How to eat all my calories when I work out a lot?

neeterskeeter

I've been working out a lot lately... training for a half marathon, which involves long runs and pace runs and speed interval or hill runs etc... and I've also been trying to work on my strength and toning by doing Jillian Michael's Making the Cut workout and some yoga and some general ab exercises.

Some days I burn 1,000 calories or more by exercising. I just find it impossible to eat that many. Should I be increasing the calories in what I eat-- say, eating a big mac?-- because I usually eat chicken or fish and veggies and some fruit, maybe some cereal, oatmeal, protein bar, etc... and I'm full. I try to add whey protein to drinks and food. And other than that I don't get any calories from drinks because I only drink water and diet tea.

Do I *have* to eat those enormous amounts of calories? If so, any suggestions on how to fit them all in??

neeterskeeter

I've been working out a lot lately... training for a half marathon, which involves long runs and pace runs and speed interval or hill runs etc... and I've also been trying to work on my strength and toning by doing Jillian Michael's Making the Cut workout and some yoga and some general ab exercises.

Some days I burn 1,000 calories or more by exercising. I just find it impossible to eat that many. Should I be increasing the calories in what I eat-- say, eating a big mac?-- because I usually eat chicken or fish and veggies and some fruit, maybe some cereal, oatmeal, protein bar, etc... and I'm full. I try to add whey protein to drinks and food. And other than that I don't get any calories from drinks because I only drink water and diet tea.

Do I *have* to eat those enormous amounts of calories? If so, any suggestions on how to fit them all in??

ChubbyBunny

Yes, you need to eat them, at least a good chunk with the amount of work you are asking your body to preform.

Nutrient dense foods....nuts, dried fruits, whole grains, yogurts, cheese.... A little goes a long way in the calorie count. Another option is to drink them.... heck, I have to and I am not training. Smoothies, gourmet teas, etc. Just keep an eye on what's going in them.

:flowerforyou:

neeterskeeter

Okay. I will try to eat more tomorrow. It's hard. I didn't think *that* would be my problem LOL.


PS The bunny in your icon isn't very chubby.

dewpearl

I'd say you stay away from unhealthy food, even if you have to eat more calories. The idea is not to eat fatty or sugary, but eat nutritious. On the other hand, if you want to email me some calories to get rid of 'em, I'd find something worth them to go in my mouth, no worries. :laugh:

I'd go also with the dried fruit or nuts or maybe some carbs? Sheesh, there's always too many calories in what I eat. Ah, bananas have calories, too. Well, a friend said he's having a Mars bar before exercising, but that contradicts what I started with :embarassed: .

Or better, get a desk job, you won't have any problem getting more calories in than you burn, lol.

shorerider

I've burnt up as much as over 4,000 in a day cycling, and averaged about 1500-2000 a day in exercise calories when the weather was warm. It's really no problem eating them, and you REALLY need to eat them even more when doing that kind of exercise. TRUST ME! If you don't, you will find youself gradually wearing down and then just having a "bonk" type feeling all the time.

Try PB, nuts, Bananas (make banana smoothies with WHOLE MILK--tons of calories!), avocados, pasta, etc. You can eat healthy but eat full if you put some thought into it.

For one, I always, always, always, start with a big breakfast when cycling: 500-600 calories. That's a big chunk right there.

Have snacks between meals, too. Go for the fruit high in calories if you want fruit, like bananas.

Word of warning: when you stop exercising like that, and go back to "only" having about 400 or so exercise calories a day to eat back, your stomach is going to feel like your throat's been slit (as a guy I used to work with would say). I was hungry--physical hungry--constantly for over 2 weeks and couldn't eat enough.

neeterskeeter

Thanks for the helpful information. When I wasn't working out as much, I would really try to watch what I eat... because I put on weight fast if I eat the wrong things. I DO have a desk job where all that gets worked out is my brain all day, so I am really used to eating light... I LOVE peanut butter but I stopped eating it quite awhile ago because it's one of those foods that made me gain weight. It's nice to know that I can eat it now that I work out so much.

