[SoulBliss]

Originally Posted by vikkivma

But doesn't that put you at <1000 calories?

Nope. I don't trust that I burn what the machines at the gym say I do either.

I eat about 1,800-2,000 calories a day, on average with a few lower and a few higher days.

[GlitteringPink]

Oh I totally agree with that. I was not losing at my original calorie quota there, but I have tweaked and now seem to be dropping

I was just wondering about this exercise calories thing, I was told you still need to fuel your exercise as such, because at the moment I am fueling my body to do the basics...staying alive. Without fueling my body for extras such as exercise, I lose muscle and have the risk of going into starvation mode.

But I guess its what works for each of us, everybody is different and its finding the personal balance I guess

[PhotoChick]

Without fueling my body for extras such as exercise, I lose muscle and have the risk of going into starvation mode.

Well, yes and no. You mentioned this earlier, above, and I have been trying to think of how to respond to it.

The thing is, the vast majority of us do not burn more than 300-500 cals when we work out. Even when we work out HARD. So it would be very difficult to put yourself into "starvation mode" by working out unless you were training for a marathon or really overdoing the exercise - to the point of becoming obsessive.

Now, that's not to say that you might not have to tweak your calories a little if you start working out or if you increase your workout routine. You def need a FEW more calories and more protein if you're going to increase intensity on any workout routine.

But in general, most people are not going to be able to exercise themvelves into starvation mode.

.

[GlitteringPink]

Thank you for that Photochick I am so easily confused and not very scientifically minded so I do stew on these things!

Thank you so much for your post

[PhotoChick]

Glad I could help!

Another thing - and I think I pointed this out a while back on another thread, but it just popped into my mind again - re: starvation mode.

When you eat 1000 calories, you're shorting yourself in nutritional elements. It's very hard (impossible) to get all the proper balance of nutrition that you need when you restrict calories so very drastically.

When you eat 1500 calories and then exercise off 500 of them, you're STILL getting all the nutritional value of the 1500 calories. You're just burning excess fat with the exercise. But exercise doesn't burn nutrients ... not in the same sense as not eating them affects you.

That's very simplistic and there's more to it than that if you want to get into the complexities ... but if you look at it in a basic sense, that's key. You don't exercise away nutrients.

.

[Hope1974]

Originally Posted by PhotoChick

Glad I could help!

When you eat 1500 calories and then exercise off 500 of them, you're STILL getting all the nutritional value of the 1500 calories. You're just burning excess fat with the exercise. But exercise doesn't burn nutrients ... not in the same sense as not eating them affects you.

.

Excellent observation!

[JayEll]

I just wanted to add to what PhotoChick said.

You can think of food as consisting of two things: Energy for activity, and materials to build tissues.

The brain has to have enough energy--keeping the brain fed is the body's number one priority.

If you don't eat enough food to maintain your physical activity level, your body turns to stored energy reserves--mostly to keep the brain fed.

That's OK if you are only burning fat from fat cells. But if you are not eating enough nutrients, the body then uses other tissues--because the brain must be fed.

Anyone losing weight is losing muscle and other lean mass as well as fat. The part that's difficult is keeping the loss of muscle, etc. to a minimum. That's why it's important to get enough nutrients, especially protein, as well as calories.

OK--you may resume your normal activities!

Jay

[vikkivma]

I'm really ready to just give up. I ate 1000 fewer calories from yesterday and worked out twice as hard, and I'm up another half-pound.

[aphil]

vikkivma-

I recommend, that if the scale fluctuations are getting you down, that you stop weighing in every single day. Some people can do this, and deal with the fluctuations, and others cannot.

I recommend that you not go with Daily Plate to figure your calorie requirements, because they are only estimates. They don't work for me, either. Instead, I recommend that you go with trial and error-and find what works for YOUR body, not what is listed on Daily Plate, and other calculators.

Weigh in only on Mondays for a while. Try exercising, and eating 1700-1800 calories every day this week. Next Monday, weigh in. If you don't lose anything at all, or you gain, then you know that 1700-1800 doesn't work for you. Try 1600-1700 the next week, and see what happens on that next Monday weigh in. If you have a loss, then it means that right now, that 1600-1700 would be the correct level for you at this time.

It is going to be different for EVERYONE. One person might lose a pound or two a week on 1800 calories, for another person it might have to be 1300 calories a day. It is all very individual, depending on our metabolism, our exercise level, and our current weight. You simply have to use this process to determine what is the right level for YOU.

Then, once you find it, it might have to be tweaked over time. You might find that you lose a pound a week for a while at a certain calorie level...then, a few months down the line it might stop/stall for a few weeks. That just means that it is time to tweak your plan-either by dropping your calorie range slightly (like from 1600 to 1500 a day) or by increasing your exercise.

Please don't give up...you have to be patient and find the calorie range that works for YOUR body, not an estimate from a website.

[PhotoChick]

Echoing what aphil said ... don't give up!!!

And remember that what you eat yesterday might not show up (or not show up) on the scale for a couple of days. Your body doesn't drop fat on command (unfortunately!).

I use *any* calculation as a starting point for what I'm going to eat and how much I'm going to exercise. I think aphil's plan of going a week at a time and seeing what numbers work for you is an excellent one. Eventually you *will* find a level that allows you to lose weight. You just need to tweak things a little!

Don't give up!!!!

.

[sweetlovin]

I also hate the "eating back" calorie thing but I am only eating 1200 calories a day and I still dont eat back my calories. I dont know if that puts me in starvation mode but the whole equation is weird to me lol