Calories burned

krystenmlee34
krystenmlee34 Posts: 24 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I am eating around 1300 calories a day and burning around 500 minimum some days exercising. Should I eat those back OR can I just eat my 1300 and be good? I am getting in ALOT of protein. I am on my 2nd week and have noticed the scale going up vs. down. I weighed Monday at 172 this am I weighed 175. I am doing what I should be doing. I am a nervous wreck since I have around 60 to lose. HELP.

Replies

  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Normal practice is to eat back at least half of your exercise calories to start (only half because the tendency is to overestimate the amount of calories burned via exercise).

    Given your already low calorie level, you want to make sure you don't drop below 1200 net calories (total caloric intake less exercise calories).
  • krystenmlee34
    krystenmlee34 Posts: 24 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Normal practice is to eat back at least half of your exercise calories to start (only half because the tendency is to overestimate the amount of calories burned via exercise).

    Given your already low calorie level, you want to make sure you don't drop below 1200 net calories (total caloric intake less exercise calories).

    Why is it bad to go under 1200? I am eating 1300..

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    krystenmlee34 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Normal practice is to eat back at least half of your exercise calories to start (only half because the tendency is to overestimate the amount of calories burned via exercise).

    Given your already low calorie level, you want to make sure you don't drop below 1200 net calories (total caloric intake less exercise calories).

    Why is it bad to go under 1200? I am eating 1300..

    Ever try driving across country on half a tank of gas? Same idea. Gotta fuel your body, at least to some reasonable extent. 1200 is the standard minimum given calorie and nutritional needs of the body.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    krystenmlee34 wrote: »
    I am eating around 1300 calories a day and burning around 500 minimum some days exercising. Should I eat those back OR can I just eat my 1300 and be good? I am getting in ALOT of protein. I am on my 2nd week and have noticed the scale going up vs. down. I weighed Monday at 172 this am I weighed 175. I am doing what I should be doing. I am a nervous wreck since I have around 60 to lose. HELP.

    MFP works by giving you a deficit before exercise so you should eat those calories back.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited March 2018
    krystenmlee34 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Normal practice is to eat back at least half of your exercise calories to start (only half because the tendency is to overestimate the amount of calories burned via exercise).

    Given your already low calorie level, you want to make sure you don't drop below 1200 net calories (total caloric intake less exercise calories).

    Why is it bad to go under 1200? I am eating 1300..

    If you are burning 500 and eating 1300 then your net calories is 800, which is not going to be enough to keep you healthy especially if you're working out a lot. That said, a couple of things to keep in mind:

    1) Two weeks isn't really long enough to know if what you're doing is working or not. You need to be patient.
    2) If you haven't checked out the stickied posts on counting calories accurately, it may be helpful to do so. It is very easy to overestimate your exercise burn or underestimate your calories eaten. This is a good place to start: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads.
    3) Starting a new exercise program can cause you to retain water, so any fat you burn won't necessarily show up on the scale right away.
    4) The amount of protein you eat has no direct effect on your weight loss. It can help you feel full on fewer calories, though.
    5) It's going to take time to lose 60 pounds, so give yourself a break! It's a lot easier said than done, but for real, the stress won't help you at all. Take it day by day, week by week, and month by month, and you'll get there.

    Good luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    krystenmlee34 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Normal practice is to eat back at least half of your exercise calories to start (only half because the tendency is to overestimate the amount of calories burned via exercise).

    Given your already low calorie level, you want to make sure you don't drop below 1200 net calories (total caloric intake less exercise calories).

    Why is it bad to go under 1200? I am eating 1300..

    Because your body requires energy for basic functions...calories are just a unit of energy...your body needs calories. An appropriate amount of energy (calories) is just as important to nutrition as your food choices.

    This is a bit simplistic, but you can only pull so much energy from fat stores for a 24 hour period of time...it's not infinite availability. The body can run just fine with a reasonable energy deficit and your fat stores can cover that deficiency...with large deficits however, body fat is inadequate to cover that deficit so your body starts shutting down or slowing "non-essential" functions to conserve energy. Involuntary movements like fidgeting slow or stop...hair becomes brittle and/or starts falling out...nails become brittle...menstrual cycle ceases, etc. All of this happens in your body's effort to be more efficient and burn less energy since very little is coming in.
  • krystenmlee34
    krystenmlee34 Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you all for your help. I will make sure to continue to eat healthy and take care of my body. This has been very helpful as I was so confused as to how I was only eating like 600 calories after I exercised. I have a fitbit which automatically adds it back to my fitness pal.
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