Do you eat back exercise calories? And how do you estimate how many calories you burn in, say, one 10 minute mile? I have typically not subtracted my exercise calories unless it was a major workout (stacking firewood for 2+ hours, running more than 4 miles, an 8 hour hike, etc.) but since I can not seem to get the scale to move, maybe I'm causing starvation mode? Help! Any thoughts?
http://www.caloriesperhour.com and other websites like that allow you to calculate exercise calories burned. I personally don't eat back those calories. I exercise for health and not for weight loss and anything else is a bonus.
The scale will eventually move. It just takes a lot longer when you are getting close to goal. Getting to a 3500 deficit in a week (for 1 pound) is a lot to expect when your RMR is so low because you don't weigh as much.
I never eat back cals burned through exercise. However, I will drink a protein shake, have a banana, or something after I work out if I'm hungry, or feel I need it. That would be totally different if I"m running marathons, or working out for 2-3 hours a day, but as it stands, I count my work outs as a bonus calorie burn
I wear a polar F6 heart rate monitor that calculates what I burn based on my HR, age, & Height (it has a chest strap). I even wear it to mow the lawn!! The PP gave a good site that can help you estimate if you want one. You can also use like Fitday, or any other calorie counter site has estimates (that are probably on the high end of estimating)
How many calories a day are you eating? I highly doubt you're in starvation mode unless you've been eating like 600 cals a day for months It's just hard to drop the lbs when we don't have much to lose. My husband always tells me "if you want to lose a few lbs a week, just gain 120 lbs, and then you'll lose it fast like everyone else"
I burn so much when I exercise that I typically do eat back some of it. It's the only way I can maintain my weight. Even when I was losing, I ate back some, but never the majority.
If you aren't burning a lot through exercise, I would suggest you eat something high in protein but low in calories after working out to help with muscle repair, but otherwise don't dip into your exercise calories. And if you can save some of your normal calories to use for after the workout, all the better.
Last edited by Petite Powerhouse; 11-02-2010 at 12:59 PM.
Right now I'm doing 1200-1400 cal/day, though I find I'm insanely hungry at either amount, which I'm sure is mostly psychological. My job is very sedentary, but I try to walk at lunchtime and run, do yoga, lift weights or something else at least 3 times a week, then I hike on the weekends. It's only been 3 weeks so I'm probably just being impatient and unrealistic (what a shock).
If I really workout (which means 6-9 hours of hiking up and down a mountain with a 20+lb pack on my back, or 2+ hours of hauling/stacking firewood, or running more than 4-5 miles) then, I find I have to eat more just to be able to sleep. I just don't want my body to start storing more fat because I'm not feeding it enough. But I know that I'm not burning what most of the calculators I've tried are saying, because when I tried using WW points system, I put on about 4 of my current pounds eating back my exercise calories. Grrr....
pinkflower- LOL! Your husband has great perspective! I haven't tried a monitor, but I'm afraid it would be telling me that I was burning way more calories than I am. Do you find it to be accurate as far as continuing your weight loss?
I found it pretty motivating. I like that at the end of the week, it summarizes how many cals burned. I think it's pretty accurate, or at least more accurate than what the machines estimate. As my Heart rate lowered/improved, it definitely said I burned less for the same work outs, so I think it's somewhat accurate. It also motivated me to keep going, like I want to burn 500 cals before I stop, so I'd go just a little longer. It also keeps me from over training. I guess I kind of look at it like a geeky toy. It's fun and I like it. I don't think anyone needs it though
I love yoga, I usually go 2x a week. I Missed my class yesterday and I can feel my stress level is affected! I am definitely hitting up a class soon!
Last edited by pinkflower; 11-02-2010 at 03:44 PM.
Flippychick, if I work out as you described with the hike, then yes, I definitely eat more, totally dependent upon how I feel. I eat intuitively pretty well WHEN I'M ACTIVE. It's when I'm sedentary and bored that I have a problem. So a 26 mile bike ride...I eat more. I'll even pull over and have a snack to keep my blood sugar steady. I can tell when I'm dipping too low and it's not pleasant.
However, for every day life, no I do not eat back calories at all and do not count calories burned. I keep them separate. I diet to lose weight and I exercise for my health.
I lost eating 1700-1800 and not eating back my calories. A friend of mine was aiming for 1200 calories but on top of that ate all her exercise back. Now, assume we worked out for an hour a day and burned ~500 calories. It ends up being pretty much the same thing.
What I'm saying is, I think it depends on how much you're eating and how much you're exercising. If you're eating 1200 calories a day and you're exercising intensely, I'd say, yeah, eat some back. If you're eating a higher number of calories, then the exercise is an important part of your deficit.
Be sure you're giving your body enough energy to fuel your workouts!
I lost eating 1700-1800 and not eating back my calories. A friend of mine was aiming for 1200 calories but on top of that ate all her exercise back. Now, assume we worked out for an hour a day and burned ~500 calories. It ends up being pretty much the same thing.
What I'm saying is, I think it depends on how much you're eating and how much you're exercising. If you're eating 1200 calories a day and you're exercising intensely, I'd say, yeah, eat some back. If you're eating a higher number of calories, then the exercise is an important part of your deficit.
Be sure you're giving your body enough energy to fuel your workouts!
Couldnt have said it better! I agree 100% with this!
My exercise is predominantly running, and my Garmin tells me how many calories I burned.
When running, it doesnt matter how fast you go - you will still burn approx 100 cals per mile. Obviously, you are burning more per minute if you run faster but if you run a 10 min mile, you are still burning the same per mile as if you ae running an 8 min mile. So my Garmin tells me anyway
I think I need to get a heart rate monitor, because I am almost (sort of, maybe, possibly) positive, I'm not burning more than maybe 50 calories per mile. The second I stop running, I stop breathing hard. Maybe it's a matter of not running hard enough, but I'd really like my knees and ankles to last me my lifetime, so I don't want to do any damage. Saturday, I hiked for about 7 hours (10.8 miles) and I counted my exercise as 4 hours of hiking. According to Lose It!, that means I burned around 1800 calories. I was not remotely tired other than getting up at 5am to go to the trailhead..... I don't think I'm in great shape, but I think I'm going to have to shock my body with activity whether I'm eating back calories or not.
Eating back exercise calories
It's just hard to drop the lbs when we don't have much to lose. My husband always tells me "if you want to lose a few lbs a week, just gain 120 lbs, and then you'll lose it fast like everyone else"
So a 26 mile bike ride...I eat more. I'll even pull over and have a snack to keep my blood sugar steady. I can tell when I'm dipping too low and it's not pleasant.
