Calorie consumption

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turbofiregirl
turbofiregirl Posts: 59
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

I have a basic doubt. As per my MFP setting, I have chosen 2 pounds weight loss per week and fed in my weight, height, goal weight etc and it has calculated that I eat 1200 calories per day. I work out 6 days a week and on an average, lose anywhere from 350 - 600 calories a day depending on my workout (as per my Polar HRM). I havent been eating my excercise calories and sticking to 1200 a day. Whenever I finish my entry for the day, MFP says - Iam consuming far too less calories.

Should I really up my calorie consumption or try and eat atleast 1/2 or 3/4th of my excercise calories? I have somehow pysched myself up to strictly follow the 1200 cal mark that I am apprehensive about eating my excercise calories. Am I really hindering my metabolism and going into starvation mode by not eating enough?

Replies

  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    If you are consuming 1200 calories a day and burning 300-600 from exercise, then you are NOT eating enough. As long as your NET calories are at 1200 you should be fine but if you aren't eating back, you are only netting 600-900 a day and that is NOT healthy. Also, you do not have to eat them all back, I usually eat back all but 200 or something like that...
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
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    If you only eat 1200 and burn 600 from exercise then your body will be struggling to run on 600 calories alone. This is not enough and you will eventually plateau and slow down your metabolism. I would suggest eating your exercise calories back, think of it as the fuel your body needs to lose fat and function properly. At the way you're going you may be at risk of burning away your muscle as your body panics that it's starving. It's just a psychological battle to allow yourself to eat more without worrying about it, try it for a week and see how your body responds.

    This may help http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Hi! How close are you to your goal? I did what you were doing and I plateaued for over a YEAR. It was not nearly enough. You absolutely have to at least net 1200. That is minimum for your body to just function. I have started to lose weight and inches for the first time now that I'm eating back my calories. You don't have to eat all of them, but make SURE you net 1200, or 80%. So take how many you need. Add calories burned...then multiply by 80%. That will be the minimum you should eat that day. Max would be all your exercise cals.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    some will very passionately tell you you absolutely should eat bat your exercise calories, some will tell you its not necessary. if you search the topics in this forum, some "official" posts will explain that is the way this site was designed to be used. have you notified your dr. you have started a weight-loss program? do you believe in your dr.? i would recommend asking them and maybe seeing if you can get a referral to see a nutritionist. in the end, you have to figure out what is right for you, especially because you will be given both answers when you ask the question you have asked.
  • chels1605
    chels1605 Posts: 206 Member
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    Everyone will tell you to eat your kcals back, and I guess thats the healthy way... but the way i see it is if you eat everything you burn - will weight loss work?!?!

    I eat aim 1200 a day and now whenever im over, i put weight on straight away! granted in the first 8weeks i lost weight but now... its not working for me... only thing that does work - zig zagging! 1 day over 1200 kcals, 1 day under...

    Good Luck!
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
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    I get the message almost everyday. I just ignore it. I am on the 1200 calories and do not eat back my exercise calories. I talked with my nutritionist and doctor, both say I do not need to eat back the calories.
  • lisa_lotte
    lisa_lotte Posts: 216
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    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

    :happy:
  • andyp10
    andyp10 Posts: 11
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    Up your cals as you burnt them of, it works! only thing gym can add mass which ways heavier than fat.

    but tip - Get a dressmakers tape and messure your waste etc. this means if it aint coming of on the scales due to working out and building muscle you can see the inches vanish.

    I give up the gym for 12 weeks and only walked for exercise when I started with myfitness so I would not be wondering is muscle growth effecting my weight loss!
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I sometimes eat back my exercise calories.. sometimes I don't, it all depends on how I hungry I am that day. Right now I'm down to the last 10 pounds so its vital that I eat everything... I stopped doing that I gained 2 pounds which is now coming back off thank goodness.

    Another question is, do your really need to lose two pounds a week? or can you go down to one pound and thus have more calories to play with?
  • jmgj27
    jmgj27 Posts: 531 Member
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    I try to calorie cycle or eat in a zig-zag pattern. That means that some days I eat back my exercise calories and some days I don't. I try to work it so that I have one high calorie (over 1500 cals) day per week, two medium calorie days (1200 - 1400 cals) and four low calorie days (800 - 1200 cals). Those are all net figures. For me, because I go to the gym after work it can be difficult to eat back all of my exercise calories anyway so some days I'll end up well below 1200 net without intending to. Interestingly, MFP doesn't give me the 'you're not eating enough' warning unless I drop below 1200 gross rather than 1200 net, which is weird!
  • turbofiregirl
    turbofiregirl Posts: 59
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    Thanks all for your inputs. I will try and juggle between consuming more, right and less in a week and and see what really happens. I must admit though that of late, my quality in excercising has decreased and I am sure its because of my less calorie consumption.

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