UG! Under by 308! I have the hardest time eating enough cals

Nique1986

Question???
The section under my goals that say Diet Profile, says that 2100 Calories/Day from normal daily activity,what isthat all about? And if i wasnt going to workout would I consume the 1200 or the 2100?? Im a little confused. My deficit is 900 and my daily goal is 1200 which equals the 2100.

This means that MFP estimates you burn 2100 calories/day BEFORE EXERCISE. If you eat 1200, then your deficit will be 900. (2100-1200 = 900). When you exercise, that increases what you burn total for the day (normal + exercise) beyond 2100 and increases your deficit. To keep your deficit at a set goal (which is MFP's approach), you eat back most of your exercise calories.

okay so tell me I'm on the right path. Bascially on the days I workout I wilI have to eat more than 1200 calories just so I wont put my body into starvation mode? And on the days I dont I only have to consume 1200?

gtm124

If you are planning your workouts then eat throughout the day accordingly starting with a good breakfast. If you need to catch up at the end of a workout a protein shake mixed with 1% milk and a banana is a good recovery drink and will help use up some of your calories. That way you will not have a large excess of calories left. If my daily goal without exercise is 1460 and I ride my bike for 2 hours and burn another 1000 then I have 2460 calories to consume that day and will still be on goal for losing 2 pounds per week. Will I eat back all 2460? Sometimes not all, but I will attempt to healthily eat nearly all of them back leaving very few remaining. Sounds like a ton of calories, but it keeps my engine burning.
Everyone's body reacts differently so it is hard to set a rule that works for everyone. If I cut back on my calories I stall. I have proven that to myself. I am on goal to lose 10 pounds per month. Good luck in finding out what is right for you.

Mindful_Trent

Question???
The section under my goals that say Diet Profile, says that 2100 Calories/Day from normal daily activity,what isthat all about? And if i wasnt going to workout would I consume the 1200 or the 2100?? Im a little confused. My deficit is 900 and my daily goal is 1200 which equals the 2100.

This means that MFP estimates you burn 2100 calories/day BEFORE EXERCISE. If you eat 1200, then your deficit will be 900. (2100-1200 = 900). When you exercise, that increases what you burn total for the day (normal + exercise) beyond 2100 and increases your deficit. To keep your deficit at a set goal (which is MFP's approach), you eat back most of your exercise calories.

okay so tell me I'm on the right path. Bascially on the days I workout I wilI have to eat more than 1200 calories just so I wont put my body into starvation mode? And on the days I dont I only have to consume 1200?

Starvation mode is an oft-quoted and misunderstood topic. Check this thread out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

But the short answer is, yes, you should eat back most of your exercise calories - you need the extra fuel. An occasional low calorie day isn't a big deal, but try not to do it too regularly. I aim to eat back probably 50-75% of my exercise calories. I don't eat back 100% of them because it's easy to underestimate what I'm eating and overestimate what I'm burning. See gapwedge's response, as well...

Nique1986

If you are planning your workouts then eat throughout the day accordingly starting with a good breakfast. If you need to catch up at the end of a workout a protein shake mixed with 1% milk and a banana is a good recovery drink and will help use up some of your calories. That way you will not have a large excess of calories left. If my daily goal without exercise is 1460 and I ride my bike for 2 hours and burn another 1000 then I have 2460 calories to consume that day and will still be on goal for losing 2 pounds per week. Will I eat back all 2460? Sometimes not all, but I will attempt to healthily eat nearly all of them back leaving very few remaining. Sounds like a ton of calories, but it keeps my engine burning.
Everyone's body reacts differently so it is hard to set a rule that works for everyone. If I cut back on my calories I stall. I have proven that to myself. I am on goal to lose 10 pounds per month. Good luck in finding out what is right for you.

I usually workout in the afternoon/evening (between 4-6p.m) , Thursdays I workout after lunch (1pm), so I still have a large number claories to consume. By Lunch I'v only comsumed about 400-500 so that leave the snacks and dinner to fill that hole. Sometimes I feel that eating a meal after working out will make me gain weight rather than lose. Like today, I have input my information and i still have 200+ calories left to consume.

Mindful_Trent

I usually workout in the afternoon/evening (between 4-6p.m) , Thursdays I workout after lunch (1pm), so I still have a large number claories to consume. By Lunch I'v only comsumed about 400-500 so that leave the snacks and dinner to fill that hole. Sometimes I feel that eating a meal after working out will make me gain weight rather than lose. Like today, I have input my information and i still have 200+ calories left to consume.

