Weight loss question
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Clauveee95
Posts: 1 Member
Just started working out. Want to loose weight but this is telling me to eat way more calories than I normally do. Help pls
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Replies
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And how sure are you of how many calories you were eating before? If you've changed your food choices, the volume of foods could be higher than before, but not actually more calories.2
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How have you determined that you're eating more calories than before? Were you tracking them before? If you mean that MFP is adding in exercise calories that you don't want to eat, then don't. Unless you're hungry from all of the working out you're doing.
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To add to the above, with which I agree (mostly): If you were counting calories and losing weight already, before the exercise, and losing it at a satisfying rate, you would want to eat back the exercise calories (or a reasonable fraction of them).
Otherwise, you'd lose weight faster, and faster loss isn't necessarily better: If too fast, it can increase health risks, sap energy, trigger deprivation-based overeating episodes, and cause other counterproductive things.3 -
Sometimes the calorie count from exercise is off. Everyone is different and let’s say the elliptical is saying you burned 300’calories or MFP is giving you 300 calories for that XX minutes in the elliptical. It’s a guesstimate at best. Not everyone is the same.
If you, after a period time, say 6 weeks are not losing weight by all means, drop your calories a bit.. but not seeing the scale move, especially if you have just started working out can be water. Have a heavy salt or carb day and you may gain. Didn’t sleep well? Are you sore? Dehydrated so your body is desperately holding on to every drop it can?
A lot of factors affect the number you see on the scale and the least likely one in a few days time is that you gained or lost actual fat.
Don’t give up. Keep going.
I would suggest you get a measuring tape and take your measurements. Tuck that away for a day in the future when you are doubting the process.0 -
To add to this, what kind of loss? If it's muscle, then it's NOT good.To add to the above, with which I agree (mostly): If you were counting calories and losing weight already, before the exercise, and losing it at a satisfying rate, you would want to eat back the exercise calories (or a reasonable fraction of them).
Otherwise, you'd lose weight faster, and faster loss isn't necessarily better: If too fast, it can increase health risks, sap energy, trigger deprivation-based overeating episodes, and cause other counterproductive things.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I know this might be hearsay here on MFP, but you do NOT need to rely on MFP to tell you how much to eat. If you feel hungry or get the munchies, then you probably need to eat something. If you aren't going to bed hungry, then you're probably getting enough to eat.
You don't need to count calories unless you're curious. Very sporadic spot checks should be good enough. It's so much easier to just eat a healthy diet and avoid (or at least minimize) your junk food consumption. It has been over 2 years since I last ate any junk food. I'm 30 pounds lighter now than I was in March 2020.
Oh, and I don't even use the MFP app. I use a competing app that also tracks vitamins and minerals, not just calories and macros. (I won't name it, because it's against the rules to promote any MFP competitors, and I got a warning for this because I overlooked this rule.) Oh, and I use this competing app on a very sporadic basis just to do spot checks of my eating habits. I've never actually needed to lose weight.1 -
If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.0
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BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Lmao no. Plenty of people become overweight by eating "healthy foods". Calories are all that matter in the scheme of weight loss.10 -
BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »I know this might be hearsay here on MFP, but you do NOT need to rely on MFP to tell you how much to eat. If you feel hungry or get the munchies, then you probably need to eat something. If you aren't going to bed hungry, then you're probably getting enough to eat.
You don't need to count calories unless you're curious. Very sporadic spot checks should be good enough. It's so much easier to just eat a healthy diet and avoid (or at least minimize) your junk food consumption. It has been over 2 years since I last ate any junk food. I'm 30 pounds lighter now than I was in March 2020.
Oh, and I don't even use the MFP app. I use a competing app that also tracks vitamins and minerals, not just calories and macros. (I won't name it, because it's against the rules to promote any MFP competitors, and I got a warning for this because I overlooked this rule.) Oh, and I use this competing app on a very sporadic basis just to do spot checks of my eating habits. I've never actually needed to lose weight.
The bolded might be an issue when giving advice to people who do.10 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Lmao no. Plenty of people become overweight by eating "healthy foods". Calories are all that matter in the scheme of weight loss.
Not all calories are created equal.
One serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran cereal has 210 calories. One serving of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal has 140 calories. Can you really say with a straight face that Fruity Pebbles is healthier or more suitable for weight loss?
That serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran has 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and NO added sugar. That serving of Post Fruity Pebbles has NO fiber, just 1 gram of protein, and a whopping 12 grams of added sugar. According to the World Health Organization, daily sugar consumption should be limited to just 24 grams for women and 36 grams for men. So depending on your gender, just one serving of Fruity Pebbles blows through 1/3 to 1/2 of a day's ration. (In my opinion, people trying to lose weight should adhere to even lower limits.)
