Cal in vs Cal out

snshine919 · July 2023

Hi all
Can someone please explain to me the difference of cal in vs cal out? I am 43 years young (haha) and I have not been able to drop any weight. I consistently, 6 days a week, work out. Programs included but not limited to 21 day fix, Zumba, Peloton and just straight walking.
I have had ALL my levels checked, cortisol, thyroid, blood, sugar, you name it and all came back normal.
I "eat" roughly 1900c/day but I do workout 6 days. Could it be that I'm not "working out" enough to deficit the 1900c I am burning? I have a call into a RD for a appointment but figured I'd ask here before I get that call back. MOST days I hit my protein, carb and fat goal so this is why I am confused.

Thank you in advance!!

Jenna

trunkschan90 · July 2023

Scaling back the calories would help. Instead of 1900 calories a day, try eating only 1500 calories a day. Try that for a couple weeks and see if the scale starts moving. What foods are you eating?

Lietchi · July 2023

You don't mention your height or weight or how much you want to lose.
1900 might simply be too high. If it's been more than 1 or 2 months/menstrual cycles, I would your calorie intake. And I would make sure logging is accurate: weighing everything, making sure you're using accurate food database entries.

AnnPT77 · July 2023

Without knowing your current details (height, weight, daily life/job activity level), it's hard to know . . . but it's very possible that roughly 1900 calories is maintenance calories for you, or close. It would be for some women.

If you're talking about the MFP default fat/protein/carb goals, those are simply a percentage of your calorie goal. They have no direct impact on weight loss. Any indirect effect from sub-par nutrition would be relatively minor (if under-nutrition caused fatigue/moving less, or made it too hard to stick to calorie goal consistently). It's calories that are the direct determinant of weight loss/gain/maintenance.

For sure, workouts won't guarantee weight loss: I was working out pretty intensely 6 days most weeks, training and even competing athletically, and I stayed overweight/obese for over a decade doing that. (I was eating lots of healthy food, too. Like, too much healthy food.

) When I got my calorie intake to the right level is when I lost weight.

I'm guessing your RD can help you sort things out. BTW, usually when people say "years young" it's a back-handed way of worrying that they're (too) old. To me, 43 is just "young". I lost weight at 59-60, class 1 obese to a healthy weight, and have been at a healthy weight since, now 67. Still active, too . . . just eating fewer calories than I used to eat.

Best wishes!

MEP0512 · July 2023

Hi Jenna,
Your situation sounds like mine! I am 41 and had all my levels checked and like you they all came back normal. I eat roughly 1200 calories a day since I don't workout like you. I limited my carb intake and focus on eat fresh fruits and veggies. I started to see the scale go down for me. I am 5'2" and weigh 195. I cut out all process foods for now. I do like to eat but I have substituted crap crap for fruits and veggies. I also only drink water or coffee (black) or herbal tea. I don't really like sugar so that was not hard for me to give up. Sometimes it just takes changing up your foods.

Good Luck!

AKTipsyCat · July 2023

Without height/weight/sex it's really hard to make that determination. A lot of people eat too little when they are working out and stress the body out so much the cortisol makes it hard to lose weight. When I was "on" and working out 6 times a week, my happy place was about 1750 calories. That was walking 10k (average) a day, lifting 3x a week and doing hot yoga 2 or 3x a week. I lost about 1.5 a week and never felt hungry. I'm also 5'4 and was going from 250 to 175 lbs... which now I have to start mostly all over again... *dramatic sigh* because I hurt myself and never got back on track.

