When exercise calories are too much for your appetite
shaunjadon
Posts: 56 Member
I find it funny after years of a sedentary lifestyle, I'm finally a "gym rat". Unfortunately I think my love of being in the gym is holding up my weight loss progress. I've never been a big eater but what I did eat was very calorie dense and unhealthy. Now I'm choosing healthier solutions but I definitely am not consuming enough calories. Today is a perfect example.
I have an ongoing fitbit battle going for the "work week hustle". For those without a fitbit this a challenge to get the most steps completed in the challenge group Monday through Friday. I decided to wall around this morning as my job is pretty sedentary. I did two laps around the hallway then would do 10 body squats. This commenced for an hour as my patients arrived later than usual. Fitbit said I burned 490 calories based on this. My usual routine involves going to the gym for an hour on my lunch break and doing 1 hour on the elliptical. I did that today plus the 5 minute cool down. Now based on this physical activity alone, I have over 2000 calories to consume. I consumed a bolt house smoothie for breakfast and a prepackaged salad for lunch which gave me 520 caloies. I am a 1290 calorie diet through MFP.
My problem is I don't even want to consume a heavy dinner. I'm going for a HIIT session tonight so I'll have even more calories to make up for. I plan on drinking a premier shake with 30g of protein but that's only 160 calories. My dinner for tonight was supposed to be baked fish with rice/veggies as the sides. That's about 500 calories but I'll still have a huge deficient. I feel this is why my weight loss has become stagnant. Although my fitness has improved tremendously. What can I eat that's healthy to get more calories? This is a typical day for me at least 4-5x a week as far as working out. Anyone else have this problem?
I have an ongoing fitbit battle going for the "work week hustle". For those without a fitbit this a challenge to get the most steps completed in the challenge group Monday through Friday. I decided to wall around this morning as my job is pretty sedentary. I did two laps around the hallway then would do 10 body squats. This commenced for an hour as my patients arrived later than usual. Fitbit said I burned 490 calories based on this. My usual routine involves going to the gym for an hour on my lunch break and doing 1 hour on the elliptical. I did that today plus the 5 minute cool down. Now based on this physical activity alone, I have over 2000 calories to consume. I consumed a bolt house smoothie for breakfast and a prepackaged salad for lunch which gave me 520 caloies. I am a 1290 calorie diet through MFP.
My problem is I don't even want to consume a heavy dinner. I'm going for a HIIT session tonight so I'll have even more calories to make up for. I plan on drinking a premier shake with 30g of protein but that's only 160 calories. My dinner for tonight was supposed to be baked fish with rice/veggies as the sides. That's about 500 calories but I'll still have a huge deficient. I feel this is why my weight loss has become stagnant. Although my fitness has improved tremendously. What can I eat that's healthy to get more calories? This is a typical day for me at least 4-5x a week as far as working out. Anyone else have this problem?
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Well, it's great that your fitness has improved, but how long has your weight loss been stagnant? Depending on how long, you don't need to eat more calories, you need to eat less.0
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Are you hitting your fat macro? olive oil, nuts, nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy, eggs. Calorie dense is often nourishing.
How much experience do you have with your FitBit numbers? They sound inflated. You could be burning fewer exercise calories than expected.
The way FitBit should work......it calculates exercise plus everything else (TDEE = BMR + activity + exercise) and then compares to your activity level in MFP. Your MFP activity level should be set to something that matches your lifestyle. This gives you a smaller adjustment. If I'm understanding a 2000 calorie burn is a really tall order.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users0 -
I never have that problem OP, I eat and enjoy every last exercise calorie I earn! But I have heard of other people feeling daunted by large exercise adjustments especially if they have changed their eating habits on higher volume, more nutrient dense foods which can really fill you up. Here's a list of suggestions for you:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
Also, nothing wrong with balancing your primarily nutrient dense foods with treats if you can fit them in. Many people strive for an 80/20 split of their calories where they leave room for things like ice cream or chips or whatever you really enjoy.
Lastly, when I first got my FitBit and realized how many steps I was taking, I changed my activity level on MFP from Sedentary to Lightly Active (now Active as I average 15K steps/day). This gives me a higher calorie target to begin with, so that I can plan my day out and don't feel like I have a big adjustment waiting for me that I have to figure out what to eat. It works out the same either way, it just depends on if you are that active consistently and want to start out at a higher calorie level (I prefer that) so that my exercise adjustments are truly representative of my "exercise" and not just my step based activity.
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You've lost 10 pounds. Congratulations! What were you complaining about?0
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You've lost 10 pounds. Congratulations! What were you complaining about?
Thanks so much!!! My scale hasn't budged going on 4 weeks now though, I think my body may be in starvation mode unfortunately0 -
Are you hitting your fat macro? olive oil, nuts, nut butters, avocado, full fat dairy, eggs. Calorie dense is often nourishing.
How much experience do you have with your FitBit numbers? They sound inflated. You could be burning fewer exercise calories than expected.