According to the calorie cult, Fruity Pebbles is healthier than Shredded Wheat 'n Bran. But if you eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you'll be hungry again an hour later as the sugar high wears off, and you'll end up eating more calories. And the kind of people who eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast are probably NOT snacking on fruits or vegetables. The Shredded Wheat n' Bran will satisfy you longer because of the fiber and protein. So you might not feel the need to eat until lunchtime.
Thus, eating Shredded Wheat 'n Bran is healthier. After you take into account the snacks that happen when the sugar high wears off, the Shredded Wheat 'n Bran path is actually LOWER in calories than the Fruity Pebbles path.0 -
BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Lmao no. Plenty of people become overweight by eating "healthy foods". Calories are all that matter in the scheme of weight loss.
Not all calories are created equal.
One serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran cereal has 210 calories. One serving of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal has 140 calories. Can you really say with a straight face that Fruity Pebbles is healthier or more suitable for weight loss?
That serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran has 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and NO added sugar. That serving of Post Fruity Pebbles has NO fiber, just 1 gram of protein, and a whopping 12 grams of added sugar. According to the World Health Organization, daily sugar consumption should be limited to just 24 grams for women and 36 grams for men. So depending on your gender, just one serving of Fruity Pebbles blows through 1/3 to 1/2 of a day's ration. (In my opinion, people trying to lose weight should adhere to even lower limits.)
According to the calorie cult, Fruity Pebbles is healthier than Shredded Wheat 'n Bran. But if you eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you'll be hungry again an hour later as the sugar high wears off, and you'll end up eating more calories. And the kind of people who eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast are probably NOT snacking on fruits or vegetables. The Shredded Wheat n' Bran will satisfy you longer because of the fiber and protein. So you might not feel the need to eat until lunchtime.
Thus, eating Shredded Wheat 'n Bran is healthier. After you take into account the snacks that happen when the sugar high wears off, the Shredded Wheat 'n Bran path is actually LOWER in calories than the Fruity Pebbles path.
Calories have nothing to do with nutritional value. Calories are just a unit of energy. Calories are calories just like a watt is a watt or a mile is a mile...it's a unit of measurement, not a measure of nutritional value.
ETA: I don't eat things like Fruity Pebbles and I also don't count calories and haven't in over ten years. I lead a pretty active lifestyle and put a premium on my nutrition...but your post overall is nonsense. I don't know where you would get that anyone would think or say Fruity Pebbles are healthier or have greater nutritional value.8 -
BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Lmao no. Plenty of people become overweight by eating "healthy foods". Calories are all that matter in the scheme of weight loss.
Not all calories are created equal.
One serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran cereal has 210 calories. One serving of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal has 140 calories. Can you really say with a straight face that Fruity Pebbles is healthier or more suitable for weight loss?
That serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran has 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and NO added sugar. That serving of Post Fruity Pebbles has NO fiber, just 1 gram of protein, and a whopping 12 grams of added sugar. According to the World Health Organization, daily sugar consumption should be limited to just 24 grams for women and 36 grams for men. So depending on your gender, just one serving of Fruity Pebbles blows through 1/3 to 1/2 of a day's ration. (In my opinion, people trying to lose weight should adhere to even lower limits.)
According to the calorie cult, Fruity Pebbles is healthier than Shredded Wheat 'n Bran. But if you eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you'll be hungry again an hour later as the sugar high wears off, and you'll end up eating more calories. And the kind of people who eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast are probably NOT snacking on fruits or vegetables. The Shredded Wheat n' Bran will satisfy you longer because of the fiber and protein. So you might not feel the need to eat until lunchtime.
Yes, all calories are created equal - that's how units of measurement work, they are uniform.
Think you mean not all FOODS are created equal, but that's pretty obvious I would have thought. Calorie is not a synonym for food.
BTW - I rapidly gained a lot weight eating just home cooked healthy food because I was in a considerable calorie surplus, macros and micros would have been awesome - but I still got fat because I had a surplus of energy intake.
Only a fool would assume a lower calorie count guarantees one food item to superior to another, sensible people look at diets (noun) as a whole rather than agonise over items in isolation.
Yes, there are times when a higher fibre, some protein cereal might be superior to a different choice but if someone is already getting plenty of protein and fibre in the rest of their diet then it’s irrelevant
"Thus, eating Shredded Wheat 'n Bran is healthier. After you take into account the snacks that happen when the sugar high wears off, the Shredded Wheat 'n Bran path is actually LOWER in calories than the Fruity Pebbles path."
Impressive strawman you have constructed there!
What's a sugar high? Never experienced that in my long lifetime.
Are all the cyclists taking part in the Tour de France tripping out on the huge amounts of sugar they consume (while struggling to avoid unwanted weight loss....)?
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BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Lmao no. Plenty of people become overweight by eating "healthy foods". Calories are all that matter in the scheme of weight loss.
