I can not eat that much!!

lkennaley

Hi everyone!! I recently started the 30 day shred (Day two today) and I love it! But I also walk a lot and want to log that exercise as well! My problem is that I find that I am forcing myself to eat the extra calories that I have burned off. Is this healthy/right?
Please let me know your opinions!!
Thanks!

whierd

The people who say this always perplex me. Please do not take this as snark, but if you cannot eat that much, how did you gain weight to begin with?


What is your diet like?

taunto

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

emilydiehl08

I drink Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. It is super yummy and helps me replinish the calories I burned off during workout. I also spread peanut butter on an apple or banana sometimes. Yummmmmmmmmmy

SteelySunshine

I am the wrong person to ask I think. But, here is my two cents anyway. It depends ha. There is no one size fits all on this. I am very obese so I don't usually eat back many of my exercise calories. Mostly because like you it feels like I am forcing myself to eat. I don't know exactly what happened, but somehow I adjusted to 2000 calories down from OMG 4000-3000 at the height of not giving a rip about what I ate or how much then down to 2500-3000 for a while when I started thinking you know I could give up a few calories and stopping getting bigger at least. Sorry for the novel.

But, as for you I can't even begin to say if you should or shouldn't. If you have a whole lot to lose like more than 100 then no I can safely say that you can ignore the advice to eat back every single calorie. If you want some for a treat or just to eat a bit more that's fine and you will still have a deficit. But, if you have very little to lose you should eat them back, because it really is better to go slow if you are at or near goal.

I hope all that was clearer than mud, I am on pain meds right now.

happyheathen927

You don't have to eat "junk" food. Nut butters, regular butter, full-fat dairy ... those are "clean" foods that are both calorie- and nutrient-dense.

whierd

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

leanne0605

I'm in the same situation. I am doing 30DS and walking/ jogging. I was actually just whining about all the calories I have left

kellykw

If you're eating differently now, you're probably eating lower calorie foods that are more filling. Do you like nuts? Avocados? Peanut butter? They are good things to eat when you find yourself facing a big calorie deficit towards the end of the day.

metacognition

No, don't force yourself to eat something if you are already full and satisfied. That's a sure sign that your body doesn't need them.

If you are at a deficit you will naturally start to crave and think about food.

Eating enough calories should come easily.

Any sign of weakness - decreased ability to work out, fatigue, hunger, weakness, crazy cravings - you may want to eat more, or hold the line if you are trying to lose weight. If you are fully satisfied, make sure your calorie counts are accurate and cut them if you find yourself not losing anymore.

whierd

No, don't force yourself to eat something if you are already full and satisfied. That's a sure sign that your body doesn't need them.

If you are at a deficit you will naturally start to crave and think about food.

Eating enough calories should come easily.

Any sign of weakness - decreased ability to work out, fatigue, hunger, weakness, crazy cravings - you may want to eat more, or hold the line if you are trying to lose weight. If you are fully satisfied, make sure your calorie counts are accurate and cut them if you find yourself not losing anymore.

I disagree with "listening to your body". If that worked we would not have an obesity issue.

pastryari

I'm in the same situation. I am doing 30DS and walking/ jogging. I was actually just whining about all the calories I have left

How many calories could you (and the OP) possibly have from doing 30DS and walking? Even so, how did either of you get "fat" in the first place if you have so much trouble consuming enough calories?

Not buying it, sorry.

Anyway, eat more calorie dense foods if you're having trouble meeting your calorie goals. You don't have to eat more meals/food, just eat foods with higher cal counts.

diannethegeek

Add a handful of almonds or a dab of peanut butter to your snack. Roast veggies in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil. Add avocado and some good cheese to your salads.

If you can't eat them, drink them! Add a protein shake or smoothie to your routine. Or even just some fruit juice.

It's really not that tough to add a few hundred calories to your day if you put your mind to eat.

