burn 800-4000 calories per day, how much should I eat?

nivlage

Get ready for a super long post!

Does anyone have extensive knowledge regarding nutrition or maybe know someone that I can speak with? So far I am down 25lbs since January 1st, 2012 and I really need some help with planning my diet. I'm in a weight loss competition and could really use some expert advice! I need to win this competition!!! hahaha

Here is the issue. MyFitnessPal says that according to my weight/height I should be eating 1870 calories per day in order to lose 2lbs per week. Ok, that sounds good but I am burning between 800-4000 calories per day exercising. How does that figure in?

Let's say that on any given day I am eating 1870 calories and burning 3000 additional calories via exercise. MyFitnessPal says that I need to eat the 3000 more calories in order to not go into starvation mode and still lose 2lbs per week.

The thing is I do not want to eat 3000 calories more, I don't want to go into starvation mode and I don't want my body to consume muscle because of a lack of nutrients. I have been using a juicer for the veggies and fruits, as this is a great way for me to get a highly potent dose of healthy nutrients. I have been trying to eat primarily fruits and vegetables, recommended intake of protein and little meat and carbs.

I also try to do an hour of weight lifting per day. All in all I workout about 6 days a week on average and I love it! I have the motivation and the time, but don't want my workout/nutrition flaws to have a negative effect on my maximum weight loss with maximum muscle gain.

I thought that I knew about nutrition and working out, but this issue proves that I definitely don't know what to do. There are so many opinions everywhere and everyone says something different.

Some say:
-put back on the calories you burn;
-that you can exercise as much as you want and not worry about eating more;
-that if you don't eat enough of what you burn your body will eat away at the muscles;
-worry about losing weight now, including muscle, and then build muscle once you have lost weight;
-any workout more than 45 minutes is a waste of time;

Man....

It is very difficult to sift through all of the pages of contradicting info on the internet- I wish I could figure this out!! Anyone have any ideas? Please help!!

I am also going to copy/paste this onto some weight loss forums and see if there are some experts that may be able to help.

shovav91

You should never be netting below your bmr. Either start eating more calorie-dense foods, or exercise less. Your body won't last long if you put that much strain on it; it's like trying to make a car run with no gas.

nivlage

You should never be netting below your bmr. Either start eating more calorie-dense foods, or exercise less. Your body won't last long if you put that much strain on it; it's like trying to make a car run with no gas.

If I don't eat below my BMR how can I lose weight? My BMR may be around 2200 or so and MFP says to eat 1870 or less to lose 2lbs per week.

Wouldnt my body just use the stored fat as energy?

How come the people on biggest loser are exercising a ton and not eating more to compensate for the calories they burned?

*so confused*

Sweet_kiwi99

Sorry, I'm still confused as to what exercise burns 3000 calories/day if you're not a professional athlete....

shovav91

Your BMR and TDEE are very different. TDEE takes into account your daily activities, while BMR is what your body needs just to survive (pump blood, respire, etc). You need those calories; if you are eating 2000 calories a day and burning 3000, you may think your body will begin to break down fat. You would be wrong. The first thing your body uses when it isn't getting enough fuel is muscle. When your muscles begin to break down, not only does your metabolism slow, but you have to keep in mind that your heart is also a muscle. If your body begins to break it down as well, you are surely in some trouble.

StartingAnewDay

What kind of exercising are you doing that burns 3000 calories per day???? I have never seen numbers like that before!

^^^^^^^^ *sits and waits patiently*

jamiesadler

If you are working hard enough to burn 3000 calories a day you need to east back at least half of that. You are going to make your self sick before you reach your goal. If your BMR is 2200 and you are eating 1870 you are at a huge deficit. It isnt possible to lose if you eat more than your bmr if you are sitting on the couch all day but if you are burning 3000 calories its very possible. I would say increase to at least 2500. get most of your calories from lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies and good carbs.

spammyanna

How do you burn 4000 calories per day?

dgage8

I guess I'm trying to understand the 3000-4000 calories / day too. I have only burned that many once, when I ran a marathon!

jamiesadler

How come the people on biggest loser are exercising a ton and not eating more to compensate for the calories they burned?

*so confused*

What they show you from the biggest loser is false advertising. The time frame is wrong and they are all doctor supervised. Im pretty sure you do not have 24 hour access to your own doctor. If you watch that show often you will know that many of the losers gain back all of the weight and then some. Slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. The ideals shown on the biggest loser are un realistic and not a sustainable life style.

BeautyFromPain

First of all,
HOW do you burn that many calories per day?!?!

Second of all,
don't work the same muscle groups twice in a row. So you can do a split program but don't do a full body program 6x a week. Your muscles need time to repair and grow.

samf36

Are you training for an Iron Man ?

nivlage

Sorry, I'm still confused as to what exercise burns 3000 calories/day if you're not a professional athlete....

I bought a heartrate monitor and people say its probably about 90% accurate. I go to LA Boxing and each hour session I do burns 800-1000 calories. I am soaked in sweat every time and I am hooked. I sometimes do 4 classes per day no problem. Usually I do 2-3 classes per day. Certain light days(1x per week) I will only do 1. I drink plenty of water and get the proper protein after each class.


I wanted to post this real quick and now I am going to reply to the rest of the posts in order.

