Eating enough, on top of exercise...

riley76051

So i'm really into doing a ton of exercise, and I like to work out about an hour after I eat. The thing is, I eat enough so i'm never hungry, but I still keep it about 1200 calories a day. I'm not going out of my way, by any means, to try to eat less than I should.

The thing is, I exercise so much, that I find it really hard to eat more so my calorie deficit isn't too high, because i'm simply not hungry after I've been eating steadily throughout the day.

I know the proper way to lose weight and maintain health isn't to 'starve' yourself, but i'm just not hungry enough to force myself to eat more to catch up with how my intake should be.

I'm sure a ton of other people had this problem; what did you guys do? Advice, opinions, etc. welcome

foleyshirley

I'm honestly not trying to be rude. If you don't want to properly eat to fuel your body, stop working out so much. Honestly it doesn't make sense. If you love working out, feed your body appropriately.

AmyRhubarb

Are you eating about 1200 a day, or netting about 1200 a day? Hope it's net, especially if you're doing a ton of exercise.

That being said, I agree with the previous poster - if you can't eat enough to keep up with your workouts, then you need to back off the workouts. Even if you love it, eventually it will catch up with ya, and over training and under eating aren't going to get you the results you want, and it's just plain not good for you.

Great article about that here: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html

workaholic_nurse

You could try eating more calorie dense foods like legumes and nuts...you can google this and have a list of items that even though you eat less of it, you are still getting the calories necessary to maintain healthy weight loss. Good luck on your journey!:drinker:

riley76051

I'm honestly not trying to be rude. If you don't want to properly eat to fuel your body, stop working out so much. Honestly it doesn't make sense. If you love working out, feed your body appropriately.

I don't think you're being rude. The thing is, to me, I do feel fueled. That's why I wrote that i'm not in any way trying to 'starve' myself. I take multivitamins and I eat well. I want to stay active because eating well isn't enough to lose weight. But I will up my calorie intake on the days I work out more than usual. Thanks for the response.

riley76051

Are you eating about 1200 a day, or netting about 1200 a day? Hope it's net, especially if you're doing a ton of exercise.

That being said, I agree with the previous poster - if you can't eat enough to keep up with your workouts, then you need to back off the workouts. Even if you love it, eventually it will catch up with ya, and over training and under eating aren't going to get you the results you want, and it's just plain not good for you.

Great article about that here: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html

Thanks for sending the article! I'll try to concentrate on eating more, perhaps earlier on in the day. I'm really not trying to under eat, the problem is that I don't feel at all like I could possibly eat more. I know that you have to eat to lose weight healthily, but the thing is, you also have to exercise.

riley76051

You could try eating more calorie dense foods like legumes and nuts...you can google this and have a list of items that even though you eat less of it, you are still getting the calories necessary to maintain healthy weight loss. Good luck on your journey!:drinker:

Perfect! That's so logical I can't believe I didn't think of it. I'll definitely invest in some cashews soon Thanks. You too!

melonclarinet

I was doing the same thing and my weight loss stalled. I started eating more (trying to NET 1200 calories) and the weight is coming off. It worked for a while, but eventually your body needs more to live off of. I didn't feal deprived or starved, but it's because my body just thought it was normal. I'm hungrier now when I'm eating more.

Also, you said "I want to stay active because eating well isn't enough to lose weight." Your weight loss really is made from what you're eating/not eating. I'm not saying don't work out...I just got back from 2 hours in the gym and I love it, but if you're going to work your body, you need to feed it.

KBGAgent

How do I get this problem? Is there some way I can share your burden with you?

psuLemon

The easiest way to get more calories is simple.. go to town on a peanut butter jar...

riley76051

Thanks for all the great replies my friends!

Sarauk2sf

Why are you exercising so much? Are you training for an event?

taso42

Stop calorie counting. Just work out and eat.

Admiral_Derp

The thing I'm learning is that once you get into a routine...once you really get hooked, it's hard to not want to do it. I absolutely love lifting. It's been one of those weeks where I have only been ably to get to the gym once, and I feel like crap. I miss it like a friend. If I had my way, I would lift 6 days a week, but from everything I've read, that's not good. Muscles need time to repair. So I make myself only do it 3 days a week, and try to throw in two or three days of cardio. I can only imagine what it's like for someone who has done their routine longer. (I'm still relatively a toddler with this whole thing.)

That said, maybe you can split between days where you do higher burn workouts with workouts that burn fewer calories. Slower pace, heavy lifting, rock climbing, etc. That way you still get the workout without as much of a deficit.

Or you could go with Taso's suggestion...he's a pretty sharp dude.

Rachaelluvszipped

Eat higher caloric food items