Setting calories low and earning them back?

jlaurena
jlaurena Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
***DISCLAIMER: My calories are set low so i have to EARN what I eat!!***

My goal is to EAT 1400 a day. I need to get this out of the way before I get handed a new one by people thinking I'm trying to starve myself, which I am not! I have just been unable to lose weight, so I am trying everything!

I have set my calories to 910 based on what MFP says to lose 2 lbs a week. My plan is to keep a -1000 calorie deficit. I plan to eat back everything I burn exercising.

Calories Burned
From Normal Daily Activity 1910 calories/day
Net Calories Consumed*
Your Daily Goal 910 calories/day
Daily Calorie Deficit 1000 calories
Projected Weight Loss 2.0 lbs/week


ANY THOUGHTS ON IF THIS WILL WORK? If I burn 2500 a day and eat 1500, this will be OK, right? I am starting to gain weight with diet and exercise and am getting pretty frustrated. I have an open diary so please check it out and would love advice.

The "eat more to lose weight" philosophy has made me gain 2 lbs this week so I won't be trying that.

Thanks!!! :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    How are you planning to burn these 2500 calories a day? 2500 calories is a lot! Not to mention that you need to let your body rest sometimes.

    Seems to me that you ought to just set your daily goal to net 1400 a day, and then eat back whatever the exercise calories are.
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    How are you planning to burn these 2500 calories a day? 2500 calories is a lot! Not to mention that you need to let your body rest sometimes.

    Seems to me that you ought to just set your daily goal to net 1400 a day, and then eat back whatever the exercise calories are.

    I have a Fitbit that tells me I burn my TDEE plus exercise and my goal is 2500 which I make everyday if not more, thus allowing my calories consumed to be 1500 at the most. If I do NOTHING the Fitbit only allows me about 910 to stay at -1000 deficit
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Ah, oops, misread. What you are saying is theoretically correct. Whether your body will be happy with you at a 1,000 calorie deficit every day is another story. I find that not eating back exercise calories just makes me really hungry.
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    Ah, oops, misread. What you are saying is theoretically correct. Whether your body will be happy with you at a 1,000 calorie deficit every day is another story. I find that not eating back exercise calories just makes me really hungry.

    For sure. I will def eat them back, I just notice I've been going over (yesterday for example). I take LOTS of vitamins and minerals so I know I'm getting adequate nutrition. With a high calorie goal I feel like I've been overeating, so I'm hoping if I have to earn what I eat, I will feel better after!

    Thanks for understanding and not yelling lol, like what usually happens at these message boards! :drinker:

    I think I may try this for a while and see what happens. I started MFP on June 10th at 180, lost 4 lbs and then have gained 2 back, so a change needs to happen for me...,.
  • chay69424
    chay69424 Posts: 33
    if your caloric iintake is 1400 a day, you can burn upto 1200-2000 a day, and you'll continue to lose weight. Just make sure that the cardiovascular exercise you're doing gives you a heart rate between 154-164 to burn the fats. You can burn the 1200 calories easy, but what matters is if you're doing it right.

    mine is set at 1240 (to lose 2 lbs a week) and i'm burning between 1000-1200 a day, by doing an hour of spinning, stairmaster, running and elliptical, and I eat every 2-3 hours (because i'm hungry all the time). what cardio exercise are you doing? and at what HR are you in when doing it?
  • chay69424
    chay69424 Posts: 33
    mine is set at 1240 (to lose 2 lbs a week) and i'm burning between 1000-1200 a day, by doing an hour of spinning, stairmaster, running and elliptical, and I eat every 2-3 hours (because i'm hungry all the time). what cardio exercise are you doing? and at what HR are you in when doing it?

    I meant. I do 1 hour of spinning and an additional 30 minutes of either stairmaster or elliptical and/or running. :tongue:
  • iLose2Gain
    iLose2Gain Posts: 138 Member
    The "eat more to lose weight" philosophy made you gain 2 lbs because you've been on a low calorie for so long that your body has to balance out the new diet. I've seen people gain 10lbs on this diet but look much better. The philosophy isn't just about eat more but also had more strength training & decreasing cardio. You have to do both to see the results. It's not all about the scale but how you look & feel.
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    mine is set at 1240 (to lose 2 lbs a week) and i'm burning between 1000-1200 a day, by doing an hour of spinning, stairmaster, running and elliptical, and I eat every 2-3 hours (because i'm hungry all the time). what cardio exercise are you doing? and at what HR are you in when doing it?