SaltyDave · July 2023

For what its worth, I rode that cal in/cal out tricycle for several years and it got me nowhere.
I finally decided to eat differently. I cut out sugar and cut out grains, yes all grains. Sugars are inflamatory and grains are nothing but sugar in disguise.
My diet consists of meat, veggies dairy and eggs. I eat roughly about 35% protein, 50% fat and less than 15% carbs. Any sugar or carbs come from veggies and dairy. I keep my calorie intake to less than 1500.
I heve dropped 32 lbs. in the past 2 and a half months without trying. I do exercise. I cycle about 3 times a week and train with weights one or two. All calories are NOT equal and it does make a difference what you put in your body.
This is the only eating plan that has worked for me. I have also improved my blood pressure and I look forward to seeing my blood sugar/a1c get back in to the good range.

csplatt · July 2023

Sounds like 1900 plus exercise is your maintenance! I am 41, 133 lb and my maintenance is 1600 without exercise 😭😭

snshine919 · July 2023

Thank you for ALL your positive input. I am meeting with a RD but before then I will take all your advice given.

I am 5'1" and I weigh 225. I am classified as somewhat active. I am an Optician so I do move around alot. Plus I have a 10 and 4 year old so always on the go!

diningright · July 2023

It's more than calories in and calories out. You've got to burn fat and to do that you need to deplete the stored carbs (glycogen) in your liver and then you will burn fat for energy. I shoot for 40-50 net carbs (carbs - fiber, sugar alcohols are way to complex to factor) per day. I follow a 18/6 intermittent fasting--only eating between 12 and 6. I used My Fitness Pal to set up the number of calories/day that will allow me to lose 2 pounds a week. In addition I exercise 5-6 days a week. I use the exercise and coming in under my calorie allowance to lose another 1-2 pounds/week. It's been six weeks and I am down 28 pounds. I would suggest reading Fung's book on Intermittent Fasting. We don't need 3 meals/day.

Lietchi · July 2023

diningright wrote: »

It's more than calories in and calories out. You've got to burn fat and to do that you need to deplete the stored carbs (glycogen) in your liver and then you will burn fat for energy. I shoot for 40-50 net carbs (carbs - fiber, sugar alcohols are way to complex to factor) per day. I follow a 18/6 intermittent fasting--only eating between 12 and 6. I used My Fitness Pal to set up the number of calories/day that will allow me to lose 2 pounds a week. In addition I exercise 5-6 days a week. I use the exercise and coming in under my calorie allowance to lose another 1-2 pounds/week. It's been six weeks and I am down 28 pounds. I would suggest reading Fung's book on Intermittent Fasting. We don't need 3 meals/day.

Aiming for a 3-4lb loss per week is aggressively fast, and only appropriate if you weigh 300-400lbs or more. For lighter people there are health risks losing that fast, not a good idea unless closely monitored by a doctor.

As for the strategy: glad it works for you, but not the only way to burn bodyfat.
I lost 70+lbs without low carbing (200gr of carbs daily), not doing IF (unless skipping breakfast is IF, but I only did that for 4 months anyway, didn't make a difference in weight loss rate).

Buckeyebabe7l7 · July 2023

Ok, this might seem snarky but it's not meant to be. I don't understand the mystery of calories in/calories out. It is math. If it's not working for you (this is not directed at the OP) then the calories in are too many (for whatever reason). I just don't get why that is so hard to grasp.

sollyn23l2 · July 2023

Buckeyebabe7l7 wrote: »

Ok, this might seem snarky but it's not meant to be. I don't understand the mystery of calories in/calories out. It is math. If it's not working for you (this is not directed at the OP) then the calories in are too many (for whatever reason). I just don't get why that is so hard to grasp.

People don't want to grasp it, because it means losing weight is their responsibility, and they want there to be a magic answer or pill they can take to do it for them.

ninerbuff · July 2023

diningright wrote: »

It's more than calories in and calories out. You've got to burn fat and to do that you need to deplete the stored carbs (glycogen) in your liver and then you will burn fat for energy. I shoot for 40-50 net carbs (carbs - fiber, sugar alcohols are way to complex to factor) per day. I follow a 18/6 intermittent fasting--only eating between 12 and 6. I used My Fitness Pal to set up the number of calories/day that will allow me to lose 2 pounds a week. In addition I exercise 5-6 days a week. I use the exercise and coming in under my calorie allowance to lose another 1-2 pounds/week. It's been six weeks and I am down 28 pounds. I would suggest reading Fung's book on Intermittent Fasting. We don't need 3 meals/day.

