Calories and Exercise

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I am wondering if it is ok to eat more calories on days of hard workouts? Or do you all have suggestions for good, low-calorie snacks? I do circuit training 4-5 days a week and run 5 days a week. On average I will burn 900 calories. I try to stay at 1200 calories per day but am finding that I am so hungry on my circuit days. Is it ok to go over the 1200 a little? Will this effect weight loss? Any ideas/suggestions/thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!

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  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,951 Member
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    I am wondering if it is ok to eat more calories on days of hard workouts? Or do you all have suggestions for good, low-calorie snacks? I do circuit training 4-5 days a week and run 5 days a week. On average I will burn 900 calories. I try to stay at 1200 calories per day but am finding that I am so hungry on my circuit days. Is it ok to go over the 1200 a little? Will this effect weight loss? Any ideas/suggestions/thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!

    IMO, 1200 calories per day is low for that kind of activity level...
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
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    The way MFP is set up is that you are supposed to eat back some or all of your exercise calories. If you daily goal is set at 1200cal and you did 900 cals of exercise you can eat 2100cals and still be in an overall calorie deficit (as your net calories are 1200.) some people find MFP over estimates exercise calories so they eat back about half the calories earned by exercise. So for yourself that would give you 1200 + 450 cals per day = 1650 per day.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The way MFP is set up is that you are supposed to eat back some or all of your exercise calories. If you daily goal is set at 1200cal and you did 900 cals of exercise you can eat 2100cals and still be in an overall calorie deficit (as your net calories are 1200.) some people find MFP over estimates exercise calories so they eat back about half the calories earned by exercise. So for yourself that would give you 1200 + 450 cals per day = 1650 per day.

    This. I actually find that MFP estimates pretty well for my running calories, so I tend to eat most of them back. For circuit training and some other stuff I eat back about two-thirds. Doing this I lose on par with I should be, according to MFP's estimates, or even a little more.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    Your calories are way too low for your fitness level.

    Here's what I advocate if you are a regular exercise person (as you are, and so am I)

    Instead of restricting your calories to some very low level, eat at only a SLIGHT caloric deficit from your maintenance, and create the remainder of your deficit with exercise. You're still going to create a good deficit, due to the exercise, but you'll have fuel to perform as well.

    My maintenance, for instance, is about 2,000. Now, I could drop my calories to 1500 per day, for a -500 deficit just from diet alone, but that just isn't enough calories if I am exercising.

    On gym days, I will burn, like you, about 900 calories total (gym + my 4-mile daily walk). On 1500 calories that's just not feasible or maintainable. However, if I eat, say 1900 calories instead, and still get the 900 from exercise, I'm at a 1000 calorie deficit for the day. That's double the deficit I'd create if I didn't move all day, sat at my desk, and ate a lousy 1500 calories.

    Exercise is great, for all the reasons I'm sure you already know, beyond just creating a deficit. So FUEL YOURSELF! Give yourself the calories to exercise. Eat at a slight deficit, and make the rest through exercise. You'll be glad you did. The energy you'll have will be well worth it, and you'll still lose weight.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I would say you need to eat more every day.
  • ealbers83
    ealbers83 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thank You all!!! I will definitely start adding more healthy snacks into my workout days.