year when my neighbor started it and swore by it. He lost 45 pounds really fast (in about 2 months) by sticking to a 500 calorie per day diet and using the placenta hormone drops to subdue his appetite. He was exercising everyday and not eating his calories back and he looked great. But when he stopped taking the drops and began eating about 1200-1400 calories per day he gained 60 pounds back within 3 months. Needless to say he isn't too happy with the long term results. I never got into it because I couldn't stand the idea of putting placenta juice in my mouth.0
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