Lost 5kg by not eating back exercise calories!
pembr0ke
Posts: 54 Member
I've never liked adding exercise to MFP as it adjusts my food goals according to calculated calories burned. Additionally, we burn calories regardless of what we are doing, so eating back the exercise calories completely makes little sense IMHO.
Recently, I started adjusting the exercise calories to 1from whatever the number of calories attributed to the exercise. Example: 100 calories for 15 minutes bike riding; I adjust manually to 1 calorie.
In this way, I can still record my workout times (hrs, mins) but MFP does not adjust my food calorie goals.
I've stuck as best as possible to my calorie goals for the last 3 weeks using this approach, and have managed to lose 5 kilos (11 lbs)!
I should also mention that I have been sober in October and eating very clean, both of which have helped me to lose the weight!
Recently, I started adjusting the exercise calories to 1from whatever the number of calories attributed to the exercise. Example: 100 calories for 15 minutes bike riding; I adjust manually to 1 calorie.
In this way, I can still record my workout times (hrs, mins) but MFP does not adjust my food calorie goals.
I've stuck as best as possible to my calorie goals for the last 3 weeks using this approach, and have managed to lose 5 kilos (11 lbs)!
I should also mention that I have been sober in October and eating very clean, both of which have helped me to lose the weight!
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Replies
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11lbs in 3 weeks is an unhealthy loss if you are not 1) at the start of your weight loss hence water loss or 2) morbidly obese
It is basically telling you you are not adequately fuelling your body for the exercise you are doing - the weight loss will be coming from more LBM than you need it to.
sorry
you should read up on it0 -
I too do not eat the calories gained by excercise I just stick to my calories allowed without excercise but even then I try not to eat them all I try to stick to 1000 a day..I have lost 3 kilos in first week but after weighing the next day 1 kilo had gone back on..I don't know why..0
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JANINE123XXX wrote: »I too do not eat the calories gained by excercise I just stick to my calories allowed without excercise but even then I try not to eat them all I try to stick to 1000 a day..I have lost 3 kilos in first week but after weighing the next day 1 kilo had gone back on..I don't know why..
Water weight fluctuations
Look guys if you want to cut from TDEE that's fine and a healthy approach
But following MFP method, if you are logging your food accurately which you may well not be (probably aren't actually) doing then you should be eating back exercise calories in order to fuel your body
Not doing so results in a greater loss of LBM than necessary and you don't want to be losing LBM but fat
Not fueling exercise
Eventual crash and burn
Of course the MFP databases are suspect - the best advice is to eat back half of MFP database calories and assess your weight loss in terms of target over each rolling 6-8 week cycle and readjust proportion eaten (the same can be said of gym exercise machines) If you are using an HRM to monitor calorie burn then this is only for steady state cardio, weight lifting = minimal calorie burn
It's a learning curve to be honest0 -
i think the biggest factor, if I'm honest, is not drinking and cutting out the junk food.
I'm still eating 2200 calories a day and weight training/swimming 3 times a week. I'm now 105 kilos, 6' 3" and 49 yrs old.
I'm eating high protein with lots of fruit and veg, tons of water and sleeping well.
My BMI was 31.1 at 110 kilos (3 weeks ago); obese, but I certainly do not look overweight (I carry quite a lot of muscle).
My goal is 90 kilos.
I honestly feel great!0 -
All I am suggesting is a healthy approach to losing the weight over time
but congratulations, I'm delighted you're making healthy changes and on the path to health .. feels great doesn't it?0 -
Certainly does!0
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Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?0 -
Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!0 -
One word here. . . . .sustainability.0
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Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Unless you did bodpop to calculate your body fat, there is no way to know that you didn't lose muscle. Gym tests are not accurate at all. You probably DID lose some, sorry to tell you, and will lose more if you keep going.0 -
Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Why?
That's the max recommended deficit for safe/healthy weight loss without a doctor's supervision.0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Why?
