How can you use all the calories up I always have lots extra

MarionB1952
MarionB1952 Posts: 1
edited September 23 in Introduce Yourself
:happy:

Replies

  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    Yesterday was the first day I had that problem and I solved it with an avocado.
  • jesse1117
    jesse1117 Posts: 124 Member
    drink milk with your meals.
  • ernurse77
    ernurse77 Posts: 73 Member
    I am always under my calorie goals. Especially the days I do my cardio. I am still trying to figure out if I should be meeting my calorie goal that is recalculated after exercise, or if I should stick with the original amount.
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
    I've had this same problem since the beginning. My understanding is that you should eat back the calories you burn (or at least half or more of them) during cardio. The bottom line is that your net should be at least 1200. My resolution for this ultimately became binge eating (bananas, peanut butter, bread, etc.) at night, but eating too close to bedtime isn't great either. Today, my new plan is to eat a larger breakfast (I wasn't eating breakfast at all) of a couple hundred calories so that at least I do'nt have that many hanging over me at night. Drinking milk with meals is also a nutritious way to add some calories. Even low fat string cheese is a nice snack that won't add too many sugars or carbs if you're low on them by the end of the day.
  • DawnOf1969
    DawnOf1969 Posts: 726 Member
    I never have that problem. I always plan my meals the day before so I know exactly what is going in my mouth. So I never have leftover calories. Once I enter in my vitamins and supplements, everything that passes my lips, I always use them all up! But I never eat back the calories I burn on the advice of my trainer, nutritionist and doctor. So that may be the difference.
  • theTupper
    theTupper Posts: 27
    I know that my meals don't match up EXACTLY with the options when you select what you've eaten...so I know there's some wiggle room. In general, as long as I'm around 300 cals of my target, I don't worry about it. :-)
  • ernurse77
    ernurse77 Posts: 73 Member
    Isn't the point to have a defecit though? The defecit is creating the fat burn, right? Or do I have this completely wrong? I thought that in order to loose weight you were supposed to have a defecit in calories.
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
    Isn't the point to have a defecit though? The defecit is creating the fat burn, right? Or do I have this completely wrong? I thought that in order to loose weight you were supposed to have a defecit in calories.

    Yes, the point is to have a defecit. The trick (which there are many threads about this because it's confusing) is that MFP already calculates your defecit for you. So, for whichever plan you selected (lost 1 lb, lose 2 lb, etc.) you should be eating the amount that is in your target the MFP sets (within a couple hundred, I think - as long as its over 1200 net).

    That's my take on it anyway.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    I keep anywhere between 200-300 "extra" calories after I work out simply because the calorie calculators on the machines and even here on MFP are reputed to run a little high. But you should be eating most of them. Try:

    Nuts, protien shakes, peanut butter. All will boost your calorie intake without huge amounts. And make for nice little treats.
  • ernurse77
    ernurse77 Posts: 73 Member
    It just seems so odd to me. For years I have always been told, you need to eat less to burn fat. Currently, I'm alloted 1780 calories per day. I chose the 1lb per week loss. Most days I have been significantly UNDER my intial calorie goal. For instance, today I ate a total of 1352 calories, exercised burning approximately 501 calories, net of 851, which gives me 929 calories remaining for today. Am I eating too little? I'm exercising 5 to 6 days a week for at least 38 minutes per day.

    I guess I figured the bigger the defecit from your inital count the greater the fat loss. Please correct me if I'm wrong!!!! If I don't eat my alloted, what will happen?
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