Working out = overeating my calorie goal... help

meganreid163

So I’ve started working out and I started slowly but now I’m working out 5 days a week for a hour intense work outs as well as being very active on my two rest days.
I always get 11000 steps in a day and I currently have my setting on here as lightly active and don’t eat back my step calories.
I do try to eat back half of my calories but....
On days that I work out super hard aka take my spin class & lift weights I am literally starving the next day and can’t stop eating..
I am beyond starving.. I have upped my protein by a lot and nothing is working.
This week I have eaten on avarahe 1800 calories which is about maintenance for me.
I’m really trying to get 30ish more pounds off and I love working out and don’t want to stop because it makes me so happy.
But I need tips on how not to raid the fridge after 😭😭😭😭😭😭

NorthCascades

Intense workouts that deplete your glycogen give some people the rungries.

sijomial

Maybe dial down the intensity of your exercise?
In terms of hunger people respond to different intensities and types of exercise, experiment to see what triggers hunger. For me low to moderate cardio has no real impact on my hunger, weight training and high intensity exercise does

If protein doesn't satiate you then experiment - for me starchy carbs are the most satiating foods.

Are your exercise estimates really so exaggerated that you only eat half of them? They would have to be double the actual burn for that to be reasonable.

jnomadica

Are you sure 1800 is maintenance for you? That sounds awfully low for someone as active as you are.

lalalacroix

How has your weight loss been the last few weeks? I ask because you may be eating too low. Eating half workout calories works for some and eating all of them works for others.

h7463

Been there, ripped the fridge door off the hinges.... Out of personal experience, stepping down the exercise program and eating at maintenance for a while, might take the edge off the food cravings.

TavistockToad

You should be eating back your exercise calories. Doing that won't make you maintain as long as your exercise calorie burn is accurate.

MikePTY

What are your stats (height, weight, age, rate of loss)? It's very unlikely that 1800 is maintence for you with all of your exercise. Based on your status it seems that you are undereating your burn which is causing you to become hungry.

First off, 11000 steps, especially if they are not coming from exercise (I do not know if spinning would register as steps or not so take that into consideration), should be active, not lightly active. So you probably have a lower than necessary goal from that.

Secondly, MFP is set up for you to eat All your execise calories back, not "half of them". I know half is something we sometimes say on the board, but that's in part to ease people into the idea and in part to combat wild calorie estimates. But if you don't have wild calorie estimates, you should be eating back all your exercise calories. If you are working out major workouts (I assume spin ± weights is more than an hour) you are burning a lot of calories and need to eat more for them. 1800 does not sound like an unreasonable amount at all.

Perhaps you would be better off switching to TDEE, which you do not need to eat back your exercise calories but you would incorporate them into your daily goal. If you provide your stats I'd be happy to throw them into a calculator for you and show you what it says your maintence and goal is for your activity level (which in TDEE is very active).

But my basic summary is that I don't think you are eating too much or two hungry, I think you just have to change your mentality towards eating more because you are active.

Maxematics

jnomadica wrote: »

Are you sure 1800 is maintenance for you? That sounds awfully low for someone as active as you are.

I agree with this. I'm 5'3" and 112 pounds; I lose weight on 1800 calories. If you're trying to lose around 30 pounds, it's highly likely that 1800 isn't maintenance for you.

meganreid163

I’m 5’7 193 currently haven’t lost in three weeks sense I’ve started really stepping up my work outs. I know this is probably a mix of eating too many calories because I’m starving and binge and because I’m holding onto water weight.
I have gone down inches.
I will move it up to active.. and just really try to stay within those calories.

MikePTY

meganreid163 wrote: »

I’m 5’7 193 currently haven’t lost in three weeks sense I’ve started really stepping up my work outs. I know this is probably a mix of eating too many calories because I’m starving and binge and because I’m holding onto water weight.
I have gone down inches.
I will move it up to active.. and just really try to stay within those calories.

You're maintence in TDEE is around 2800 calories (don't know your age so that will affect it slightly) . You are not eating too many calories. If you are losing inches but maintaining weight you are likely adding on water weight from increasing your exercise routine. You are still losing fat.