That's the max recommended deficit for safe/healthy weight loss without a doctor's supervision.
Agree. What is wrong with a 1000 cal deficit?Congrats on your loss!0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Why?
That's the max recommended deficit for safe/healthy weight loss without a doctor's supervision.
Agree. What is wrong with a 1000 cal deficit?Congrats on your loss!
Based on what I would normally eat, and what I'm eating now 1000 calories just seems like a lot. Saying that, I must be close to 1000 if I were to include alcohol or junk which I'm no longer eating/drinking?
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Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Unless you did bodpop to calculate your body fat, there is no way to know that you didn't lose muscle. Gym tests are not accurate at all. You probably DID lose some, sorry to tell you, and will lose more if you keep going.
I measure arm circumference and track all my lifting on excel. I've increasing my max load and volume as per normal over the last few weeks while I've lost the weight. I continue to increase my lifts by small degrees and my arms are more or less the same size as a month ago, maybe a tiny bit larger. If I feel myself getting weaker I will up the calories to compensate. I don't think it is impossible to get stronger while at the same time burn fat/lose weight.0 -
Well, I don't actually track calories from any individual exercise because most of the things I do are difficult to accurately estimate.
Instead, I use tools to trend my calories and weight to estimate my effective average TDEE over the past 14/30/90 days and use that as a starting point for calculating my deficit.0 -
We're similar.
For the last 7 wks I've been ingesting an average about 1400 cals per day and a fair bit of that has been beer and wine. (Not Greene King tho'). I'm very active, especially at the weekends so probably have a deficit of 1000+. I'm down 16 pounds and contrary to what I'm reading on MFP, I'm not weak, tired, malnourished, hungry, grumpy etc etc.
I maybe losing some muscle mass but I can still chop firewood for a 5hr stint and I'll pop back to the gym when I lose some more weight; probably another stone.
I don't advocate the way I lose weight to anybody else, just putting it out there as what works for me and what seems to work for you. We are all different.
Do whatever works for you.
Having said that, I appreciate that I do not have too much to lose, and cannot say that this could be sustainable for someone with a lot to lose.
BTW. 55 6'3'' 13st/10lb.
116/68
RHR 54.
(Fuller's London Pride).0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »
Agree, but on here it's OK to post threads about taking diet pills, but mention 1000 calories? I got warned about recommending a "dangerous" diet or something like that. I still do not understand. My MFP says clearly that BELOW 1000 longterm isn't considered safe.
But the Forum rules are applied different than the actual tracking tools. Anyway, I just avoid specific reference now to comply with the rules.
and, OP, congrats on being sober. That's great!0 -
oops.....the quoting deal still confuses me.........lol0
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shadow2soul wrote: »Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Why?
That's the max recommended deficit for safe/healthy weight loss without a doctor's supervision.
Agree. What is wrong with a 1000 cal deficit?Congrats on your loss!
Based on what I would normally eat, and what I'm eating now 1000 calories just seems like a lot. Saying that, I must be close to 1000 if I were to include alcohol or junk which I'm no longer eating/drinking?
How many pounds are you looking to lose a week? And are you using the mfp method or tdee method? Either way, 1000 calorie a day deficit is a 2lb/wk loss (which I assume you are at a much larger deficit, hence the 3.5lb average loss)0 -
maplehouse200 wrote: »We're similar.
For the last 7 wks I've been ingesting an average about 1400 cals per day and a fair bit of that has been beer and wine. (Not Greene King tho'). I'm very active, especially at the weekends so probably have a deficit of 1000+. I'm down 16 pounds and contrary to what I'm reading on MFP, I'm not weak, tired, malnourished, hungry, grumpy etc etc.
I maybe losing some muscle mass but I can still chop firewood for a 5hr stint and I'll pop back to the gym when I lose some more weight; probably another stone.
I don't advocate the way I lose weight to anybody else, just putting it out there as what works for me and what seems to work for you. We are all different.
Do whatever works for you.
