Confused about Calories and disheartened

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prettylittlechubby
prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
in Health and Weight Loss
I can not get my head around this whole eating your exercise calories, I know this may sound stupid and naive but it just does not register in my head. I like to eat within my range and then if I exercise that is a bonus! Something is not working though because I am not loosing pounds. One week I will loose then the next nothing! I would love it to just be steady!

Can anyone explain why I would eat my exercise calories...

Please no "you are stupid" comments, not in a good mood today as the scales didn't move this morning :(
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Replies

  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
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    Also my carbs are set at 165 for the day...is this too high?
  • laurabini
    laurabini Posts: 257 Member
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    Actually I think the same!! If you want to lose weight you have burn calories and not eat them back..
    Let's see what people say :)
  • natashamcn
    natashamcn Posts: 145 Member
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    If you're not eating your exercise calories your body may be going into starvation mode. It may sound crazy that you need to eat more to lose weight but lots of ppl on this site have proved it's true. Good luck to you :)
  • fetchfury
    fetchfury Posts: 84 Member
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    your body needs a certain amount of fuel to run on through-out the day. when you burn up that fuel with exercise, you need to re-fuel it more.

    say 1200 a day you eat
    - 300 from exercise
    you should eat 1500 to help your body through the day AND the exercise
  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
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    Thanks guys, I will try it this week and see what sort of a difference it makes....fingers crossed :D xx
  • deisegirl34
    deisegirl34 Posts: 10
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    Sorry I don't have any tips for you regarding calories but just wanted to say I am exactly the same as you. I eat my proper calories and do a lot of exercise and cannot lose weight. I am sick of looking at articles that say 'little changes' can add up to weight loss As far as I am concerned I am running the legs of myself and eating right and every pound I try to lose has to be literally beat off me.

    so really I just wanted to say you are not the only one, but the only thing we can do is keep going. As the alternative is to throw in the towel ( which I have done before ) overeat and gain, which I am determined not to do this year. If it kills me i am going to get to my goal this year.

    Last week I lost 4 1/2 lbs and then on Saturday I had a cheat meal, which was just homemade burger with oven chips and a small chocolate bar for desert and the next morning when I weighed in I had gained 3 1/2 lbs back!! I just don't get it. I then read after cheat days the weight gain is not real weight and is just water weight and if you start back straight away you will lose it but I did start back on Sunday, exercising and strict diet again and when I weighed in this morning the 3 1/2 lbs were still there!! what the hell!!! It's so frustrating and at times soul destroying.

    I know this might sound a bit dramatic but when you are putting in so much effort you want to get a reward on the scales.

    But just try to keep your chin up. Don't give in and just put another week ahead of you, stay positive, give it all you have and hopefully this week was just a blip and next week you will see a decrease on teh scales.
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
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    My rule has always been to eat half of my exercise calories. It gives you enough for your body to get through, but you still get that extra weight loss kick.
  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
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    Sorry I don't have any tips for you regarding calories but just wanted to say I am exactly the same as you. I eat my proper calories and do a lot of exercise and cannot lose weight. I am sick of looking at articles that say 'little changes' can add up to weight loss As far as I am concerned I am running the legs of myself and eating right and every pound I try to lose has to be literally beat off me.

    so really I just wanted to say you are not the only one, but the only thing we can do is keep going. As the alternative is to throw in the towel ( which I have done before ) overeat and gain, which I am determined not to do this year. If it kills me i am going to get to my goal this year.

    Last week I lost 4 1/2 lbs and then on Saturday I had a cheat meal, which was just homemade burger with oven chips and a small chocolate bar for desert and the next morning when I weighed in I had gained 3 1/2 lbs back!! I just don't get it. I then read after cheat days the weight gain is not real weight and is just water weight and if you start back straight away you will lose it but I did start back on Sunday, exercising and strict diet again and when I weighed in this morning the 3 1/2 lbs were still there!! what the hell!!! It's so frustrating and at times soul destroying.

    I know this might sound a bit dramatic but when you are putting in so much effort you want to get a reward on the scales.

    But just try to keep your chin up. Don't give in and just put another week ahead of you, stay positive, give it all you have and hopefully this week was just a blip and next week you will see a decrease on teh scales.

    Its so nice to know that I am not the only one who gets so frustrated, its so easy to put on weight, why cant it be to get it off. But you are so right, if we give in we eat more and gain ALOT more, so its better to try, try, try and loose the pounds rather than gain :D THANK YOU and I hope you get to your goal this year :D x
  • prettylittlechubby
    prettylittlechubby Posts: 125
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    My rule has always been to eat half of my exercise calories. It gives you enough for your body to get through, but you still get that extra weight loss kick.