    I meant. I do 1 hour of spinning and an additional 30 minutes of either stairmaster or elliptical and/or running. :tongue:


    Here is my current Exercise Routine: (Keep in mind that it is impossible for me to attend every single one of these classes)

    Monday
    Spin - 60 mins @ 5:30
    BodyPump - 60 mins @ 6:30

    Tuesday
    Body Pump - 60 mins @ 5:30
    Cardio - 60 mins @ 6:30

    Wednesday
    Weights - 60 mins @ 5:30
    Spin - 60 mins @ 6:30

    Thursday
    BodyPump - 60 mins @ 5:30
    Power Yoga - 60 mins @ 6:30

    Friday
    Cardio - 60 mins @ 6:30
    Weights - 60 mins @ 7:30

    Saturday
    BodyPump - 60 mins @ 12:00
    Cardio - 60 mins @ 1:00

    Sunday OFF


    ALSO>>>>If I do one of these cardio classes and my Fitbit says less than 10,000 steps, I'll jump on the elliptical until I reach my goal. And after all this, I am freaking gaining weight!

    My Heartrate is always 140-160
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    The "eat more to lose weight" philosophy made you gain 2 lbs because you've been on a low calorie for so long that your body has to balance out the new diet. I've seen people gain 10lbs on this diet but look much better. The philosophy isn't just about eat more but also had more strength training & decreasing cardio. You have to do both to see the results. It's not all about the scale but how you look & feel.

    So I look and feel better, UNTIL I get on the scale and I get so discouraged. I do cardio 6x a week and weights 3x.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
    You're setting yourself up for failure, especially if you're exercising 2 hours a day. What you're doing is the same thing as only eating 910 calories a day, which is starving yourself.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    the 1000 calorie deficit is only recommended for obese people. if you're not obese, go with 500 and accept it'll take longer to see your results. your body will thank you in the long run.
  • chay69424
    chay69424 Posts: 33
    what supplements are you taking by any chance? and what's on your diet? and are you clothes fitting better? have you started to measure yourself and take before and after pictures? the 2 lbs can simply be water weight.
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    what supplements are you taking by any chance? and what's on your diet? and are you clothes fitting better? have you started to measure yourself and take before and after pictures? the 2 lbs can simply be water weight.

    Vitamins/Supplements
    Spring Valley - Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200 Mg (Enteric Coated), 2 Softgel
    Genetic Solutions - Raspberry Ketone 250mg, 1 Capsule
    Bayer - One A Day Women's Multivitamin Plus Healthy Skin Support, 1 Tablet
    Futurbiotics - White Kidney Bean Extract, 2 Pill
    1-2 Protein Shakes/day

    my clothes are fitting a lil better, I've measured myself when I started but haven't noticed much of a difference yet to do a check up.

    Diet is 10% carb, 40% protein 50% fat and I eat clean
  • Turtlehurdle
    Turtlehurdle Posts: 412
    1400 low?

    I have mine set at 1200
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    You're setting yourself up for failure, especially if you're exercising 2 hours a day. What you're doing is the same thing as only eating 910 calories a day, which is starving yourself.

    I eat back my calories so I will end up eating 1400-1500 a day.
  • Arexxx
    Arexxx Posts: 486 Member
    Off topic- Your ticker says you want to lose 40 pounds. Yet your pictures show that you're already quite slim.


    Don't waste away to a skeleton D:
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    Off topic- Your ticker says you want to lose 40 pounds. Yet your pictures show that you're already quite slim.


    Don't waste away to a skeleton D:

    Did you look at all my pics? My avatar is from 2 years ago, I wanna get back there plus be more fit. My BMI is 29%

    But, thanks anyway you're too sweet! lol
  • iLose2Gain
    iLose2Gain Posts: 138 Member
    The "eat more to lose weight" philosophy made you gain 2 lbs because you've been on a low calorie for so long that your body has to balance out the new diet. I've seen people gain 10lbs on this diet but look much better. The philosophy isn't just about eat more but also had more strength training & decreasing cardio. You have to do both to see the results. It's not all about the scale but how you look & feel.

