Questions and concerns

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BloodGeist
BloodGeist Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

I am new to MFP and so far it seems really great. Ive done a ton of research (including reading the newbie threads) read books and so forth but still have some questions. Ultimately I know everyones body is different and will adapt/react differently and sometimes its a matter of trial and error.

A quick summary of my workout. I began 3 weeks ago. Mon, Wed and Fri I do strength training for an hour and about 30 minutes of cardio. Tues, thursdays and saturdays only cardio for 1.5 H hours. I have the wonderful MFP app (love the bar code scanner feature) and record absolutely everything.

The first one which seems to be a common question is all about the consuming of your excersize calories. I did read through the newbie forums and others but a lot of it I felt was contradicting. My daily calorie goal is 1500 calories. Lets say I do cardio and burn approx. 700 calories. It then boosts my base to 2200 calories. So at the end of the day should I make sure to consume my base 1500 and the 700? Or just stick to my 1500 goal? From what I read some say to do so and others say not to eat all the excersize calroies but a good amount of them so my body doesnt think im starving.

Since i began 3 weeks ago, I have been eating most of my work out calories, never going into the red. On average I seem to be losing so far 1.5 pounds a week. My base is 1500 calories and on average with my workout calories added in, its about 2000 to 2200 I am consuming in food. I know to lose 1-2.5 pounds per week is ideal and healthy but it feels like im really working out hard and my weight to lose should be closer to 2-2.5 pounds lose per week.

For my second question is the times when you do eat. I know its usually recommended to do 6 meals a day so you are not starving and have the urge to binge but from an effeicent stand point and weight lose does it matter as long as you consume the food before the end of the day? For example, you have a 1500 calorie limit. You eat 200 for breakfast, 300 for lunch and 1000 for dinner and thats it. Is it bad to overload dinner like that even though you are under your limit or does it not matter as long as you are meeting that goal?

I was at 280 when I began, dropped to 278 second week, third week 276.4 and I weighed myself yesterday and now depressingly it says i weigh 279 again.....

I appreciate any help or advice :)

Replies

  • BloodGeist
    BloodGeist Posts: 10
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    I think I found my answers since no one is replying.
  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
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    I think people are sometimes exhausted with giving advice because someone always comes along and tells them they are wrong. It gets a bit touchy with some subjects and what other people believe is true for them. You will know what I mean when you start reading the posts...
  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
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    When you begin to make some "friends" then ask people how they are achhieving their results and you will learn plenty from what others are doing andy by reading food and excersize diaries.

    My advise is to say within your calorie goals and you should be successful.
    Not too less and not too much : )

    Good Luck.
  • Cmandy67
    Cmandy67 Posts: 108 Member
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    Oh and too much sodium can affect your water weight and thow off your scale once and a while.
  • loneworg
    loneworg Posts: 342 Member
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    As far as exercise cals go that is up to you, for me it helps to eat them back but if I don't I still try to reach my min. Experpant for a couple weeks and see if it works for ya and if not cut the exercise cals in half and try that. For meal timing it just a myth. Eat when you want to, your body can't tell time. Hope I helped some.
  • questiontheanswers
    questiontheanswers Posts: 170 Member
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    First of all, welcome! You've noticed that a lot of the information you see on the forums is contradictory. You will continue to see this. :laugh:

    I am in no way an expert on nutrition and fitness, so all I can share is what I have found and what works for me personally. I eat back my exercise calories, or most of them. Some days I do better than others, but I always try to get as close as I can. I don't want too large of a deficit, because my body needs the fuel for all the extra *kitten*-kicking I am making it do. Ha.

    I tend to graze throughout the day on smaller meals, but on days where I'm busy all I get in is a couple small meals throughout the day and then a larger dinner. In terms of weight loss, it doesn't matter when you eat or how much you're taking in at each meal - all that matters is that you are eating at a deficit.

    My final advice would be not to put too much stock into the scale. I know it's hard, because seeing those numbers go down is so exciting, and seeing them stay in place or jump back up can discourage you. Don't let it. Your weight fluctuates quite a bit from day to day and is one of the worst indicators of your success, at least in a small term window. Take your measurements. You will see a difference in inches before you see a ton of movement on the scale. You will begin to see differences in how your clothes fit and a huge jump in your energy level. Do not let the number on the scale discourage you - it does not define your progress.

    Good luck and if you need support, feel free to add me.
  • BloodGeist
    BloodGeist Posts: 10
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    Didnt expect all the replys that fast hehe but thank you :)

    I can understand that Cmandy, I can believe it happening a lot. That is one of my vices at the moment is sodium intake. Its always on the high end right now.

    Starting monday im going to try and eat half my exc calories back to see what happens primmy. It does make me feel better about the meal timming since i like to eat more at dinner (not indulging of course or going over calories).

    Thank you for the welcome questionthean :) I know its incredibly difficult not to trust the scale and even how hard it is to see the numbers go back up.....i know its more of a mind game but its still nice to see those numbers drop. I definately have a boost in energy level and im feeling better everyday with every workout. My clothes are getting slightly baggy but not enough yet to notice a real difference. Then again ive been at it for only 3 weeks.

    This will be my third time doing this. about 5-6 years ago i was 180 and stopped. I balloned up to 260 in about 3 months. Went down to 200lbs and then sky rocketed back up to 280lbs...i just want to make sure im doing everything possible that is positive and right.