I have definitely NOT been eating all of my calories for the past week or so. As I've upped my exercise, I've kept my same eating style or maybe I've eaten a little more, like a 300 calorie protein bar before exercising to increase my stamina. Well, at first the scale took a dramatic dive and now it's back up... it sounds backwards to me, but I guess the more I try to make sure I eat my calories, the more balanced my weight will be, yet gradually turning downwards?

Although I feel so good when I work out that I don't even care about the numbers even though I'm used to weighing myself every day, so I just do. But I don't get down when they go back up because I just feel so good. I've honestly been exercising so much because I crave it... if I haven't worked out I feel down or stressed, then I work out and I feel so alive and up. I guess it's a good addiction to have but I have not had it to this extent ever before I don't think!

shorerider

Yeah, I don't even feel like I've done exercise until I hit the 25 mile mark on rides now. I go to the gym, work out for 80-90 minutes now since it's cold, I sweat, but I don't feel "tired" or worn out after wards. But, sometimes you have to rein in the body because, like I said, if you're not eating enough "fuel" to keep up those work-outs, you're run down.

vanessadawn

I would say try to eat more protein especially because you are building more muscle mass from exercising. Peanut butter, protein shakes, even jerky or eggs. And that muscle mass will help you look tone, and burn more calories in your day to day life, congrats!! :bigsmile:

neeterskeeter

I eat a lot of protein, maybe too much, if that's possible? (IS that possible?) One of my favorite snacks is tuna on crackers. I have 5 or 6 crackers with big scoops of tuna on each one, so about 2 - 2.5 oz of tuna. That has good protein but it only gives me maybe 150 calories. Also I love to grill chicken and shrimp and salmon and eat it with veggies. From the chicken I get a lot of protein but only about 120 - 220 calories. With the fish it's a bit more calories.

I find that when I'm being healthy, the food I gravitate towards is really high in protein and really low in calories. I am going to add in more snacks like those of you have suggested -- apples or celery with peanut butter, yogurt with nuts and granola, etc -- to up my calorie intake. Today I have had a protein bar before my morning workout, then my tuna and crackers snack for my mid-morning snack. (I usually have Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puff cereal with a banana, or oatmeal with an apple in the morning, but today I didn't have time.) For lunch at work I'm having a chicken salad -- see, too few calories, but a lot of protein LOL. This salad has blue cheese in it though, that's good right? I'll be sure to eat all the blue cheese.

neeterskeeter

Yeah, I don't even feel like I've done exercise until I hit the 25 mile mark on rides now. I go to the gym, work out for 80-90 minutes now since it's cold, I sweat, but I don't feel "tired" or worn out after wards. But, sometimes you have to rein in the body because, like I said, if you're not eating enough "fuel" to keep up those work-outs, you're run down.

Shorerider I've noticed that when I haven't eaten enough calories, I feel lethargic after a workout, and, if I'm really hungry, I get zombie-like. Like I'll go to the store to buy a protein bar and I'll feel like I'm on a drug or in a scary movie; everything seems weird. I guess that's the run-down feeling you mention ha ha. But when I'm meeting my calorie goals or close, I feel so energized and pumped up after a workout. I like that feeling a lot better of course.

