bit confused about eating back exercise cals????

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LauriesTrying2BeFit
LauriesTrying2BeFit Posts: 414 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ok so iv been using this site afew weeks now and i have just checked my reports and even tho im getting between 1300-1600 cals my net cals are never over 1200 and some days are at 900.
will this not just make my body go into starvation mode?
im really trying to eat more as want to lose some more weight i havent gained or lost this week and im sure its due to not eating enough.
should i try to eat more?
i always have at leats 100-200cals left at end of each day.
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Replies

  • dianeellen2
    dianeellen2 Posts: 259 Member
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    There is some interesting stuff in the furoms about eating enough and i think they have a point - mainly to do with starvation mode and reduced metabolism if you dont eat enough.

    Try having a milky bed time drink and a couple of digestives to up your calories.

    I was sceptical at first but it does work - if you keep your calories to around 1200 (ensure that you account for exercise calories too)

    It also means you can be motivated to exercise if you want a treat (i am going to Pilates class tonight because i want the mince pie i was given yesterday and i know the calories will even out)

    Add me as a friend if you want support and encouragement

    Diane
  • LauriesTrying2BeFit
    LauriesTrying2BeFit Posts: 414 Member
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    so do you eat your exercise cals back? i am eating around 1400cals a day but then i usually burn around 400 a day too. so should i eat an extra 200cals? sorry if i sound dumb i just want to see some losses!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    MFP is set up so that you will have a 500-1000cal a day deficit according to your goals and required calories for daily activity.

    Exercise is dealt with separately, so if you burn and enter calories as exercise, you're supposed to eat those calories in order to maintain the desired deficit.
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
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    Yes, you need to eat more -- more is less when it comes to weight loss, exercise and being healthy.
    BUT NOT TOO MUCH - lol And YES, you eat back your exercise calories, because your log is set for weight loss already.

    Our food diaries and exercise logs need to be tweaked to fit each one of us, but once we discover that number of calories which represents weight maintenance, that's when we can take charge. And if it takes a few weeks for those just starting for their bodies to catch up, fine. Severe dieting may have stifled metabolism but only for a season.

    We take ownership of the process by setting goals based on losing a pound each week. And we must be sure we eat as close to our calorie goal as we can to realize that loss without going too far in restricting food intake to the point of metabolic shutdown.

    Make the process fun, and share your daily results - browse other people to get some great ideas. Find a group of ladies just where you are - remember to include some who are much further along to remind you of where you are heading.

    You can do this!
  • Shredded2011
    Shredded2011 Posts: 109
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    Don't worry about it too much.
    I used to have a fit over it all.

    Whether your body goes into starvation mode or not or into ketogenesis it doesn't matter.

    It only affects the rate that its lost and the optimum way.

    Everyones obsessed with the optimum way.

    Any way of losing the weight is great.

    Aim for the cals that the site gives you. If you go over alot excercise.

    If your under don't worry about it. You may go into starvation mode but the lost calories cancel it out in a roundabout way.

    Its sugars and flours and bread that tend to be a pain. XX:heart:
  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
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    I try my best to have my net cals at 1200 at the end of the day after exercise.
  • cuelgirl
    cuelgirl Posts: 47 Member
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    This is an interesting topic... since I really didn't know what to do either with this... my net calories are usually around 900-1000 a day... and maybe thats not enough... I will try to increase that by eating some fruit and see what happens... I'm a newbie to trying to lose "my way"... and want to make sure I do it right by staying healthy in the process...
  • ryvenna
    ryvenna Posts: 83 Member
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    honestly, i don't freak out too much if i'm below my calorie count, especially if i am FULL. if you force yourself to eat back those calories, you're going to expand your stomach, which will interfere with satiety on other days. i also realize that on some days, i eat over my 1200 calories, so if i do intense exercise one day and burn 1000 calories and then eat 1500 calories (net calories = 500), i don't get worked up over it.

    have you heard of zig-zag dieting (if not: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm)? zig-zag dieting tells you what you need to eat to lose weight, but it shifts around your calories so your body doesn't ever get accustomed to a certain calorie count... so, no weight loss plateaus! if you avg my calorie in take per week, i probably eat around 1200 calories a day, but i NEVER eat exactly 1200 calories every day.

    my food diary's open to anyone who wants to take a glance at it. :]




    p.s.
    when i first joined mfp, i also had weeks where i didn't lose any weight, despite my calorie deficit + exercise. it was disheartening... but now that my body's getting used to my healthy lifestyle, the weight has been dropping off. don't worry if you don't get super-immediate results. give yourself 2 months before you re-evaluate.

    edit:
    ALWAYS eat at least 1200 calories of food. even if it nets to be less than 1200, with exercise, giving your body that many calories helps tremendously. otherwise, if you eat really low calories per day, when you end up eating 1200 calories or so, your body's more likely to store fat/glycogen.
  • sunnyskyjb
    sunnyskyjb Posts: 258 Member
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    Great explanation, Bobby! Thanks!!
  • Yakarobed
    Yakarobed Posts: 13 Member
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    If you have trouble getting in your calories and are exercising regulary, you should try to add a couple ozs of protein each day. Protein helps keep you full and helps the body build muscle.

