Burning too many calories.

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SuperHero_Girl
SuperHero_Girl Posts: 72 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just finished reading a number of posts on the forums pertaining to following the MFP formula of eating as close to the assigned calories based on your personal goal, and I noticed that the theme of the discussion was to eat back your exercise calories. Here-in lies my problem - currently, for my goals, I have been assigned 1580 calories to consume per day and, despite eating 6 meals a day, (regular breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a variety of snacks between each meal), I have a hard time getting to that goal.

To make things worse, I work out really hard at the gym and tend to burn a large amount of calories. I use a watch that has a heart rate monitor built in, (so I don't have to wear a strap on my chest), and calculates calories burned based on heart rate and time spent working out. I tend to work out for an hour and, for the most part, I do 30 minutes on one machine such as the elliptical, and 30 minutes on another machine such as a stationary bike. I measure my heart rate once prior to starting a machine and then a minute in to start getting an accurate read on my heart rate. After the initial reading after starting exercise, I recheck my heart rate every 3-5 minutes to keep the readings as accurate as possible.

Today, I managed to burn 978 pounds in my hour of exercise and so far I've only managed to consume 1355 calories, (I still have dinner and evening snack to go), which means my caloric goal for the day is 2558 calories, so I still have roughly 1203 calories to use up. I have no idea how I'm going to consume that many calories in only a few hours.

This is not a one-off occurrence and I would hate to have my progress stalled just because I can't consume my exercise calories, especially when I have trouble meeting my assigned caloric intake. Any suggestions or recommendations on how I can better follow the MFP formula and consume the calories I'm supposed to without eating unhealthy things?

Replies

  • SandyT7468
    SandyT7468 Posts: 9
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    I do not eat my exercise calories back. However I have a splurge day at least 1 day out of every 2 weeks to keep my body from going into starvation mode. My husband does the same. As long as you eat your 1580 a day I wouldn't worry too much about the rest. But do hit the the 1580 or a little over. If you are having trouble hitting your 1580 nuts, and other high fiber, bulky foods will help you reach your calorie goal without making you feel like you've overeaten.
  • SuperHero_Girl
    SuperHero_Girl Posts: 72 Member
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    I do include nuts and high fiber foods, but still somehow have trouble hitting that 1580. I don't feel deprived, weak, dizzy or anything of that sort at the end of each day, so I hope I'm getting enough calories and don't end up hurting my progress.
  • Megh757
    Megh757 Posts: 33 Member
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    weird that I just posted an almost identical post however didn't take the time to elaborate...I am worried about this too. I workout a lot and enjoy it and don't feel that I am overdoing it. I even googled signs of overtraining and I have none of them. I used to think I was just overestimating my burn but now I have a device to prove im not. I eat 16-2200 calories a day and still net 100-1000 and I literally eat all day long. I am not good at "meals" I have small "meals" 6-7 times a day because it keeps me from getting low blood sugar which I have always had issues with. I am losing 1-2 lbs a week and I know I should lose more. I also know theres no way I would be able to eat more and when I didn up to 2500 for a while I didn't lose any faster so anyways....I know how it feels and don't want to damage my metabolism or body but I am looking to find out what others have to say. I am deff not an athlete but for example someone who is does not always net 1200 calories and they are used to that so there has to be some kinda loop hole I feel. I have found contradicting info online so it helps to know from real people with real results
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
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    How much weight are you losing per week on average
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    900 cals in an hour sounds very high? (perhaps thats just me though?)
  • SuperHero_Girl
    SuperHero_Girl Posts: 72 Member
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    Well, Megh757, you must be doing something right based on your ticker, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much?

    And ncmedic201, I only restarted my weight loss journey about 2, almost 3 weeks ago and I'm down 6 pounds from my weight right before restarting, so 2, maybe 3 pounds a week at this point.
  • Libertysfate
    Libertysfate Posts: 452 Member
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    I had this same issue when I started, eventually I got tired of eating to keep up and focused on my base. :)
  • SuperHero_Girl
    SuperHero_Girl Posts: 72 Member
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    Snazzyjazzy21 - I tend to get my heart rate pretty far up past the ideal zone during exercise. I don't do it intentionally, it just happens. To clarify, I just restarted my weight loss attempt about 2, almost 3 weeks ago and, like the beginning of my first attempt, the calories are burning like crazy, I know that in the next few weeks, I won't be burning as many/it will be harder to burn as many calories.
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
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    Well, Megh757, you must be doing something right based on your ticker, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much?

    And ncmedic201, I only restarted my weight loss journey about 2, almost 3 weeks ago and I'm down 6 pounds from my weight right before restarting, so 2, maybe 3 pounds a week at this point.

    Looking at your diary and the amount you've been averaging in calories along with your weight loss, you look fine. You'll want to slow the weight loss down as you progress but for now 2-3 lbs a week should be OK. You may want to average out your calories for a week or two to determine an average daily caloric intake. Then you wouldn't have to worry about eating a different amount on a daily basis.

    Also, if you find it's hard to take in enough calories, try switching up the diet food for regular food.
  • MarioLozano16
    MarioLozano16 Posts: 319 Member
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    Eat more. Problem solved
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Do you like Almonds and chocolate milk??? Twice a day I have a 1/2 a cup of Almonds with a glass (2 cups) 1% Chocolate Milk this amounts to 1320 calories between these 2 snacks before I even begin to eat any food.... Calorie dense foods are an easy way to make up calories and get some good fats in as well.... I am maintaining at 4,000 calories a day and have no problems hitting this mark everyday by mixing in some of these snacks.... Best of Luck
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Eat more. Problem solved

    Of course, how had no one thought of that before...
  • Garthamatic
    Garthamatic Posts: 84 Member
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    I make sure to eat back at least the Protein macro. Gotta protect that muscle...
  • iheartmy1dog
    iheartmy1dog Posts: 207
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    I never ate back calories, and I normally do a lot of exercise... Everyone is different but I don't recommend my route. I didn't realize I was suppose to eat back calories until recently...... Yes, I've lost a ton.... But, I'm not healthy. :/
  • amandazaremba135
    amandazaremba135 Posts: 2
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    thank you
  • berg2212
    berg2212 Posts: 6
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    You're best off going by how you feel. If you don't ever feel dizzy, light headed, short of breath that sort of thing or lethargic throughout the day you're probably doing just fine. If you're working out a lot I suggest tons of protein. Amp up your veggies, and it's always a good idea to pair complex carbs with a lean protein, ie whole grain toast with deli meat, fruit and nuts, yogurt and granola, that sort of stuff. and DEFINITELY avoid diet foods, you obviously don't need to worry about the extra calories that come from the real thing, and anything 'low fat' or 'fat free' usually has hidden sugars and nasty chemicals and preservatives. Your body doesn't know how to break these things down so you're better off using real butter or regular yogurt etc.

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