Having said that, I appreciate that I do not have too much to lose, and cannot say that this could be sustainable for someone with a lot to lose.
BTW. 55 6'3'' 13st/10lb.
116/68
RHR 54.
(Fuller's London Pride).
Extra calories are easily consumed when a bottle of wine contains 450/500 calories. Add to this the junk I would normally eat with the wine- peanuts, crisps, chocolate, all items I do not need because I am not necessarily hungry. In fact, they are the reason I gained weight in the first place!
Cutting 1000 calories of junk and making good choices for 'necessary' calories shouldn't leave you starved, feeling weak or unwell. The opposite, feeling healthier and having more energy is more likely. To me, the exercise has always been there, it is the diet that needed fixing.0 -
blessingsfromabove721 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Why?
That's the max recommended deficit for safe/healthy weight loss without a doctor's supervision.
Agree. What is wrong with a 1000 cal deficit?Congrats on your loss!
Based on what I would normally eat, and what I'm eating now 1000 calories just seems like a lot. Saying that, I must be close to 1000 if I were to include alcohol or junk which I'm no longer eating/drinking?
How many pounds are you looking to lose a week? And are you using the mfp method or tdee method? Either way, 1000 calorie a day deficit is a 2lb/wk loss (which I assume you are at a much larger deficit, hence the 3.5lb average loss)
TBH, I guess my 2200 calories is based on 2lbs a week loss, or thereabouts. I set my only ratio of fat/protein/carbs on MFP and I normally fall a little below the calorie goal, except on a gym day where I might go slightly over with protein shakes. Like I said before, as long as I feel healthy and not starved, I'm ok. We all know our own bodies and when something is not right....0 -
Sorry @pembr0ke but you are spreading such horrible misinformation here that I have to chime in.
- You're supposed to eat back exercise calories; that's kind of the point of the MFP calculation method. If you don't use a heart rate monitor, it's recommended to only eat 50-75% of the exercise calories back. Your body needs fuel. You may feel great now but it won't last as long as you think it will.
- You may think you are not losing muscle mass, but you are. You said your lifts have increased and you even gained muscle in your arms. Gaining muscle is not possible on a calorie deficit. If you lose weight, the muscle you have/had will be more visible, but you cannot gain muscle at a calorie deficit of 1000+. It's not possible to do so.
- Unless you get your BF tested adequately, you don't know if you've lost muscle mass. Measurements and calipers are not accurate methods to *kitten* your BF%.
I know weight loss is a struggle and I'm glad you're seeing progress, but you're headed down a one-way street to burnout. I don't want other people to come in here and think that this is what they have to do to lose weight, then get discouraged when they binge and regain the weight because they didn't fuel their bodies properly. I know this is your experience thus far, but posting it here is indirectly offering bad advice to other users.0 -
JANINE123XXX wrote: »I too do not eat the calories gained by excercise I just stick to my calories allowed without excercise but even then I try not to eat them all I try to stick to 1000 a day..I have lost 3 kilos in first week but after weighing the next day 1 kilo had gone back on..I don't know why..
Ugh! MFPs lowest default minimum (before exercise) is 1200. This is to help you meet nutritional requirements.
Just so you know - all the weight you lose isn't fat. Aggressive weight loss sacrifices more lean muscle mass than moderate weight loss.
You are moving the number on the scale but NOT lowering your body fat percentage.0 -
maplehouse200 wrote: »We're similar.
For the last 7 wks I've been ingesting an average about 1400 cals per day and a fair bit of that has been beer and wine. (Not Greene King tho'). I'm very active, especially at the weekends so probably have a deficit of 1000+. I'm down 16 pounds and contrary to what I'm reading on MFP, I'm not weak, tired, malnourished, hungry, grumpy etc etc.
I maybe losing some muscle mass but I can still chop firewood for a 5hr stint and I'll pop back to the gym when I lose some more weight; probably another stone.