The way FitBit should work......it calculates exercise plus everything else (TDEE = BMR + activity + exercise) and then compares to your activity level in MFP. Your MFP activity level should be set to something that matches your lifestyle. This gives you a smaller adjustment. If I'm understanding a 2000 calorie burn is a really tall order.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
Not 2000 calories burned, it's 1300 in 2 hours of physical activity added to my remaining calories of 700. I don't usually eat back even half of my exercise calories because I know it's probably inflated. In this case I don't think I'll be able to eat any which I feel will do more harm than good0 -
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shaunjadon wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You've lost 10 pounds. Congratulations! What were you complaining about?
Thanks so much!!! My scale hasn't budged going on 4 weeks now though, I think my body may be in starvation mode unfortunately
Starvation mode isn't a thing in the short term, it's a myth. If you aren't using a food scale, it's possible you are eating more calories than you think. And it's also possible the calorie burns you are getting from Fitbit are a little inflated. As long as you are eating back part of your exercise calories, you are probably fine fuel-wise. But if you haven't lost weight in 4 weeks, and you are saying you can't possibly eat more than 1,300 cals, then you are probably eating more than you think. Because 1,290 is not nearly enough, especially considering how active you are.
Do you use a food scale?0 -
shaunjadon wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You've lost 10 pounds. Congratulations! What were you complaining about?
Thanks so much!!! My scale hasn't budged going on 4 weeks now though, I think my body may be in starvation mode unfortunately
See # 10 http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/0 -
Are there any other signs of progress besides the number on the scale? Clothes fitting looser, for example? And boy do I understand how large that scale number looms. How new is this workout routine? Could be water weight? After introducing new workout routines and eating more grains/carbs, my weight went UP, and just now 3-4 weeks later, going back down.0
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do not even look at fitbit calorie adjustments.0
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do not even look at fitbit calorie adjustments.
Why? If OP is as active as she describes, a calorie adjustment from FitBit is something she should be eating back, if the rest of her logging (CI) is accurate. I find FitBit to be quite accurate at measuring the CO portion of the CICO equation for most of my activity.0 -
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WinoGelato wrote: »do not even look at fitbit calorie adjustments.
Why? If OP is as active as she describes, a calorie adjustment from FitBit is something she should be eating back, if the rest of her logging (CI) is accurate. I find FitBit to be quite accurate at measuring the CO portion of the CICO equation for most of my activity.
ditto, sounds like a logging issue to me. OP are you logging everything? The milk in your coffee, the oil in the pan? Lick off the peanut butter knife?0 -
Ok all so I talked to one of my trainers who runs the class I'm in. Now this may go against others beliefs but he encouraged me to push my MFP weight loss goal back to 0.5lb per week. He said although losing 2 lbs per week is a good goal and easily attainable at first, you can't maintain that weight loss rate the whole journey . My calories per day have actually gone up to 2040 calories with this change. Also he said to not eat back any of my exercise calories but to just try to meet my goal calories. He said that to change too much at one time is too much. To make one thing a habit first then move on. I agree with him, it did get quite confusing for me personally to change to counting calories then trying to figure out how much to eat back with my increased exercise. I want this to be a lifestyle change so dramatic weight loss is not necessarily my goal over maintaining this life style. I'm gonna take his advice and I'll let yall know how it goes. Feel free to still offer advice or your own personal experience. I'm open to considering all suggestions0
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You have hit a plateau and should increase intensity of your workouts, not increase time (more resistance, higher incline, HIIT weightlifting instead of cardio). Do you lift? Lift heavier.0
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While I agree that your rate of loss was too aggressive if you had it set to lose 2 lbs/week and 0.5lb/week may be more appropriate, that doesn't solve the issue of you not being able to eat even the 1200 cals you were aiming for before. What are you going to eat for the extra 750?
Also, are you weighing your food with a food scale?0 -
TamzFit777 wrote: »You have hit a plateau and should increase intensity of your workouts, not increase time (more resistance, higher incline, HIIT weightlifting instead of cardio). Do you lift? Lift heavier.
I do the elliptical on a 10 incline. I do HIIT at least 5x a week along with a body pump class which is pure weight lifting about 2x a week on top of everything else.0 -
Body pump is just another cardio. For example, you gotta do sqauts with a load that you can only get to about 10reps per set.0
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WinoGelato wrote: »While I agree that your rate of loss was too aggressive if you had it set to lose 2 lbs/week and 0.5lb/week may be more appropriate, that doesn't solve the issue of you not being able to eat even the 1200 cals you were aiming for before. What are you going to eat for the extra 750?
Also, are you weighing your food with a food scale?
Although I've added more home cooked meals to my routine in which I use a scale, im.away from home alot between the gym and my work schedules so I use a lot of prepackaged salads and healthy snack packs. The trainer told me he didn't care what I ate as long as I hit my goal0 -
@shaunjadon, like I said on your other thread, there are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings0
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I use to watch women come to my gym and do cardio til their legs fell off, for months, and didn't lose much weight. Muscle will burn fat, and you won't get bulky. Ask your trainer about a build muscle phase.
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shaunjadon wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You've lost 10 pounds. Congratulations! What were you complaining about?
