Ridiculous amount of calories to eat after exercise.

MelodyandBarbells

OP a person that burns 1000 calories working out per day is classified as a very active person, not sedentary. 1200 calories are for people that whish to loose 2 pounds or more per week.
I have a desk job, so when I first started to use MFP, I had 1200 calories for intake, but it was not enough for me because I also workout 4 times a week ( Cardio and body pump). Anyway I usually eat all the cardio-burned calories. Now I am getting close to my goal and I have 1700 calories for intake, I try to limit cardio to 20 minutes and still eating the cardio-burned calories.

You can use the MFP activity definition that way if you feel it's working for you, but it has to do with your non exercise activity. You then add exercise separately. Basically, if you and I both attend the same BodyCombat and BodyPump classes, weigh the same and workout with the same intensity, if you're a mover and I'm an office receptionist , you'll need to consume more calories than I do due to the increased activity you get all day.

On the app (not sure about the website), they give examples for each Activity Level. Sedentary: desk job. Lightly active: teacher. Active: mailman. Very active: bike messenger

NOMORECARS

I am exercising at a rate that i feel necessary to build my strength, lose weight, and boost metabolism... but my calorie goal for weight loss is 1200... and after burning 1000 exercising, that means a 2200 calorie day. I ate a jumbo bowl of popcorn at the end of the day to make up those extra few hundred calories... but it just seems like too much food. leaving me feel heavy. concerned also that the more i eat, the more i will want or need to eat every day... i love food, but would love to just be able to eat about 1700 to 1800 and feel content and healthy. don't want to drop below 1200 net... and 2200 seems way too much... would less exercise be the best option?

There is nothing wrong with running a deficit. I have a net below zero several times per week. DO NOT EXERCISE LESS. I have eaten 3200 calories today for instance, and MFP is telling me to eat another 1700. But I can't eat any more, so I just don't. Things will even out in the long term.

CreativeGenius822013

Some one please give me some answers!!! I started My fitness pal and I weighed 749lbs. I have lost 23lbs so far but it was not from following MFP. I set my own calories down to 1200 calories and was basically starving the weight of and have rebounded quite a bit because it was impossible to function at that number of calories. Well my question is this now that impute my numbers into MFP it tells me to eat 4400 calories!!! How can I eat that much and still loose weight that goes against everything I have every been told!! Please Help!!

amusedmonkey

Some one please give me some answers!!! I started My fitness pal and I weighed 749lbs. I have lost 23lbs so far but it was not from following MFP. I set my own calories down to 1200 calories and was basically starving the weight of and have rebounded quite a bit because it was impossible to function at that number of calories. Well my question is this now that impute my numbers into MFP it tells me to eat 4400 calories!!! How can I eat that much and still loose weight that goes against everything I have every been told!! Please Help!!

Because you are heavy, your body requires more calories than a person of normal weight to sustain itself. Don't fall into the 1200 calories trap. It may be a good option for a short thin small framed woman, but not you.

Your number means you were eating quite a bit more than what MFP set up for you, so even if this sounds too much you will still lose weight eating that much. In general, it's safe losing up to 1% of your weight per week, so in your case if you don't want to eat 4400 calories you may be able to lower your calories a bit more than MFP tells you. Set your weight at 4-5 pound loss (up to a whooping 7.5 pounds a week!) instead of the 2 pounds max MFP offers. Set your calories at 3000-3500 and eat roughly what you used to eat before but controlling for quantities. After that, start to add more nutrient rich foods gradually, replacing some of the less nutrient dense food. As you lose weight you will need less and less calories each 10 pounds lost and you will be eating less and less.

It's basically calories in/calories out. Do not starve yourself when you can lose comfortably at a higher calorie budget.

canadjineh

Get an HRM to get a more accurate calorie burnt, MFP and cardio machines can give you an inflated number.