I don't advocate the way I lose weight to anybody else, just putting it out there as what works for me and what seems to work for you. We are all different.
Do whatever works for you.
Having said that, I appreciate that I do not have too much to lose, and cannot say that this could be sustainable for someone with a lot to lose.
BTW. 55 6'3'' 13st/10lb.
116/68
RHR 54.
(Fuller's London Pride).
Extra calories are easily consumed when a bottle of wine contains 450/500 calories. Add to this the junk I would normally eat with the wine- peanuts, crisps, chocolate, all items I do not need because I am not necessarily hungry. In fact, they are the reason I gained weight in the first place!
Cutting 1000 calories of junk and making good choices for 'necessary' calories shouldn't leave you starved, feeling weak or unwell. The opposite, feeling healthier and having more energy is more likely. To me, the exercise has always been there, it is the diet that needed fixing.
Bang on.
I tend to lose 1.5 to 2 st every year, and to be honest I enjoy doing it. I do this in about 2 to 3 months, cutting back on beer curry, crisps, etc and spend the rest of the year putting it back on.
Works for me.0 -
Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Unless you did bodpop to calculate your body fat, there is no way to know that you didn't lose muscle. Gym tests are not accurate at all. You probably DID lose some, sorry to tell you, and will lose more if you keep going.
I measure arm circumference and track all my lifting on excel. I've increasing my max load and volume as per normal over the last few weeks while I've lost the weight. I continue to increase my lifts by small degrees and my arms are more or less the same size as a month ago, maybe a tiny bit larger. If I feel myself getting weaker I will up the calories to compensate. I don't think it is impossible to get stronger while at the same time burn fat/lose weight.
Getting stronger and gaining muscle mass are 2 different things.
Almost no one gains muscle while eating at a deficit, and even then gains are minimal. Your personal arm measurement is hardly proof of any kind of muscle gains.0 -
Sorry @pembr0ke but you are spreading such horrible misinformation here that I have to chime in.
- You're supposed to eat back exercise calories; that's kind of the point of the MFP calculation method. If you don't use a heart rate monitor, it's recommended to only eat 50-75% of the exercise calories back. Your body needs fuel. You may feel great now but it won't last as long as you think it will.
- You may think you are not losing muscle mass, but you are. You said your lifts have increased and you even gained muscle in your arms. Gaining muscle is not possible on a calorie deficit. If you lose weight, the muscle you have/had will be more visible, but you cannot gain muscle at a calorie deficit of 1000+. It's not possible to do so.
- Unless you get your BF tested adequately, you don't know if you've lost muscle mass. Measurements and calipers are not accurate methods to *kitten* your BF%.
I know weight loss is a struggle and I'm glad you're seeing progress, but you're headed down a one-way street to burnout. I don't want other people to come in here and think that this is what they have to do to lose weight, then get discouraged when they binge and regain the weight because they didn't fuel their bodies properly. I know this is your experience thus far, but posting it here is indirectly offering bad advice to other users.
Lets be clear. I am not offering advice, only sharing my own experience; a big difference. You on the other hand are offering advice, which of course I and others appreciate.0 -
Not eating exercise doesn't make sense?
Say you burn 2500 calories with out exercise. You eat 1500 because your trying to lose 2 pound a week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories.
Say you do an hours exercise and burn 500 calories. You burn 3000 total, eat 1500. Now your deficit is 1500 which would likely result in 3 pound loss.
But if you ate an additional 500 calories your deficit would be back to 1000 and your original goal.
So like someone else mentioned, unless you have a lot of weight to lose, 3-5 pounds a week is likely unhealthy and losing muscles instead of fat.
Does eating exercise calories still sound confusing or pointless?
A 1000 calorie deficit does seems pointless and confusing.
I've managed to lose the weight and not the muscle, something I was worried about at first, but not so much now (after the last week's gym visits).
I've managed to eat well with healthy portion sizes, no junk, lots of filling fruit and veg, and have not felt hungry enough to worry, which to me is the key. If I do not feel well or lack energy, I have a problem.
