Need some clarification... Please?

AliciaBeth78 · December 2011

I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm just really confused about the contradicting advice that I'm taking from these forums, my psycho trainer, and my boyfriend who is also a trainer - just not MY trainer.

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?

2. Sugar?
I need to be watching my sugar intake not my calorie intake? For instance, I found an AMAZING recipe - Broccoli Slaw and Amys Creamy Tomato Bisque - Its super low cal and really good! But because of the tomato soup, it has about 11grams of sugar per serving. My boyfriend and my trainer both say no to this; however, I feel as though if this is a life-style change then I need to enjoy what I'm eating?

3. Protein?
Do I really need to be eating however many grams of protein per pound that I want to weigh? So if I want to weigh 135, I should be eating 135 grams of protein per day?

4. Eating (again)?
Does it really matter if I eat 1500 calories in one sitting or 4-7 times throughout the day? I have to be honest, I am so proud of myself, the last 2 days I've busted out with between 1414-1463 calories split up between 6-7 meals! But should this matter or is a calorie a calorie?

5. Sugar (again)?
Is the sugar in a banana the same as a sugar in a snickers bar?

Help?

kme2011 · December 2011

i would love to know the answers to these questions myself. i'm so confused too. lol

athensguy · December 2011

1. I think you should not have more than a 500 calorie deficit per day.

2. The amount of kcal is the most important number.

3. There's no real evidence to suggest that more than .8 g per kg of protein is necessary. That's about .364g per lb of body weight.

4. I do not think it really matters how often you eat. It may sometimes be helpful to eat soon after a workout, but I don't have any evidence one way or the other.

5. The sugars are different, but they have very similar results.

stormystrickland · December 2011

1. I have always heard that you are not supposed to eat back the calories that you burn during a workout because that is more weight that you are losing.

2. I have also always heard to count calories. It takes 3,500 calories to make a pound and that is what I go by. The more calories you burn and the less calories you eat, the more you will lose weight. Now this doesn't mean starve yourself or eat a bar of chocolate because it is less calories than your dinner or something like that.... I think that is where the sugar comes into play. You want to eat healthy even if it has a bit more calories than something unhealthy with a lot of sugar. Also, more sugar should have more fat calories that are not healthy for you.

3. As for protein, MFP tells me to eat 45 grams of protein a day and I want to weigh 125 pounds eventually. I don't think that there is any possible way that I can eat 125 grams of protein a day. ever.

4. Yes, it matters because you need food for energy and if you eat 5-7 small meals a day, it will also shrink your stomach. Plus, if you are eating healthy then it might be hard to eat all of those calories in one sitting.

5. The sugar is the same, but it is the nutrients from the banana that help you in your health and weight loss journey, not the snickers bar. It is the same "sugar" I think, but it is not near the same thing over all, if that makes sense.

Sidesteal · December 2011

EDIT: Massive quote fail. nvm.

jlowensby · December 2011

I am NOT an expert..but here is what I do...my calorie intake for a day is 1200.

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?
****I do not eat back ALL of my calories burned from workouts...I eat when I am hungry. Sometimes I will eat some of my wokout calories, but rarely ever. MFP, already creates a deficit for you. But I just eat when I am hungry when I am hungry. And I like to split my meals up between 5-6 meals a day or something like that, again I don't always meet that..but I will not eat all my
calories in one meal.

2. Sugar. yes sugar is important to watch...the natural sugar in fruit is not the same as a snicker bar. Natural sugar good..the other can be the harmful ones. I watch my sugar but it does not dicate what I eat!

3. Protein. I have never heard this so I have no idea....

Probably not the best answers, but might give you an insight. On sugar again, I just watch how much "sweets" I have I try to have very little of it. But I don't have a sweet tooth either. And if I have a craving, I eat what I am craving and do not deny myself.

squishycow7 · December 2011

1. people have shown success both ways, as far as the forums have shown me >.< I personally eat my exercise cals but my progress has been slow & I'm also not as active as I should be..

2. sugar from a veggie or fruit source has been okay'd by nearly everyone I've seen post on the forums. you are GOING to go over on your sugar limit, IMO, if you eat ...uhhh .... anything. what matters is the source. in terms of that tomato soup, I guess it depends on the ingredient list; is it tomato-sugar or white sugar?

3. that's what I've been told. the more the merrier, in terms of protein. the "side effects" from too much protein are unlikely if you are generally healthy (I believe it can affect kidneys if you have kidney issues..)

