People with regular huge calorie burns

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elizabethis
elizabethis Posts: 155 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm curious about folks who lose substantial amounts of weight through very vigorous exercise (cardio &/or heavy lifting). In the process, they might get very used to eating large quantities of food because they burn so much. What happens if something changes, such as an illness, injury, lack of time, lack of motivation....to keep up that former pace? Do they adjust their calories down and still maintain their weight? or is it easy to regain the weight because they got used to eating larger quantities? Has anyone struggled with this? I often consciously think about being moderate in my exercise for fear of this type thing happening to me.
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Replies

  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    The reason you eat more is because the high level of activity needs more fuel.

    If I burn over 400 calories I want more food, if I'm ill or just relaxing I'm not as hungry.

    I wouldn't worry about it, but also you don't need to do crazy nutso vigorous activity if thats not your thing.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Bump! Good question I was wondering similar.
  • 1Clueless1
    1Clueless1 Posts: 70
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    I've thought about that. I try to do a moderate amount of exercise every day and maybe once a week ill burn over 800 calories in a day. Makes me feel good to push a burn once in a while. When I do, I only eat back a small portion of the calories and increase my water intake. That helps. I don't want to get used to a ton of food because I gain weight too quickly. Everyone knows their own body. Do what works for u. Good luck.
  • TommiEgan
    TommiEgan Posts: 256 Member
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    I usually burn more than 900 calories per day with cycling. All I can say is that I am never full.
  • Crazy4Healthy
    Crazy4Healthy Posts: 626 Member
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    I have worried about the same on occasion, but I know on the days where I'm pretty sedentary I eat less. Guess that is why I feel I will be tracking my intake for the rest of my life. I know how easy it can be to over do it on a consistent basis. Exercise less, eat less, exercise more, eat more. Viscous cycle. LOL I honestly worry more about muscle breakdown should I face an injury. With muscle breakdown I would also be burning less calories.

    I wouldn't say I have gotten used to eating larger quantities, just know I need to in order to fuel my workouts. I honestly find it difficult some days to eat as much as I need to (today being one), but I find a way somehow in order to keep my macros in check.
  • elizabethis
    elizabethis Posts: 155 Member
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    Thanks for the comments. I guess I am in the "moderate" camp - about life in general. ( I might be showing my age a little :wink: )
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
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    I typically will adjust my diet if I am out of commish to not gain back much if any. HIT training though requires HI Eating....HA!!!
  • Jennaissance
    Jennaissance Posts: 212
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    I used to bike 2 hours and day and run for an hour and then lift. Then I broke my foot. I gained 40 pounds in 2 1/2 months and now that's why I'm here!

    I wish I would have just eaten less during the 6 months that I couldn't really do anything but it was SO HARD!!! I should have joined MPF back then. Oh well! Now I have a vast knowledge of how many calories are in things and I know how many calories I burn doing stuff. These are good things to know about!

    As long as you know, you shouldn't have an issue!
  • moran1917
    moran1917 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    This just happened to me. I was burning 5500-7000 calories a week when I got into a car accident and could not workout for about a month and a half other than walking. What I found was that I was not as hungry as I was when I was burning huge. After a massive workout I would be starving, stomach growling, had to have food. But when I did not workout it was not the same, I never felt that way. I found, during my lay-up, that I was eating about 100-200 more calories a day then perhaps I should have been- so closer to maintainance mode. I have not lost a pound since the accident, but I also have not put on any weight. That was a relief to me, because at my goal wieght I will still workout, but not like this. The past month has shown me that I will be able to maintain and handle it when my workout needs change.
  • Bevkus
    Bevkus Posts: 274 Member
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    I became a long distance runner...spent my life at gym, on treadmiil, doing weights or on a trail. Lost 100lbs much in the way you stated. Long story short, just before going on holidays, I decided to do one last ultimate workout as I would be away from gym for a while...well It certainly was one last workout...I seriuosly injured my back showing off with a deadlift. Dumb.

    That changed EVERYTHING. It screwed up my running, it was painful. I went off weights. I stopped working out but I didnt stop eating.

    I gained the 100lbs back.

    This time around I am trying not to be so extreme...yes you can power away the calories, but like you stated, if youve learned no food control in the process you are screwed once an injury or other life stress hits you
  • elizabethis
    elizabethis Posts: 155 Member
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    I became a long distance runner...spent my life at gym, on treadmiil, doing weights or on a trail. Lost 100lbs much in the way you stated. Long story short, just before going on holidays, I decided to do one last ultimate workout as I would be away from gym for a while...well It certainly was one last workout...I seriuosly injured my back showing off with a deadlift. Dumb.

