Calories In V.S Calories Out - Proper Caloric Deficits

For the love of well sauced buffalo wings....

Even as a personal trainer, things are tough folks. Fat loss is not easy for the majority of people out there trying to lose body fat and maintain a lean healthy body. Let me be frank when I tell those out there willing to listen that there is no other way to drop the fat. You must make better nutritional choices than a Pogo and Poutine for lunch, and you have to get off your butt more often than to run up to the corner store to check your Super 7 numbers. (most of us are even lazier, and we use the web for that). This includes me, as I work hard every day to stay in shape, fuel my body with only the best nutritional choices as I also help others achieve their goals.

Sorry folks, there are no magic pills, no magic diets, and no ab blasters will help you and your body lose fat. It's hard to accept sometimes isn't it?

Fat loss is about the ratio of calories in vs. calories out. Plain and simple. But what most magazines and infomercials do not tell us is that in order to achieve our fitness goals the ratio is actually 70% nutritional and 30 % exercise. But that does not mean starve yourself and do as little exercise as possible. It means eat sensibly, have 5-6 smaller meals per day to balance the blood sugars, that will also keep the metabolism stoked, and exercise on a regular basis, which should include strength training to maintain and develop lean muscle mass. This too helps boost your metabolism.

So why am I here? Simple, because I need assistance in losing fat. "But you're a personal fitness trainer for God's Sake!"

Yes, but I was naughty, and I did not keep track of my daily calories like I tell my clients, and lo and behold, I discovered that I was not eating ENOUGH calories!!! YIKES... that is not a good thing folks. Here I was thinking I had it all under control, yet, I could not understand why my body fat percentage did not drop over the course of the past 4 weeks. WHat had happened was I was starting to plateau, so I changed up my exercises and even dropped some calories, but I did not keep a watchful eye on those calories and now I have discovered that I am actually sabatoging my efforts by not eating enough calories.

Folks. Remember to only drop your caloric intake by 500 calories per day via a proper nutritional plan and exercise. If you increase your caloric deficit by over 800 calories per day nature has a way of protecting the body against excessive weight loss. At first you will lose alot of water, a little fat. Then suddenly you stop losing. You've plateaued, because your body now refuses to give up the fat, regardless if you want it off for summer or not.

It is a scientific fact that when your calorie count suddenly drops, your body will compensate for the fact by reducing your metabolic rate. As a result, you'll need fewer calories to maintain your weight. This explains why some people lose weight up to a point and then cannot lose any additional weight, no matter how hard they try. Friends, this is one of the most dangerous myths in the weight loss world. You literally have to eat yourself thin, not starve yourself thin.

Know your BMR, know your activity level and know your caloric needs, and monitor them closely. You will achieve!

The key is really that the number of calories you eat directly affects your metabolism. If you don't eat enough calories, your body goes into "famine" mode. Fooled into believing you cannot find enough to eat, your endocrine glands PURPOSELY slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Slowing the metabolism means burning less fat. Is this really what you wanted to do??? It sure isn't what I wanted to have happen. Counting Calories is an important aspect of fat loss. Thank goodness for such resources as www.Calorie-Count.Com.

So here I am, on board to eat myself thin baby!!! Where's the Tofurkey.....(yuck!)

According to the "calorie tool", I will need to eat 1250 calories a day in order to lose weight.  The kicker is that most days I barely eat even close to that, so how will I lose weight if I'm increasing my calories?  Please someone explain. Thanks!

more of a question

 

About how many lbs. could a person on an average day gain?

 

I know it depends on several factors: age, weight, activity level, foods eaten durng the day.

 

Given that the calories in are pretty much consistent from day to day.  I'm a woman in her early 50's, 5'3" and I work out 5x a week, 50 min. elipitical and 25 min. weight training.

I weighed myself after a later in the day workout and it showed I had GAINED 3 lbs.

 

OHMYGOD I LOVE YOU!

coachdee-much needed information!

My stats are 5'7'', 191 #, have been losing almost 2#/week for 2 weeks. Hike 5 miles/day, occassionally lift weights and do yoga.

I figured my allowable calories @ 2450. I eat @ 1500 calories/day, once or twice a week, I go up higher than than but never over 2000 now that I started this 'diet'.

Does it all sound good to go? I haven't been a yo-yo dieter. I never understood how to diet before now.

This site is incredible...thanks so much for posting!!!!

Very useful information, thanks for posting it.

