My f*****g brain hurts!!

[rein_29]

Ok, so fairly new to the fitness game. For the first time in my life I have a desire to change my body as seemingly overnight I have gained weight, unsightly cellulite and clothes just don't look good on me. *solitary tear.

People on here have given me great advice and I now know that I need to track calories etc. So I now have fitness pal which is great. However, it gives the option to add exercise calories burned and then re-adds the calories to your daily allowance. For instance, I walked 10k earlier which burned around 450 calories.

The reason i'm so confused is because all I hear is that weight loss is 20% exercise and 80% diet and that you can't lose weight from exercise alone. But If im eating at a calorie deficit, does it matter if the calories lost are from food or exercise?? So potentially If my deficit is 400 calories a day, why can't I just exercise the calories off while still eating my calorie maintenance??

 

[dawn16]

@rein_29 Disable that setting. Don’t eat back your exercise. It doesn’t matter where your deficit comes from, but most people aren’t going to walk 10K every single day. That’s one donut. That’s why people say it’s 80% diet: you could walk 10K every day, or you could just stop eating the donut.

 

[denise101]

@rein_29 Plus the estimates on food calories are generally pretty accurate. Estimates on exercise calories burned are often way off as there are a ton of variables. Don’t trust the estimates.

 

[marshill7474]

@denise101 I agree the exercise apps and cals burned can be deceiving as most people don't work anywhere near an athlete's level. I recommend people to only count the calories consumed. The proof of results are how you feel in more energy, in the mirror, and on the scale.

 

[discipleduchrist]

@rein_29 Disregard that part of MyFitnessPal. If you calculated your TDEE correctly to begin with it should already account for your exercise and activity levels, and therefore the calories burned from them. Don't double dip on the numbers.

 

[smm]

@rein_29 don't eat back your calories. (it's usually very inaccurate).

Focus on what you can control -- how much you eat, and what you eat.

 

[dori777]

@rein_29 It's all about calories in vs calories out (r/CICO). So yes, technically you can use those exercise calories as your deficit, but as others have said, MFP and other apps usually overestimate those calories and then your weightloss slows down. Most people prefer to have their exercise calories as an invisible bonus to speed up the weighloss. But if you trust that you have burned the calories, despite the most popular opinion, it IS okay to "eat back what you've earned", especially if you need to refuel your body. Just beware that the estimates aren't off and you end up overeating everyday.

 

[raeeldri]

@dori777 Ww does something similar. You earn food points from fitness ponts so you can eat more if you've done more activity. But I feel like that just shortens your deficit and would slow down your weight loss .

 

[kowalski1]

@rein_29 Most people do not get physically active enough to a point where eating back calories becomes a good idea.

Even for myself, the only time I eat a little bit extra when I'm on a deficit is before my longer (10+mile) runs. And that's generally because I find having carbs prior to a long run makes the longer runs a lot more pleasant.

 

[marshill7474]

@rein_29 As a professional trainer of over 30 years, I will say both are important. As long as you don't have any medical issues and your lab work doesn't show any issues with kidney or liver function a minimum of 400-500 cal/day deficit and daily Intake no more than than 1500 cal off day 2000 ca workout day. Safe minimums for men 1200 cal/day women 1000 cal day exercise and off day, men 1500 women 1200 on workout days. I RECOMMEND PEOPLE TO LIMIT MINIMUM CALORIES TO ONLY ONE WEEK, 5-7 DAYS. Don't fall for the body cleans BS, they are a waste of money, at best result in dehydration, and their safety are at best questionable. If you want a body cleanse drink water.

Do not consume the earned / net calories stay with you maximum cals and macros. Adjust your macros on MFP. For weight loss and glucose management set your macros at 10% of your daily intake. If you are working out set your protein to allow at least 1Gram per pound of body weight, fat to balance it out. My macros are set at 10% carbs, 45/45 fat and protein. Fat is in the form of healthy fat from nuts, fish, fish oil capsules, poultry, lean beef. Be sure to monitor your lab work at least every three months especially your creatane, protein, cholesterol, liver and kidney functions. I also recommend working with a dietician that practices low carb nutrition.

To prevent muscle wasting during weight loss you need to be strength training, and strength training burns exponentially more calories than cardio. When muscles are properly exerted not only will you burn calories while working out but you will still be burning calories several hours later in the muscle remodeling process. Consuming enough protein is important, Your best source is from food, primarily lean meat SHAKES ARE ONLY SUPPLEMENTS and not meat replacements.

Finally avoid eating the calories you burned off, I recommend saving the carbs and calories for your ONE TREAT MEAL you have ONCE every two weeks. This is where you allow yourself to have that one serving of cheesecake, bread, ice cream, beer, etc.

 

[dwwin]

@rein_29 I lost 50lbs in 6 months and have maintained for 2.5 years so far. This after trying calorie counting / deficits for decades. Not that they didn't work in the short term. But I never got to goal and I couldn't maintain the losses I did achieve for very long. 3/6/9 months later I was back where I started. This is so so common.

What worked for me was intermittent fasting (eating one large healthy meal a day to fullnes).

Suggest watching the following. This guy is a nephrologist (kidney doctor). Many obese die from kidney desease. So he sought a cure to obesity in an attempt to save his patients' lives. He didn't invent fasting, but has popularized it. Wrote several best selling books to help them obese and diabetics. Operates a clinic where he cures diabetics and gets them off insulin. Only alternative to bariatric surgery that I know of.

He approaches weight loss from a very scientific perspective, and has strong science behind him. And a sizable set of people like me that have succeeded in losing weight AND MAINTAINING after many years of failure after failure.

It's worth your time to understand this option. I'm 61 (started at 58) and no longer obese. Health is great. Love how I live and eat. No counting. Very active (even run 5k 3x a week) because my body likes it. No statins. I feel like this literally saved my life. Counterintuitive but if you love to eat, this is by far the easiest way to lose and maintain. I've never enjoyed eating or felt more satisfied after eating then with IF. No desire to ever rejoin the vast majority that eat frequently, feel guilty, and fight hunger so often.

Good luck!

 

[danlion8884]

@dwwin I clicked to double check, but from your description, that sounds like Dr. Jason Fung!!

He's got some entertaining stuff, and IF (intermittent fasting) can definitely help get you there. So glad he helped you.

 

[renatusfueritexaqua]

@rein_29 Realistically you could do just that. There is a saying "you can't out-exercise a bad diet" and this is true up to a point.

When I am not exercising I have to cut about 400-500 cals a day from my diet or I'll start putting on fat.

That said, don't put those calories back into your plan until you hit your target weight.

 

[leeza]

@rein_29 Don't eat back your calories. That way lies failure.