So I've just been told I'm eating too much..

I'm 5'1" 122-123 lbs. I eat around 1800-2000 cals a day and burn around 1300 and sometimes more..
I've been told I should only eat as much as I burn, so If I burn 1300 I should only eat 1300 total..is this true?
Because now I just feel horrible and feel all the work I've been putting in is garbage...
:(
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Replies

  • Renae_Nae
    Renae_Nae Posts: 935 Member
    NO! You're on the right track!
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
    It's just a matter of results . . .are you losing or gaining over the period of a month doing that? If you're losing, enjoy a cookie for me !!!!!

    Ruth
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    Whoever told you that is a total idiot.
    No, you should not only eat what you burn, if you mean burn in exercise.
    You should eat at least your bmr, which is what you burn just by being totally sedentary/in a coma, preferably more.
    You should try not to eat below 1200 a day, and eat back calories you burn off through exercise, or at least some of them, as your body cannot run very efficiently on really low amounts unless you are extremely overweight to begin with, which you are not.

    Also if you are eating 1800-2000 and burning 1300 in exercise, you are only netting 500-700 ?
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Are you trying to gain or lose or maintain? If you truly burn 1300 and eat 1800, you will gain. You understand that, right? The odds you burn 1300 are slim, though.
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
    Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure here: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

    This will tell you how many calories you should be eating to maintain.
  • debbiestine
    debbiestine Posts: 265 Member
    It depends on what you are eating. Are you eating clean foods? I only burn about 250cal an hour in kickboxing/weights/step etc. how are you burning 1300+? Short/light people don't burn as many calories as tall/heavier people. Are you in training for something? I'm 5 2 110lbs- do you want me to look at your diary? I'd be happy to...
  • knowak82
    knowak82 Posts: 200 Member
    Soooooo not true! If anything,you're still not eating ENOUGH with those crazy burns you have!!! Check out the Eat more to weigh less group here on MFP...you should at least be netting your BMR, which is basically the minimum your body needs to function organs, etc...
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    Who said that?? =/ I think you are doing it right!
  • It says my Total Energy Expenditure is 2,628..what does this mean?
  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
    And if you only burn 200 should you only be eating 200? No!!!
    Eat at least 1200 calories a day, that's the generally recomended minimum. Sounds like you have been doing great, could probably eat a little more with how much you're burning at the gym.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I'm 5'1" 122-123 lbs. I eat around 1800-2000 cals a day and burn around 1300 and sometimes more..
    I've been told I should only eat as much as I burn, so If I burn 1300 I should only eat 1300 total..is this true?
    Because now I just feel horrible and feel all the work I've been putting in is garbage...
    :(

    Who told you that?

    If it's some random person, screw them. It's horrible advice. Your body will start burning both fat and muscle to feed itself, and you'll get in trouble right quick. That's like anorexia on steroids. It's basically the equivalent of fasting if you weren't exercising, and you can't keep it up for long.

    If it's your doctor, get a second opinion or ask them seriously about it.

    Do you have some specific medical condition (other than being overweight) that your doctor is concerned about, a concern that would outweigh the damage you are about to do to your body and in particular your lean muscle mass?

    Are you VERY overweight and need to lose weight fast to support a surgery or other procedure that will correct something severe?

    And if either of the above is true, has your doctor given you a specific diet plan to follow or told you to focus on specific mactonutrients such as protein or complex carbohydrates, or has he/she just said (in effect) "eat nothing".
  • & I take a brisk walk for at least 3 hours a day, then run/jog on the treadmill for at least 2 hours....and sometimes ride my bike.
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
    It says my Total Energy Expenditure is 2,628..what does this mean?

    That means that given your stats and activity level, that's how many calories it takes for you to maintain your current weight.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    It says my Total Energy Expenditure is 2,628..what does this mean?

    It means if that estimate is roughly accurate, you need to eat that amount to maintain your current weight. Eat 500-1000 below it to lose 1-2 lbs/week.

    5+ hours a day of cardio isn't always the best idea.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    I would say the amount of exercise you are doing sounds all consuming and excessive.
    I cannot imagine anyone sustaining that amount of exercise for life, and in the end that will only lead to issues with keeping weight off.
    It is much healthier to stick to around an hour of cardio per day, and to do the rest through eating a healthy diet.
    You will totally exhaust yourself doing that much.
  • A friend who has lost some weight told me this...
    But he is not in the best of shape either..so..
    I don't know..
    My doctor tells me I'm in a healthy weight range. I never told him I wanted to lose weight...
    My main goal is to lose 8-10 pounds by the end of august..and I know doing it this way probably won't work, right? ..
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    & I take a brisk walk for at least 3 hours a day, then run/jog on the treadmill for at least 2 hours....and sometimes ride my bike.

