Eating back calories... Am I doing this right?

Marina_85
Marina_85 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!

I am 5'6" tall, weigh 64.6 kg and am a 29 year old female. I am hoping reach my goal weight of approximately 57 kg. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, MFP has estimated my net calorie goal at 1200 calories per day. I exercise daily using Jillian Michaels' Body Revolution (currently finishing week 1) and am trying out her recommendation of a 40/30/30 macros breakdown. I also take frequest walks which are usually leisurely, for about 4 hours/week.

I have read enough posts here on MFP to be fully convinced of the fact that we need to eat back our exercise calories. This makes complete sense to me. Assuming that I burn approximately 300 calories daily, I understand that I should be consuming 1500 calories per day. I also started eating approximately 5 times per day.

What I am confused about if whether I am doing this correctly. I tend to eat more carbs during the day and more protein in the evening. However in the last few evenings, I find it extremely difficult to fulfill my protein requirement for the day. In fact, I am almost force feeding myself the required protein.

I am not a big fan of protein in general, but I will eat it if it is good for me. I am just concerned because for the last few days, I find myself completely not hungry towards the second half of the day. Fulfilling the protein requirement becomes a very difficult task.

I have opened up my diary for you all to see and comment. I know that my diet isn't always the best, but I am trying and learning as I go along. I know that there is a lot of repetition, but I truly enjoy certain foods which is why I have it on more than one occasion in the day.

Not feeling hungry is not a feeling I am very familiar with. I can, and have, had the complete opposite problem for most of my life. Also, this much protein is very unusual for me which is also perhaps why it is throwing me off. My diet has always mostly been made up of lots of fruit and carbs with very little protein. I am wondering if it is just the protein filling me up so much that I do not really feel hungry. I am just terrified of overeating and packing on the weight...

Anyways, please take a look and let me know... I would really appreciate your input.

Thank you everyone!

Replies

  • markjacobs1987
    markjacobs1987 Posts: 162 Member
    1500-1600 calories sounds about right. As for ratios if you are looking to lose weight you want to make sure to keep your protein numbers up. I'd say no lower than 35% on protein. Try to keep carbs around 30-40% if you can. I hope this helps!
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i eat protein throughout the day, as having protein in your system all the time means your body can continuously repair your muscles - i'm for that. i do less fats than 30% and more protein than 30%, as well.

    i eat back exercise calories when i get hungry between meals. otherwise i don't bother. when i do eat them back, i try and do something with protein on a weight training day like half a greek yogurt, a half scoop of protein drink or something like that, and might do more carbs on a cardio day.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I eat around 130 grams of protein a day. It's not hard, and there are a lot of options: meat, eggs, dairy (especially greek yogurt), nuts, seeds, tofu, beans, quinoa, even peas are "relatively high" in protein.

    For me, I feel the best when I eat a decent amount of protein in the morning. Generally, 30-40 grams from breakfast.
  • Marina_85
    Marina_85 Posts: 2
    Thank you everyone! You are absolutely right, i think that I should up the protein intake in the first portion of the day and that way I won't feel like i'm stuffing myself with protein towards the evening. I guess it is just difficult to achieve the target calorie intake when you are eating healthy foods in a healthy ratio of carbs, proteins and fats. I will try to increase protein later as I go along. For now its still difficult to get the 30% in. But i really, really appreciate your help! :) Thank you!!!
  • projhex
    projhex Posts: 23
    If you really feel like you need more protein, buy some protein powder or protein bars. They are a simple way to get 20-30g at a time when you're falling short of your goal.

    That said, unless you're trying to build muscle, protein isn't going to do that much for you. You should get some, as your body needs some amount plus the amino acids involved, but you don't need to eat like a weight lifter if you're not trying to build muscle.

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