4. I've heard it's difficult to "properly" digest more than 800ish calories in one sitting. but I have no scientific expertise, just what I've heard

that being said, some people do to intermittent fasting where they only eat during a certain time period (say, 4 hours a day) and consume their "normal" amount. I'd see what works for YOUR body. for me though, if I don't space things out I run into feeling hungry afterward, even if it was an absurd amout of food.

5. see what I wrote before

Sidesteal · December 2011

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?

Hard to specifically answer in your case since I don't know your stats and therefore can't comment on 1200-1500 being ideal. However, most people outside of MFP do not track and then eat exercise calories. It seems more common to me that people estimate their TDEE and eat based on that. Based only on speculation, 1200 is going to be too low unless you are already very small.

2. Sugar?
I need to be watching my sugar intake not my calorie intake? For instance, I found an AMAZING recipe - Broccoli Slaw and Amys Creamy Tomato Bisque - Its super low cal and really good! But because of the tomato soup, it has about 11grams of sugar per serving. My boyfriend and my trainer both say no to this; however, I feel as though if this is a life-style change then I need to enjoy what I'm eating?

If you are counting calories and macronutrients then counting sugar is pretty much useless as it pertains to weightloss, unless the increased sugar content causes you to have issues making good choices later in the day. In a calorie deficit and in the presence of adequate macronutrients, sugar content is irrelevant to your weightloss. Your boyfriend and trainer need to update their nutritional information. I would suggest Alan Aragon, James Krieger, Steve Troutman, and Lyle McDonald as good resources for learning about this.

3. Protein?
Do I really need to be eating however many grams of protein per pound that I want to weigh? So if I want to weigh 135, I should be eating 135 grams of protein per day?

You'll hear mixed ideas on this. My suggestion is to eat at least 1g/lb current lean mass. This is a minimum value.

4. Eating (again)?
Does it really matter if I eat 1500 calories in one sitting or 4-7 times throughout the day? I have to be honest, I am so proud of myself, the last 2 days I've busted out with between 1414-1463 calories split up between 6-7 meals! But should this matter or is a calorie a calorie?

Meal frequency will not boost your metabolism if this is where you're going. You can eat 1 meal or 9 meals provided your end-of-day totals are in a good spot.

5. Sugar (again)?
Is the sugar in a banana the same as a sugar in a snickers bar?

I'll answer a different question: In the context of a calorie deficit it's irrelevant as it pertains to your weight loss goals. You'll most likely get more useful nutrients from the banana unless you're sufficient on all the nutrients that a banana offers and deficient in fat. That's probably the only scenario in which a snickers bar would provide you with more benefit than a banana.

If you're counting calories and eating at a deficit and you're not diabetic, I wouldn't even worry about sugar content.
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HolleeERL · December 2011

I think people are WAY overthinking this and making it too confusing. I believe that it really depends on what your goals are. If you are just starting out, I think you should make it as simple as possible. (just personal opinion here)

Start your exercise regimine. Depending on what kind of exercise you are doing, you might need to eat more protein so you can maintain your muscle gains (muscles burns fat) Cardio doesn't require as much protein but if you are trying to sustain it for long periods of time (such as endurance running) then sugar (like in your soup) is actually good for you. Sure you can eat your calories however you want, but what you REALLY want is to make good choices so you don't have to count calories every waking hour for the rest of your life, right? Your body will thank you for that as well.

If you are just trying to lose weight and don't have a specific time goal, then I say just keep it simple and use common sense i.e. eat healthy foods. I do believe that eating often will help your metabolism. Bodies aren't machines so a simple statement that 2000 calories is the same whether you eat them all at once or throughout the day is not completely correct. You can't just fill up your tank once and run your body all day. Unlike a car our bodies store energy - converts it in different ways and adjusts to diffent fueling. Not to mention that you decrease the likelyhood of binge eating if you don't feel hungry for long periods of time. I would just continue to try to eat more small meals a day and see what happens.

Just keep it simple and if things are not working, then you can adjust. Don't overthink it! Best Wishes!!

MinnieInMaine · December 2011

1) Unfortunately, this one may caase a bit of a debate, or at least a huge mix of answers. I've been on my weight loss journey for almost 2 years, have lost 80 pounds and have eaten at least 90% of my exercise calories. It may be a slow loss but I'm not starving and I don't feel deprived and that's what's important to me. If I have a good workout, I'm HUNGRY and you better believe I'm going to eat! Also, eating your exercise calories allows for more wiggle room. For instance, tonight, we're having pizza and wings for dinner and I can handle that in my calories because I'm working out later and plan to burn 400-500 calories.
FYI, I use a Polar heart rate monitor (HRM) so I know my calorie count is fairly accurate.