    So I look and feel better, UNTIL I get on the scale and I get so discouraged. I do cardio 6x a week and weights 3x.

    Then don't get on the scale!! LOL But seriously, you are doing a lot of cardio & working out 2 hrs a day & still not losing weight! May what to try something else for longer than a week! Take a look @ this & let me know what you think! :)

    http://eatmore2weighless.com/upping-cals-what-to-expect/
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    The "eat more to lose weight" philosophy made you gain 2 lbs because you've been on a low calorie for so long that your body has to balance out the new diet. I've seen people gain 10lbs on this diet but look much better. The philosophy isn't just about eat more but also had more strength training & decreasing cardio. You have to do both to see the results. It's not all about the scale but how you look & feel.

    So I look and feel better, UNTIL I get on the scale and I get so discouraged. I do cardio 6x a week and weights 3x.

    Then don't get on the scale!! LOL But seriously, you are doing a lot of cardio & working out 2 hrs a day & still not losing weight! May what to try something else for longer than a week! Take a look @ this & let me know what you think! :)

    http://eatmore2weighless.com/upping-cals-what-to-expect/

    Seriously LOL what is wrong with me!??! I will eat more to lose weight, ONLY if I earn my calories! Thanks for the link~~I'll try it as long as I'm keeping the workouts up
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    I would suggest you lower the deficit to between 500 and 750. The closer you are to your goal weight, the less weight you should seek to lose per week. If you try to continue with extreme weight loss right down to the goal weight, you'll usually stall as the body sees this as more extreme weight loss than it did when it was larger.

    Kind of like if you have 1,000,000 dollars and someone takes 10 you kinda shrug it off, but when you have 11 and someone takes 10... well, you ain't happy.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Eat more to lose more doesn't work overnight. There is no quick way to do it, but people who have a lot more to lose do tend to be able to lose more. You don't have as much to lose. Also you need to do things in a way that will be sustainable long term.
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
    FYI
    vitamins & minerals in suppliments really just make for very expensive pee
    better to eat food with actual vitamins
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    FYI
    vitamins & minerals in suppliments really just make for very expensive pee
    better to eat food with actual vitamins

    I cook everything I eat myself. Nothing out of a box. I am good in the vitamin department
  • Lynnwannabethin
    Lynnwannabethin Posts: 7
    Another thing you might want to consider is your hormones. By exercising more and eating less you are actually creating change in a variety of hormones in your body. If your hormones are out of whack to begin with, that could be why you're not seeing results. I just started reading a book, "The Hormone Diet" and it talks about such a thing. This book talks about hormones for both men & women and how it effects a person's attempt at weight loss. I just got to the chapter where it gives you a plan to create balance so I don't have any suggestions to give though. I'm gonna have my Dr. run a hormone test at my next physical to see if I have anything off and then tweak my caloric intake/exercise accordingly. Just a thought anyway. I figure the more things I try to get my internal body in balance, it should start showing on my external body. Good luck!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Just noticed... 50% fat?! Really? HOLY COW...

    I do 50 carbohydrates, 30 protein, 20 fat. I could NEVER eat that much fat he he.

    If your fat is that high, and you're using so many vitamin supplements to get your nutrition, your problem may be in your diet.

    And unless you upped your calories to TDEE+1000, I don't think you gained 2 pounds of fat. Most likely by upping your calories, you upped the carbs overall (if you maintained the ratios). More carbs would mean more stored glucose which takes water... basically that weight was water weight.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I can't find your diary, but here are some thoughts. I just finished reading Why We Get Fat, which I found very helpful. The basic argument is that insulin regulates whether you are burning or building fat. Why? Because the job of insulin is to lower your high blood sugar by secreting it in cells as fat. When your blood sugar is high - like when you eat lots of carbs or - worst of all - liquid carbs like soda or beer - you get rid of that sugar in your blood by storing it as fat and you burn it and don't burn fat.