    Thank you everyone for the help :)
  • Daxxes
    Daxxes Posts: 308 Member
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    Also, be sure to try to weigh yourself around the same time every day, wearing similar (or no) clothes. Typically, most people weigh less in the mornings and can have a gain of several pounds later in the day.

    Good luck!!
  • sweettthings
    sweettthings Posts: 157 Member
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    I've got two pieces of advice for you. First would be to listen to your body, and if you are losing while eating back some/most of your exercise calories, stick with it. If that stops at some point, re-examine the issue.

    Second, take measurements. Sometimes the scale doesn't tell the whole story. You could be losing inches, but not pounds. I'd rather lose inches, myself.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Welcome!! Great job in searching first. It is appreciated. To answer your questions, you are working out fairly heavily. That being the case, I would eat all the exercise calories. There are a couple of different reasons for this. The first is that your workouts are key and will make a huge difference physically, hormonally and from a fat burning point of view to say nothing of all the other health benefits. You need to give your body the fuel for them and for the recovery in between. Eat 'em back. If you were less active it might not be as critical. Also, for your size, you already have a fairly agressive deficit. You are getting great results with loss. Stay with the program and eat 'em back.

    Secondly, nutritional timing has no physiological benefit within a 24 hour period. Eating more often or less often only matters in so much as it helps you to help you stay on your eating program. Some people do better when then eat more often as then don't get ravanous and binge. For others, me for example, the more I eat the more I want to eat. So a couple of meals with a light snack or 2 keeps me on program. This is totally a matter of personal preference.

    Keep up the good work!!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Welcome!! Great job in searching first. It is appreciated. To answer your questions, you are working out fairly heavily. That being the case, I would eat all the exercise calories. There are a couple of different reasons for this. The first is that your workouts are key and will make a huge difference physically, hormonally and from a fat burning point of view to say nothing of all the other health benefits. You need to give your body the fuel for them and for the recovery in between. Eat 'em back. If you were less active it might not be as critical. Also, for your size, you already have a fairly agressive deficit. You are getting great results with loss. Stay with the program and eat 'em back.

    Secondly, nutritional timing has no physiological benefit within a 24 hour period. Eating more often or less often only matters in so much as it helps you to help you stay on your eating program. Some people do better when then eat more often as then don't get ravanous and binge. For others, me for example, the more I eat the more I want to eat. So a couple of meals with a light snack or 2 keeps me on program. This is totally a matter of personal preference.

    Keep up the good work!!

    This is good advice^^. You may want to leave a little buffer of 100 calories or so re eating exercise calorie back to take into account any overestimation of those calories, but other than that - eat them back so you can fuel the workouts. You seem to have a pretty good blend of exercising so you are on a good track.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Great job! You've started.
    As you noted, people's bodies react differently. Some people start off fast and slow down, other start slower...
    Since you're exercising quite a bit, if you don't eat most of your exercise calories, you run the risk of slowing down your metabolism (what some call "starvation mode"). Some people say MFP over estimates the amount of calories burned by exercise, but it seems to be reasonably accurate for me. Sounds like you're doing the right thing.
    Keep in mind that your weight will fluctuate -- hormones, weather, salt intake. Over time the average should work out, but if it doesn't check with a doctor for any medical condition that could cause problems and re-check things like how you're measuring your food and exercise. I'm a big believer in tracking fiber and eating more than MFP recommends as well as lots of water, but I don't have any good research to back that up... it just seems to work for me.
    Good luck!
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    For a bit more about fluctuations, see the thread http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/676986-am-i-losing-weight-too-fast
  • Healthy_Melva
    Healthy_Melva Posts: 91 Member
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    Welcome!! Great job in searching first. It is appreciated. To answer your questions, you are working out fairly heavily. That being the case, I would eat all the exercise calories. There are a couple of different reasons for this. The first is that your workouts are key and will make a huge difference physically, hormonally and from a fat burning point of view to say nothing of all the other health benefits. You need to give your body the fuel for them and for the recovery in between. Eat 'em back. If you were less active it might not be as critical. Also, for your size, you already have a fairly agressive deficit. You are getting great results with loss. Stay with the program and eat 'em back.

    Secondly, nutritional timing has no physiological benefit within a 24 hour period. Eating more often or less often only matters in so much as it helps you to help you stay on your eating program. Some people do better when then eat more often as then don't get ravanous and binge. For others, me for example, the more I eat the more I want to eat. So a couple of meals with a light snack or 2 keeps me on program. This is totally a matter of personal preference.

    Keep up the good work!!

    I'm adding my welcome also and confirming that the quote here is a great starting place.

    For me, I have found that logging every day is the best thing I can do to stay on track. Also the log is like a diary wherein I can look back every month to see what worked and what didn't. For me, eating back 1/2 my exercise calories has resulted in my feeling physically well and has resulted losing an average of 1# a week, which is my goal. I won't stay with a program that doesn't allow me to eat a healthy amount of food (for me). The calorie deficit set by MFP is too low unless I "earn" some calories through exercise.

    The only other thing that I think is key to staying motivated, and not getting down on yourself is to forget about weighing every day. Most of the times, you will see some fluctuations from sodium or other things that cause water retention. You really can't gain a pound of fat in one day! I have found that weighing once a week, at the same time and in the same clothes gives me a better idea of what is really going on as far as weight loss goes. I look at how my clothes fit to see the results.

    As your body changes, you might have to mix things up a bit to "confuse" your body to keep it off plateaus.

    Hope this helps.
    Melva

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