SteelySunshine

The people who say this always perplex me. Please do not take this as snark, but if you cannot eat that much, how did you gain weight to begin with?


What is your diet like?

Oh I got your back on this one. In that I think I can shed some light on the enigma or what ever you want to call it. Some people start eating more nutrient dense foods before they sign up here and stuff is a changing as far as hunger responses and such. I used to eat anywhere from 3000,4000 calories a day. But, it was very high calorie, not very nutrient dense food. Except the cheese which I ate a lot of but that is still high calorie. When I cut out meat and most dairy from my diet it was like whoa everything I eat is so filling. So, now I can literally be in tears on some days struggling to get to at least 1700 calories.

ETA: I accidentally also started intermittent fasting most days the 15/9 method and it's really hard to get that much food in, in that little time.

taunto

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

I suspect (please correct me OP if I'm wrong but I didn't checked your diary) that she might be eating VERY "clean" which makes it hard to eat decent amount of calories. Just eating some fruits very little baked chicken and veggies etc all day makes it extremely rough to even finish 1400

missybct

I think the perception of diet needs to be addressed here. When we monitor calories, especially people who are new to it - we tend to go for the "healthier" options - it's natural. The thought of eating the type of food we did before either fills us with dread or makes us envious of those who can without consequences (that we can see, anyway). We buy a bunch of low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, LOWWHATEVER food because we want to tackle this head on.

Here is the myth busted - you don't actually need to fork out a crap load for those diet products and in fact, all you need to do is just moderate what you eat. You don't HAVE to eat all your calories back if you exercise, but it's recommended that you at least eat SOME of them, because MFP works at a deficit anyway. So, you can stop torturing yourself over not being able to have ice cream, a burger, some fries etc. Because you CAN, and you should - if you like those things, and you have no allergies or medical reason not to eat them.

We buy these diet products because we are convinced they are the right choice - they rarely are, and also to get to the calorie intake we need, we have to eat more = buying more = more money for the company. Obviously there ARE exceptions to the rule, as with everything. I would suggest ditching whatever products you've replaced in order to lose weight/get fit and focus on healthy but calorie dense foods - nuts, avocado, cheese, eggs - a good mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Please also be aware that MFP establishes the macro's (sugar, carb, protein) as per a basic measurement and you can alter them, so unless you know specifically what you need or want to eat in macronutrients, don't worry too much - providing you are not going way over on one and way under on another.

PoopieMonster

I wonder how you got fat in the first place if you have trouble eating enough?

KlaJWolf

I feel im kind of in the same boat as you. I eat really good food, that sometimes don't have enough calories in them (never thought that would be a problem) Sometimes I just eat a couple spoonfulls of sunbutter, or drink some chocolate milk. I feel really full, but I'd rather give my body what it needs.

supahstar71

Cheese. The answer is always cheese. :flowerforyou:

whierd

I can dig it. Back when I was doing boxing I was burning 2,000+ calories and it was very rough to eat them back. The best solution to eat LITTLE bit of fast food or other dense calories. Like nut butter or full fat dairy etc. The calories fill up pretty fast when you're not tryign to only eat "clean". Eat clean too but don't just try to live off of salads either. Mix a bit of junk food to keep your belly and your mind happy and you will likely stay on the path much longer (like me) if you kept your mind and body happy with LITTLE bit of junk food daily

For very high burns like that I can see it becoming an issue. But with 30 day Shred she should only be burning a few hundred or so extra per day. That is a fairly light snack.

I suspect (please correct me OP if I'm wrong but I didn't checked your diary) that she might be eating VERY "clean" which makes it hard to eat decent amount of calories. Just eating some fruits very little baked chicken and veggies etc all day makes it extremely rough to even finish 1400

Her diary is closed, so it is hard to say for sure. Hopefully she weighs in soon.

whierd

Cheese. The answer is always cheese. :flowerforyou:

Funny you should say that. Fat has been my hardest macro to hit. My answer was to start eating more cheese.