Trouble with Net Calories.

bruthacuervo

I know I should be eating back a majority of any calories i burn up doing excercise, however... I simply am having trouble doing so. I am currently using an elliptical trainer, and due to certain circumstances, i do have to walk everywhere. Luckily i live like less than 2 miles from my current work.... gym... etc...

Im currently about 217, and im looking to get my weight to 180 before reassessing where id like to go from there. A series of muscle spasms has my Dr telling me to avoid strength training for the moment---- so my focus is cardio currently.

So my current routine has me doing about 1.5 miles to the gym... then doing a 5k on the elliptical on a HIIT setting... then 1.5 miles back. The 1.5 miles there and back, i do keep a brisk pace on the walks there and back, (usually average about 4mph to 4.5 ) on the elliptical im currently doing a 5k in under 35 minutes, and working on lowering that down.

I am currently using a Polar Heart rate monitor, hooked to Endomondo and for an example, using that--- doing that alone yesterday i burned 1395 calories. So.. even with a wide margin of error for that heart rate monitor, that is a lot of calories to eat back.

when i was done with my workout, i actually felt great, and have been feeling great doing this, but at the end of the day, it showed a net of 239 calories.

The problem is..... Im just not hungry enough to keep adding calories, and a good majority of my workout is outside, in the heat of Texas in August.... actually trying to make myself eat more has tended to make myself sick---- even if i attempt the "tablespoon of peanut butter" answer.

So... if my heart rate monitor is accurate as far as calorie burn is concerned, how do I reconcile trying to get net calories up, without making myself sick... or should i just continue to listen to my body as is?


(btw.... the elliptical is because i have a dodgy pair of knees, but I am interested in a possible 5k in the near future---- and elliptical does not hurt me, and i was thinking if i lighten the load about 20-30 pounds, the knee issue would ease substantially.