    Lower sugar/carbs>lower insulin>less fat storage, more fat burning

    In addition, HIGH insulin makes you really hungry because you can't burn the fat and you need sugar in your blood.

    This is NOT a low carb diet, but it does mean that you want around 40% carbs (not higher) and most of that in slowly digested carbs like whole white, brown rice, etc.

    For you - who I agree are setting your goals really steep and working really hard - it means you need to look hard at your diet.
  • chay69424
    chay69424 Posts: 33
    what supplements are you taking by any chance? and what's on your diet? and are you clothes fitting better? have you started to measure yourself and take before and after pictures? the 2 lbs can simply be water weight.

    Vitamins/Supplements
    Spring Valley - Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200 Mg (Enteric Coated), 2 Softgel
    Genetic Solutions - Raspberry Ketone 250mg, 1 Capsule
    Bayer - One A Day Women's Multivitamin Plus Healthy Skin Support, 1 Tablet
    Futurbiotics - White Kidney Bean Extract, 2 Pill
    1-2 Protein Shakes/day

    my clothes are fitting a lil better, I've measured myself when I started but haven't noticed much of a difference yet to do a check up.

    Diet is 10% carb, 40% protein 50% fat and I eat clean

    it has to be water weight then!! make sure you're really drinking at least 8 full glasses of water so your body won't retain water. good luck!
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    Another thing you might want to consider is your hormones. By exercising more and eating less you are actually creating change in a variety of hormones in your body. If your hormones are out of whack to begin with, that could be why you're not seeing results. I just started reading a book, "The Hormone Diet" and it talks about such a thing. This book talks about hormones for both men & women and how it effects a person's attempt at weight loss. I just got to the chapter where it gives you a plan to create balance so I don't have any suggestions to give though. I'm gonna have my Dr. run a hormone test at my next physical to see if I have anything off and then tweak my caloric intake/exercise accordingly. Just a thought anyway. I figure the more things I try to get my internal body in balance, it should start showing on my external body. Good luck!

    VERY INTERESTING!!! I've been seeing my doctor about weight loss and we've even changed prescriptions that could be prone to causing weight gain, so I will bring this up to her. THANKS!
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    what supplements are you taking by any chance? and what's on your diet? and are you clothes fitting better? have you started to measure yourself and take before and after pictures? the 2 lbs can simply be water weight.

    Vitamins/Supplements
    Spring Valley - Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200 Mg (Enteric Coated), 2 Softgel
    Genetic Solutions - Raspberry Ketone 250mg, 1 Capsule
    Bayer - One A Day Women's Multivitamin Plus Healthy Skin Support, 1 Tablet
    Futurbiotics - White Kidney Bean Extract, 2 Pill
    1-2 Protein Shakes/day

    my clothes are fitting a lil better, I've measured myself when I started but haven't noticed much of a difference yet to do a check up.

    Diet is 10% carb, 40% protein 50% fat and I eat clean

    it has to be water weight then!! make sure you're really drinking at least 8 full glasses of water so your body won't retain water. good luck!

    Gosh I sure hope it's just water weight!!! that's the best kind of weight IMO! I have a 24OZ Bottle I try to drink 4x a day, but I do think I could drink more.......THANKS!
  • jlaurena
    jlaurena Posts: 60
    Just noticed... 50% fat?! Really? HOLY COW...

    I do 50 carbohydrates, 30 protein, 20 fat. I could NEVER eat that much fat he he.

    If your fat is that high, and you're using so many vitamin supplements to get your nutrition, your problem may be in your diet.

    And unless you upped your calories to TDEE+1000, I don't think you gained 2 pounds of fat. Most likely by upping your calories, you upped the carbs overall (if you maintained the ratios). More carbs would mean more stored glucose which takes water... basically that weight was water weight.

    Check this website out, it's called Mark's Daily Apple http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-metabolic-paradigm-shift-fat-carbs-human-body-metabolism/#axzz21SiIJj5D

    I try to mimic the Paleo Diet and aim toward a Ketogenic state, which is proven weight loss! Low Fat/High Carb like you are eating is what has caused obesity in America.

    10/40/50 (Carb/Protein/Fat) are my goals.

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