SO CONFUSED about eating back exercise calories, etc.

dr0pmint

Hi all,
I am 5'2" and weigh 180 lbs. According to MFP I should have daily net calories of 1,200. I have been burning about 200-500 calories per day and my goal is set to lose 1.5 lbs per week. However, I have a mild condition that makes me unable to eat very much. I thought that was a good thing and would help me to lose weight faster, but then I read something recommending that I eat back my exercise calories. I have to force myself to get up to 1,200 net calories each day as it is, and now I would have to eat even more to eat back the exercise cals. Is this really necessary? Should I be forcing myself to consume more calories? Or should I stop working out and focus solely on diet since I can't eat back my exercise calories?
I really hope my questions make sense, I'm totally new to this and really have no clue if I'm losing weight the right way!

dr0pmint

Anyone?
I've found that I really like working out and want to do even more, but not if I have to eat back calories when I simply cannot.

ladynocturne

Try eating more calorie dense foods/healthy fats.

Add more olive oil to cooking.

Eat nuts and nut butters instead of low calorie snacks.

Add avocado to salads, wraps, soup and sandwiches.

Toss the "low fat" "fat free" dairy and buy full fat.

Drink your calorie if you are too full, juice, milk, protein shakes, ect

These alone should add an extra 200-500 calorie a day without making you any fuller.

It is important to eat back exercise calories, provided the original estimation of your burn is correct. Some people choose to eat between 50%-80%. A chest strap HRM is the most accurate way to estimate calorie burns.

Please keep in mind that you do not have to wait until after you exercise to eat those calories, if you truly plan on exercising, you can eat them earlier in the day, add extra calorie to each meal instead of trying to eat them all at once.

Anonycatgirl

With such a low calorie goal, you should definitely eat back some of your exercise calories, because it's hard to get enough nourishment otherwise. If you can't increase the volume of what you're eating right now, try some more calorie-dense foods. Try full-fat cheese and yogurt instead of the low-fat kind, or some peanut butter, or a handful of almonds. Heck, have a cookie now and then, though at 1200 calories, you should probably focus mostly on nutritious foods.

Ninkyou

Try eating more calorie dense foods/healthy fats.

^This.