It IS about calories in and calories out. You CAN burn fat even if you DON'T burn all the stored carbs in your liver.
You burn STORED FAT at rest and NOT carbs on a calorie deficit.

And it's great that you lost that, but the carbs are not the enemy. If they were, then all of Asia should be OBESE since noodles and rice are a staple in the countries. And yet they are leaner and live longer that other ethnicities.

With one post, it's likely you're new to the community and trust me, there's lots of threads covering topics low carb/no carb diets and there are very few here that started and maintained here compared to those that took a balanced approach. It's always been said here on the boards, if it's NOT a diet you're going to do for life, then it's probably one you shouldn't start.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Nephelys · July 2023

Hi !
If you are 5'1", 1900 is maybe a little too much in order to lose weight.
I know everyone is different but at 5'5.75, with 6 days of workout a week my maintenance calorie intake is ~1700kcal. But I have a very inactive job though.

I'd also say look at how much you burn during your workout, approximately of course. Because even though walking has many benefits, it ultimately burns very few calories, if we're talking about walking on flat ground, without any additional weight.
In my case, an hour's walk at 6.5km/h burns around 280kcal. So yes, it's not a lot, considering that people's average speed is more at 4.5km/h. But when I do fairly intense cardio, it's more like 500/600kcal per hour.

You say you eat around 1900kcal a day, but have you taken the time over several days (or even weeks) to count, weigh and take everything into account (even the smallest snack, liquids, oil added to cook vegetables, etc.)? Because from experience I know that just "estimating" your calorie intake is always a bad idea, there's very little chance that it's accurate, you can easily add 300 to 500kcal extra per day.

thetdbomb · July 2023

Apologies if someone has already mentioned, but not all calories are created equal. 1000 cal of broccoli and chicken are not the same as a 1000 cal of cake. Lots depends on the type of calories you are taking in and using. I've been doing KETO for two years and weight dropped off and been maintaining. To much of a calorie deficient and your body will go in starvation mode and lower your metabolism and you will not lose weight (fat) may lose muscle weight though. Lot of great places for INFO,,,two my favorites are Thomas DeLauer and Dr Eric Berg, both have great videos on YouTube that may assist you.

AnnPT77 · July 2023

thetdbomb wrote: »

Apologies if someone has already mentioned, but not all calories are created equal. 1000 cal of broccoli and chicken are not the same as a 1000 cal of cake. Lots depends on the type of calories you are taking in and using.

All calories are equal, just like a mile of precarious, narrow goat-path is the same distance as a mile of superhighway. It's just a unit of measurement. Calories are a measurement of energy content.

Foods have characteristics other than their calorie level, and certainly some foods are more filling, nutritious, energizing, etc., than others. Food choice is important for health, body composition, performance and more.

I've been doing KETO for two years and weight dropped off and been maintaining.

I've been doing something not even remotely close to keto for 8 years - 150-250 grams of carbs most days - and weight dropped off, and I've been maintaining since (for 7+ of those years).

I'd say the best strategies for weight loss tend to be personalized and individual, depending on our preferences, strengths, challenges, etc. Experimentation can help folks find their best sustainable path, and you're right: For some people that will be keto. For some, it won't.

To much of a calorie deficient and your body will go in starvation mode and lower your metabolism and you will not lose weight (fat) may lose muscle weight though.

Starvation mode in that sense is a myth. If it were true, people wouldn't starve to death, and sadly thousands do so daily world-wide. They're not fat when it happens, though some will have the distended belly associated with certain kinds of malnutrition.

Better take on that subject:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

Lot of great places for INFO,,,two my favorites are Thomas DeLauer and Dr Eric Berg, both have great videos on YouTube that may assist you.

thetdbomb · July 2023

Agree to disagree about all calories being equal. Not all fuel burns the same, gal of diesel will burn differently that a gallon of jet fuel, and calories are nothing more than fuel for the body, One burns cleaner and leaves less residue that needs to be stored or cleaned.

I do agree that each person is different and different ways works for different people. KETO does not work for everyone, Mediterranean does not work for everyone, and so on.

Unfortunately those who die from starvation don't have muscle mass either, please take all in context. Again my apologies for using such a broad term as "starvation mode" but it is proven that your body will slow the metabolism to maintain it's weight and protect itself. Over time you will adapt to the new way but it will slow you down in the beginning for a time, how long again each of us or different.

Unfortunately in our society we use the word "diet" to only mean trying to lose weight (again in most cases) when diet is actually what you eat, if you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or just living your life. There are so many different ways to do weight loss, no one way is the correct way. There are many resources.

AnnPT77 · July 2023

thetdbomb wrote: »

Agree to disagree about all calories being equal. Not all fuel burns the same, gal of diesel will burn differently that a gallon of jet fuel, and calories are nothing more than fuel for the body, One burns cleaner and leaves less residue that needs to be stored or cleaned.

I do agree that each person is different and different ways works for different people. KETO does not work for everyone, Mediterranean does not work for everyone, and so on.

Unfortunately those who die from starvation don't have muscle mass either, please take all in context. Again my apologies for using such a broad term as "starvation mode" but it is proven that your body will slow the metabolism to maintain it's weight and protect itself. Over time you will adapt to the new way but it will slow you down in the beginning for a time, how long again each of us or different.

Unfortunately in our society we use the word "diet" to only mean trying to lose weight (again in most cases) when diet is actually what you eat, if you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or just living your life. There are so many different ways to do weight loss, no one way is the correct way. There are many resources.

Calories don't have attributes like that. Foods do. Actually, it's the overall mix of foods in a meal or beyond that do, in some cases. (Example: Glycemic index of an individual food isn't deeply relevant when you eat it mixed with other foods with quite different GI.)

To say "not all calories are equal" generally is a figure of speech, a synecdoche or metonymy depending on exact phrasing. To use a figure of speech, and take it as literally true . . . well, no.

When you talk about gas or diesel, the closer analogy is a food, not a calorie. Foods differ. Lots. We agree on that.

Gas and diesel both have calories (please don't eat them). The calorie measures can be compared, but the calories per gallon differ between the two. Other attributes of the fuels matter in other respects.

ninerbuff · July 2023

thetdbomb wrote: »

Apologies if someone has already mentioned, but not all calories are created equal. 1000 cal of broccoli and chicken are not the same as a 1000 cal of cake. Lots depends on the type of calories you are taking in and using.

Incorrect. A calorie is a measurement of energy. It's the SAME regardless of the source. Is a pound of gold and a pound of feathers still a pound? Of course. To say that not all calories are created equal is a bit misleading.

I've been doing KETO for two years and weight dropped off and been maintaining. To much of a calorie deficient and your body will go in starvation mode and lower your metabolism and you will not lose weight (fat) may lose muscle weight though.

No such thing as starvation mode. One can undereat and have a great drop in resting metabolic rate, thereby reducing the chance of weight loss. But you really need to see what starvation really is and how it really affects the body.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Vailara · July 2023

I think the "calories out" are quite difficult to measure. I found with some experimentation that the MFP estimates were too high, and I changed over to just having a set amount. When I was your size, if I remember, I think I could lose on about 1600 calories, but only very slowly. I would not have lost weight on 1900. In fact, I had gained weight on 1900!

Obviously the figure went down as I lost weight, so be prepared that you might find that even your maintenance calories at goal are quite low, unfortunately. BUT I do think your hunger adjusts a little bit.

If you've found that there is nothing else going on, then likely you are just eating a little bit too much, I think.

I'd also say that what you eat does matter, but not so much in the CICO sense. It's about (a) getting good nutrition within an ever-decreasing calorie intake and (b) finding what works for you to help satiety and control.

Cal in vs Cal out

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