I was 220 Nov 1 and now am 186.  But I think I got here the wrong way.  By using this site, I have determined I burn about 2800 cal/day and have been taking in only 1200 cal/day on average.  I have never felt low on energy, in fact more energy than before I started my diet.  But that was due to having a very poor lifestyle, ie the food I ate being wrong, bad carbs instead of good, lots of starch, sugars, etc.  Based on your many posts, and right vs wrong, I have started to increase my cal intake and will watch it more closely to avoid causing more harm than good.  I was actually thinking by eating less than this site recommended for me at 1800cal/day, I was beating the system and speeding up my weight loss.  My Bad.  But thanks to you post's, I am back on track.   I should have been paying more attention to my overall health..... typical man.  On that note.... guess it's high time I started seeing a Dr once a year also.

Thanks again for your great info. 

 

 

Hi Coachdee!
YOure great!!
I have a question. Im 22 5"7 and I weigh 112lbs. I have been suffering from Anorexia for 8yrs and Im still not recovered although Im doing a lot better. Right now Im working at my fathers cafe From 12pm till 10pm. Im on my feet all day..walking alot,lifting, and running all over the place.
Sometimes I have to eat lunch at 4pm because were short on people when its busy.
Heres what I eat and at what time.
7:45am
1 80 cal greek yogurt natural
2 slices challah bread with some cottage cheese and s/f jelly
half a glass of plain kefir

12pm
coffee black

4pm
lunch
plain salad of lettuce and orange pieces
1 apple
*i dont have a big appetite at lunch

snack
7pm
banana

light dinner
12am
60 cal fit yogurt
healthy harvest oatmeal with organic skim milk

I eat very litte for dinner because by the time we close and clean the place its very very late.

I dont have an appetite anymore because of my irregular eating.
am I eating ok or too little?
im still cofused....
thank you

This post really encouraged me. For one thing, I guess I always knew that calories "count" but with the other programs around, flex points, and all the carb diets, the South Beach this and the Bob Greene and all that seemed to layer just the simple fact: 3500 a week. Everything you said. 

So I'm here. Because I'm tired of the latest book, the newest whatever because nothing is "new"

and like you said, it is math. Trying to force it all off in a couple weeks is insanity. I still have 60 lbs. to go, have lost 30 so I had quite a bit to lose. Probably won't see the 115 girl who dreaded gym class all those years ago, but I have a lot of things yet to do and I know I will feel a whole lot better when I can look  back and I will, and say "I lost 90 lbs. in a year and a half" so there!

 

 

Hi coachdee,

This is my 3rd day here & I REALLY like it. I can relate to your post about eating enough calories. In the couple of days I've been tracking, I have found myself needing to "catch up" with calories by the end of the day in order to get the minimum 1200. I want to lose 20 pounds to be a healthier me. Found out I am a functional eater & need to plan better. Would you please add me as one of your buddies?  I'd love to keep in touch with you. Thanks!

coachdee,

don't know if you are still responding to responses to this post, but it was so excellent ( and i saw many others asking for your personal opinion/analysis) i wanted to join in to see if you can help me with similar problems i have been having.

I didn't see a specific formula on your originally post that many early posters refered to, so i assume you edited it out.  My info... i am 31, 5'2 and 156 lbs.  I have a sedentary desk job, but in the evening, i go to the gym 2 times a week, usually 20-25 min cardio and 25-40 min weight training.  I go to judo 2-3 times a week, 1:30hour at a time ( but it is the kids class and often i have to coach rather than play... my daughter is just starting :))  Calorie counter sets a very high calorie output for judo... i am not sure that it is accurate in my case

Essentially, i haven't been loosing weight well.  I have been tracking my calories since Jan 1 08, and staying at about 1250 cal a day.  I upped my calories on judo nights to 1400-1500, and that helped a little i think... I am having some trouble with the concept of eating more will help me lose weight.  can you help me?

 

Thanks coachdee for the insight,

 I am currently recovering from an eating disorder and these last few months have been very hard.  I have gained a significant amount of weight, about 35 pounds, in the last 6 months.  It seems to me that I am gaining about a pound a week and there is no way of stopping it.  I am 5'4 weight about 140 pounds exercise 4-5 times a week and eat about 800-1200 calories a day.  I know that this is not enough calories to fuel my body but I am afraid that if I eat even more I will gain more weight.  Do you think that if I increase my calorie intake to about 1600 a day I will lose weight??

Thanks coachdee for the insight,

 I am currently recovering from an eating disorder and these last few months have been very hard.  I have gained a significant amount of weight, about 35 pounds, in the last 6 months.  It seems to me that I am gaining about a pound a week and there is no way of stopping it.  I am 5'4 weight about 140 pounds exercise 4-5 times a week and eat about 800-1200 calories a day.  I know that this is not enough calories to fuel my body but I am afraid that if I eat even more I will gain more weight.  Do you think that if I increase my calorie intake to about 1600 a day I will lose weight??

Okay, I am a bit confused, but I'm looking for some help.

