Help, I'm kinda confused!

mehaffeymk
mehaffeymk Posts: 154 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm fairly new to MFP and I'm kinda confused about how many calories I should be eating. In the first two weeks on here I set my activity level to "sedentary" because if I'm not working out, then I'm sitting at home studying. MFP said my calorie intake should be 1350 and sometimes I ate back my workout calories and sometimes I didn't. I was happy at that level but my trainer said to up my calorie intake. So I set my activity level on here to "active" at his recommendation. Now it says I should eat 1670 calories a day and now I'm not eating back my workout calories. In the first two weeks at the lower calorie intake, I lost four pounds. In the second two weeks at the higher calorie level, I've only lost two pounds. I really wanna go back to the lower calorie level to lose weight faster but I don't really know if I should? Do I need to be eating back workout calories? I don't really know what my average activity level is for the whole day. I workout 1-2 hours a day six days a week. I don't know what my BMR is either. I'm just so confused, I don't even know what I'm asking! lol!

Replies

  • Angie_1MR
    Angie_1MR Posts: 247
    Give your trainer a couple of weeks and see how that works out. If you are unhappy after that, then make adjustments.
  • MandyMarie01
    MandyMarie01 Posts: 448 Member
    when i eat back all my workout calories i gain weight or i plateau so I'm not eating them back. I'm sticking to around 1500-1800 calories a day though :) I workout at the gym and I do Insanity. I try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week
  • Pheonix2012
    Pheonix2012 Posts: 61 Member
    Basically what you should be looking for is to have your NET calories be at the number they are telling you to eat. MFP pal puts me at only 1200 calories a day. So say I eat 1200 calories, but I workout to burn 500 calories, that mean my body is only getting 700 calories of fuel a day., I would be starving my body at that point. If I am working out to burn 500 calories, I need to eat 1700 calories so that my NET calorie intake is 1200 calories.
    If you look at how MFP is set up, it will tell you how many calories you have remaining for the day. Whatever calories you burn during the day, they add that to your calorie intake for the day. So originally they were asking you to eat around 1350 calories a day? That is if you are not working out at all. Say you went on a walk and burned 200 calories, MFP will automatically adjusts your calorie intake for the day to 1550 calories, so that your NET calories are at your calorie goal of 1350. Hope that helps. I tried to explain it quickly, let me know if you have any questions!
  • Carajean9
    Carajean9 Posts: 4
    I do not usually eat my workout calories back and I have tremendous luck with that in the past. When I did P90X before (which is what I am starting back up now) I ate about 1500 calories and ignored my burned calories and I got fit in about 40 days and lost about 10 lbs.
  • sonjalucia
    sonjalucia Posts: 120 Member
    Basically what you should be looking for is to have your NET calories be at the number they are telling you to eat. MFP pal puts me at only 1200 calories a day. So say I eat 1200 calories, but I workout to burn 500 calories, that mean my body is only getting 700 calories of fuel a day., I would be starving my body at that point. If I am working out to burn 500 calories, I need to eat 1700 calories so that my NET calorie intake is 1200 calories.
    If you look at how MFP is set up, it will tell you how many calories you have remaining for the day. Whatever calories you burn during the day, they add that to your calorie intake for the day. So originally they were asking you to eat around 1350 calories a day? That is if you are not working out at all. Say you went on a walk and burned 200 calories, MFP will automatically adjusts your calorie intake for the day to 1550 calories, so that your NET calories are at your calorie goal of 1350. Hope that helps. I tried to explain it quickly, let me know if you have any questions!

    Well Put!
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
    I eat some of my exercise calories back.... I do try to get to a net of 1200 everyday. I eat more back when I feel like I need them.

    I can understand wanting to lose faster. I would trust your trainer. If in a couple of weeks it's not what you expect, talk to them. Maybe they don't understand how inactive you are when not training or understand MFP's definition of active.

    Don't deprive yourself and don't starve yourself. You will need the energy for those workouts.
  • sonjalucia
    sonjalucia Posts: 120 Member
    IMHO, losing fast does not equal keeping it off. Don't deprive yourself too much.

    If I restrict too much, and then cave for a small treat, I usually do not know how to stop - it can be quite confusing for my body and then I end up being sick afterward :S
  • mehaffeymk
    mehaffeymk Posts: 154 Member
    thanks yall, this was helpful! i'm probably mostly just impatient. i don't wanna be fat anymore but that doesn't mean i can automatically be skinny RIGHT NOW, but that's what i want. lol.

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