DEFINITELY THIS ^^^

SomeNights246

Listen to your body. Sometimes, I'll burn 1000 calories in a day. I rarely eat them all back. However, I find that the next day I might eat a bit more than what I normally do. And that's okay, because the day before, I burned a LOT of calories. It can be hard (especially when losing weight) to trust your body. But it knows when you need to eat and when you don't (unless you suffer from BED or bulimia, which is a different scenario entirely). Trust it.

Interesting to note, some athletes eat 3000-4000 calories a day because of how much they burn a day!

snazzyjazzy21

I am exercising at a rate that i feel necessary to build my strength, lose weight, and boost metabolism... but my calorie goal for weight loss is 1200... and after burning 1000 exercising, that means a 2200 calorie day. I ate a jumbo bowl of popcorn at the end of the day to make up those extra few hundred calories... but it just seems like too much food. leaving me feel heavy. concerned also that the more i eat, the more i will want or need to eat every day... i love food, but would love to just be able to eat about 1700 to 1800 and feel content and healthy. don't want to drop below 1200 net... and 2200 seems way too much... would less exercise be the best option?

There is nothing wrong with running a deficit. I have a net below zero several times per week. DO NOT EXERCISE LESS. I have eaten 3200 calories today for instance, and MFP is telling me to eat another 1700. But I can't eat any more, so I just don't. Things will even out in the long term.

Please stop advising that repeatedly having a negative net is okay, it's not.

Confuzzled4ever

Some one please give me some answers!!! I started My fitness pal and I weighed 749lbs. I have lost 23lbs so far but it was not from following MFP. I set my own calories down to 1200 calories and was basically starving the weight of and have rebounded quite a bit because it was impossible to function at that number of calories. Well my question is this now that impute my numbers into MFP it tells me to eat 4400 calories!!! How can I eat that much and still loose weight that goes against everything I have every been told!! Please Help!!

I think you will find if you track what you were eating *before* you were eating much more then this. So 4400 will not seem like a lot if you really stick to it. 23lbs is nothing to overlook. It's an accomplishment. Be proud of that and keep on reaching for the next goal.

You need to eat enough to fuel your body. Eating too little will jut lead to quitting.

i'd also suggest going to a doctor and having them monitor your weight loss.

cwolfman13

Listen to your body. Honestly if I eat 1750, and burn 1000 at the gym. All I do is have a 170 calorie protein shake, and go to bed at times. That may net just 920, but honestly I ate near 2,000 calories, and I know I'll make it up later in the week.

That advice can be very flawed. Hopefully in due time you will realize that.

I am exercising at a rate that i feel necessary to build my strength, lose weight, and boost metabolism... but my calorie goal for weight loss is 1200... and after burning 1000 exercising, that means a 2200 calorie day. I ate a jumbo bowl of popcorn at the end of the day to make up those extra few hundred calories... but it just seems like too much food. leaving me feel heavy. concerned also that the more i eat, the more i will want or need to eat every day... i love food, but would love to just be able to eat about 1700 to 1800 and feel content and healthy. don't want to drop below 1200 net... and 2200 seems way too much... would less exercise be the best option?

If you don't know how to eat like an athlete, maybe you shouldn't be training like one.

You don't need to burn 1000 calories in exercise every day...not really sustainable for most, particularly if you don't know how to properly fuel that activity.

Your calorie deficit for weight loss is built into your calorie goal before exercise...meaning you would lose your weight just eating to that calorie goal. You exercise for fitness and if you aren't a reasonably fit individual, doing that much exercise is likely overtrain. I'm very fit and active and the only days I have burns like that are on my long ride days where I'm out on my bike for 3 hours plus and covering a good 30-40 miles....I know I'm going to burn a lot so I eat a lot...I don't wait until the evening to get my calories in, I plan them into my day.

I would add to that, if indeed you are training like that and burning that many calories on a regular basis, 2200 calories is nothing....on a long ride day I eat around 3500 calories to maintain...I would still lose about 1 Lb per week eating around 3000 calories.

This here^^^ is great advice as always.

I don't feel like it's flawed. My weekly goal numbers turn out fine. It seems unnecessary to force yourself to eat when you aren't really hungry. Later on in the week I'll have a night where I need that extra snack that makes up for the previous net goal.