If you are measuring correctly and only eating 1800, that is still a large deficit. You certainly shouldn't eat any less than that, and probably should eat more.

meganreid163

Okay I’ll try that for a few weeks! I guess I’m just not use to eating that many calories

Brokentang

When do you eat in relation to your exercises?

Chelle8070

meganreid163 wrote: »

I’m 5’7 193 currently haven’t lost in three weeks sense I’ve started really stepping up my work outs. I know this is probably a mix of eating too many calories because I’m starving and binge and because I’m holding onto water weight.
I have gone down inches.
I will move it up to active.. and just really try to stay within those calories.

Especially if you're going down in inches but your actual weight isn't changing, you're probably gaining muscle.

I got away from thinking that the number on the scale was what mattered most and it's really helped my brain.

Good luck! I always get so confused on the calorie thing and how much to eat back and whether or not my starting numbers are enough, etc. So many people have so many different opinions on it, professionals even. It hurts my brain.

Great job on the inches lost and the fit lifestyle! The rest will fall into place

meganreid163

Brokentang wrote: »

When do you eat in relation to your exercises?

Don’t really plan any eating around my work outs. I don’t eat on a full stomach though as that can me sick.
I do try to eat protein after my workouts

kimber0607

meganreid163 wrote: »

Brokentang wrote: »

When do you eat in relation to your exercises?

Don’t really plan any eating around my work outs. I don’t eat on a full stomach though as that can me sick.
I do try to eat protein after my workouts

This is all so confusing at times
I wasn't working out and eating 1400 cals....I hit 136 (5'8)
I started working out 3 weeks ago, so I upped my cals to 1600-give or take
Im not hungry...but I gained 3 pounds...I also have a pair or shorts I use to gage since the scale can be unreliable as far as muscle...and they are snug to button....damn!
I guess its a lot of trial and error...but if u are ripping off the fridge doors..I would def increase cals...some healthy protein...maybe a little at a time so you can continue to loose
GL
kim

garystrickland357

I notice you said you are ravenous the next day after a hard spin class or weight session. Here's MY experience - I have learned that after a particularly hard or long workout I am often not too hungry - my appetite is suppressed. I used to rationalize, "Great! I'll eat a bit less and lose a bit more weight/lose faster." Wrong! The next day I want to eat the paint off of a car door.

I've learned that I need to go ahead and eat those exercise calories back THAT DAY. This keeps me from being ravenous the NEXT day. Your mileage may vary but you might try this and see how your appetite responds to when you eat.

superman4880

You need to up your calories and eat a bake potato for lunch and dinner. Your body could be in anabolic which can cause you to eat like that. I know after I do a bodybuilding. show. About 3 or 4 days of carb loading.

meganreid163

garystrickland357 wrote: »

I notice you said you are ravenous the next day after a hard spin class or weight session. Here's MY experience - I have learned that after a particularly hard or long workout I am often not too hungry - my appetite is suppressed. I used to rationalize, "Great! I'll eat a bit less and lose a bit more weight/lose faster." Wrong! The next day I want to eat the paint off of a car door.

I've learned that I need to go ahead and eat those exercise calories back THAT DAY. This keeps me from being ravenous the NEXT day. Your mileage may vary but you might try this and see how your appetite responds to when you eat.

I totally totally agree. I’ve upped my Dailey calories as I think I wasn’t eating enough also like you said the days I was working out I was under eating because I didn’t feel hungry. I’m no longer doing this and eating all my calories and I feel so much better.

meganreid163

kimber0607 wrote: »

meganreid163 wrote: »

Brokentang wrote: »

When do you eat in relation to your exercises?

Don’t really plan any eating around my work outs. I don’t eat on a full stomach though as that can me sick.
I do try to eat protein after my workouts

This is all so confusing at times
I wasn't working out and eating 1400 cals....I hit 136 (5'8)
I started working out 3 weeks ago, so I upped my cals to 1600-give or take
Im not hungry...but I gained 3 pounds...I also have a pair or shorts I use to gage since the scale can be unreliable as far as muscle...and they are snug to button....damn!
I guess its a lot of trial and error...but if u are ripping off the fridge doors..I would def increase cals...some healthy protein...maybe a little at a time so you can continue to loose
GL
kim

So confusing right!!!
Drives me crazy but I’m just going to keep going, I know I’m eating better, working out and I know eventually the scale with show it lol