I can't eat back my exercise calories

I saw this yesterday some one posted it on their visit to a nutritionist. I agree with everyone that you shouldn't be counting the violin practice, I am a nurse and don't count any of the walking I do while at work.

1) POST WORKOUT NUTRITION

after any workout, whether cardio or strength training, it is important to refuel our body with the right nutrients. this way, we can recover more effectively, replace our muscles with glycogen, build muscle mass and burn more body fat, and see results faster.

he recommended:
- something that's easy to digest (NO fat or animal meats, and ideally liquid)
- carbs are most important - a food with a high-glycemic index (GI) is best, so it can be absorbed quickly
- easy-digesting protein - he recommended whey

examples are:
- a 20-oz orange/fruit punch gatorade with one scoop of whey powder (whey protein is most easily digested) - supposedly, it will taste like a creamsicle
- milk/yogurt (e.g., chocolate milk)
- fruit

his top pick was a mixture of gatorade/whey protein - which is absorbed most quickly. after exercise, you want a spike in insulin from simple sugars, because it will cause the body to revert to an anabolic state and help you gain muscle. in contrast, you do NOT want a high GI food during other parts of the day, because the spike in insulin will make cells more sensitive to fat absorption. so if you do eat a fruit during the day, be sure to accompany it with a handful of nuts, an ounce of cheese, etc. to avoid the insulin spike

the TIMING of post-workout nutrition is also critical. he said the "window of opportunity" is 45 minutes (reference is a study by Drs. John Ivy and Robert Portman), and ideally it should be taken within 15-30 minutes post-workout. beyond the 45-min window, your muscles become less sensitive and efficient at replenishing glycogen stores. ryan also recommended a full meal within 60-90 minutes post-workout.

i know the topic of EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES is hugely debated on MFP! , but he agrees it is very important, and suggested that i eat 75% back right during post-recovery nutrition so that it can be used directly for muscle building. the TIMING of eating back exercise calories is also important. he said many people might think they can eat a huge bowl of cereal much later in the day, given they burned a lot of calories.. but if you eat them back during other parts of the day and it is a large number of calories, the excess calories will be converted into fat. so eating them back during the post-workout window is ideal.

Eat them back, don't eat them back...there are arguments to both sides and some people actually will eat part of them back as a way to compromise. It's a personal choice. This website seems to find value in eating them back and since I'm *not* a nutrition and exercise guru I'm making no argument either way.

That being said, if you want to up your calories easily while still being healthy I'd look into getting some peanut butter. Have you seen how many calories are in a couple tbsp? Surely you can eat a few out of the jar without problem and chase it with some milk.

Lots of protein there. Also I had a friend who was underweight that actually had to see a legitimate nutritionist. She recommended it as a healthy addition of calories.

I am really concerned about your estimates of calorie burn. I thinkthey are WAY high. That may be your problem

I am just using the MFP calculator and I have checked a lot of sources on violin practice. I think people would be surprised how physically hard it is. If you watch a soloist on any instrument at a high level you will generally see sweat running down their face pretty quickly!

Do you play those types of demanding pieces often? And is it consistent? Your heart rate needs to be elevated consistently for the duration of your time playing to burn that many calories. Now, if you are at that high level of energy for 15-30 seconds and then slow down for the next minute before you're back at it again you could probably assume that your heart rate didn't have enough time to lower too much. But if you are working the violin hard for five consecutive minutes but then don't play again for another ten minutes - that's PLENTY of time for your heart rate to drop. Make sense? :-/

I didnt know that we were supposed to eat back the exercise calories.......

wow, PLEASE read the link at the bottom of my signature

idk, I played violin, not for 5 hrs. But I wouldn't think it burned 800 calories, I wouldn't be comfortable counting that as exercise. Now maybe if you were out on the field marching Drum and Bugle Corp (dci), but concert violin, no.

I do not think you should log your violin practice. I would consider it to be more of a "lifestyle" activity and not a "fitness" activity Now, if you went running or swam laps, then you'd count it. For example, a pro basketball player would not count his games as "exercise" on top of lifestyle, because it IS his lifestyle. But since I would only play basketball for fitness/fun, it would be "exercise".

Do you have your lifestyle listed correctly? As it sounds to me like you are pretty active and therefore you probably can hav emore than 1200 as your base level?

Eat back what you can. You'll get used to it. I had trouble eating a lot at first but now I can eat 3k cals a day without much trouble.

Look at your daily goals and see what you are short on.
If you've got room for fats, peanut butter is an awesome way to get in calories easily.
Skim milk is also another option if you have room for carbs/protein. I always have both of these every day.

oh no i drink shakeology every day... why you say i am getting ripped off? the nutrients are great and it taste good, but i am willing to hear what you think...thanks so much!:happy: