THE answers to THE questions

speed BUMP!!!

Thu 02/21/08 09:23 AM--BUMPING UP!!!!----GOOD STUFF--MUST READ

OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

Question #1:

Should I eat all my calories?

Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Question #2:
I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

Answer:
Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

Question #3:
I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person. (this is a generalization. I don't hate models, but this is their lifestyle. . .I used to be a "dresser" at shows, and I saw a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff.

Does that help? Please say it does.
Edited by viviakay on Thu 02/21/08 09:24 AM

Thank you for the information, it has cleared a lot of questions up!!!!! Getting healthy can be so frustrating1

Riding in the car yesterday and I hit a BUMP.

I heard bumping is good exercise.

diet pills.. hm.. well they work... to a point :noway: but then once you go off of them, I heard your weight comes right back and then some :ohwell:

I personally think it is best to just watch what you eat and then you will see a better progress and will be more able to keep track of it.

:glasses:

Aww I just bumped up to the fridge and got fat free jello..............

Thaaaaank Yoouuu! This is soo helpful! :happy:

The answers are very helpful to a newbie like me... but I have a question:
What should I eat in order to gain back my exercise calories? I usually gravitate towards carbs and cheese (some people have trouble with chocolate, I have trouble with CHEESE!)
My gym recommends a recovery shake after a work out - it's filled with fruit and yogurt and some other stuff I didn't pay much attention to. Should I get one of those after my workout? I am only able to get to the gym two or three times a week right now so I'm not sure how concerned I should be with eating back my calories?
And, that leads me to another question:
I have been staying well within my calories, but my carbs and protein numbers seem to be over. I've been playing around with my food choices, but it seems that no matter what I do, those numbers stay the same. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Madkat67

:drinker:

....car that went bump into the wall. It was a nasty wreck, too. :frown:

:bigsmile: