I am about 10 pounds and 4 to 5% body fat over what I like t

danehalstten
danehalstten Posts: 8
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
I just can't seem to understand some things. before hitting menopause I could eat pretty much whatever. I was a very skinny child and as an adult had no trouble keeping quite lean.

I have joined MFP and started my profile. It says for me to get down to 135 pounds I should eat net calories of 1200. I would pass out on that. Then I read in a previous discussion that I can eat the calories I burn off. I do track those as last Sunday I rode and burned 1500.

My question is this..if I do not exercise on say Monday I eat 1200 calories, But if I exercise on Tuesday and burn 350 I can eat 1550 calories? I am very worried that if I drop down to the prescribed 1200 I will gain like crazy and probably fall asleep or be so damn hungry. I eat very well, lean protein, low Gindex carbs, nuts etc and avoid processed food and sat fats.

Any help woud be very helpful as I am at a loss and really want to get the flab off my middle and upper thighs.

Replies

  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Eat your veggies too! I am always full & I tend to stay under my caloric target. You can look at my food diary, I think It is open to everyone. I try to stay low on the GI too..

    (I run & My legs & belly are getting smaller.)
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
    What do you have your goal set to? I would think if you only have 10 to lose you should set it to 1/2 lb per week, which probably would give you around 1500 calories before your exercise calories. And yes you can eat your exercise calories, MFP is designed so you eat your exercise calories. Some people are adamant about not eating calories, but personally I usually eat most of them.
    Good luck!
  • danehalstten
    danehalstten Posts: 8
    alifer, I did just as you suggested and it makes more sense (bumped up to 1450 baseline). The only confusion I have is I exercise by cycling and I can burn some serious calories (700 -1500) how is that calculated into the equation as it varies from day to day with distance and intensity? I mean I can easily use my percentages of macro nutrients and work it out that way but then it's not entered into my food dairy. Thanks again.
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
    If you log your exercise calories burned, then then the calories burned will show up on your food diary. It automatically adjusts your food goal for the day (and below the totals it will tell you that you've earned xxx amount of calories that day) Give it a try for a week or two. Sometimes it seems backwards to increase your calories to lose weight and I know that I occassionally want to lower it again, but you also have to tune into what your body is telling you. I had mine set at 1200 calories, and had been losing weight. After I began really working out consistently I noticed that I was eating 1200 and still feeling really hungry (and not losing) for several days. Finally decided to change the goal per week, increasing calories and the weight started coming off again.

    Good luck, and feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
    If you aren't doing any strength training I would begin doing some. Lunges and ab crunches would be a start. (although you might see an increase in the scale for a few days - but it would be water weight from your muscles repairing afterward.) Vary your workouts, and make sure to take a rest day or two a week. My workout routine is usually something like Walk/run on Mon, Fri, Sun then strength training and elliptical on Tues and Thursday.
  • danehalstten
    danehalstten Posts: 8
    I strength train and do tons of cardio..I am gearing up for a bike ride August 28 and the training schedule is a tough one. I usually ride 4 hours on the weekend and another 5 or so mid week, so cardio and working ut are not the issue....it's my food intake I suspect.
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