Exercise calories

I am 5'4 and started out at 150lbs mid February. I am on 1200 calorie per day and have lost 10.6 lbs so far. Another 10 to go. I don't eat my exercise calories. I just add them to the exercise notes rather than have them add on to my available calories. I like to glance at what's left for the day without having to reduce it by my exercise calories.
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Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    You're on 1,200 a day, but don't eat your exercise calories back?

    Lets assume you burn 400 calories in a workout, and you eat 1,200 calories that day. That's 800 calories in total OP.

    Eat your exercise calories. 1,200 is already low enough.
  • envy09
    envy09 Posts: 353 Member
    I agree with IsaackGMOON; at 1200 calories a day, you should be eating your exercise calories back. Right now you're probably taking in as many calories as a those consumed by people participating in a starvation study.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    Definitely eat them! If you're doing any kind of exercise, you're not eating enough. MFP wants you to *net* 1200, not eat 1200.

    Plus, exercise calories are delicious.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    edited April 2015
    Don't you feel hungry on just 1200 cals?
    I'd be very irritable and weak on that amount of calories.
    I'm pretty certain you'd have lost the same amount, eating back some/most of your exercise cals.
  • IamUndrCnstruction
    IamUndrCnstruction Posts: 691 Member
    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    Definitely eat them! If you're doing any kind of exercise, you're not eating enough. MFP wants you to *net* 1200, not eat 1200.

    Plus, exercise calories are delicious.

    She's right...they taste better than regular calories, cause you worked for them!

  • akaguna
    akaguna Posts: 17 Member
    I am 5 4' 1/2 and 43 years old. I started at 141.5 and am 134 now and have been doing this for over a month. I eat those for sure. I find it super helpful and motivating to get those after a hard workout. I want this weight to stay off and need to make sure I can eat enough to sustain this way of eating. I don't think I could eat 1200 calories a day. I would be so hungry. It seems to be working for me . I only have 6 to go to get to my goal.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    You only have 10 lbs to lose and you're eating 1200 calories? Let me guess... you set it to 2 lbs/week loss? That's too aggressive of a goal for that amount to lose.

    Also, you need to fuel your body for the exercise you do do. Why would you not eat them? Is risking malnutrition worth it for those 10 lbs?

    And I agree, exercise calories are delicious and filling.
  • JoAnnRyan123
    JoAnnRyan123 Posts: 110 Member
    I don't log my exercise cals but do allow myself extra food cals when I know I trained hard that day.

    With only 10lbs to go, you may want to start thinking about how you'll do once its gone & you move onto long term maintenance.

    Can you sustain 1200 & your current exercise plan long term?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Nykocat wrote: »
    I am 5'4 and started out at 150lbs mid February. I am on 1200 calorie per day and have lost 10.6 lbs so far. Another 10 to go. I don't eat my exercise calories. I just add them to the exercise notes rather than have them add on to my available calories. I like to glance at what's left for the day without having to reduce it by my exercise calories.

    Are you asking a question, or telling us?
  • Bailey_432
    Bailey_432 Posts: 55 Member
    Nykocat wrote: »
    I am 5'4 and started out at 150lbs mid February. I am on 1200 calorie per day and have lost 10.6 lbs so far. Another 10 to go. I don't eat my exercise calories. I just add them to the exercise notes rather than have them add on to my available calories. I like to glance at what's left for the day without having to reduce it by my exercise calories.

    So what would you like to know? Is there a question you're asking us all?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2015
    I'm not sure what you want either--public service announcement or question--but my concern is that at 140 and 5'4, eating 1200 and exercising without eating back calories (for a loss of more than 2 lbs/week so far) means you are going to be losing more muscle mass with your fat than you need to be. If your interest is just the scale weight, that's your choice, although I don't think eating that low is especially healthy, but for me it would make losing the additional weight somewhat counterproductive. I'm not far from your stats at present--5'3 and 125--and for me lowering my body fat percentage and improving my athletic performance and fitness is what I care about. If I can lose weight faster but risk all that, it's not worth it at all, especially since I'm not unhappy where I am.

    I felt somewhat differently even when I was at 140, though, and probably would have thought people saying what I am now were being alarmist and that I was fine, so I understand if you don't want to hear it.
  • Nykocat
    Nykocat Posts: 2 Member
    I was reading some posts where some eat the exercise calories and some don't. I was trying to respond to the originators question about what others are doing but it appears I created a new feed. Sorry about that! I guess I was looking at it if I eat 1200 per day and exercise then I would loose more? From the responses I guess that's not a good thing to do. I don't feel hungry on the 1200 as I spread it out throughout the day so it's been great so far. I don't work out a lot so not a huge issue but I will definitely eat up those exercise calories from now on! Thanks for your responses much appreciated!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Nykocat wrote: »
    I was reading some posts where some eat the exercise calories and some don't. I was trying to respond to the originators question about what others are doing but it appears I created a new feed. Sorry about that! I guess I was looking at it if I eat 1200 per day and exercise then I would loose more? From the responses I guess that's not a good thing to do. I don't feel hungry on the 1200 as I spread it out throughout the day so it's been great so far. I don't work out a lot so not a huge issue but I will definitely eat up those exercise calories from now on! Thanks for your responses much appreciated!

