Eat back walking/step cals

SRJ5820 wrote: »

Hi all. Am curious what thoughts are on eating back walking/ step calories. Little backstory. I lost almost 100 pounds about 5 years ago. Gained a little back each year, but tried to continue to lose but always was harder the second time around. I was still eating right, but the weight wouldnt come off as before. Anyways, unfortunelty I am almost back to as heavey as I ever was. I am currently eating my steps cals back, but always leave a 100 calories in the bank that I dont eat. Also, I lowered my suggestion cal consumption down by 150 cals. Last week I lost 1.8 which was great as I am set up for 2 pounds per week. This week I did great, but didnt lose any for some reason. Now I know that water weight, maybe it will be less tomorrow, all those things, but to not show any loss at all? Just so frustrating the first time around the weight came off almost as advertised. 2 pounds per week. I'm not doing really anything different, my body just doenst want to drop the pounds now.

So, I dont know what to do. Should I not be eating back step cals, am I not eating enough? I know that doesn't sound right, but at this point confused.

Your post gives no indication of how your are calculating step calories. If you are wearing an activity tracker synced to MFP, your added calories are the DIFFERENCE above (or below if allowing negative adjustment) your stated activity level. These calories are "safer" to eat back. In other words the calorie burn ESTIMATE should be closer.

If you are wearing a pedometer (not synced) then no, you should not be eating back a portion of your step calories because even sedentary people take steps.

1.8 vs. 1.5 vs. 0.8 don't worry about these numbers. Your body can be holding water weight for various reasons. This messes with the scale. 2 weeks is nothing.

2 pounds a week is a reasonable expectation if you have more than 75 pounds to lose. Even then 2 pounds a week is not "guaranteed" because 1200 calories is as low as MFP will go....for women. As a man you should be eating at least 1500. The smaller you become, the more weight loss slows. Lowering your calories, and then lowering them again may not be safe and lead to more lean muscle loss than you expect.

It sounds as if during your first weight loss, you were incredibly lucky. 2 pounds a week like clockwork has never my experience.

Yes unfortunately with exercise logging that also requires patience and adjustment. Some people use step counters other people use heart rate monitors or fitbits, I have neither so I time my walks and look up the mileage and use the ~mph to log walking as I am also sedentary but like to go on walks. You should search the forums for people using step counters and how they set it up with myfitnesspal to make sure they aren't double dipping

If you are set up to lose 2lbs per week, I would not suggest lowering calories further and spend more time making sure you are accurately logging food and tweaking how you record your exercise too.

If you know your steps you took, you could enter it into a steps to mile converter than use that with an avg pace to see if it is giving you around the same calorie output, just for a sanity check.

Are you male or female?

How many pounds do you need to lose?