    Oh ok I might try this, this sounds more doable than eating ALL my exercise calories back. :D xx
  • amyofftherecord
    amyofftherecord Posts: 64 Member
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    Your body needs the energy from those calories to recover properly from the exertion of exercise. If you don't give your body enough energy it doesn't run as effectively. It'll get sluggish and you'll end up losing weight more slowly because your body is struggling to keep up with your life. It's like trying to drive your car around without worrying about whether or not is has gas. Yeah, you save money if you don't fill up your tank, but good luck getting anywhere.
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    I have to say and this is where MFP can be off a bit, is its not just about calories. I was set on 1200 calories for most of last year , which isn't much. I did eat my exercise calories. I did lose weight and I ate pretty clean.
    I am now doing Jamie Eason Live Fit. Check it out on bodybuilding.com. Its all about eating clean. I am now eating 1600-2000 calories a day which seems like LOADS but I haven't gained any weight in fat body fat is falling off.
    So concentrate on eating well, maybe 1500 cals a day, but make sure its clean - egg whites, lean chicken, fish, green veges, wholegrain rice/pasta, sweet potato, low fat greek yoghurt. NO JUNK.
    its NOT just about the calories. Otherwise I could eat 2000 calories of cake a day and not gain weight but of course I would gain lots of fat if I did that!
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    I can not get my head around this whole eating your exercise calories, I know this may sound stupid and naive but it just does not register in my head. I like to eat within my range and then if I exercise that is a bonus! Something is not working though because I am not loosing pounds. One week I will loose then the next nothing! I would love it to just be steady!

    Can anyone explain why I would eat my exercise calories...

    Please no "you are stupid" comments, not in a good mood today as the scales didn't move this morning :(


    have you read this (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics)?

    I think it is explained very clearly here... here are the most important points:

    You have under 20 pounds to lose, so you should set your weekly loss goal to 0.5 pounds a week. This is not definitive, you could still end up losing more than that each week.

    If you wear a HRM for exercise, then you should eat back all of your exercise calories
    If you don't wear a HRM, then only eat some (half to a third) of the exercise calories back
  • chefkev
    chefkev Posts: 155 Member
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    Here is a very nice article about the starvation mode myth.
    http://www.weightwatchers.com.au/util/art/index_art.aspx?art_id=37261&tabnum=1&sc=801&subnav=Science+Library:+The+Physics+of+Weight+Loss

    I don't eat my exercise calories.
  • eileencorry
    eileencorry Posts: 30
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    I don't think any1 here will call you stupid! I struggle also with the idea of eating the calories i burn. Seems that i've had the wrong idea about how to lose weight, for as long as i've been trying to lose weight! But.... it seems to work. Everyone who is having success is doing it, and i am willing to give it a go. It cant be any worse than not dieting, and i have found i've been wrong about so many things about weight loss. Reprogramming my brain around these ideas is hard, but being overweight is harder!!!!
    Give it a go.... Really, what have you got to lose?
  • shadowkitty22
    shadowkitty22 Posts: 495 Member
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    I have also never understood the mindset of eating back what you've burned off (especially ALL of it!). I typically eat close to my calorie limit for the day and stay under, even before adding in my exercise calories. I rarely eat back any of my exercise calories (maybe half of them depending on how much I worked out and how hungry I am) and I've lost 13.6 pounds this month. So I guess what works for some doesn't work for others.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    Here is a very nice article about the starvation mode myth.
    http://www.weightwatchers.com.au/util/art/index_art.aspx?art_id=37261&tabnum=1&sc=801&subnav=Science+Library:+The+Physics+of+Weight+Loss

    I don't eat my exercise calories.

    You can get with not eating them back, because you have so much more weight to lose.

    But for someone with 10-15 pounds to lose, should really be eating close to their maintenance calories.
  • emmieloopy
    emmieloopy Posts: 13
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    Last week I lost 4 1/2 lbs and then on Saturday I had a cheat meal, which was just homemade burger with oven chips and a small chocolate bar for desert and the next morning when I weighed in I had gained 3 1/2 lbs back!! I just don't get it. I then read after cheat days the weight gain is not real weight and is just water weight and if you start back straight away you will lose it but I did start back on Sunday, exercising and strict diet again and when I weighed in this morning the 3 1/2 lbs were still there!! what the hell!!! It's so frustrating and at times soul destroying.

    ^^^^ this exact same thing happened to me!!! On thursday the scale showed I had lost 3 1/2 lbs, had a cheat meal on friday night, worked out over the weekend (gym and cycling) and yesterday the scale was up 4lbs! I was so disheartened by it i ate a Crunchie chocolate bar, which was stupid!!
  • TwtyMami35
    TwtyMami35 Posts: 99
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    I am in the same quandary! I exercise 7-8 times a week. It's like an addiction. I burn anywhere between 350-1000 calories a day. I am not about to work that hard and then eat it right back. No thank you! I lost 12 lbs so far and may eat close to my calories once a week. I have seen many posts that say you should and many that say you shouldn't. Patience, exercise, and healthy eating are my own directions to follow. Keep doing you and eventually your body will adjust.
  • sandown12
    sandown12 Posts: 648 Member
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    If you have less than 14lbs to lose it may not show on the scales thats why measuring is a must especially if you exercise alot the scales wont show a loss as your turning thefat into muscle,its different if youve lots to lose but if not concentrate on the tape measure :)
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
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    It's simple. If you eat less than 1200 a day, your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down

    If you set your goals to eat 1200 a day, and then you go and do exercises and burn away 300 of those, and you have not eaten more than those 1200, then you have only really eaten 900. You know?

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