The issue here is that if you're truly getting 1,000 calorie plus burns on a regular basis, you have quite a heavy training load. Exercise is good for you, but it is also very hard on the body and energy (calories) and nutrients for recovery and repair are required. After a 40 mile plus ride, my body needs those nutrients NOW for recovery and repair, not in a couple days when I feel like overindulging.

This isn't as big of an issue if you're just going for a walk or jumping on a treadmill for a half hour or something...when you're actually training and breaking down your body like that, you need that nutrition post haste to optimize recovery as well as to optimize your fitness gains.

I think it's pretty safe to assume the OP ain't doing no 40 mile rides. The assumption of the PP also was that the 1000 calorie burn either isn't happening everyday, or that some days, you'd simply prefer to eat more and could splurge a bit using the excess deficit from previous, if not future days. If I have energy to get through a workout, did the nutrients I over ate two days ago suddenly disappear? Frankly, I don't really see the point of eat up all the food and nutrients right after your workout other than selling protein shakes and other ****.

while the OP may not actually be riding 30-40 miles, if she is indeed burning 1,000 calories per workout then she is doing roughly the equivalent which will do roughly the equivalent damage to the body and require roughly the equivalent rest and reparation.

It is irrelevant whether she is burning that daily or only once per week...my point still stands...when you are putting that kind of a stresser on your body you need the nutrition now, not later....I mean unless you really don't give a rats *kitten* about actual fitness gains and your general overall health and well being. I only have burns like that once per week on my long ride...and you bet your *kitten* I properly fuel it before, during, and after to optimize my recovery and fitness gains...otherwise, what is the point in training like that?

As I noted, there is a substantial difference between going out and burning a few hundred calories and putting in the level of effort required to burn off 1,000 calories in exercise...it is night and day in RE to the amount of stress you are putting on your body and thus night and day in RE to what you need for recovery.

NOMORECARS

Please stop advising that repeatedly having a negative net is okay, it's not.

If I eat 3200 calories of nutrient dense food which gives me what my body needs then, YES, IT IS PERFECTLY ALRIGHT TO REPEATEDLY RUN A DEFICIT. It would be different if I ate 800 calories of pre-packaged low fat meals and then sat in a car all day.

MelodyandBarbells

Listen to your body. Honestly if I eat 1750, and burn 1000 at the gym. All I do is have a 170 calorie protein shake, and go to bed at times. That may net just 920, but honestly I ate near 2,000 calories, and I know I'll make it up later in the week.

That advice can be very flawed. Hopefully in due time you will realize that.

I am exercising at a rate that i feel necessary to build my strength, lose weight, and boost metabolism... but my calorie goal for weight loss is 1200... and after burning 1000 exercising, that means a 2200 calorie day. I ate a jumbo bowl of popcorn at the end of the day to make up those extra few hundred calories... but it just seems like too much food. leaving me feel heavy. concerned also that the more i eat, the more i will want or need to eat every day... i love food, but would love to just be able to eat about 1700 to 1800 and feel content and healthy. don't want to drop below 1200 net... and 2200 seems way too much... would less exercise be the best option?

If you don't know how to eat like an athlete, maybe you shouldn't be training like one.

You don't need to burn 1000 calories in exercise every day...not really sustainable for most, particularly if you don't know how to properly fuel that activity.

Your calorie deficit for weight loss is built into your calorie goal before exercise...meaning you would lose your weight just eating to that calorie goal. You exercise for fitness and if you aren't a reasonably fit individual, doing that much exercise is likely overtrain. I'm very fit and active and the only days I have burns like that are on my long ride days where I'm out on my bike for 3 hours plus and covering a good 30-40 miles....I know I'm going to burn a lot so I eat a lot...I don't wait until the evening to get my calories in, I plan them into my day.

I would add to that, if indeed you are training like that and burning that many calories on a regular basis, 2200 calories is nothing....on a long ride day I eat around 3500 calories to maintain...I would still lose about 1 Lb per week eating around 3000 calories.

This here^^^ is great advice as always.

