All these extra calories!!

indarican
indarican Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All!!! SO I have been on MFP for a while but I plan to stay dedicated this time!! I am having a really hard time with the calories. I have done all the fad/starvation diets out there and unfortunately have jacked up my metabolism. I have raised my calorie goal from 1200 to 1600 in efforts to get my metabolism back on track (although I have not been able to eat all 1600 calories with healthy food, usually level out at like 1300 calories a day). I do very light working out, lots of walking things like that but nothing crazy. it seems like everyday after I enter in my exercise I drop down to like 600 net calories consumed. I know it should be more but by this time I am already full and it late (bedtime). I know I should be eating more than 600 net calories, I just don't want to have to force feed myself, or gorge on high calorie snacks like candy,chips and stuff (I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS!!)
Any suggestions? :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
    Add more snacks. Maybe throw in a protein shake after your workout? Treat yourself to a dessert after dinner?
  • margarethumphreys58
    margarethumphreys58 Posts: 51 Member
    If you know you're going to be burning the calories anyway, you could try to bulk up breakfast and lunch? Treat yourself to things that you limit f you know you'll have the calories.
  • uncharted01
    uncharted01 Posts: 105 Member
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)
  • Patzycakes
    Patzycakes Posts: 175 Member
    I tried to look at your log for excercise. If you're only doing light excercise are you sure you're calculating the calories correctly? 1000 calories seems really high.
  • indarican
    indarican Posts: 15
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)
    uncharted01 I never really make it all the way up to 1600 calories, I try its just difficult to get all the way up there. I have even added an egg drink first thing in the morning to boost my calories. usually i level out around 1300-1400 calories. As for my exercise calories, I do a lot of walking, hour for lunch, walk to and from work, within work... I use the moves app on my phone (pedometer) it tells me how many steps i have taken and calorie count, miles, time and all that good stuff. I usually end up burning 500-600 calories a day.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)


    This! ....1,000 does sound really high.

    Calorie dense foods can help when you're not all that hungry. Nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, cheese. Add a few of these things during the day...they add up quick.
  • indarican
    indarican Posts: 15
    Yea I definitely don't burn 1000 calories a day closer to 600 more or less. But I never make it to my calorie goal of 1600. I usually end my days at 1300. I am not a real big nut person but Ill give it a whirl. THANKS!!:smile:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)
    uncharted01 I never really make it all the way up to 1600 calories, I try its just difficult to get all the way up there. I have even added an egg drink first thing in the morning to boost my calories. usually i level out around 1300-1400 calories. As for my exercise calories, I do a lot of walking, hour for lunch, walk to and from work, within work... I use the moves app on my phone (pedometer) it tells me how many steps i have taken and calorie count, miles, time and all that good stuff. I usually end up burning 500-600 calories a day.

    Steps .........because these are differing speeds, you might want to up your activity level instead.....or at least compare the calorie change for increasing your activity to the calories on your app. Most apps don't record heart rate....this is an approximation of exertion level. Walks that bring your heart rate up (hills, whatever) generally burn more calories.

    <5000 steps/day may be used as a sedentary lifestyle
    5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity might be considered low active
    7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities considered somewhat active
    10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active
    >12500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active
  • indarican
    indarican Posts: 15
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)
    uncharted01 I never really make it all the way up to 1600 calories, I try its just difficult to get all the way up there. I have even added an egg drink first thing in the morning to boost my calories. usually i level out around 1300-1400 calories. As for my exercise calories, I do a lot of walking, hour for lunch, walk to and from work, within work... I use the moves app on my phone (pedometer) it tells me how many steps i have taken and calorie count, miles, time and all that good stuff. I usually end up burning 500-600 calories a day.

    Steps .........because these are differing speeds, you might want to up your activity level instead.....or at least compare the calorie change for increasing your activity to the calories on your app. Most apps don't record heart rate....this is an approximation of exertion level. Walks that bring your heart rate up (hills, whatever) generally burn more calories.

