How do I eat more?

JennS19

I know I have to eat my exercise calories back but I just am having hard time doing it. I get so full so quickly from meals that I can't see trying to eat more at each sitting. Do I eat more often? Do I have eat larger calories meals?

I'm in a deficit today and it seems to be happening more often than not and I don't want it to continue.

AmyEm3

Oh to have this problem...

Eat smaller amounts more often. Add in higher calorie, nutrient rich food. For example avocado (I make guacamole b/c I love it). Or peanut butter on a piece of whole wheat toast or two tablespoons of peanut butter with an apple. Walnuts, pecans, almonds are high in calories but are "good" fats. Protein shakes (I eat one occasionally with peanut butter, banana, cocoa powder, milk + the powder and it's about 300 calories--tastes like a dessert shake too).

I'm sure you will get lots of other good ideas. But those are some of the things that I eat often.

JennS19

Thanks!!!!

I don't like avacado's but i do like nuts so i'l totally do that! Eating more often will be a challange at work but I'm definitly going to try, I'll try to find more whole grain snacks and eat more veggies and fruit.

I should probably up my calories on work out days from 1300 huh? Do you think like 1500?

Sp1nGoddess

Have a small protein shake before your workout and a full shake after. Your body doesn't get as full off of liquid calories as real food. Try adding healthy fat to your shake/meals like ground flax, organic coconut oil, avocado or virgin olive oil.

cjpg

I almost never eat my exercise calories back. When I do, I usually only eat half of them back. Very rarely do I eat them all.

There's no real reason behind it - I'm just not that hungry. If I'm not hungry, I figure the extra deficit will help lose 'that little bit quicker'.

Rest assured if I'm hungry I'll go the bloody hell over my limit. You just have to listen to your body and find your balance. But it's not set in stone that you have to eat every exercise calorie if you truly aren't hungry.

Sherbog

Your profile says you weigh 186 and want to loose. Why are you trying to eat more? Listen to your body.

pucenavel

Mix peanut butter or almond butter into oatmeal. Add honey.

1 cup of cooked oatmeal, 1/4 cup of PB and 1/4 cup of honey is something like 600-700 calories.

Will that do?

trinamarie73

Your profile should be telling you how many calories you should be eating so i don't think you can look to other users to advise you how many calories to increase when you work out. The protein shakes are great as everyone is saying but you want to find a good one that isn't high in sugar. I also have trouble keeping my calories up...but you have to find a way otherwise your body will want to store rather than let go...good luck

JennS19

I do want to lose, but I'm eating right now around 1300 calories a day and whenI work out I'm normally under 1200 by the end of the day.

That can't be good for my body on a regular basis.

And no, I'm not starving right now. When I'm hungry I do eat. I never let myself go hungry.

But like right now, I'm still full from dinner and I just worked out. I'm at a total of just over 600 calories for the whold day after my workout. I know it's just one day but it seems to be happening more and more often

vpleblanc

I have a consistent deficit problem. I'm not accustomed to eating much during the day at all and usually nothing before lunchtime (mid morning at the earliest). I have trouble forcing down food that early. That makes it hard to fit all the calories in. I find myself getting frustrated, but reading some of these posts, I see there are other alternatives for calorie consumption. I need to do a little more research about healthy eating habits and what's available. Thanks guys!

gemiwing

I'm the same way- I have trouble eating enough and end up in a dangerous zone. I use protein shakes with low to no sugar. They're not as tasty but I don't care- I just plug my nose and chug. I've found hiding foods in other foods- or making basic substitutions to help. Hide a tbsp of peanut butter in your oatmeal, a handful of nuts on a salad or chicken, hide protein powder in cereal etc.

I also don't sweat it too much if I'm within 500 cals of my goal and NOT hungry- but on days when I am hungry I eat. I end up about once a week wanting more chicken breasts (usually Sunday, no idea why) so instead of worrying about the extra 200 cals- I eat and listen to my body. Listening to our bodies doesn't work when we're all disjointed but after a few weeks of eating healthier- I start to trust my body's signals again.

sassyt1206

i read a blog some one posted on another site that came from this site actually....It stated a personal trainer said it's better to eat the calories back so you don't become skinny fat. let's say you eat 1200 cals a day and burn off 600, that only leaves your body with 600 cals to use throughout the day, which your body can go into starvation mode. But if you add the calories back your body will definitely be getting enough calories to feel energized and burn those extra calories for energy.

So yes you must eat back a proper amount of calories after your workout. Every lb of muscle you gain you can burn an extra 50-100 cals doing nothing. You dont want to become skinny fat where you don't weigh much, yet you are all soft and mushy because you don't have any muscle tone and you still have too much fat on your body check it out at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories....

hope this helps....

sassyt1206

a good tool to help you with that is the 3-4-5 analogy 300 cals for breakfast 400 for lunch and 500 for dinner that is a total of 1200 and add extra cals by added in snacks i normally eat every 3 hours to make sure i eat all my cals so breakfast 3 hours later snack 3 hours later lunch 3 hour laters snack, 3 hour later dinner 3 hours later d pm snack if really needed

Nopedotjpeg

Healthy fats and using less "fat free" products. Cook with oils and use olive oil vinaigrettes for salad dressings.

Contrarian

Your profile says you weigh 186 and want to loose. Why are you trying to eat more? Listen to your body.

Because creating too large a deficit and not fueling your body properly after working out isn't healthy.

Nopedotjpeg

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Jorra

Your profile says you weigh 186 and want to loose. Why are you trying to eat more? Listen to your body.

Because creating too large a deficit and not fueling your body properly after working out isn't healthy.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

If you've got an idea how many calories you're going to burn maybe you can space your calories out earlier in the day instead of trying to fit them in at the end. Also I second calorie dense foods if you're having trouble with volume. Congrats on doing this the healthy way!

JennS19

Thank you all for the great suggestions!!!

Today I'm gonig to try to eat every few hours. Do a snack between breakfast and lunch and the same for dinner. I do need to start cooking with more healthy oils and I think I'll definitly try to start snacking on nuts and put more healthy proteins in my meals.

Thanks again!!!! :flowerforyou:

JennS19

Well I went out and got some Almonds and other snacks (fruits and some carrots) and yogart. I'm going to try to do a snack in the morning and in the afternoon to see if this helps with my calories. Thanks everyone!!

minimae428

I'm glad you asked this questions. I have the same issue. I have to learn how to eat healthy snacks in between my meals. Thanks for the good ideas!

XXXMinnieXXX

Have a small protein shake before your workout and a full shake after. Your body doesn't get as full off of liquid calories as real food. Try adding healthy fat to your shake/meals like ground flax, organic coconut oil, avocado or virgin olive oil.

I actually find I'm fuller of liquid calories. Suppse everyones different. Also 1300 calories is fine even with exercise if you have quite a bit of weight to loose a bigger deficit is fine. Three dieticians have given me this advice. I eat more if I'm hungry, if I'm not I don't. Stupid forcing it if you don't need it. You only need to eat calories back when your near goal as when your overweight your body will break down fats, when your slim it breaks down your muscles instead. X