How to get the calories in - healthily!?

hoggy1972
hoggy1972 Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
I have a question about the Calorie targets on MFP. If my daily target is 2000 calories and i do 1000 Cals of exercise on a particular day, am i supposed to eat those 'exercise calories' as well? i.e. a total 3000 calories.

I'm struggling to eat 2000 healthy calories at the moment as the more you read about food and nutrition the more confusing it gets over what is actually good for you. I'm currently trying to do a 40/30/30 Carbs/Protein/Fats ratio at the moment but i find it hard to get the calories on board without eating the wrong stuff.

Any answers or advice?

Replies

  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    It depends on how you did your MFP settings. If you put sedentary you are supposed to eat back everything that didn't involve sitting on your butt in a chair all day. Other settings take some activity and exercise into account, depending on which you chose.
  • casy84
    casy84 Posts: 290 Member
    I wouldn't try to make weigh loss into exact science because there are too many variables to be considered.
    If you're hungry then eat your calories, if not don't stuff yourself because you may get sick. As long as you take the slow healthy road and not starve, just listen to your body and you'll be fine.
    Good luck and stay strong :)
  • MichaelRobinson1994
    MichaelRobinson1994 Posts: 83 Member
    I'd generally eat back your exercise calories! - If you need more calories, ive found that adding 25/50g of grated cheese onto a fairly large serving of brown rice/pasta (even a smallish 60g serving) will give you a fair calorie kick!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    if you can't get your calories in- drink them


    and if that doesn't work- couple of crushed up oreos + ice cream and a glass of milk usually adds in 2-600 calories (depending on how much of each).
    easy fix.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I have a question about the Calorie targets on MFP. If my daily target is 2000 calories and i do 1000 Cals of exercise on a particular day, am i supposed to eat those 'exercise calories' as well? i.e. a total 3000 calories.

    I'm struggling to eat 2000 healthy calories at the moment as the more you read about food and nutrition the more confusing it gets over what is actually good for you. I'm currently trying to do a 40/30/30 Carbs/Protein/Fats ratio at the moment but i find it hard to get the calories on board without eating the wrong stuff.

    Any answers or advice?

    How did you come up with 1,000 calories in exercise? It's definitely possible, but MFP and many machines give generous calorie burn estimates. If using one of those methods you may want to eat back only 50-75%. Heart rate monitors give better estimates for steady state cardio workouts.

    It's not about hunger....hunger can be a poor indicator. Calorie dense foods help....cheese, nuts, nut butters, avocado, olive oil.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
    Are you trying to lose weight? Because if you are and you are having a hard time meeting your goal, is it because you have decided now to eat at the opposite extreme of where you were before? If so, I think try to settle somewhere in the middle, having a daily deficit, but also incorporating some of your choices you made before.


    The answer to your question really depends on your goals but if you're just asking what foods are high in calories besides chocolate cake and deep fried mars bars then here are some examples:

    I would list your favourite foods, eat more of the ones that are high in calories or make done of them higher.
    Salmon
    Cheese
    Olives
    Avocado
    Nuts
    Nut butters (I love almond butter, but really you need to eat what YOU love)

    These foods are high in fat. 1 gram of fat has about 9 calories as opposed to about 4 calories in protein and carbs so foods high in fat are a good way to up your calories. You can also add extra butter, olive oil, coconut oil etc. to cooking.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    When I do Zumba I can burn up to 600 calories. Sometimes I'll eat an ice cream sandwich to eat back some of my exercise calories.
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    First, make sure your calorie burns are correct. If you are really burning 1000 calories, then I'd eat some of them back, especially if this is done regularly.

    Don't be too strict - what do you consider "healthy"? You don't have to be 100% lean protein, whole grain and low fat.

    Here are some of my favorite ways to use calories (and I think they're perfectly healthy):

    Cheese
    Nuts
    Peanut butter
    oil
    salad dressing (full fat, not light or fat free)
    chocolate
    Jimmy John's
    guacamole
    hummus


    My macro ratios are set at 30/40/30.
  • hoggy1972
    hoggy1972 Posts: 3
    Thanks All, the calorie burn count comes from my Garmin GPS watch combined with Heart rate monitor so i'm sure its accurate to 10% variance at most. 1000 calories easy gets burnt in an 8 mile run.

    Weight loss is the goal, so my question was more around foods with "good calories' rather than 'empty calories' so i'm steering away from deep fried cake and mars bars :)

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