2 & 5) I've never tracked my sugar and never will. And of course the sugar in a banana is different from the sugar in a snickers bar! Technically your body doesn't know, sugar is sugar However, the other things mixed in with that sugar make a difference. Bananas are natural and they have fiber which means they'll stick with you longer. Whereas the snickers is likely to be burned up super quick and leave you feeling hungry again in no time (although the peanuts do help a bit).

3) I don't pay a whole lot of attention to my protein because I tend to eat a lot - I know it keeps me full and fueled so it's part of just about every meal and/or snack. However, I have noticed that if I have a low protein day, I'm hungry the next morning. Quality of calories does matter in that sense. I ate a lot of sugar and not nearly enough protein yesterday so although I went over my calorie goal a bit, the quality of those calories weren't great so my body still wanted more.

4) I've seen it said here many times that how much you eat in a meal or when you eat that meat doesn't really matter much. That said, I can't imagine eating all my calories in one meal and then not eating anything else for the rest of the day (or saving all my calories for a night out) I'd be hungry and miserable!

NoAdditives · December 2011

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?

For most people, not eating calories burned from exercise means their caloric deficit will be too large, which risks putting the body into starvation mode. That's when the body doesn't burn fat and stores as many calories as possible. How much your body actually needs depends on your own metabolism. Try experimenting with different amounts of calories for 1-2 weeks at a time. I know that from my own experimentation I cannot eat fewer than 1500 calories plus exercise calories. If I eat less my body stops burning fat immediately.

2. Sugar?
I need to be watching my sugar intake not my calorie intake? For instance, I found an AMAZING recipe - Broccoli Slaw and Amys Creamy Tomato Bisque - Its super low cal and really good! But because of the tomato soup, it has about 11grams of sugar per serving. My boyfriend and my trainer both say no to this; however, I feel as though if this is a life-style change then I need to enjoy what I'm eating?

You should keep your added/refined sugar as low as possible. This means limiting sodas, candy, cookies, and other processed foods. Natural sugars from milk and fruits/vegetables should still be limited, but they are metabolized differently and aren't as big of a concern. You definitely need to find the right balance for yourself. My philosophy is to eat the way I plan on eating after I've reached my goal, which means occasional indulgences and eating mostly healthy foods. If a meal is a little higher in sugar I'll still eat it, I just won't eat it every day.

3. Protein?
Do I really need to be eating however many grams of protein per pound that I want to weigh? So if I want to weigh 135, I should be eating 135 grams of protein per day?

No. The body can only metabolize and use a certain amount of protein. Eating more than you need means the excess is just wasted. It's not really a big deal, it just gets flushed out. But, if you are eating that much protein you may not be eating as many fruits and vegetables which means you won't be getting enough fiber. Which could lead to problems like constipation. Plus, your body does need a certain amount of fats and carbs in addition to protein. Again, it's all about balance. When i was losing weight I was eating 75-100g of protein per day and was losing just fine.

4. Eating (again)?
Does it really matter if I eat 1500 calories in one sitting or 4-7 times throughout the day? I have to be honest, I am so proud of myself, the last 2 days I've busted out with between 1414-1463 calories split up between 6-7 meals! But should this matter or is a calorie a calorie?

Do what works for you. If you are fine and have plenty of energy eating 3 meals a day, do that. If you find you get hungry in between meals rework your calories so that you get a couple of snacks. It all depends on what your body needs.

5. Sugar (again)?
Is the sugar in a banana the same as a sugar in a snickers bar?

No. Natural sugars in milk, fruits and vegetables are different than refined sugars. Sugars in their natural forms in foods are often wrapped in proteins that make it more difficult for the body to digest. They don't cause big spikes in blood sugar levels and offer a more sustained release of sugar. Don't worry about having a couple of servings of fruit a day, just make sure you know what a serving actually is. A large banana can be 2-3 servings. A grocery store sized apple (which are generally huge) is at least 2-3 servings.

raige123 · December 2011

I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm just really confused about the contradicting advice that I'm taking from these forums, my psycho trainer, and my boyfriend who is also a trainer - just not MY trainer.

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?

2. Sugar?
I need to be watching my sugar intake not my calorie intake? For instance, I found an AMAZING recipe - Broccoli Slaw and Amys Creamy Tomato Bisque - Its super low cal and really good! But because of the tomato soup, it has about 11grams of sugar per serving. My boyfriend and my trainer both say no to this; however, I feel as though if this is a life-style change then I need to enjoy what I'm eating?

3. Protein?
Do I really need to be eating however many grams of protein per pound that I want to weigh? So if I want to weigh 135, I should be eating 135 grams of protein per day?

