Am I consuming right amount of calories?

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AbidKhanFFI
AbidKhanFFI Posts: 13
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so I normally like to consume around 1600 calories a day, however on MFP they have set my caloric goal to 2,150 a day.

I am 5ft7 and in-between 94-96 pounds. and my goal is to be gaining 0.5pounds per week. I have a daily caloric burn from exercise ranging from 100-350 calories, depends on what days. And I never eat back calories burned.

I workout 7days a week:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays- I do body weight exercises such as sit ups, pushups etc...
Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays- I use weights but high rep/low weight.
Saturday & Sunday- I do 20-30mins of cardio.

The problem I have is that I kind of "struggle" to reach that goal, as I feel that I would get fat/obese if I do consume all those calories and I see on here people actually go over there caloric needs and still stay fit & healthy... how!??

Please help :D

Replies

  • AbidKhanFFI
    AbidKhanFFI Posts: 13
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    bump
  • Arabian45
    Arabian45 Posts: 15
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    If it's any consolation, I struggle with THE SAME thing; don't want to eat more but know I should... Let's say I eat around 1500-1600 calories a day, but I need to be getting 2,000. It helps me if I say to myself, "I'm going to make those "extra" 400-500 calories good calories." Things like nuts, olive oils, and dairy that I wouldn't normally eat, but that help me reach my calorie goal without feeling like I'm eating soooo much more. Generally, though, your meal plan should be balanced. You need to eat more! And it doesn't have to be junk food either!
  • AbidKhanFFI
    AbidKhanFFI Posts: 13
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    So have you overcome this problem?
    Also I follow more calories rather than fat/protein/carbs
  • AbidKhanFFI
    AbidKhanFFI Posts: 13
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    bump
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you are trying to gain weight, then yes, you need to eat more. Including your exercise calories.
  • Arabian45
    Arabian45 Posts: 15
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    No, in honesty I haven't quite overcome the problem yet. In fact, I've barely taken the first step, but I'm trying to start...Yes, I follow more calories too, except I try to be aware of WHAT kind of calories I'm putting in my body. BTW, have you talked to anyone else for support or help? I couldn't help noticing that for your height and activity level, 96 lbs just seems too low.
  • AbidKhanFFI
    AbidKhanFFI Posts: 13
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    Nope was never aware of that situation of being too low.... Just thought I needed to put on some weight but struggled getting the food in.
  • Arabian45
    Arabian45 Posts: 15
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    I understand, but you gotta try. Like I said, give your body what it needs, which means balanced eating and proper nutrition. There are lots of people on this website who could give you a clearer picture of what good nutrition is. I might try looking in the "Food and Nutrition" forums. The more you deprive your body of needed calories, the more nutrients (including fat calories) it will hoard while struggling to perform basic living functions. You just gotta get over that mental "wall" and start eating as much as you need. Tomorrow I'm going to up my calories to 1800 (yikes!), and increase that to the needed 2000. :-) Just small steps.

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