Eat back ALL my exercise calories????

Ok I will sum it up in 3 sentences for you;

1) Obese people have a larger cushion and can get away with large deficits in order to shed fat.
2) You can not continue doing this over long periods of time as you will slow your metabolic rate once you get down to a lighter weight.
3) On the biggest loser these people are eating more than 1200 net a day, end of story, the body needs to be fed and you see them hit plateaus often. Their caloric goals are setup to allow them to eat enough to feed the muscle, they are not starving their muscles, if that is the only way you can lose weight then you either have a super slow metabolic rate and need to lean how to get it cranked up or you have little to no muscle mass.

Why does it feel like you are smashing your head off a brick wall when talking to people and explaining that there is a better way of losing fat and retaining muscle? STARVING YOUR BODY WILL FAIL!! You can not eat like a mouse and workout like an olympic athlete and expect to be healthy end of story. Why do you gain weight when you start finally eating properly? Gee I wonder, it is a natural response the body has, it is saying holy heck I am getting fed and will hold onto every single bit of that for at least 2-3 weeks, so expect an initial gain when you do feed it properly, that is natural but the end result is that it will feed and grow your muscles and shed fat once you continue on that path, I am living friggin proof of that. I tried the way you are doing it and it does not work long term, I wised up grew a brain and then started losing fat easily, with tons of energy and I get stronger every single week.

@kickerz - There is no way my BMR is anywhere near that because I actually tested this for two weeks eating that much without exercising and I gained like, 3 lbs. That's why I said my BMR is lower.

@Newfiedan - I read that you can have a large deficit for a long period of time as long as you have days where you reduce it by eating more or working out less.

Two weeks is NEVER enough time for the body to adjust hormonal levels when you change intake/exercise drastically. Hormones are what regulate your weight - whether maintaining it, gaining or losing. And it can take MONTHS for hormone levels to balance out when you make big changes. It is common for someone who has an extremely restricted intake (and therefore lowered metabolism and probably low muscle mass) to gain a bit when they begin eating more. It is almost always temporary and then they will begin losing again.

If you truly believe your metabolism is that low, I would run, not walk, to the docs office to get some tests done for thyroid issues.

Listen spaecoconaut, I am sure that you are intelligent enough to understand that when I say muscle, I am not talking bulk muscles like a guy, women do not gain muscle like men that is why they can lift heavy and still be small. What you are refering to is called caloric cycling and it is a useful tool but when you do get down in weight that cycling successfully gets smaller and smaller I am currently using that method to accelerate my fat loss but I do it without starving my body. Also so you know the proper method is 2 days low 1 day high to make it work right as more than 2 consecutive days will cause a metabolic drop. BMR is your resting heart rate, so that is what you burn just sitting perfectly still, as soon as you move workout, or just walk it goes higher that is inevitable. My theoretical bmr is 1669 cals a day. I eat 1940/day, workout 3-4 times a week and I drop 1 pound a week or more no fail and I eat back almost all if not all my exercise cals. So it does work if you log accurately and have an accurate burn number from your workouts, using a good hrm will provide that.

@Newfiedan: http://i51.tinypic.com/2nlwx07.jpg This is me at 190 lbs. I'm not a muscle head, but by looking at that and knowing that I'm only 5'5'' would you say I'm more fat than muscle? Maybe I'm just stuck on the idea that I need to lose more than 2 lbs a week which is the "unhealthy" way.

@ladyhawk: I am injected with Risperdal Consta twice a month.

Why does it feel like you are smashing your head off a brick wall when talking to people and explaining that there is a better way of losing fat and retaining muscle? STARVING YOUR BODY WILL FAIL!! You can not eat like a mouse and workout like an olympic athlete and expect to be healthy end of story. Why do you gain weight when you start finally eating properly? Gee I wonder, it is a natural response the body has, it is saying holy heck I am getting fed and will hold onto every single bit of that for at least 2-3 weeks, so expect an initial gain when you do feed it properly, that is natural but the end result is that it will feed and grow your muscles and shed fat once you continue on that path, I am living friggin proof of that. I tried the way you are doing it and it does not work long term, I wised up grew a brain and then started losing fat easily, with tons of energy and I get stronger every single week.

For me It is a simple concept to follow and that is what's so attractive about MFP. But for some who have been told all their life to eat like a mouse they question about the need to consume calories they just burned exercising. It is a stigma that for some is hard to break. You read on here daily of those fighting this issue. Good job of keeping your patience, btw.

BMR is what your body burns without moving, walking, or eating. So as soon as you get out of bed you are burning more than that. MFP has built in the caloric deficit needed daily to shed the fat in a healthy way so eating below your bmr is not the right way to tackle fat loss. Look at me for instance, my bmr is 1669 cals my daily goal is 1940. I workout 3-4 times a week and eat back all those cals. I still lose 1 to 1.6 pounds a week consistently. MFP has set you up for losing fat already without you ever working out or moving a muscle other than your daily routine/activity level. That is why you are supposed to eat back those exercise calories. If you are morbidly obese you can get away with not eating them back as the body will actually help you burn off the fat to get to a state that it naturally wants to be in. No ones body wants to be fat, it goes against the very nature of the human body. Once we are getting down in weight to the 30 lbs and lower range though things change, the body does not want to release that fat store unless you are coaxing it along and working with it hand in hand, this is why I advocate healthy eating. It is a great way to give the body all that it needs and in turn it will shed the fat store. This has to be a lifelong thing, going back to old habits will get you right back where you started. You missed out on the part where I said it is to a point for cals in vs cals out. You can shed weight eating twinkies if you so desire but you will not get to a healthy you by doing that. Maximize your health and you will live a long life, you get out of this what you put in. Diet is 80% of the battle for fat loss, working out is 20% so even if you work out like an olympian unless you are eating to compliment that then you are not going to succeed.

I think I'm starting to understand what you're saying more.

Ugh, my brain.

I still think none of this applies to me. I must be the bad kind of special.

no you are not alone, it does apply it is just that some nuts are harder to crack than others, I am happy to help any of those whom need things laid out in plain simple terms, but you really need to open your mind to a better way to really get what I am saying and start on a better path to fat loss, one that is a much happier, healthier, and easier path than the one you are currently on. Sometimes we all need a good kick in the tukus to get things through to the brain and get them into practice. I have helped many men and women on here get on that path. I have turned many skeptics into believers. Worst case scenario you give it a few weeks and if it does not work o well go back to what you were doing, its not the end of the world.

anytime, I really hope that you do find it and learn to work with your body not against it.

Okay, yeah I'm not reading all that, sorry. I need a short simple explanation in no more than 3 sentences.
I'm trying to understand this, but posting a scientific journal on the matter isn't going to help me get it any sooner.

My BMR is around 1200. I eat less than that and burn over 1000 calories a day and that is THE ONLY way I can lose weight. I've been discussing this with my doctor since the fall.

I've never heard anywhere that you're supposed to eat the calories you burn to lose weight. I don't see how eating what you burn is creating a calorie deficit, even if your metabolism goes up. Maybe I just don't get it because it doesn't work for me, it's really just hard for me to grasp this.

Your body resorts to using fat when it cannot get enough fuel from the food you eat. If you think I'm wrong, then how the hell are the people from The Biggest Loser losing all that weight when they only eat 1200 calories a day and probably burn over 3000 a day? They aren't eating back all those calories in food.

I know it can be frustrating, but if you ask a question, please be ready to accept the answers you get. These people are just trying to help you, because this is a supportive network. Think it was kind of uncalled for you blast that woman for helping out. It may have been a lengthy response but if you really are interested in HOW it works, than read it. We all need more positivity, take the negativity to another place.

The goal that MFP gives you already has calories deducted from it so you can lose weight. Eating a lot less or exercising huge amounts for long periods is not going to help you be slim in the long run. In the short run, you'll lose weight.

But,
I assume you want to keep the weight off, once you lose it? You're not planning to put it back on, right?

So don't starve your body. Give it enough fuel that it won't freak out (and pack on the pounds) once you reach goal weight and start eating normally again.

You all said pretty much the same thing, but it still sounds like you're eating all the calories you worked so hard to burn off. That still doesn't make sense to me.

I guess I use MFP a different way. I don't count the exercise as more food I can eat, just more calories that I burn.

The thing is though once you log on to MFP and put in your info you basically have to do no more. You can sit on the couch and lose weight as long as you stay at your calculated calories. People add exercise to stay healthy and be fit. When you add exercise you have to thing of food as fuel and your body NEEDS fuel to run. If you are allowed 1200 calories and burn 1,000 you are only leave your body 200 calories to survive on and that just isn't enough.

Here is a post I made when I finally realized how it all worked...lol with pictures that show MFP has already built in a deficit.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/202392-a-visual-about-mfp-and-net-calories

If you go to any other site then ya your burn is your burn and you probably don't have to eat them back but MFP is just different that it creates a deficit right from the start.

wow thanks so much for explaining it like that!! it all makes sence now!

Why does it feel like you are smashing your head off a brick wall when talking to people and explaining that there is a better way of losing fat and retaining muscle? STARVING YOUR BODY WILL FAIL!! You can not eat like a mouse and workout like an olympic athlete and expect to be healthy end of story. Why do you gain weight when you start finally eating properly? Gee I wonder, it is a natural response the body has, it is saying holy heck I am getting fed and will hold onto every single bit of that for at least 2-3 weeks, so expect an initial gain when you do feed it properly, that is natural but the end result is that it will feed and grow your muscles and shed fat once you continue on that path, I am living friggin proof of that. I tried the way you are doing it and it does not work long term, I wised up grew a brain and then started losing fat easily, with tons of energy and I get stronger every single week.
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i agree i for one thank you for all the info!!!! you have been sooo helpful and i will no longer feel guilty for eating back my cals xxx

Space Coconaut said" @ladyhawk: I am injected with Risperdal Consta twice a month."
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You also mentioned that you think that your medication is messing with you... but can't get off it....

Risperdal Consta WILL make it difficult for you to lose weight, and will "HELP" you keep it on... especially in your midsection. All I can say is try to rely on exercise to maintain your health, and *MAYBE* one day you could have the injection reduced or eliminated. In my opinion, super slow weight loss is better than the alterative of going off that medication. So, good for you to know that going off the medication isn't really an option right now.

Bumping so I can keep for future reference!