    If you are eating low-fat versions of foods, try using the regular versions for a few more calories.
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 276
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    Check out some of the tools like the BMR calculator which will tell you what your basic metabolic rate is, that's what your body is/should burn daily without factoring in exercise.
    When MFP calculates your weight loss goal it doesn't factor in the calories from exercise. Some people eat the back some don't. I use mine as a daily calorie cushion so I can have a small treat if I so desire, and if not I don't...Like Dutch Chocolate Blue Bell Icecream last night. And I didn't have to obsess/kick myself, etc. I digress
    So once you know where your BMR is, keep your calorie intake below that, eat at least 1200 calories a day (net is something else) and let the pounds fall where they may, :wink:
  • RosieO
    RosieO Posts: 2 Member
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    I just met with a nutritionist yesterday. I have the same problem - not eating enough. She gave me some good ideas to get "good" foods in for the day with more protein than carbs or fat, like adding a glass of milk in with a meal or snack. Or adding some string cheese in with your fruit snack. Also, adding peanut to a piece of whole wheat toast is good, or just grabbing a handful of nuts to get those extra calories. We looked back at my Fitness Pal log and the weeks I lost the most were the weeks I ate at least my 1200 calories, loaded with protein type foods and snacks. Hope this helps
  • tattooedtwiin
    tattooedtwiin Posts: 246
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    I never eat my exercise calories back, and have lost 52 pounds. No, I haven't gone into starvation mode either.:grumble:
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
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    I don't agree with the 1200 calories thing, how is it the same for someone who is 5'4" vs someone who is 6'4 two people that will have two totally different lean body masses? The human body is designed to store excess calories as fat for periods with little or no food.
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
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    Another thing people often forget is to subtract the calories they burn every hour just sitting on their butt, for me it's about 70 calories. So If I burn 300 calories exercising for an hour I have to take away the 70 calories I would have burned anyway leaving me with 230. The whole point in exercising is to create a calorie deficit not to let you do more of what makes us fat.
  • newmercies7
    newmercies7 Posts: 23
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    i agree, do not eat your calories back...If I did that I wouldn't lose weight. I suppose it all depends on an individuals matabolism, though. I'm finally beginning to lose weight again. At first, I was eating my calories back and it just wasn't working for me. I also have to eat at 1200 calories a day, I go over a little, but if I eat the right things and small amounts and often, this seems to work best for me.
  • TigersFanIndy34
    TigersFanIndy34 Posts: 54
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    I've noticed this is a hot button topic but here's how I personally do it.... if I'm hungry I eat more and if I'm not then I don't.

    If I have a big dinner planned where I know low calorie eating will be a struggle sometimes I just don't eat exercise calories for a bit and that way if I'm slightly over one day I don't sweat it.

    However sometimes if I eat really clean I'm just not hungry (the foods are so filling) so I don't sweat if I net under.

    As long as you aren't depriving your body of nutrients or exercise 10 hours a day just to eat more - both are extremes. I think for most of us it's just about listening to our bodies and knowing some days we will be more hungry then others, more active then others etc...
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    YES PEOPLE! Eat your exercise calories back! If you are netting less 1200 your body is not getting enough nutrients! Everyone's metabolism is different, you may have to tweak the numbers a bit. But if you are just starting out, please go with what MFP recommends, they have built a deficit in your allotted calories already, so yes eat your exercise calories back!!
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
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    YES PEOPLE! Eat your exercise calories back! If you are netting less 1200 your body is not getting enough nutrients! Everyone's metabolism is different, you may have to tweak the numbers a bit. But if you are just starting out, please go with what MFP recommends, they have built a deficit in your allotted calories already, so yes eat your exercise calories back!!

    I'd buy that if you were say at or below 5% body fat for men or 10% for women.
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    Seems the two camps are pretty evenly divided. Some say ALWAYS eat your calories back. Some say NEVER eat your calories back. I figure the truth is somewhere in the middle.

    So, I split the difference. I eat some of my calories back, but I stop eating if I am full. I usually burn between 350 and 500 calories on exercise days, so I usually end the day with a 200-300 calorie deficit. Sometimes it is a lot more, sometimes it is a lot less. I'm losing my weight, so it's obviously working for me.

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