I'm trying my best to eat back my exercise calories.. :(

kmiagia

My BMR is about 1,430. I eat 1,500 in order to lose weight daily, and usually I workout typically burning around 200 - 300 calories a day. Whenever I log my exercise it adds that to 1,800 or so .. and believe me, I've been trying my best to eat my exercise calories back as MFP says to. But, every time I just feel like a bloated mess. Its impossible for me to feel hungry enough to eat back. My stomach looks almost pregnant, I feel groggy and slow and most of all ALREADY FULL!! Can someone please tell me this feeling is going to go away with eating them back?

BackTatJIM

almonds- 1 oz = 160 calories , that's like a handful of nuts , or try adding a few glasses of milk?

kmiagia

I eat almonds daily, still its so hard to feel kind of forced to eat when I don't want to. No milk! lol lactose intolerant :l

kmiagia

I'm just wondering if this super bloated, full feeling from 'eating back' will end up going away?

iwantahealthierme13

If you're not hungry don't eat, listen to your body. You will still lose weight.

camelgirlmn

I thought that if you ate too little that your body would go into starvation mode?

theartichoke

Baby steps are great when we begin eating more. Maybe you don't truly need to eat them all back everyday. Start with adding 100 calories and see how that goes for you. Keep adding them in until you get to a level you're comfortable with. That should help not only with the bloated feeling but allow you to gauge where your body feels the best calorie wise.

kmiagia

I like this idea. I'm just so sick of being so bloated by the end of the day. On the weekends, I like to go out at night with my boyfriend and its certainly not fun carrying around a food baby!

quinjacobs

Were you not losing weight when you weren't eating them back? Remember that a lot of people on here are just looking for an excuse to eat more food. Don't force yourself to eat or you'll stretch your stomach. Do what works for YOU.

kmiagia

Were you not losing weight when you weren't eating them back? Remember that a lot of people on here are just looking for an excuse to eat more food. Don't force yourself to eat or you'll stretch your stomach. Do what works for YOU.

Thanks! and its difficult for me to lose since I really don't have a lot to. I'm 5'4, about 130 pounds and only want to lose 5 or, 10 maybe. I hear a lot about the calorie deficit thing being useless for people with 100+ to lose, but they seem to be saying if you're already not in terrible shape you should eat back.

kmiagia

I thought that if you ate too little that your body would go into starvation mode?

Its what I hear too, but if thats most definitely why I need to eat back 300 calories I guess it stinks for me because instead of feeling starving I feel quite the opposite.

quinjacobs

Ask your doctor/nutritionlist about "starvation mode", see what they say. Don't be surprised if they laugh. You aren't going to die eating a healthy deficit and not eating back exercise calories. Your metabolism slows down when you don't eat (meaning skipping meals, only eating once or twice a day). If your body knows you're going to feed it, it will let go of that extra weight.

susannamarie

*shrugs*

I usually eat them, but if I'm just. not. hungry. I don't.

I'd say don't eat when you're not hungry, as long as you're intaking sufficient nutrition.

kmiagia

I think I'm going to start adding only 100. it says my maintaining area is around 1,900. so I can't gain TOO much weight eating atleast 100 of them.

Elle562018

A week ago i felt bloated everyday too. Since i started mfp it disappear. Eat small meals every 3 hrs even if you are not hungry. If you still have calories left to eat, you do not have to use them. Listen to your body. Good luck.

140lbgoal

I thought that if you ate too little that your body would go into starvation mode?

I made up my mind to start losing weight on June 4th. I decided to do low carb and I began walking and doing some light weights 5 nights a week. I just joined MFP a few weeks ago and have lost 25 pounds. I went from 204 to 179. I am never hungry and I never eat back my workout calories. I have even cut back on heart medication due to feeling so much better. I plan on continuing what I am doing because why fix it if it isn't broke.

Lozze

It's trial and error. If you're eating to the point of feeling ill and bloated stop that! There's no need to do that.

I can't see you diary but what are you hoping to achieve with the 5-10lb weight loss? What are you wanting to change? Because your body is banging from your photo It might be more composition than numbers at this point for you.

BackTatJIM

I thought that if you ate too little that your body would go into starvation mode?

Its what I hear too, but if thats most definitely why I need to eat back 300 calories I guess it stinks for me because instead of feeling starving I feel quite the opposite.

You will not go into starvation mode. if you have enough fat on your body it is impossible, but I am told it can increase your odds on binge eating.... personally I eat some of my exercise calories back and have been losing more than my weekly goal

JesterMFP

Were you not losing weight when you weren't eating them back? Remember that a lot of people on here are just looking for an excuse to eat more food. Don't force yourself to eat or you'll stretch your stomach. Do what works for YOU.

If you don't think eating back exercise calories is a good idea, fair enough. It's your choice. To say that those that do recommend it are "just looking for an excuse to eat more food" is silly and just not true. There are a lot of good reasons for maintaining a moderate calorie deficit. There are a lot of different opinions on these boards about how much food people should eat, but to dismiss those that are advocating eating exercise calories as people who are just looking for an excuse to eat as much as possible is a bit short-sighted.

Ask your doctor/nutritionlist about "starvation mode", see what they say. Don't be surprised if they laugh. You aren't going to die eating a healthy deficit and not eating back exercise calories. Your metabolism slows down when you don't eat (meaning skipping meals, only eating once or twice a day). If your body knows you're going to feed it, it will let go of that extra weight.

The whole point of eating back exercise calories is to maintain a healthy deficit. MFP already calculates a deficit for you before exercise. Logging your exercise and eating back those calories maintains that deficit. That's how MFP was designed. Again, it's up to the individual whether they want to do so or not, What you are saying about metabolism slowing down if you eat only once or twice a day - that's simply not true. It doesn't matter what time you eat, or how frequently. It's more important that you're getting enough food.

Prahasaurus

If you're not hungry, don't eat! Listen to your body.

If you're constantly bloated, check your diet. You may also want to speak with a doctor or dietician. It could be the result of an underlying health issue that needs addressing.

--P

Prahasaurus

And please, please, for the love of God, enough with the STARVATION MODE people! It's just crap science.

If you are not in Subsahara Africa, the odds of you going into "starvation mode" are about 1 in a million.

Listen to your body. If you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat.

--P

kmiagia

Guys, I've decided that I'm only going to eat back if I'm under 1,200. which is rare.