    I just looked at your profile - you are trying to lose 11 pounds. This ain't the way to do it.

    Do yourself a big favor (as my previous post stated, unless you are doing this on the advice of a doctor, and if you are I'd have a long talk with Doc about it and why they want you to do this to yourself with 11 pounds to lose!)...

    Go back through the setup process, and choose your honest lifestyle not including exercise. Select "1/2 pound a week" or if you're in a huge hurry "1 pound a week" (but 1 lb/wk is going to be hard to sustain with 11 to go, trust me). Log all your exercise and eat at least most of those calories back.

    Eating "net zero" calories (burning every calorie you eat in exercise each day) is WEAPONS-GRADE FOOLISH (in the absence of a specific medical condition or some other issue that a trained and competent medical professional is coaching you through).
  • cinasana
    cinasana Posts: 40
    I'm so confused. Did someone actually tell you that if you eat 1800, and BURN 1300, you will GAIN weight?

    If you eat 1800 calories, and then go burn 1300 of those.... that brings you to a net calorie intake of 500 calories. How on earth will you gain weight?

    I don't understand any logic here...
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    Whoever told you that is a total idiot.
    No, you should not only eat what you burn, if you mean burn in exercise.
    You should eat at least your bmr, which is what you burn just by being totally sedentary/in a coma, preferably more.
    You should try not to eat below 1200 a day, and eat back calories you burn off through exercise, or at least some of them, as your body cannot run very efficiently on really low amounts unless you are extremely overweight to begin with, which you are not.

    Also if you are eating 1800-2000 and burning 1300 in exercise, you are only netting 500-700 ?
    ^^ What she said!!
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    There is absolutely no need to do that much cardio on a daily basis to lose a little weight. You are setting yourself up for a huge failure.

    Also eating 1800 cals will not make you gain weight if you are burning that much but you probably won't see the results you want either.
  • runcrissierun
    runcrissierun Posts: 37 Member
    & I take a brisk walk for at least 3 hours a day, then run/jog on the treadmill for at least 2 hours....and sometimes ride my bike.

    Be careful you are not becoming exercise-obsessed. Over doing it working out is just as unhealthy for your body as over eating. 5+ hrs per day of working out when you're not a professional athlete can be very damaging to your body.
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure here: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

    This will tell you how many calories you should be eating to maintain.
    oooh great calculator. Thanks for posting!

    Edit:Wait it just said I burn 3500 on lifting days. Don't think that's quite accurate. If that were true I'd be down a whole lot of weight. Be careful how you enter your information.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    It's totally possible to burn 1300... I just burned 1500 on Monday running for 2 hours and 15 minutes. I eat all my exercise calories and lose.
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
    Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure here: http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

    This will tell you how many calories you should be eating to maintain.
    oooh great calculator. Thanks for posting!

    Edit:Wait it just said I burn 3500 on lifting days. Don't think that's quite accurate. If that were true I'd be down a whole lot of weight. Be careful how you enter your information.

    Really? Did you click the button for "female"? And how did you categorize your lifting? I put it in as "moderate" and figure I average 30 min/day (with cardio on most other days).
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    Sounds right to me. I am 5' and eat the same as you, close in weight too.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Who told you this exactly?
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I'm 5'1" 122-123 lbs. I eat around 1800-2000 cals a day and burn around 1300 and sometimes more..
    I've been told I should only eat as much as I burn, so If I burn 1300 I should only eat 1300 total..is this true?
    Because now I just feel horrible and feel all the work I've been putting in is garbage...
    :(

    First of all, NO. You are NOT eating too much. Today, I have eaten over 2000 calories and burned off only 760. I'm a little bigger than you...about an inch taller and 30 pounds more. :-/

    You burn off more than just what you EXERCISE off! You are still on a big deficit!

    Second, how are you burning that much as little as you are? O.o

    Third, we're neighbors! :) I'm in Port Richey.
  • Aahahahaha, if i only ate what i burned i'd be eating 330-ish calories a day most days. Please!
    You're on the right track.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    First things first - get rid of the amount of exercise you are doing!
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    Are you trying to gain or lose or maintain? If you truly burn 1300 and eat 1800, you will gain. You understand that, right? The odds you burn 1300 are slim, though.

    O.o


    Seriously? You have to consider the BMR into what she's burning too. That means that she's burning much more than just that 1300 in exercise. So much, that she's still probably at a huge deficit!