Eat 400 cals, workout 400, eat them again?

ingridisazombie

One little possibly dumb question of mine has always been this: Whenever I'm adding my intake of calories for a day and after a work out I realize that my calories are on negative numbers again I wonder, Do I have to re-eat those calories? What happens when I have a 1500 calorie goal and I burn 500 and at the end of the day I only ate 800-900?, when I wrap up my log for the day it tells me that I'm under eating and that I should eat up to 1200 cals at least. What then? do I have to eat everything I burn?

khall86790

Yes, you need to eat back your exercise calories.

ingridisazombie

Man, seriously? sometimes I feel like I'm eating all day and it's never enough haha. thank you

diannethegeek

MFP expects you to eat them back if you're following their methods. Netting 800 calories a day doesn't leave your body with enough fuel to do important things, like keep your lungs pumping. When your body can't find enough fuel it does crazy things, like screw with your hormones or eat your muscle, which can in turn slow your metabolism and lead to health problems in the long run. A day here and there under your goal isn't a problem, but if you find yourself habitually unable to reach your goal it might be time to look for some more calorie-dense foods to add to your diet. A handful of nuts, nut butter, olive oil, avocado, full-fat dairy, cheese, etc.

pastryari

MFP assumes you're not going to do any exercise so it gives you a calorie goal with a deficit already built in. So you'll lose weight even without exercise. When you exercise, you further increase that deficit to a possibly unhealthy level. Fuel your body.

PikaKnight

When you get your goals it tells you that the # doesn't include exercise cals and that they are expected to be eaten. If you change your goals through MFP (not custom), you'll see that notice.

MzManiak

A glass of chocolate milk is a good post-workout drink and it has a solid number of calories that makes it so you don't have to chow down on a whole lot of food

ingridisazombie

Thanks everyone for your help, it's a little hard for me to keep up with meals because I have to tend to a family most of the day and I cook for them, what I cook for them is not healthy for me so I sometimes eat whatever I can make quickly. it's a struggle but this definitely helps put things more into perspective.

ingridisazombie

also, I'm lactose intolerant can I use almond milk or coconut milk instead?

shortstuff17

also, I'm lactose intolerant can I use almond milk or coconut milk instead?

of course

Debbiehalb

I have the same problem and it is so HARD for me to eat the calories I have worked off. I have started working out in the mornings so that helps some, but what if I'm not hungry enough to eat them? It is hard fro me to make my 1200 calories a day much less the added calories from working out.

MACnificence

Yes eat back exercise calories , take it from me I learned the hard way , your weight loss will eventually stall If I could turn back time I would have ate exercise calories from day 1 , currently in the midst of correcting that mistake now

wendyrap2

Yes eat back exercise calories , take it from me I learned the hard way , your weight loss will eventually stall If I could turn back time I would have ate exercise calories from day 1 , currently in the midst of correcting that mistake now

de verdad que si comes las calorias perdidas por el ejercicio notaras que bajas mas facil de peso y sin sentirse cansado ni hambriento!!! suerte

SarahSmilesCA

The only trouble though is MFP really over estimates the calories burned in most work outs. So many of us only eat back half of our calories. As a rule I work out about 90 minutes a day at very fairly moderate levels of exertion, both in cardio and strength. The number MFP tells me me I have burned is really obscene (though I still post it because it sorta keeps me motivated to see the obscene number lol not sure why). So I use a HRM, but even that seems fairly high, so I never really eat back all my calories except occasionally when I really hungry and my body tells me I need to eat more.

It is important to learn to listen to your body's hunger cues. If you are hungry eat, if not then wait a bit and listen to your body. Eating high levels of protein and fiber keep you fairly sated for long periods of time so you really have to be focused. Sometimes I am not really hungry but my brain is really foggy...that is a sign of low blood sugar, which means even though I am not hungry my body needs nutrition so I feed it what it needs. Don't wait too long to eat or you will get to the end of the evening and be starving and defeat what you accomplished in the day.

As far as work out drinks, neither almond or coconut milk are that good replacements for milk because they lack protein and other important minerals. A better replacement for milk would be a plant, beef, or egg based protein powder that you have fortified with things like a healthy oil (flax or mct are good) and a green supplement. You definitely can then add coconut or almond milk to the shake for flavor, but this way you are not missing nutrition.

Mummyadams

also, I'm lactose intolerant can I use almond milk or coconut milk instead?

Yes - both are very good for you.

nmha

The only trouble though is MFP really over estimates the calories burned in most work outs. So many of us only eat back half of our calories. As a rule I work out about 90 minutes a day at very fairly moderate levels of exertion, both in cardio and strength. The number MFP tells me me I have burned is really obscene (though I still post it because it sorta keeps me motivated to see the obscene number lol not sure why). So I use a HRM, but even that seems fairly high, so I never really eat back all my calories except occasionally when I really hungry and my body tells me I need to eat more.

It is important to learn to listen to your body's hunger cues. If you are hungry eat, if not then wait a bit and listen to your body. Eating high levels of protein and fiber keep you fairly sated for long periods of time so you really have to be focused. Sometimes I am not really hungry but my brain is really foggy...that is a sign of low blood sugar, which means even though I am not hungry my body needs nutrition so I feed it what it needs. Don't wait too long to eat or you will get to the end of the evening and be starving and defeat what you accomplished in the day.

As far as work out drinks, neither almond or coconut milk are that good replacements for milk because they lack protein and other important minerals. A better replacement for milk would be a plant, beef, or egg based protein powder that you have fortified with things like a healthy oil (flax or mct are good) and a green supplement. You definitely can then add coconut or almond milk to the shake for flavor, but this way you are not missing nutrition.

Oh man..so, the 220 calories I thought I was burning from the GM 30 day shred might not be accurate???! I'm bummed. How can I confirm this?

Mummyadams

Oh man..so, the 220 calories I thought I was burning from the GM 30 day shred might not be accurate???! I'm bummed. How can I confirm this?
[/quote]
The only way to accurately track a burn is by buying a HR monitor.

MACnificence

Yes eat back exercise calories , take it from me I learned the hard way , your weight loss will eventually stall If I could turn back time I would have ate exercise calories from day 1 , currently in the midst of correcting that mistake now

de verdad que si comes las calorias perdidas por el ejercicio notaras que bajas mas facil de peso y sin sentirse cansado ni hambriento!!! suerte




Anyone any idea what this translates to in English !!