    That changed EVERYTHING. It screwed up my running, it was painful. I w off weights. I stopped working out but I didnt stop eating.

    I gained the 100lbs back.

    This time around I am trying not to be so extreme...yes you can power away the calories, but like you stated, if youve learned no food control in the process you are screwed one an injury or other lifr stress hits you

    And you're very well on your way. Way to not give up on yourself!
  • NicholeMann
    NicholeMann Posts: 6
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    I agree with the discipline required comments. If you aren't exercising as much, then definitely your body won't need the fuel (it helps me to think of calories as fuel, not something to be afraid of or overly excited about obtaining -- it seems weird, but like I said, it helps me). For me, personally, because I was a Marine, intense workouts are a way of life, most of the time. As a woman who just had her fourth baby and third c-section, though (and in my mid-thirties!), I'vesort of been dealing with the fallout from this issue since I was on bedrest for four of the nine months of my last pregnancy. I did try to be very good in my eating, but I still went from a major calorie burn, since I would PT in the morning, usually workout on my own at chow and do yoga at night to barely moving. I was only cleared to use the head and take a shower. Now, even though three of the six days I work out I'm doing 800+ calories, my metabolism still hasn't caught back up. Like I said, this is only my personal story and I'm sure everyone is different and has different experiences. Best of luck to you!
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
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    Thanks for posting this topic! I burn 700-1000 calories 6 days a week and have to eaaat!! Haha. So, valuable info, thanks :)
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    I usually workout for 4 hours/6 days a week. I typically burn 3000-4000 calories when I work out. On days I don't exercise I try to limit my calories to 1700. Because of how strenuous my workouts are I eat more on the days I workout. Usually 2000-2400ish. But I'm still eating less than my old lifestyle just eating whatever the heck I wanted. I do need more to fuel my workouts but I am not doing the mindless snacking. Exercise curbs my appetite for snacking. On my rest days from working out I struggle to control my snacking, eating from boredom. Sure, exercise gives me a little wiggle room with my diet. And if I don't work out then I have to be stricter. But I don't think that's any different than anyone else on here. I still log my food and watch what I eat. I don't just say eh, I burned 21,000 calories this week so I can eat whatever I want.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    The OP asks a fantastic question. That is precisely the reason one should base their weight loss goals around a sound eating plan, NOT around prolific amounts of vigorous exercise. Losing weight is about what you eat, not what you do.

    The exercise you do should be about making a physical change in your body. Strengthening muscles and joints, enhancing cardiovascular fitness, increasing endurance capacity, building bigger or better looking muscles. These activities will burn calories, but the "burn" is not the reason to do them.

    Note: the general confusion about this concept is what fuels my constant, futile hrm rants. Exercise is for fitness, eating sensibly is for losing weight. Connected, but different.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    It is not uncommon for this to happen. One must be conscious about maintaining proper equilibrium.
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
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    Just adding my 2 cents..yes you get used to eating more. I'm injured right now and can't do my lifting or hard cardio. All I can do is walking. So I'm walking ALLOT and at the same time tightened up my diet. Still losing weight but I am much more concious right now of how much I can eat. But I do notice I'm not as hungry as when I was working out harder.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i eat more on my rest days and less on my more active ones. i'm usually not as hungry on the active days anyway, so it all evens out. so i suppose if i stopped with the vigorous workouts, i probably wouldnt have any spikes in my hunger level since i wouldnt be needing as many calories


    i'm never not motivate to work out.. injury wise i've been lucky enough to have never been seriously injured in 20 years of exercising, including 6 years of playing rugby. the one time i did get injured (rotator cuff) i worked around the injury and did rehab, so there was no rest.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
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    I do think about this from time to time... Wondering when i will no longer be able to burn 400-600+ calories in a day. I now the day WILL come. I will have to adjust my eating level to match my activity level. I would like to believe that once my activity level decreases i wont feel as hungry to need all the calories I'm currently used to having. I guess its the same principal to anyone that slows down on the amount they workout.. Calories in have to be equal to calories out to maintain.... Simple accounting.
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
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    Im on 1200cal a day and I eat back some of my exercise calories. 4 days a week I burn 500-600 cal and I eat back maybe 150cal. Once a week I do a super session which I burn 900-1100cal and eat back 300-400.

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