 

I am 160, 5'8'', and 21 years old. I want to get down to around 125.

It says I burn 1860 calories per day under "my account", but when I clicked on tools to figure out how much I was expending, it said 1900. When I diet (I am starting again), I aim for eating 1200 calories per day. When I did this a while back, I did lose some weight, but maybe I was not eating enough? I will be going to the gym 5x per week, staying at 80% of my max heart rate for 30 mins on the elliptical machine, and do some strength training 3x per week. For now, I am sedentary, but on Monday, when I start, I will not be...so this is where it gets confusing for me.

That said, how much do you think I should be eating (or not eating) to lose 2 lbs per week?

Thank you!

ive been using caloriecount for 4 days now but dont really understand it ,i weigh 180  and am 5'4 it says my calorie intake  daily should be 1900 ,does that mean i eat 1900 calories per day ,i also exercise daily ,i burn about 800 calorie through this ,so tell me what i should be doing to lose weight,i also have a thyroid issue been on meds for 9 yrs now,so how many clories should i take in? and i don,t understand the exercise meter how does that work?   please someone get  back to me on this ,so i can lose weight

Miraclemom

 I have been on synthroid for 15 years. I am your height and fight my weight constantly. I just had my annual blood test and found that I was now pre-diabetic as well. I started counting my calories and bought a bicycle so I could really enjoy my excerise and also started the balance ball routine. I am 62  and in 8 weeks I went from 163 to 150. The dr. said I do not need to see him again until next year my goal weight is 130. I hope to achieve that by the 1st of Feb. I found that journaling my foods and activities help to keep me on track. I would suggest that you cut 500 calories from the 1900 to lose weight. the 1900 is to maintain your weight. Make sure to eat plenty of veg. fruit and the right amount of protein.

After reading these posts, I have found out that I am eating way too few calories.  I have been on weight watchers since June and lost 18 pounds and became a lifetime member.  I was happy with my weight, so I decided to start exercising to tone up.  Once I started exercising I realized I loved the way it made me feel so I now exercise everyday.  However, I never increased my calories.  Since I started working out, which has been a little over one month, I have gained 5-6 pounds.  Could this be because I am only eating about 1000 calories a day?  Also, when working out, should I give my body a rest on some days?  Right now I usually exercise 7 days a week for at least an hour, and several days a week I exercise for 2 hours.  I am just getting extremely frustrated with myself because I am not sure what to do to get the weight off again.  Please give me any information possible.  Oh one more question, on the days I do not work out, should I reduce my calories?  Thank you so much for your help!!! :)

hey! i've seen the incredible help you've given everyone-and it seems that my problem could be i'm not eating enough like your post said. i really want to make the jump and up the calories to what i need, but am terrified of gaining a ton of weight if nothing happens on hard met efforts. can you give me some examples of peoples successes? failures? so i can get a feel for what'sagoinon?

hey! i'm kinda in the same boat where i exercise more than i care to and watch my calories like crazy but see nothing happen...had any experiences with it? results with upping the anty?

O.k. people i am so tired of personal trainers i don't know who else is, exspecially when so many people are overweight. i have alwasy been thin but at one point i was thin but looked like crap! I ate really bad, even though i always managed to move. Anyway i joined the gym so many times and had so many trainers it was nuts who told me to walk for 20 minutes and lift a few weights them poof and one who said i could eat mcdonalds just not so much.

Here is what i figured out the first thing i did was challege myself to do 21 days straight of cardio for an hour per day, now i did eat better subway instead of mcdonalds etc and guess what i lost a lot of fat and i continued to do cardio until after 4 months i stop seeing results and got tired of paying the gym fee, i tried detox diets and i lost weigth but still had the fat belly? Hmm you wonder well here is what i figured out when you exersize you burn fat and if you have not eaten your weight in calories some of the fat that is actually on your body? i now have a treadmill and i have uped the cardio added some weights and i am losing the stomach even though i have lost no weight, this isnt magic people you need to burn the fat on your body eat less exersize more and i mean some actual cardio the more calories you burn with cadrio the more fat your burn, when you plateau you need to eat less or healtier and guess how many calories is in fruits and veggie's not many like 30 so how is that equaling up to 2000 a day, and do more and just be patient as you get smaller your body takes less calories, all this junk of eat more, spin on your head is bull. If you look at what bodybuilders eat it's not a lot in terms of calories unless you are a man trying to bulk up, for women if you lift weights when you lean out you will see the muscle that simple and you have to get the fat off some kind of way. If you want to know what works try it and see, quit listening to people who make money off of fat people who never lose the weight so they can sell magic pills and books.

Original Post by missaneal:

 eat less exersize more

 
Amen.

Amen : )