Eating a lot yet lost a lot, hard to wrap my mind around it

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jkestens63
jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I exercise very hard 5 days a week and my calorie burn is usually over 1000. Today it is 1300. My basic calorie goal is 1210, add the 1300 and you get 2500 as the goal for the day. Now I do believe in eating your exercise calories although I will often try to leave a 200-300 cushion to account for the fact that I think sometimes the gym machines & MFP estimate calorie burns a little high (one of these days I'll be able to invest in a HRM but can't do it now). I know in the past when I've left significant calorie deficits (500 +) I would end up binging in the next day or two because I think my body just was trying to make up for the missing calories.

So I look at my food diary and I'm eating a ton of food,,, it weirds me out a little to be eating 2200 calories a day and still lose weight. Does anyone else feel like that, its just hard to get past the fact it feels like I'm doing something wrong? Old habits and ways of thinking die hard I guess.

Replies

  • erikblock
    erikblock Posts: 230 Member
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    I hear ya. I feel the same way. Even though I'm doing a good job of staying under my calories every day, I don't feel at all like I'm starving myself. In fact, I feel like I'm eating quite a bit, so it does feel odd in a way.
  • runracer11
    runracer11 Posts: 45 Member
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    You are fine eating that much given your level of exercise. Just be careful that if you dial back on the exercise, you also dial back your eating. I know from experience that it is easy to get used to eating a higher level of calories based on exercise and it becomes "normal." If something happens (like an injury or vacation) to mess up the routine it is easy to keep eating like that and find yourself gaining. That's why MFP is great for tracking your allowables!

    Great job!
  • ObviousIndigo
    ObviousIndigo Posts: 382 Member
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    I can sympathize with you and totally get where you are coming from:) I hit a plateau started eating more and lost weight. It made no sense to me how this could happen. It feels like I am reverting to my old ways of eating and then I feel guilty. It is so hard to wrap your head around the way this works but, hey! It works so why not!?

    You're doing so well! Just keep at it=)
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    You are fine eating that much given your level of exercise. Just be careful that if you dial back on the exercise, you also dial back your eating. I know from experience that it is easy to get used to eating a higher level of calories based on exercise and it becomes "normal." If something happens (like an injury or vacation) to mess up the routine it is easy to keep eating like that and find yourself gaining. That's why MFP is great for tracking your allowables!

    Great job!

    You are so right, on Sundays I don't exercise a lot to give my body a chance to rest & repair, I eat very little. But doesn't bother me too much because I'm not burning as much, not as hungry. If I find myself wanting to munch, I try to stick with fruit & water t fill up.
  • Tomhusker
    Tomhusker Posts: 346 Member
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    I have trouble even getting close to my calories some days. I mean after eating 3 meals and 3 snacks I am sometimes 1200 calories short or more. I'm not hungry because my daily calorie limit is pretty high. Plus I continue to lose weight.
  • yacker678
    yacker678 Posts: 41
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    This is so true. I get 1420 calories. I work out 5-6 days a week and burn 800-1200 calories. It seems so wrong for me to eat 2300 calories. A lot of the time I won't because I am terrified I am eating to much. Even today I bured 700 calories, and am afraid to eat them. I don't know if it is helping or hurting me. I was losing weight pretty rapidly, but now I have slowed again. I stil can't figure out if I am suppose to eat them or not!!1 SOO HARD!!
  • Mommareed4
    Mommareed4 Posts: 144
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    Yes I am there too..today it had me to eat 2800 calories..there just isn't any way. I ate 1600 though and I feel I did bad : / I noticed I am having a hard time losing weight though..i lost 3 pounds then for some reason gained it back??? Only thing I changed is I got xbox kinect so I added that to my exercise routine.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I know how you feel. I've upped my calories from time to time and those months I seem to lose more weight......it's weird and against everything we've ever been told on how to lose weight.
  • skinnymom10
    skinnymom10 Posts: 18
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    Yeah that is weird, It is also a little strange that when you don't eat very much it will make you not lose weight!!! It is a lot more fun to work out and be able to eat more and lose weight.

    Good luck to ya
    Shelia
  • lyndsloo
    lyndsloo Posts: 242
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    I think if you're going to eat all of exercise calories, you should definitely stick with healthy, whole foods. Sometimes when I see I have an extra 1200 calories for the day, a little part of me says, "Oh, well...I guess that brownie won't hurt. I have the cals for it." It's okay to do that once in awhile,but I think you start backtracking when you eat empty calories you have earned from exercise.
  • runningneo122
    runningneo122 Posts: 6,962 Member
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    My first experience of this was when I started running in the morning. I hadn't read anything abt W/L. I was eating what I normally eat and watching my portions and dropping 2 pounds a week like clockwork. An injury sidelined me and the weight crept back on. I started researching W/L and running and found that what I was doing is called fasted cardio and it is essential to eat the exercise cals. So when I joined MFP I already knew that it was right to eat MORE to lose weight. It can boggle the mind, tho.

    I got back to running on 12/28/10, joined MFP 01/03/11 and have dropped 7 pounds in 4 weeks. Fasted cardio and eating the exer cals works.

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