Sl1ghtly

If I don't eat below my BMR how can I lose weight? My BMR may be around 2200 or so and MFP says to eat 1870 or less to lose 2lbs per week.

-Eat below you TDEE and you will lose weight.

Wouldnt my body just use the stored fat as energy?

-Some of it will. Fat isn't the only energy source.

How come the people on biggest loser are exercising a ton and not eating more to compensate for the calories they burned?

-Because they are desperate, and stupid.


*so confused*

-Stop watching stupid tv shows.

Sweet_kiwi99

Sorry, I'm still confused as to what exercise burns 3000 calories/day if you're not a professional athlete....

I bought a heartrate monitor and people say its probably about 90% accurate. I go to LA Boxing and each hour session I do burns 800-1000 calories. I am soaked in sweat every time and I am hooked. I sometimes do 4 classes per day no problem. Usually I do 2-3 classes per day. Certain light days(1x per week) I will only do 1. I drink plenty of water and get the proper protein after each class.


I wanted to post this real quick and now I am going to reply to the rest of the posts in order.

You do 2-3 classes per day??? :noway: .... So basically you're working out 2 - 3 hours every day.... that's crazy. Personally I would burn out from exercising that hard. The body needs to rest and recover. How long have you been maintaining this regimen?

Eta: You need to eat a lot of those calories back or you're going to pass out eventually (if not from body/muscle fatigue then from lack of sustenance and energy).

nivlage

Your BMR and TDEE are very different. TDEE takes into account your daily activities, while BMR is what your body needs just to survive (pump blood, respire, etc). You need those calories; if you are eating 2000 calories a day and burning 3000, you may think your body will begin to break down fat. You would be wrong. The first thing your body uses when it isn't getting enough fuel is muscle. When your muscles begin to break down, not only does your metabolism slow, but you have to keep in mind that your heart is also a muscle. If your body begins to break it down as well, you are surely in some trouble.

Wow, that surely would be some trouble. Hmmmm.. If what you are saying is true then I will have no problem getting the extra calories. I will just juice more fruits and veggies. Luckily the protein shake gives me some added calories after each workout.

So if I burn 3000 calories per day and my fitness pal says that I should eat only 1870 to lose 2lbs per week, I should eat 3000 more calories? I was thinking about bringing the number to 1600 calories and then replace what I burn. Are you saying that would be a good strategy for losing the most weight possible? I really enjoy the physical activity and have no problem whatsoever doing the work.

firedragon064

Eat IF you are hungry and
your calorie is higher than your BMR and LESS than TDEE calorie.

Drastiic

I bought a heartrate monitor and people say its probably about 90% accurate. I go to LA Boxing and each hour session I do burns 800-1000 calories. I am soaked in sweat every time and I am hooked. I sometimes do 4 classes per day no problem. Usually I do 2-3 classes per day. Certain light days(1x per week) I will only do 1. I drink plenty of water and get the proper protein after each class.

I suggest you read this article: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/exercise-and-weightfat-loss-part-1.html
You're not burning 800-1000 calories per hour session. Why are you doing 2-4 classes per day anyways?

nivlage

If you are working hard enough to burn 3000 calories a day you need to east back at least half of that. You are going to make your self sick before you reach your goal. If your BMR is 2200 and you are eating 1870 you are at a huge deficit. It isnt possible to lose if you eat more than your bmr if you are sitting on the couch all day but if you are burning 3000 calories its very possible. I would say increase to at least 2500. get most of your calories from lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies and good carbs.

I agree, it is possible that I may need to ease back. I am just looking to lose as much weight as possible. I am not sure exactly what my bmr is. I would have to go and get it measured at a local gym that offers this service.

I weigh 284 and am 5'11 if that gives you any insight.

So you are saying that if I were to eat 2500 calories I can still burn the 3000 in the gym no prob? If that were the case I am sure I would lose weight pretty quick!!

nivlage

How come the people on biggest loser are exercising a ton and not eating more to compensate for the calories they burned?

*so confused*

What they show you from the biggest loser is false advertising. The time frame is wrong and they are all doctor supervised. Im pretty sure you do not have 24 hour access to your own doctor. If you watch that show often you will know that many of the losers gain back all of the weight and then some. Slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. The ideals shown on the biggest loser are un realistic and not a sustainable life style.

I was going to start watching the show(I haven't even seen 1 episode) in order to learn what they are doing to lose so much weight so quickly. Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll pass on the show and go with advice from you guys!!

Eat more or exercise less, or your body will give out eventually.

Ok, I get what you are saying. Maybe on days that I want to cheat a little bit on the food are the days I can do the 3-4 classes!

First of all,
HOW do you burn that many calories per day?!?!

Second of all,
don't work the same muscle groups twice in a row. So you can do a split program but don't do a full body program 6x a week. Your muscles need time to repair and grow.

Kickboxing classes at LA boxing is how I am burning that many calories. I seriously am trying almost as hard as I possibly can for the entire class. By the end I am drenched, then I shower and go back to work and then come back later at night. I really feel great afterwards!

Are you training for an Iron Man ?

Nope, just a weight loss competition that I am the host of. I have to represent!! lol

Drastiic

There's really no reason to be doing that amount of exercise to lose weight. You could more easily do it by just eating fewer calories. But, to each his own.