Pleas help me to understand eating calories...

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shelly62475
shelly62475 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost a total of 140 lbsI. I am in a MAJOR plateau!!! I think I finally get it about eating your calories. I am eating 1200 calories/day and haven't been eating my exercise calories back and believe this is why I have become stuck. I still need to lose another 20lbs and am getting nowhere. So my question is...If I burn 400 calories on my treadmill then I have gone back to 800 calories, right? So I then need to eat another 400 calories to get back to 1200? Can someone please explain this to me and if there are any other ideas to overcome this back slide I welcome ALL suggestions. I have recently began water aerobics:smokin: ...any thoughts on this?...Any idea how many calories are being burned or how to tell if its a good workout?

Replies

  • Myslissa
    Myslissa Posts: 760 Member
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    There are so many different answers from so many different people. I started splitting the difference. I make sure I at least eat my 1200 and then split the exercise calories gained. I was stuck and wasnt eating of the exercise claories back so I decided to split the difference and it has helped. Sorry if this is too vague but it works for me.
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    Just pay attention to what the site is telling you. It does the math for you. It constantly shows you how many calories you have left at the top of the screen.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    You are spot on! Just make sure your NEW calories on your main page is at least 1200 and you should start losing again.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    With only 20 lbs to go, it may be time that you need to incorporate weight lifting into your exercise program. Cardio can only get you so far. It's also a probability that your body is now used to what you have been doing, so you should shake up the exercise program. Seeing my first sentence can also help with that.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    Wow!! 140lb is fantastic. Congratulations. :flowerforyou:

    Don't fret those last 20lbs they will obey and flee. unfortunately you will have to work real hard for them.

    Make sure your goals are updated and set to lose only .5lb a week. I know you want to do more, but you are close enough that a half a pound is where you should be at. The other thing is the calorie counters on a lot of machines do not accurately count the calories for everyone. You should think about getting a heart rate monitor. The closer you get to your goal the less room for error there is. If you over estimate your calories burned and eat them back, or you don't have the right calorie allotment, it will make a bigger difference than when you had 50lbs to lose.

    Take your measurments as well. Here is where a lot of toning will come in and may not show up on the scale.

    Best wishes. You deserve much success.
  • Stef_k
    Stef_k Posts: 2
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    I was going to ask the same question...I have gotten so good at keeping calorie counts to 1200, I'm not sure what to do with calorie gains from exercise. I will try the splitting the difference method and hope that works.
  • DerGraf
    DerGraf Posts: 40 Member
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    Whatever your goal has been set at in terms of calories you should lose by the end of the week if you stick to the plan. This is the equation I use, and has worked brilliantly without flaw...

    To lose 2 lbs per week I need to stay below 1330 calories.

    If I eat 1200 calories a day, spot on, for example, I have surpassed my "goal" of calories for the day by 130 calories.

    130 calories x 7 days = 910 calories

    If I burn, for example, 1000 calories a day, I add that to the 910 calories for my weeks end.

    1000 calories x 7 days = 7000 calories

    I keep in mind that 1 lb of fat is equal to 3500 calories.

    So this would be my weight loss for the week in this particular scenario, and I hit my projected number EVERY time (I find the margin of error to be within 0.3 lbs)....

    910 + 7000 = 7,910

    7,910 / 3500 = 2.26

    So, just by the week's exercise and by eating those less calories recommended by the site, I SHOULD lose 2.26 lbs.

    But don't forget... I still have to add the 2 lbs per week I automatically get for staying under 1330 calories a day.... SO...

    2.26 lbs. + 2 lbs = 4.26 lbs.

    I'm not even sure if this is what you're asking for... lol... but it has been bang on for me. Another quick tip is as you lose weight, you NEED to RECALCULATE your new BMR (I think that's what it's called), your new value of calories your body needs to consume in order to maintain weight.

    Feel free to add me if this is confusing or you have any more questions!!! :) Good luck!!!
  • shelly62475
    shelly62475 Posts: 13 Member
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    I think its the "numbers thing" that I'm not getting...It just isnt making any sense to me. I have recalculated my BMR and it is now 2026...if I have even done this right! I want to do 1200 calories. I will approxmiately 300-400 calories on treadmill 3/week 30-40 min~incline is 5 to start and on 10 when finished), have recently started water aerobics to change things up a bit. According to MFP this burns 327 cal/hr. Hopefully will do this at least 2/week....My only problem with all this is I can only exercise around 5 or 6 in the late afternoon and I dont like to eat back calories especially before bed (9 or 10)...What am I doing wrong?
  • DerGraf
    DerGraf Posts: 40 Member
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    I think all you have to really concentrate on is keep track on calories you go "under" your bmr. Then add those numbers to the calories you estimate you burned exercising. Divide that total number by 3500 and you should have the amount of weight lost. I keep track of this via mfp, but before I found this site, I would write everything down. I would do my calculations first and THEN weigh myself. I weigh myself once a week to avoid confusion.

    Is that any better? lol

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