Thanks so much!!! My scale hasn't budged going on 4 weeks now though, I think my body may be in starvation mode unfortunately
If the scale hasn't budged in 4 weeks, you're eating maintenance calories. How are you measuring your caloric intake? If the answer is anything but I weigh all caloric solids on a digital scale and use measuring cups/spoons exclusively for caloric liquids, you are eating more than you think you are.
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TamzFit777 wrote: »I use to watch women come to my gym and do cardio til their legs fell off, for months, and didn't lose much weight. Muscle will burn fat, and you won't get bulky. Ask your trainer about a build muscle phase.
Muscle does burn fat but not as much as the hype would lead you to believe.
Cardio is useless for weight loss if the calorie intake end of things are off. You can lose weight doing tons of cardio, you can lose weight doing no cardio. You can lose weight without even exercising.
There are many benefits to strength training - that is not my point, my point is that it is not the only solution for weight loss. You will also gain weight if you eat too much while strength training.0 -
How many net calories are you usually eating everyday?0
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3dogsrunning wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »I use to watch women come to my gym and do cardio til their legs fell off, for months, and didn't lose much weight. Muscle will burn fat, and you won't get bulky. Ask your trainer about a build muscle phase.
Muscle does burn fat but not as much as the hype would lead you to believe.
Cardio is useless for weight loss if the calorie intake end of things are off. You can lose weight doing tons of cardio, you can lose weight doing no cardio. You can lose weight without even exercising.
There are many benefits to strength training - that is not my point, my point is that it is not the only solution for weight loss. You will also gain weight if you eat too much while strength training.
No the only solution, but it does help tremendously and is something the poster seems to be missing, also REST is just as important as diet and exercise.0 -
When I hit a "plateau" I look at the week at a whole and calculate my CICO. I've found that longer periods of not losing (3-4 weeks) often I'm splurging on calories too often/eating too many exercise calories. Could you be doing really well for 4-5 days out of the week and then sabotaging all your hard work 2-3 days/week? Also, you have to watch when you manually enter exercising and your fitbit is calculating the same exercises. You may be underestimating your food intake and overestimating your exercise.0
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TamzFit777 wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »I use to watch women come to my gym and do cardio til their legs fell off, for months, and didn't lose much weight. Muscle will burn fat, and you won't get bulky. Ask your trainer about a build muscle phase.
Muscle does burn fat but not as much as the hype would lead you to believe.
Cardio is useless for weight loss if the calorie intake end of things are off. You can lose weight doing tons of cardio, you can lose weight doing no cardio. You can lose weight without even exercising.
There are many benefits to strength training - that is not my point, my point is that it is not the only solution for weight loss. You will also gain weight if you eat too much while strength training.
No the only solution, but it does help tremendously and is something the poster seems to be missing, also REST is just as important as diet and exercise.
Muscle burns about 6-10 calories per lb. Fat requires 2-4 calories per lb.
So 10 extra lbs of muscle (not exactly easy to add) is a whole extra 100 calories.
Strength training also burns calories, but typically less than cardio overall but that brings us back to calories in and calories out. It doesn't really matter what you do to generate the calories out, you still need to take less calories in matter.0 -
shaunjadon wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »You have hit a plateau and should increase intensity of your workouts, not increase time (more resistance, higher incline, HIIT weightlifting instead of cardio). Do you lift? Lift heavier.
I do the elliptical on a 10 incline. I do HIIT at least 5x a week along with a body pump class which is pure weight lifting about 2x a week on top of everything else.
hiit should be done one day and then you take a day or two off from it,then you can do it again. it shouldnt be done everyday. thats too much stress on your body. I would do the weight lifting more days and the hiit less.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »3dogsrunning wrote: »TamzFit777 wrote: »I use to watch women come to my gym and do cardio til their legs fell off, for months, and didn't lose much weight. Muscle will burn fat, and you won't get bulky. Ask your trainer about a build muscle phase.
Muscle does burn fat but not as much as the hype would lead you to believe.
Cardio is useless for weight loss if the calorie intake end of things are off. You can lose weight doing tons of cardio, you can lose weight doing no cardio. You can lose weight without even exercising.
There are many benefits to strength training - that is not my point, my point is that it is not the only solution for weight loss. You will also gain weight if you eat too much while strength training.
No the only solution, but it does help tremendously and is something the poster seems to be missing, also REST is just as important as diet and exercise.
Muscle burns about 6-10 calories per lb. Fat requires 2-4 calories per lb.
So 10 extra lbs of muscle (not exactly easy to add) is a whole extra 100 calories.
Strength training also burns calories, but typically less than cardio overall but that brings us back to calories in and calories out. It doesn't really matter what you do to generate the calories out, you still need to take less calories in matter.
6-10 calories burned while at rest. You forgot to add in the actual "activity" of lifting that also burns calories.
I think this quote comes from the website you got your info from
"The best way to ensure your muscles are burning calories is to use them. The 10 pounds of muscle just sitting on your body may not burn that much, but the workouts you do in order to add that muscle means that you’re burning off calories. In terms of fat loss, strength training is the best way to add lean muscle and burn calories, because it ensures that you don’t lose your muscle mass while you exercise & diet."
http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/16/muscle-burn-calories/0
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