I don't feel like it's flawed. My weekly goal numbers turn out fine. It seems unnecessary to force yourself to eat when you aren't really hungry. Later on in the week I'll have a night where I need that extra snack that makes up for the previous net goal.

The issue here is that if you're truly getting 1,000 calorie plus burns on a regular basis, you have quite a heavy training load. Exercise is good for you, but it is also very hard on the body and energy (calories) and nutrients for recovery and repair are required. After a 40 mile plus ride, my body needs those nutrients NOW for recovery and repair, not in a couple days when I feel like overindulging.

This isn't as big of an issue if you're just going for a walk or jumping on a treadmill for a half hour or something...when you're actually training and breaking down your body like that, you need that nutrition post haste to optimize recovery as well as to optimize your fitness gains.

I think it's pretty safe to assume the OP ain't doing no 40 mile rides. The assumption of the PP also was that the 1000 calorie burn either isn't happening everyday, or that some days, you'd simply prefer to eat more and could splurge a bit using the excess deficit from previous, if not future days. If I have energy to get through a workout, did the nutrients I over ate two days ago suddenly disappear? Frankly, I don't really see the point of eat up all the food and nutrients right after your workout other than selling protein shakes and other ****.

while the OP may not actually be riding 30-40 miles, if she is indeed burning 1,000 calories per workout then she is doing roughly the equivalent which will do roughly the equivalent damage to the body and require roughly the equivalent rest and reparation.

It is irrelevant whether she is burning that daily or only once per week...my point still stands...when you are putting that kind of a stresser on your body you need the nutrition now, not later....I mean unless you really don't give a rats *kitten* about actual fitness gains and your general overall health and well being. I only have burns like that once per week on my long ride...and you bet your *kitten* I properly fuel it before, during, and after to optimize my recovery and fitness gains...otherwise, what is the point in training like that?

As I noted, there is a substantial difference between going out and burning a few hundred calories and putting in the level of effort required to burn off 1,000 calories in exercise...it is night and day in RE to the amount of stress you are putting on your body and thus night and day in RE to what you need for recovery.

Well I guess this has helped me immensely since I had trouble understanding your OPINION the first go around

And the point of training like that for some people is burning calories and weight loss.

alicekelli

I will have to open my profile so people can get an understanding. 1000 cal burn seems relatively "easy" for me. At 173lbs a 25 min cardio kickbox is 350 cals. A 55 min cardio / strength is between 500 to 600. A 25 min walk / jog in my neighbourhood can burn 350 depending on pace because there are decent hills. ( I am getting these numbers from hrm . my resting headgate is super low so that might be part of it? .) Then some light yoga for another 150... or some gardening for 150. I add in walks because I set my levels at sedentary. I'm at home with my pre schooler everyday. I definititely don't burn 1000 day, but hope to burn at least 700 6 days a week. But i find i'm less hungry with all this exercise than when I was less active.

swaggityswagbag

If losing 1000 calories is easy for you, then MFP or whatever app you're using is DRASTICALLY overestimating how many calories you're losing. If you eat back all the exercise calories you "lost", you will probably gain weight.

MelodyandBarbells

I will have to open my profile so people can get an understanding. 1000 cal burn seems relatively "easy" for me. At 173lbs a 25 min cardio kickbox is 350 cals. A 55 min cardio / strength is between 500 to 600. A 25 min walk / jog in my neighbourhood can burn 350 depending on pace because there are decent hills. ( I am getting these numbers from hrm . my resting headgate is super low so that might be part of it? .) Then some light yoga for another 150... or some gardening for 150. I add in walks because I set my levels at sedentary. I'm at home with my pre schooler everyday. I definititely don't burn 1000 day, but hope to burn at least 700 6 days a week. But i find i'm less hungry with all this exercise than when I was less active.

