Am I eating enough calories?

jmatney79
jmatney79 Posts: 80
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I'd like personal opinions. I am 5'2" and I weigh 234. Since I started MFP in January, I have lost 20 pounds but I think I should be losing a little faster.
I know "slow and steady" and all that, but listen to my average day...

I get up at 7:00 and get up again to take my son to school. From there I go to the gym (YMCA) and swim for an hour. I do the breast stroke and MFP says that is 1000ish calories burnt.

Then I come home and have 30 grams of protein for breakfast that is about 300 calories, for lunch I have about 400, and dinner 400, with a small snack in between. All together about 1200-1300 calories.

From 7:00-8:00 I spend 20 minutes on the elliptical and do low impact aerobics and 40 minutes doing aerobics. If I happen to do an hour of aerobics, I skip the elliptical. This ends up being 800-1000 calories burnt.

I drink around 120 ounces of water.

SO...since I burn almost 2000 calories a day, should I be eating more calories?

The doctor says that 1200 calories is okay, no matter how much I work out, but I am only losing .5-1 pound a week.

Replies

  • aggie613
    aggie613 Posts: 21
    Your metabolism could be slowing down to account for the severe calorie restriction. You should have your RMR tested. If you are burning higher than average, AND burning that many calories with exercise, 1200-1300 is definitely not enough! Back when I was exercising regularly, I had mine tested and my nutritionist bumped me up to 1500 cals/day eating because I burned higher than average (which is probably NOT the case now)!
    In my opinion, you should add another serving of whole grains and see if you start to lose a little faster, although I will say the nutritionist (who supervises the US Olympic diving team), is a huge proponent of 1 lb a week...frustrating as that may be :)
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I personally don't eat my exercise calories back and some days I actually have a hard time hitting the 1,200 calorie mark because I'm pretty satisfied and full with the food that I've eaten. Some days I'm over a bit because I was hungrier.

    You are going to get a lot of conflicting advice regarding this. A lot of people will say you need to eat most, if not all, of your exercise calories back. Some people will say you don't have to eat them back. Also some people might tell you to get a HRM to track the calories burned for a "more accurate" reading.

    Were you eating/exercising the same way when you lost your initial 20 lbs?
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    Eat when you are hungry. I couldn't personally not eat back some of my exercise calories but if you aren't hungry don't eat.
  • jmatney79
    jmatney79 Posts: 80
    I personally don't eat my exercise calories back and some days I actually have a hard time hitting the 1,200 calorie mark because I'm pretty satisfied and full with the food that I've eaten. Some days I'm over a bit because I was hungrier.

    You are going to get a lot of conflicting advice regarding this. A lot of people will say you need to eat most, if not all, of your exercise calories back. Some people will say you don't have to eat them back. Also some people might tell you to get a HRM to track the calories burned for a "more accurate" reading.

    Were you eating/exercising the same way when you lost your initial 20 lbs?

    I was only swimming, and maybe aerobics once or twice a week. Since I have been exercising more, the weight loss has slowed. That's why I think I might need to add a couple hundred healthy calories to my day
  • jmatney79
    jmatney79 Posts: 80
    Your metabolism could be slowing down to account for the severe calorie restriction. You should have your RMR tested. If you are burning higher than average, AND burning that many calories with exercise, 1200-1300 is definitely not enough! Back when I was exercising regularly, I had mine tested and my nutritionist bumped me up to 1500 cals/day eating because I burned higher than average (which is probably NOT the case now)!
    In my opinion, you should add another serving of whole grains and see if you start to lose a little faster, although I will say the nutritionist (who supervises the US Olympic diving team), is a huge proponent of 1 lb a week...frustrating as that may be :)

    That's what I am thinking...maybe I'll wrap my eggs and turkey bacon in a whole grain wrap. That's good for another 100 calories. And I'll eat an extra apple in the afternoon, or a light cheese stick, or both!
  • steph1278
    steph1278 Posts: 483 Member
    Are you using an hrm to get your calorie burn or just using mfp estimates? I have found that mfp estimates are on the high side so you might not be burning as much as you think. Just something to consider, but if those totals are correct then I would say you are definitely eating too little.
  • rugbygirlca
    rugbygirlca Posts: 85
    I agree with the previous poster (Steph1278). You might want to look at the number of calories burned first and then review the calories in.

    I would consider myself to be in good shape. My work-outs are quite varied, but in my crazy HIIT training sessions, I burn about 400 cal/hour and when running (about 6-7mil/hour), I burn about 500 cal in an hour. 1000 cal for an hour of breast-stroke seems high.

    Once that's sorted out, I would recommend making sure that you're eating at least 1200 net calories (after factoring in all exercise calories). I, personally, found that 1400 or so net calories works better for me, but that's just personal experience.

    My thoughts...certainly not facts.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I personally don't eat my exercise calories back and some days I actually have a hard time hitting the 1,200 calorie mark because I'm pretty satisfied and full with the food that I've eaten. Some days I'm over a bit because I was hungrier.

    You are going to get a lot of conflicting advice regarding this. A lot of people will say you need to eat most, if not all, of your exercise calories back. Some people will say you don't have to eat them back. Also some people might tell you to get a HRM to track the calories burned for a "more accurate" reading.

    Were you eating/exercising the same way when you lost your initial 20 lbs?

    I was only swimming, and maybe aerobics once or twice a week. Since I have been exercising more, the weight loss has slowed. That's why I think I might need to add a couple hundred healthy calories to my day

    Try it for a while and see what happens. It might take a few weeks for you to notice any results.

    I've actually been toying with the idea of playing with my cals as well. My issue is I don't like to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry because then I get too full.
  • BIGJIMMYU
    BIGJIMMYU Posts: 1,221 Member
    u ARE eating back as many EXERCISE calories as you can r u not? If not, start to! MFP already factors in 500 per day calories for loss when you set up. Eat your 1200 PLUS as many of your exercise calories as you can. If you exercise a lot u should have enough to eat.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I'd like personal opinions. I am 5'2" and I weigh 234. Since I started MFP in January, I have lost 20 pounds but I think I should be losing a little faster.
    I know "slow and steady" and all that, but listen to my average day...

    I get up at 7:00 and get up again to take my son to school. From there I go to the gym (YMCA) and swim for an hour. I do the breast stroke and MFP says that is 1000ish calories burnt.

    Then I come home and have 30 grams of protein for breakfast that is about 300 calories, for lunch I have about 400, and dinner 400, with a small snack in between. All together about 1200-1300 calories.

    From 7:00-8:00 I spend 20 minutes on the elliptical and do low impact aerobics and 40 minutes doing aerobics. If I happen to do an hour of aerobics, I skip the elliptical. This ends up being 800-1000 calories burnt.

    I drink around 120 ounces of water.

    SO...since I burn almost 2000 calories a day, should I be eating more calories?

    The doctor says that 1200 calories is okay, no matter how much I work out, but I am only losing .5-1 pound a week.

    Careful with that exercise calorie burn, one hour of continuous breaststroke is approx 600, be careful you don't overestimate, especially if you do decide to eat back your exercise calories. x
This discussion has been closed.

Categories