    <5000 steps/day may be used as a sedentary lifestyle
    5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity might be considered low active
    7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities considered somewhat active
    10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active
    >12500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active

    Im not sure what you think I should do... Up the activity in my profile from sedentry to somewhat active? I usually stay between 8000-15000 steps a day.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It's already assumed that you take a certain amount of steps in a day just living so you can't count your whole days walking as exercise. Stick with only the brisk walking that you do purely for exercise.

    It's not hard at all to get to 1600 calories if you aren't "dieting". Eat full fat dairy, eggs, lean meats, nuts, avocado, peanut butter, oils. You don't have to get your calories in eating veggies and boiled chicken in order to lose weight. Hell, if you have the left over calories, have some ice cream or a couple cookies. Reduce the volume and up the calories if you can't eat enough (which is how we all gained weight to start with?) and you don't need to eat back 100% of your exercise.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Im not sure what you think I should do... Up the activity in my profile from sedentry to somewhat active? I usually stay between 8000-15000 steps a day.

    Keep track of how many steps you take at work, then how many you take as intentional exercise. MFP's settings are based on your work day and logging your exercise separately. If you want to combine it all together with a set number of calories to eat you have to use the TDEE method. You can't up your calories with MFP and also eat exercise back, that would be double dipping.
  • indarican
    indarican Posts: 15
    Im not sure what you think I should do... Up the activity in my profile from sedentry to somewhat active? I usually stay between 8000-15000 steps a day.

    Keep track of how many steps you take at work, then how many you take as intentional exercise. MFP's settings are based on your work day and logging your exercise separately. If you want to combine it all together with a set number of calories to eat you have to use the TDEE method. You can't up your calories with MFP and also eat exercise back, that would be double dipping.

    Well I don't count all the steps I take at work (to the bathroom, office down the hall, etc) but i do count when I have to cross from one end of the facility to another... (I work in a very large hospital and am constantly going to different floors and areas of the hospital) Should I not consider that in my exercise steps? I sometimes take the long way back just for exercise purposes, does that count?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    hey! good for you for getting back on board and staying motivated!
    if you're eating 1600 calories and after exercise it drops to 600, that means you're burning 1000 calories exercising? that seems really, really high if you're doing light workouts. are you sure you're logging your exercise calories properly?
    just a thought! good luck on your journey! :)
    uncharted01 I never really make it all the way up to 1600 calories, I try its just difficult to get all the way up there. I have even added an egg drink first thing in the morning to boost my calories. usually i level out around 1300-1400 calories. As for my exercise calories, I do a lot of walking, hour for lunch, walk to and from work, within work... I use the moves app on my phone (pedometer) it tells me how many steps i have taken and calorie count, miles, time and all that good stuff. I usually end up burning 500-600 calories a day.

    Steps .........because these are differing speeds, you might want to up your activity level instead.....or at least compare the calorie change for increasing your activity to the calories on your app. Most apps don't record heart rate....this is an approximation of exertion level. Walks that bring your heart rate up (hills, whatever) generally burn more calories.

    <5000 steps/day may be used as a sedentary lifestyle
    5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity might be considered low active
    7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities considered somewhat active
    10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active
    >12500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active

    Im not sure what you think I should do... Up the activity in my profile from sedentry to somewhat active? I usually stay between 8000-15000 steps a day.

    Ok - I tried 2 different settings on mine, just curious about the numbers

    For my height & weight (everyone will be different) ...my calories burned from daily activity

    Sedentary = 1650
    Lightly Active = 1780
    Active = 1910

    If your activity numbers are in the 500 calorie range difference....you're on the right track. Otherwise you can choose to keep a "new" activity level and not log walking. OR over ride the walking calories burned everyday. Use a percentage of calories....not all of them.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    If you can't eat 1600 calories a day then what difference does it make how many you're burning exactly from exercise or what counts as exercise? First thing to do would be figure out how to actually eat what you need to eat. There's no point in trying to figure out how to burn or count more if you aren't going to eat them anyway.

    You pick an activity level based on your job. If you think your job qualifies you as lightly active then pick that but those are not exercise calories then that you count as well. Exercise is something you do specifically for the exercise, not because work requires you to do some walking.

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