My goal is to lose 20 kilos of fat, not muscle, so I've kept my protein levels high (which helps to starve off hunger).
To each their own, but this has worked for me, so worth sharing with others!
Unless you did bodpop to calculate your body fat, there is no way to know that you didn't lose muscle. Gym tests are not accurate at all. You probably DID lose some, sorry to tell you, and will lose more if you keep going.
I measure arm circumference and track all my lifting on excel. I've increasing my max load and volume as per normal over the last few weeks while I've lost the weight. I continue to increase my lifts by small degrees and my arms are more or less the same size as a month ago, maybe a tiny bit larger. If I feel myself getting weaker I will up the calories to compensate. I don't think it is impossible to get stronger while at the same time burn fat/lose weight.
Getting stronger and gaining muscle mass are 2 different things.
Almost no one gains muscle while eating at a deficit, and even then gains are minimal. Your personal arm measurement is hardly proof of any kind of muscle gains.
I am able to lift more weight on specific machines and dumbbells then I could 3 weeks ago. Whether it is as a result of increased strength or muscle mass is debatable. All I know is my clothes feel loser, I feel healthier and I am measurably stronger. My calorie deficit is mainly due to cutting out junk and booze. I am still eating 2200/2400 calories a day, so not exactly starving.
Just sharing my experience, not fuelling a debate!0 -
You're grossing 2200-2400 calories a day.
Your Net calories are much lower than that. Hence the 3.5lb average weekly weight loss.
Also, for any lurkers on this thread, this is NOT a healthy or sustainable rate of loss.
Also, this:Sorry @pembr0ke but you are spreading such horrible misinformation here that I have to chime in.- You're supposed to eat back exercise calories; that's kind of the point of the MFP calculation method. If you don't use a heart rate monitor, it's recommended to only eat 50-75% of the exercise calories back. Your body needs fuel. You may feel great now but it won't last as long as you think it will.
- You may think you are not losing muscle mass, but you are. You said your lifts have increased and you even gained muscle in your arms. Gaining muscle is not possible on a calorie deficit. If you lose weight, the muscle you have/had will be more visible, but you cannot gain muscle at a calorie deficit of 1000+. It's not possible to do so.
- Unless you get your BF tested adequately, you don't know if you've lost muscle mass. Measurements and calipers are not accurate methods to *kitten* your BF%.
I know weight loss is a struggle and I'm glad you're seeing progress, but you're headed down a one-way street to burnout. I don't want other people to come in here and think that this is what they have to do to lose weight, then get discouraged when they binge and regain the weight because they didn't fuel their bodies properly. I know this is your experience thus far, but posting it here is indirectly offering bad advice to other users.
0 -
I've never liked adding exercise to MFP as it adjusts my food goals according to calculated calories burned. Additionally, we burn calories regardless of what we are doing, so eating back the exercise calories completely makes little sense IMHO.
Recently, I started adjusting the exercise calories to 1from whatever the number of calories attributed to the exercise. Example: 100 calories for 15 minutes bike riding; I adjust manually to 1 calorie.
In this way, I can still record my workout times (hrs, mins) but MFP does not adjust my food calorie goals.
I've stuck as best as possible to my calorie goals for the last 3 weeks using this approach, and have managed to lose 5 kilos (11 lbs)!
I should also mention that I have been sober in October and eating very clean, both of which have helped me to lose the weight!
That's all fine and well if you're just doing 15 minutes or if you're only talking about 150 calories but this isn't sustainable if you're doing much over warming up. My morning workouts burn 1000 - 2400 calories. If I ignored that loss for more than a couple days I'd be unable to continue my workouts.
More than 2 lbs a week isn't a healthy loss rate unless you're obese.
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I lost 22 poiunds eating back most of my exercise calories, and sometimes going over my daily calorie limit. Gasp.
To each his own. Be happy, be healthy, be smart.0
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