So eating back 700 calories plus your 1200 puts you at 1900 calories per day. That seems like the amount you said you were comfortable with in the earlier post and to me I don't see how somebody eating 1900 calories could be starving by any definition. But that's just my opinion. That total seems like a fine amount to me.

swaggityswagbag

Some one please give me some answers!!! I started My fitness pal and I weighed 749lbs. I have lost 23lbs so far but it was not from following MFP. I set my own calories down to 1200 calories and was basically starving the weight of and have rebounded quite a bit because it was impossible to function at that number of calories. Well my question is this now that impute my numbers into MFP it tells me to eat 4400 calories!!! How can I eat that much and still loose weight that goes against everything I have every been told!! Please Help!!

I think you will find if you track what you were eating *before* you were eating much more then this. So 4400 will not seem like a lot if you really stick to it. 23lbs is nothing to overlook. It's an accomplishment. Be proud of that and keep on reaching for the next goal.

You need to eat enough to fuel your body. Eating too little will jut lead to quitting.

i'd also suggest going to a doctor and having them monitor your weight loss.

That's not actually the issue. MFP calculator is not accurate with the extremely obese. It assumes you have a lot more lean mass than you actually do.

OP, you can drop the calories down to 2500 or so and still see a good healthy loss.

swaggityswagbag

There's absolutely no problem with running a negative net...that is 100% fine. That is how you do weight loss, guys. More calories burned than consumed. All these weight loss myths are making everyone struggle - "don't eat below bmr!" "eat back all your exercise calories!" "don't net negative!" those are just ways of saying "I want to eat more but I'll feel bad if I don't actually have a reason to". Just admit that you personally don't have the correct diet/habits to eat at a lower deficit than you are. That's fine. But don't tell people who *can* eat lower that it's bad. It absolutely is not, as long as you have fat stores on your body.

diannethegeek

There's a lot of good advice in this thread (and some very bad advice, too) but I just want to address this: 2200 calories is not a lot of food. That's around what I'd eat for maintenance right now. If you can't figure out how to eat that much now, then what are you planning to do when you reach your goals and transition to maintaining your weight.

That's one of the great perks of the MFP style of dieting. Learning how to eat now is going to build a lot of knowledge and healthy habits that are going to help you keep the weight off long term.

waldo56

Okay- so why has no one said this

WTH are you eating popcorn?

it's incredibly filling and not that high in caloires unless you are fully loaded cheese/butter popcorn.

you need REAL food- and real calories-I would be drinking a half gallon of milk a day with that kind of deficit.

And 2200 is not THAT much. It feels like it when you are at a deficit- but it's really not.

4 oreo's- 2 servings of ice cream and some fruit is like 5-600 calories.

Have at it.

If you aren't eating enough with those burns- you WILL have a problem.

You need to eat. Even if it means you drink your calories- you need to eat.

All of this.

Learning to fuel large exercise burns reasonably is how you sustain large burns.

Not sure if the 1K/day total is legit (its a lot of exercise, but very possible if you are fit, but for a female 1K isn't happening in less than 2 hours), but if it is you have to learn to fuel it.

Popcorn is terrible for fueling, its something to use as a snack when you have hardly any calorie space. High carb/high cal sources (think ice cream, pancakes, etc...) are the best for fueling large amounts of exercise.

waldo56

If losing 1000 calories is easy for you, then MFP or whatever app you're using is DRASTICALLY overestimating how many calories you're losing. If you eat back all the exercise calories you "lost", you will probably gain weight.

I burn over 1K/day quite regularly and don't consider it difficult. My wife is in the 600-700 cal/day area, she doesn't find it overly difficult.

A 30 minute walk and a 90 minute strength session will do it easy. So will a walk early in the day and an hour run later.

Just depends on what you are used to. I average about 800 cal/day exercise (normal peaks are in the 1100-1200 area), and am quite confident that is correct given how much experience I have going through bulk/cut cycles.

JenniCali1000

Honestly, I LOVE and look forward to the days I burn that much! When I do a 2 hour run or workout for 2 hours in one day and burn 1000 calories, I never seem to have a problem eating those calories back. But on the off chance that I have a deficit at the end of the day, so be it. I won't force myself to eat if I'm full. My advice is to not worry so much and just eat healthy, nutritious foods until you're satisfied.