Hard time eating back calories burned

I have a question! I am having a hard time eating back the calories I burn. During the day I usually eat about 800 calories and I burn off about 600+. I know your sposed to be eating back the calories but yesterday with my food and exercise I had alomst 1000 calories to eat back. Any suggestions??? I am NOT trying to eat a low amout of calories and or exercise a lot but its getting confusing/hard lol
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Replies

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I know everyone hates to hear it, but we didn't get fat eating incredibly low calorie; we know how to consume large amounts of calories. It should not be hard to add calories to your day. Snack on cheese, peanut butter, avacado, almonds, cook with olive oil, add some snacks through out the day, etc.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Add a little more food to each meal. Don't use low-fat products. Cook with olive oil and butter. Put peanut butter on an apple.


    Definitely eat all your calories and your exercise calories.
  • 3 egg cheese omelette, bacon, hash browns, fruit salad, big glass of orange juice, ice cream on apple pie for dessert.
    Problem solved.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    WOW, not sure how you're functioning but when I exercise and don't eat enough I have a bad headache, anywho, you definitely need to eat more if you're taking in 800 cals then burning off 600 calories. Might as well only eat 200 calories a day and not exercise!

    If you know you're exercising that day and have a rough estimate of calories burned then plan ahead and eat some foods before working out and after. I used to wait until after I worked out to eat back my calories but it seemed impossible and very hard, esp since I wasn't really hungry. Now I plan my day out with those calories included and don't have to worry about it.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    I know everyone hates to hear it, but we didn't get fat eating incredibly low calorie; we know how to consume large amounts of calories. It should not be hard to add calories to your day. Snack on cheese, peanut butter, avacado, almonds, cook with olive oil, add some snacks through out the day, etc.

    Very true!
  • mayamagallanes
    mayamagallanes Posts: 85 Member
    Unfortunately, I dont like eggs at all! But last night I did a bad thing and went out to get a chicken fried steak scramble (no eggs) Im pretty sure I ate back all of my calories :} Its just hard for me to eat them all back usually. I dont want to lose weight the unhealthy way so Im trying to figure this out!! I honestly dont feel that hungry at all and I dont want to stuff myself!!
  • imhungry2012
    imhungry2012 Posts: 240 Member
    What are you doing that is burning 600 calories?
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
    a simple peanut butter sandwich w/ 2tbsp and whole grain bread is roughly 300+ calories (110 cals/slice + 190 cals-PB), easy way to up your calories without stuffing your face
  • atucker0821
    atucker0821 Posts: 106 Member
    What are you doing that is burning 600 calories?

    i had planned to ask the same thing. i know MFP estimates a ridiculous high number when i have put in exercise before that the machine just didn't give me (based on my heart rate)...make sure those calories burned are correct before eating them all back!
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    You seriously are depriving yourself and eating far too little. The way you are eating is not a sustainable way of life. You do not need to starve yourself to lose weight. Even if you claim you are not hungry, the little you are eating is not enough.

    You did not become overweight by struggling to eat calories so other than deliberately eating too little you know how to eat more!
  • mayamagallanes
    mayamagallanes Posts: 85 Member
    Treadmill, Elliptical and Bicycle.I am also adding Zumba into my weekly schedule. I dont feel like im doing a lot of exercise or "pushing" myself too hard, well actually I really cant anyway because of my injured hip. I never get too tired or fatigued either. Like I said, I am NOT trying to starve myself!! I am asking for suggestions and if anyone else is going through this what they do to help themselvs. I KNOW something isnt right thats why I am trying to ask for help!
  • frood
    frood Posts: 295 Member
    Here's a BMR calculator. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    You really shouldn't eat a total less than that number per day. If I was only eating 800 calories per day, I'd be biting people.
  • I don't understand how people can eat so little. I've been doing MFP for a year and a half...and what I ate for breakfast today is almost your calorie intake for the whole day. Much larger breakfast than normal, but if that was all I could eat all day? I'd be the world's biggest b*tch! lol I'm sure you can find something extra to eat. A handful of nuts? A bowl of cereal? I have a hard time believing anyone would feel full after eating so little all day. Good luck!
  • evdenapoli
    evdenapoli Posts: 164 Member
    I just don't get it. If I eat back my excersize calories.. how do I create the deficit for weight loss?
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    I just don't get it. If I eat back my excersize calories.. how do I create the deficit for weight loss?


    MFP has already given you a deficit, unless you think 1,200 is a maintain calorie intake?
  • frood
    frood Posts: 295 Member
    I just don't get it. If I eat back my excersize calories.. how do I create the deficit for weight loss?
    The deficit is built in when you say you want to "lose x lbs per week."
  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
    eat back at least half.
    Try reading Burn the FAt Feed the Muscle. Think of your body like a furnace, if you hardly ever feed it or give it "plastic" or things that don't burn well or hot you will not go through your calories, you need to feed it often and feed it enough to get it fired up!!!
    Your body will lose weight and build muscle better when you eat the proper range for yourself, it is trial and error and a week with no loss or a slight gain is not a failure, it is feedback! Try to do things the right way to keep the fat off and learn the way your body works.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Here's a BMR calculator. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    You really shouldn't eat a total less than that number per day. If I was only eating 800 calories per day, I'd be biting people.