On the days you know you'll be working out, then make sure you eat a good sized breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't wait until after you workout to eat the extra calories - it's easier to add a little extra (50-100 calories or so) to each meal/snack than to try to eat all your exercise calories at dinner & evening snack. It does require some commitment and planning (if you plan on working out, then do so!) but it really helps to keep your calorie intake spread throughout the day.

kentlass

i totally feel for you!

i have some days when i burn over 2500cals and there is no way i can healthily eat them back...even on days that i end up eating all day long i rarely eat more than 2500cals

Nique1986

I usually workout in the afternoon/evening (between 4-6p.m) , Thursdays I workout after lunch (1pm), so I still have a large number claories to consume. By Lunch I'v only comsumed about 400-500 so that leave the snacks and dinner to fill that hole. Sometimes I feel that eating a meal after working out will make me gain weight rather than lose. Like today, I have input my information and i still have 200+ calories left to consume.

On the days you know you'll be working out, then make sure you eat a good sized breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't wait until after you workout to eat the extra calories - it's easier to add a little extra (50-100 calories or so) to each meal/snack than to try to eat all your exercise calories at dinner & evening snack. It does require some commitment and planning (if you plan on working out, then do so!) but it really helps to keep your calorie intake spread throughout the day.

So I should workout dinner??? Or eat a good size breakfast, luch and snack, workout them dinner???

Mindful_Trent

I usually workout in the afternoon/evening (between 4-6p.m) , Thursdays I workout after lunch (1pm), so I still have a large number claories to consume. By Lunch I'v only comsumed about 400-500 so that leave the snacks and dinner to fill that hole. Sometimes I feel that eating a meal after working out will make me gain weight rather than lose. Like today, I have input my information and i still have 200+ calories left to consume.

On the days you know you'll be working out, then make sure you eat a good sized breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't wait until after you workout to eat the extra calories - it's easier to add a little extra (50-100 calories or so) to each meal/snack than to try to eat all your exercise calories at dinner & evening snack. It does require some commitment and planning (if you plan on working out, then do so!) but it really helps to keep your calorie intake spread throughout the day.

So I should workout dinner??? Or eat a good size breakfast, luch and snack, workout them dinner???

I'm saying that regardless of when you workout, I'm suggesting you spread your calories throughout the day. If you know you'll be working out later that day, then make sure you eat a larger breakfast/lunch/snacks so that you don't have to try and eat all your extra calories at the end of the day. It's just a suggestion. Some people don't mind eating a ton of calories at the end of the day, but other people find it works much better if they spread their calories out.

Example: if you have 1200 calorie normally and normally burn about 300 exercising, that's 1500 to eat. Instead of having a small breakfast and lunch that's 500 calories total and having 1000 left to eat for dinner/ evening snacks, then try to eat a 400 cal breakfast, 400 calories lunch, maybe a 100 calorie snack - this adds up to 900 calories, leaving you only 600 to eat for dinner & evening snack. Much more reasonable.

Nique1986

I usually workout in the afternoon/evening (between 4-6p.m) , Thursdays I workout after lunch (1pm), so I still have a large number claories to consume. By Lunch I'v only comsumed about 400-500 so that leave the snacks and dinner to fill that hole. Sometimes I feel that eating a meal after working out will make me gain weight rather than lose. Like today, I have input my information and i still have 200+ calories left to consume.

On the days you know you'll be working out, then make sure you eat a good sized breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't wait until after you workout to eat the extra calories - it's easier to add a little extra (50-100 calories or so) to each meal/snack than to try to eat all your exercise calories at dinner & evening snack. It does require some commitment and planning (if you plan on working out, then do so!) but it really helps to keep your calorie intake spread throughout the day.

So I should workout dinner??? Or eat a good size breakfast, luch and snack, workout them dinner???

I'm saying that regardless of when you workout, I'm suggesting you spread your calories throughout the day. If you know you'll be working out later that day, then make sure you eat a larger breakfast/lunch/snacks so that you don't have to try and eat all your extra calories at the end of the day. It's just a suggestion. Some people don't mind eating a ton of calories at the end of the day, but other people find it works much better if they spread their calories out.

Example: if you have 1200 calorie normally and normally burn about 300 exercising, that's 1500 to eat. Instead of having a small breakfast and lunch that's 500 calories total and having 1000 left to eat for dinner/ evening snacks, then try to eat a 400 cal breakfast, 400 calories lunch, maybe a 100 calorie snack - this adds up to 900 calories, leaving you only 600 to eat for dinner & evening snack. Much more reasonable.

Got It....Thanks

LilRedRooster

Honestly, you can lose weight by cutting calories, but the problem is your body will adjust to that, and plateau at some point, because your metabolism will adjust to it.

The deal is, metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories at a resting rate. You can increase that amount by exercising, because if you work out the muscles, they will naturally tone up and require more calories, even when you're not doing anything at all. It's not just you physically working out that burns calories, it's also toned muscles just using energy at a resting rate. Regular exercise builds those muscles so that not only are you burning calories while you're working out, you're also burning extra when you're not, because you've built up those muscles to need more energy to maintain themselves at a resting rate.

Did that make sense? So exercise isn't just to burn calories NOW, it's also to burn calories LATER, through increased muscle tension.

So yes, you'll lose weight by eating less, but you won't be able to keep that up past a certain point. You need muscle tension to continually keep your metabolism revved.