Not all calories are created equal.
One serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran cereal has 210 calories. One serving of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal has 140 calories. Can you really say with a straight face that Fruity Pebbles is healthier or more suitable for weight loss?
That serving of Post Shredded Wheat 'n Bran has 8 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and NO added sugar. That serving of Post Fruity Pebbles has NO fiber, just 1 gram of protein, and a whopping 12 grams of added sugar. According to the World Health Organization, daily sugar consumption should be limited to just 24 grams for women and 36 grams for men. So depending on your gender, just one serving of Fruity Pebbles blows through 1/3 to 1/2 of a day's ration. (In my opinion, people trying to lose weight should adhere to even lower limits.)
According to the calorie cult, Fruity Pebbles is healthier than Shredded Wheat 'n Bran. But if you eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, you'll be hungry again an hour later as the sugar high wears off, and you'll end up eating more calories. And the kind of people who eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast are probably NOT snacking on fruits or vegetables. The Shredded Wheat n' Bran will satisfy you longer because of the fiber and protein. So you might not feel the need to eat until lunchtime.
Thus, eating Shredded Wheat 'n Bran is healthier. After you take into account the snacks that happen when the sugar high wears off, the Shredded Wheat 'n Bran path is actually LOWER in calories than the Fruity Pebbles path.
This is your argument? :laugh:
I don't eat cereal at all so any cereal would make me hungry 10 minutes later. 🤷♀️
Calories are calories. Full stop. Macros are different and satiety is individual.6 -
Fruity Pebbles sounds pretty good right about now. Or Apple Jacks. Or Frosted Flakes. But not that Vanilla flavored Cheerios. I'm going through a box right now and it's sorta sub par.
It's almost like eating perfume.
Smells good, tho!
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Clauveee95 wrote: »Just started working out. Want to loose weight but this is telling me to eat way more calories than I normally do. Help pls
@clauveee95 - the first thing to do is somehow confirm you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to invest in a food scale. Weigh and log everything, at least for awhile, until you are confident in the amount of calories you are actually eating.4 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Clauveee95 wrote: »Just started working out. Want to loose weight but this is telling me to eat way more calories than I normally do. Help pls
@clauveee95 - the first thing to do is somehow confirm you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to invest in a food scale. Weigh and log everything, at least for awhile, until you are confident in the amount of calories you are actually eating.
YES! While I think people here on MFP are overly fixated on counting calories, I agree that people who make counting calories part of their routine should own a food scale.
If you're going to count calories so consistently, you should at least do an accurate job. Using a food scale would be MUCH easier AND more accurate than repeatedly using and rewashing measuring cups and spoons. I don't own a food scale, but I keep track of my food intake on just a very few select days, not every day of my life.0 -
BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »Clauveee95 wrote: »Just started working out. Want to loose weight but this is telling me to eat way more calories than I normally do. Help pls
@clauveee95 - the first thing to do is somehow confirm you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, is to invest in a food scale. Weigh and log everything, at least for awhile, until you are confident in the amount of calories you are actually eating.
YES! While I think people here on MFP are overly fixated on counting calories, I agree that people who make counting calories part of their routine should own a food scale.
If you're going to count calories so consistently, you should at least do an accurate job. Using a food scale would be MUCH easier AND more accurate than repeatedly using and rewashing measuring cups and spoons. I don't own a food scale, but I keep track of my food intake on just a very few select days, not every day of my life.
Ohhh the irony on a CALORIE COUNTING website... :noway: :laugh: :huh:7 -
I'm a bit confused about the fact there are people on here not tracking their calories. Now, I don't believe that counting calories is the ONLY way to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, but MFP's main app is centered around being a food diary, which tracks calories amongst other things. Maybe someone is a healthy weight and just trying to track macros. Maybe they need to lower their sodium intake or time their sugar. But for those of us on team weight loss, this app is a calorie tracker.
Now, we may have calorie tracking methods and philosophies that differ vastly, but it's still based on tracking calories. Some people eat back their exercise calories, others eat back half, and others do not eat them back at all. Some folks set their calorie goal so that they lose 2 pounds a week. I, personally, set my calorie goal early on to match the maintenance calories for my activity level at my goal weight. Some folks plan for a larger deficit during the week so they can eat at maintenance (or over) on the weekends.
I'm rambling. Still, it seems like an odd criticism to call out calorie tracking on a calorie tracking app.4 -
BuellerFerrisBueller wrote: »If you get enough exercise, eat a good variety of healthy and nutritious foods, and shun the unhealthy foods, your calories, your weight, and your figure will largely take care of themselves.
Nope. In fact, that's pretty much what I was doing, while staying obese. My perception of hunger is not a good guide, either: It's a lying liar that lies.
If you can lose weight, maintain a good weight, doing what you suggest, more power to you. I lack that power. I suspect I'm not the only one.5
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