4. Eating (again)?
Does it really matter if I eat 1500 calories in one sitting or 4-7 times throughout the day? I have to be honest, I am so proud of myself, the last 2 days I've busted out with between 1414-1463 calories split up between 6-7 meals! But should this matter or is a calorie a calorie?

5. Sugar (again)?
Is the sugar in a banana the same as a sugar in a snickers bar?

Help?

As for the exercise calories ... do what works for you. Try both ways. If I eat mine back I WILL gain weight and reverse all the hard work I'm putting in ... it's how MY body works. Some people in here apparently work opposite and lose weight if they eat them back. Every body is different so find what works for your body.

I try and limit refined sugars and processed foods as much as possible. Natural sugars are ok but are still sugars so don't go overboard.

Protein is another touchy subject, lol. I eat about 100gr of protein a day. I'm not trying to weigh 100 lbs but I find that 100gr of protein a day is what works for my body. Again, play around with it. My internal furnace burns best with this amount. Yours will probably work best with another amount.

As for the calories ... it's best to eat throughout the day so that your body's furnace is constantly burning. Dr.V covers this exact question in Jillian Michaels latest podcast which is free so have a listen!

Losing weight is not an easy thing to answer questions on because everyone's body is different and everyone's internal furnace works best with different fuels. Experiment and see what works for your body! Good luck!!!

Reasie26 · December 2011

I'll throw in my two cents......

1. Eating: I think a compromise in the two sets of information is a good way to go on this one. Try to eat back some of the exercise calories, but don't always eat all of them back. MFP calculates the calorie deficit you need based on the activity level you selected when signing up and the number of pounds/week you said you wanted to lose. Activity level does not include a daily workout - it merely refers to whether you sit most of the day (ex: administrative assistant) or you are on your feet moving all day (construction worker) or somewhere in between. That is why you will see the suggestion to eat back those exercise calories - because they are additional to the calorie deficit that is already built in which should lead you to your desired weight-loss goal.

2. Sugar: I don't understand the sugar argument very much...Basically, if you eat lots of whole, fresh foods (whole grains, fruits, veggies) while staying within your calorie allotment, you will be healthy and lose weight. Now, if you have some sort of sugar metabolism disorder, that would be a whole other story.

3. Protein: No. That is completely, 100% false. You do not need to eat that much protein. One quick article I found:

4. Eating (again): Eating smaller meals throughout the day is just easier on the body. Your metabolism works better and your blood sugar doesn't volley up and down so much. Your body needs to know that you are going to feed it regularly or it will start to "save" some of the calories (i.e. store as fat) for those times when you are "starving" it.

5. Sugar (again): No the sugar in a banana is not the same as sugar in a Snickers. The sugar in a banana is natural and whole - our bodies know exactly how to process that and use it efficiently for fuel. Processed sugar (white sugar) is not whole and confuses the body. This sugar creates an acidic environment in the body (not to be confused with eating acidic foods like citrus fruits) which leads to a host of health problems that I won't go into here. Not to mention, of course, the Snickers has a lot of other processed and high-fat components.

6. Stress: Stress raises cortisol levels in the body which wants to hang on to fat. It is very hard to be healthy when you are stressed. It's hard to sleep well (which leads to more problems) or make healthy food choices when you are stressed. Try to relax a little. As long as you are eating a variety of healthy foods (try to avoid packaged/processed foods as much as possible), eating fewer calories than you use to, and exercising more than you use to, you will be healthier and lose weight.

Don't let all the conflicting suggestions get you down! There will surely be about 50 more responses to this post before the day is out - all good advice (or well-meaning, at least, I'm sure!!! Just relax and keep it simple!!!! Best of luck!!!!!

tigersword · December 2011

I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm just really confused about the contradicting advice that I'm taking from these forums, my psycho trainer, and my boyfriend who is also a trainer - just not MY trainer.

1. Eating?
So according to my trainer and my boyfriend - I should only be eating 1200-1500 calories a day regardless of it I work out or not. Even if I burn 800 cals at the gym, there is just no reason to eat the 2400+ calories that MFP suggests unless I want a cheat meal (iikewise, if I burn 1000 cals, there is no reason to eat 2600 cals, etc) HOWEVER, according to these forums, I should eat all of my exercise calories back, I'm lost - Can someone please explain this?

2. Sugar?
I need to be watching my sugar intake not my calorie intake? For instance, I found an AMAZING recipe - Broccoli Slaw and Amys Creamy Tomato Bisque - Its super low cal and really good! But because of the tomato soup, it has about 11grams of sugar per serving. My boyfriend and my trainer both say no to this; however, I feel as though if this is a life-style change then I need to enjoy what I'm eating?