Angiebangie

Make sure and eat right after your workouts too, Larabars are all dates and nuts and lots of calories and good fats, about 200 cal. right there. A hunk of cheese with a piece of high cal. fruit, banana, big apple etc. Adding the nuts, dried fruit, and more cheese, would easily give you more calories, without feeling like you're eating a ton more. I get the veggie and meat thing, some days I eat and I'm stuffed on that and have only eaten 1000 calories!!!

kerrilucko

I eat a lot of protein, maybe too much, if that's possible? (IS that possible?)

it is possible to eat too much protein. I have heard as a general rule, eat 1 g of protein for each kg of body mass. Too much protein is bad for your kidneys (right?) (I'm no expert just trying to recall what people have told me :laugh: ) also many people that eat a LOT of protein are neglecting their fat and or carb needs, which are just as important.

songbyrdsweet

I eat a lot of protein, maybe too much, if that's possible? (IS that possible?)

it is possible to eat too much protein. I have heard as a general rule, eat 1 g of protein for each kg of body mass. Too much protein is bad for your kidneys (right?) (I'm no expert just trying to recall what people have told me :laugh: ) also many people that eat a LOT of protein are neglecting their fat and or carb needs, which are just as important.

Haha...you're right, but it's unlikely that any of us would eat so much protein that it'd actually be a problem. The highest recorded beneficial amount of protein ingested was 1.7g/kg of body weight in Russian Olympians. The only instance I've actually seen damage to the kidneys was in a man eating 70% protein...he became dehydrated and his blood extremely viscous, putting his BP through the roof. MFP recommends 15%, which is actually low for an athlete. 20-40% seems to be the range that allows for a balanced diet and no health risk.

neeterskeeter

I have always tried to eat a higher amount of protein than MFP recommends. One reason is because I work out a lot and run and I notice better performance with more protein. So for quite some time (since before I knew about MFP) I would make sure to get at least 75g of protein a day. Sometimes it is up to 100g or more.

Another reason is because it keeps me really full. I notice that when I eat a bowl of cereal I feel hungry in about an hour or two, but when I eat a big piece of chicken and some veggies, I am full for half the day. (Now I try to eat smaller portions spread out every two hours or so to keep my metabolism going. But I would still rather eat, say, tuna as a snack than wheat thins, because I feel fuller on the protein).

And historically my third reason for eating a lot of protein has been to lose weight. I notice that my body gains weight easily if I eat *too many* carbs. I'm definitely not a no carb gal but I try to moderate it because all my life I was drawn to high carb sweets and meals like pastries, pasta, etc. I noticed when I started eating more protein I wasn't craving that stuff and I started to lose weight.

So I set my setting on MFP to 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. But I often go over on the protein. I am going to try to up my intake of healthy fats and carbs by eating more whole grain rice and pasta and more nuts. Thanks guys.

jenninsocal

I would eat "good" fats, like avocados, nuts, fruits, things like that. Or try protein bars/shakes they tend to add up the calories pretty quick.

songbyrdsweet

I have always tried to eat a higher amount of protein than MFP recommends. One reason is because I work out a lot and run and I notice better performance with more protein. So for quite some time (since before I knew about MFP) I would make sure to get at least 75g of protein a day. Sometimes it is up to 100g or more.

Another reason is because it keeps me really full. I notice that when I eat a bowl of cereal I feel hungry in about an hour or two, but when I eat a big piece of chicken and some veggies, I am full for half the day. (Now I try to eat smaller portions spread out every two hours or so to keep my metabolism going. But I would still rather eat, say, tuna as a snack than wheat thins, because I feel fuller on the protein).

And historically my third reason for eating a lot of protein has been to lose weight. I notice that my body gains weight easily if I eat *too many* carbs. I'm definitely not a no carb gal but I try to moderate it because all my life I was drawn to high carb sweets and meals like pastries, pasta, etc. I noticed when I started eating more protein I wasn't craving that stuff and I started to lose weight.

So I set my setting on MFP to 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. But I often go over on the protein. I am going to try to up my intake of healthy fats and carbs by eating more whole grain rice and pasta and more nuts. Thanks guys.

I really wouldn't mess with it. 50% carbs is more than enough for the level of training most of us are at, even the marathoners. If you go over on protein, just make sure your fat isn't dropping below 20%. You're probably eating 50/30/20, which is perfectly fine.

neeterskeeter

I think I'm eating 50/25/25.