    This ^^^^...and that should be net. You need to, minimally, net to your BMR to be healthy. Eating significantly below your BMR for an extended period of time will stall your metabolism amongst a host of other issues which are very dangerous. If you net between your BMR and your TDEE you will lose weight in a healthy way.

    Honestly, you don't need the exercise to lose the weight. You do realize that if MFP has you set up at 1,200 calories, there's already a deficit built into that number correct? That is the bare minimum you should be NETTING to. If you can't even net to your BMR (you say you're only eating 800 calories per day) then you honestly have no business exercising at all. If you exercise and are burning the kind of calories you say you are burning, you need to understand how to properly fuel your body.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You insist that you aren't trying to eat so little and exercise excessively but that is exactly what you are doing. 800 calories is likely a 50% deficit, if not more, even if you were sedentary. You keep doing this and you won't have your periods, which should be an obvious sign to you that this isn't sustainable and you need to drastically curtail physical activity and start eating a bit more.
  • __RANDY__
    __RANDY__ Posts: 1,036 Member
    Every time I see a I can't eat this many calories :sad: Wahhhhhhhhhhhh:sad:

    I just shake my head and wonder how did you get here.
  • mayamagallanes
    mayamagallanes Posts: 85 Member
    We are here to HELP people NOT put them down. I am trying to get HELP this is why I am asking which is a lot better then doing nothing about it. Please keep your snotty comments to yourself they are NOT needed or wanted.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    Every time I see a I can't eat this many calories :sad: Wahhhhhhhhhhhh:sad:

    I just shake my head and wonder how did you get here.


    Too many bananas! :sad:

    PS - this wasn't snotty... it is true... it just wasn't sugar coated
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    The reality is you need to find a way to eat more. With such an extreme calorie deficit and so much cardio, you are burning a lot of muscle, which I assume you would rather not do. I agree with the other poster who suggested estimating your calories burned early in the day and work on eating the calories you need throughout the day so you're not left with a huge amount at the end of the day. If you truly are finding this too difficult, ease up on the exercise. However, I would recommend eating healthy, calorie dense foods and continuing the exercise. Not to be rude, but I think most of us are here because we found ourselves eating too much, so I can't imagine it's that hard to eat enough. Like other suggested, try snacking on nuts, whole milk, cheese, avocados, nut butters, use olive oil, full fat dairy products and salad dressings and you should be fine.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    Just find what works for you.
    I like almonds, peanut butter and if I really have to make the ultimate sacrifice....a BK Whopper!
    :bigsmile:
    Let's not suddenly pretend that we forgot how to eat...
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    Eat more: Almonds, almond butter, peanuts, chia seeds, how about some protein shakes post workout?
  • Not being able to eat back exercise calories is the least of your problems if you think shooting for 800 calories a day is healthy. Looks like you need to take a look at what you really want because 800 calories is extremely low and won't get you healthy.
  • IrishSoul
    IrishSoul Posts: 14 Member
    If you know you are going to burn that much, add something to each Meal/snack.
    Add 100-200 and 100 to snacks. Be smart and eat complex carbs and protein.... Raw nuts/un salted are a quick way to get calories/ protein and healthy fats..... But limit yourself on them....

    I think everyone in the thread agrees.... Eat.....

    Keep up the great work!
  • deniseblossoms
    deniseblossoms Posts: 373 Member
    Eat the food, it's not bad, and you're not bad by eating. Especially if you're in that big of a deficit. You can do a search of the community for similar threads to see other responses.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Unfortunately, I dont like eggs at all! But last night I did a bad thing and went out to get a chicken fried steak scramble (no eggs) Im pretty sure I ate back all of my calories :} Its just hard for me to eat them all back usually. I dont want to lose weight the unhealthy way so Im trying to figure this out!! I honestly dont feel that hungry at all and I dont want to stuff myself!!
    Going out and killing someone is doing a bad thing. Cheating on your husband is doing a bad thing. Eating chicken fried steak is not doing a bad thing. Stop looking at food as "good" or "bad". Most of the time, when someone can't get their head around eating enough calories, it's because they are being overly-restrictive with their diet. No one food will make you fat or stop you losing weight. Even lard.
  • kayla2709
    kayla2709 Posts: 25 Member
    Grab some nuts & Seeds. Just because you have worked your butt off in the gym and have to eat back your calories doesn't mean you can run to processed salty, fad laden foods that will sabitarge your weight loss. Try making a protein shake after your work out or eating some turkey or chicken breast. Don't waste the calories on food that you have worked so hard to work off! The less you eat the less you lose and the less you will feel. Eat clean, train dirty!