3. Protein?
Do I really need to be eating however many grams of protein per pound that I want to weigh? So if I want to weigh 135, I should be eating 135 grams of protein per day?

4. Eating (again)?
Does it really matter if I eat 1500 calories in one sitting or 4-7 times throughout the day? I have to be honest, I am so proud of myself, the last 2 days I've busted out with between 1414-1463 calories split up between 6-7 meals! But should this matter or is a calorie a calorie?

5. Sugar (again)?
Is the sugar in a banana the same as a sugar in a snickers bar?

Help?

First, I'm going to say, 95% of personal trainers are NOT qualified to discuss nutrition, they have no training in it.

Now,

1. You need to fuel your body properly to maintain muscle mass while losing fat. Eating too little causes your body to burn off muscle instead of fat.

2. Unless you have a metabolic issue like Diabetes of PCOS, it doesn't matter how much sugar you eat, as long as you stick to your caloric goals.

3. No. While eating more protein is fine, eating 1 gram per pound of body weight is actually a body building diet, for muscle growth. You don't need that much for general day to day life.

4. Meal timing is irrelevant, your body doesn't care if you eat 1 meal or 20, total calories are all that matters. Humans didn't evolve eating 20 meals a day, heck, they didn't even evolve eating every day.

5. Yes. sugar is sugar. Bananas have glucose, sucrose, and fructose in them, the same sugars you find in a Snickers bar, or table sugar, or any other sugar. Your body doesn't differentiate different foods, other than taste. All nutrients are broken down and utilized in the exact same way by the body, regardless of where you ate them.

jbosey · December 2011

Im a poor one to give advice here but I can think logically. You trainer's goal is to get you to lose as much weight as possible each month. That is his/her primary goal. Some folks can exercise like heck and lose a tremendous amount of weight quickly (by not eating back at least some of the exercise calories), however, a lot of these folks continue on this course until they lose the weight they want to lose and then they start back eating a decent amount of calories and gain it all back. How long can you continue to starve yourself? My goal here is to lose 2 lbs per week and in doing so, make it easy enough that I dont HATE my diet or feel starved all the the time. Yes it takes a long time to lose the weight but I am striving for changing my behavior forever, not for just a few months.

What good is starving yourself, exercising like mad, for a few months and then gain it all back. Trainers like this because then you have to come back to him and lose it all over again. There have been many on here that have lost mega weight and done it quickly, most doctors will tell you to lose it slowly. My hats off to those that lose it fast and keep it off, but if im starving myself for serveral months Im going to go off the wagon and stay off of it....done that before. Some folks just have more willpower and I commend them for it.

I try to eat healthy snacks within by calorie budget throughout the day to keep myself from getting hungry. My job keeps me in my car a lot and I have to pass a zillion fast food places, if Im starving myself i will eventually stop and eat the wrong thing. Everybody is different, not necessarily wrong, just different.

MikeSEA · December 2011

I'm probably repeating what others have said, but oh well

1. Here's the problem: It can take some time to really figure out what your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is. There various ways to calculate it, but it can be a lot of trial and error. Eating exercise calories back can be a little tricky because you may not know how much you're really burning. Additionally, if you're not being honest and precise about how much you're tracking for your intake in terms of calories, it won't matter anyway.

So, be as exact as you can in your measurements for your food (i.e. use a food scale), and try to find your maintenance for a few weeks. Then subtract 20% of those calories for a deficit.

2. Unless you have a reason to believe your body has a problem dealing with sugar (e.g. diabetes), sugar in take isn't likely to cause a problem if you're in a caloric deficit. Having said that, I'd suggest making sure you stick to certain macronutrient combinations. Having a little higher protein might help maintain lean muscle mass with the proper workout.

3. How much protein you eat is in part determined by how much your body needs, which is in turn determined by your activities and workouts, etc. 0.75-1g per lb of lead body mass is fine.

4. The number of meals you eat probably doesn't make a difference metabolically. I like to graze all day, so lots of meals work for me. If I don't, I'm starving. It's just an issue of satiety.

5. There's hundreds of different kinds of sugars and your body deals with them in slightly, though perhaps importantly, different ways. Sucrose is sucrose and fructose is fructose. The body doesn't care if it comes in banana or snickers. Having said that, there's a difference between eating a banana and a snickers bar. You'd have to look at micronutrients as well as macronutrients, which would include looking at what kind of sugar is both substances. May I suggest a book, "Fatland" and further research on metabolic shunting. There's nothing in that book that I'd consider the scientific equivalent of gospel truth yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of it.

Need some clarification... Please?

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