    You will lose more, but what you lose will be more likely to be muscle because your deficit is now larger than the initial estimate.

    Faster isn't necessarily better when it comes to weight loss. You want to find a balance between losing some muscle (which is pretty much unavoidable when losing weight) and losing unnecessary muscle because your deficit is so large.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    Nykocat wrote: »
    I was reading some posts where some eat the exercise calories and some don't. I was trying to respond to the originators question about what others are doing but it appears I created a new feed. Sorry about that!
    Hey, no problem!
    Tbh, i think most people made that mistake of wanting to eat less and exercising more. (basically, wanting to lose the pounds quicker). I know i did! ;)
    But there's no rush, eat some of your exercise cals back and fuel your body with good healthy food and you'll still see results.

  • kellysdavies
    kellysdavies Posts: 160 Member
    I don't eat exercise calories back either. Stick to 1200 cals a day max. Not hungry, not bothered, and it's worked. I don't need as many calories as other people (short, 5ft1).
  • kellysdavies
    kellysdavies Posts: 160 Member
    Oh and been doing this for over a year now, totally sustainable. I started off on more but then weight loss slowed - well halted for like 3 months. After much tweaking and trying different things, to lose 1lb a week minimum, I can't eat anymore than 1200 cals a day even with exercise. Still want to lose another stone and the only way it comes off consistently is to eat no more than this. So, not been aggressive - weight loss still around 1lb a week if I'm very religious about it and yes I weigh all my food etc. Works for me.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    I don't eat exercise calories back either. Stick to 1200 cals a day max. Not hungry, not bothered, and it's worked. I don't need as many calories as other people (short, 5ft1).

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  • kellysdavies
    kellysdavies Posts: 160 Member
    Don't need luck. It's been working a charm for a long time. Thanks though.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Oh and been doing this for over a year now, totally sustainable. I started off on more but then weight loss slowed - well halted for like 3 months. After much tweaking and trying different things, to lose 1lb a week minimum, I can't eat anymore than 1200 cals a day even with exercise. Still want to lose another stone and the only way it comes off consistently is to eat no more than this. So, not been aggressive - weight loss still around 1lb a week if I'm very religious about it and yes I weigh all my food etc. Works for me.

    The concern here is metabolic adaptation on 1200 calories. You're artificially keeping your metabolism low by consuming low calories coupled with exercise, and that's the reason you put on weight if you eat more than 1200. The question becomes what long term damage are you doing to hit a weight loss goal? Your body is deciding what functions to slow down at this point. Then what if you stall again? Do you lower your calories even more?

    Reading your posts it seems you don't really care for other's opinions, which is fine. But the goal for weight loss should be to eat as MUCH as possible while losing weight. You have to ask yourself why someone with your stats can lose weight on 1600 calories a day?
  • kellysdavies
    kellysdavies Posts: 160 Member
    dieselbyte wrote: »
    Oh and been doing this for over a year now, totally sustainable. I started off on more but then weight loss slowed - well halted for like 3 months. After much tweaking and trying different things, to lose 1lb a week minimum, I can't eat anymore than 1200 cals a day even with exercise. Still want to lose another stone and the only way it comes off consistently is to eat no more than this. So, not been aggressive - weight loss still around 1lb a week if I'm very religious about it and yes I weigh all my food etc. Works for me.

    The concern here is metabolic adaptation on 1200 calories. You're artificially keeping your metabolism low by consuming low calories coupled with exercise, and that's the reason you put on weight if you eat more than 1200. The question becomes what long term damage are you doing to hit a weight loss goal? Your body is deciding what functions to slow down at this point. Then what if you stall again? Do you lower your calories even more?

    Reading your posts it seems you don't really care for other's opinions, which is fine. But the goal for weight loss should be to eat as MUCH as possible while losing weight. You have to ask yourself why someone with your stats can lose weight on 1600 calories a day?

    Well I wasn't asking for opinions, I was giving my opinion to someone else's comment. But yes I agree - the goal for weight loss is to eat as MUCH as possible while losing weight. For me, that's 1200 calories a day irrespective of activity. I find it interesting that people won't believe this or don't want to but I'm not moaning about it or advocating everyone does it. It's just what I have found - after many months using MFP, the thing that works for me. And I'm honestly okay with it, I'm not hungry (yeah, I crave more cake!) probably cause I eat nutritiously and I have lost body fat and I'm healthier than I have ever been! I'd hope for a 'well done'. I'm really proud of my success. Over 14 months or so, 1stone7lb down. I'm still 9stone5lb so still at the upper end of the right weight range for my height and age.. and can still lose more.. which I'd like to do by doing what I'm doing which is working. Hopefully I won't stall much but if I do then it's probably because I can't lose more weight unless I eat even less.. which I won't do.. so then I will maintain I guess. I'm not sure. Wouldn't this be the case for everyone? Everyone will get to a point where they aren't loosing weight the more weight they lose.. and goal weights are those set by that person.. but say they decide to move the goal weight? Anyway, it's working for me. Thanks for the concern but I'm alright at the moment. Ta