help... not sure why i have left over calories at the end of

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jebert11
jebert11 Posts: 5
in Motivation and Support
Mon 05/23/11 07:02 PMso i always start my day with a good or at least decent breakfast and then i work out i am constantly moving all day and i dont even account for all the short walks i take to the store or to the park...i eat and eat and eat and then when i do my excersize for the day i burn a ton of calories and have to eat and eat and eat again and i still have leftover calories at the end of the day... am i going to lose weight that way or do i have to do something diff??? i just naturally eat healthy... so do i need to make my daily goal less or work out less??? please help not sure what to do wanna do this thing right lol

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  • KELacey
    KELacey Posts: 5 Member
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    How many extra calories do you have? As long as you aren't going much below your body's minimum energy requirements, you should lose weight. However, if you go too low your body can lower it's metabolic rate and your weight loss will be slower than if you had a smaller deficit at the end of the day.
  • korygilliam
    korygilliam Posts: 594 Member
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    The more calories that you have in the negative is a good thing, but you should end up w/ a positive calorie count. Recommended is to not go below 1200 calories for your day (not counting exercise) in food, otherwise you will not lose weight (and may actually gain it instead). I proved that to myself multiple times where I would eat 1000 calories and not lose a pound and as soon as I ate 1200-1300 calories, I would shed weight again. When I was losing the best weight, I was netting around 600-800 calories (positive). 1200 cal consumed, 400-600 cal worked off.

    I would recommend trying out what you are doing for a week (as long as you are getting 1200 calories) and excersice off 400-600 calories. If you don't lose any weight, then manipulate your calorie intake and burn. Make sure the total calories lost via excercise is appropriately documented. When I put in elliptical trainer for 45 min, it shows 500 calories, but my machine says only 300 (because I did low intensity).

    I am NOT a physician or a nutrition expert. This is only suggestions from my own experiences.

    Good luck.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Might help to read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    You want your NET (on home page) to be at least 1200 each, and ideally it should match your initial daily goal.

    Planning is key. Just 50 cals more for each meal/snack adds up. Focus on balanced macros (protein/fat/carbs) in each meal/snack. Also, a snack after your workout is helpful, even if it's small (and late). If you know you'll be working out, increase cals throughout the day. My workouts are often later in the evening (8 or 9) and I almost always have a snack afterwards; usually yogurt and fruit or cottage cheese, and nuts, as they are light and don't make me feel stuffed. Some people like to have a protein shake or peanut butter, etc.

    If you're not feeling hungry, a good way to increase cals without much volume is healthy fats from natural oils (olive/canola), nuts and nut butters (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), and avocados. Also, I would stay away from "low cal" or "low fat" options. Partly because you want to increase cals, and partly because those foods are usually processed and not nutrient dense, and the cals or fat they take out is replaced by sugar (real or substitute) and sodium - not a good trade off. A fruit smoothie, protein shake or chocolate milk are good cal boosters, because drinking cals can be easier than eating when you aren't feeling hungry.

    Typically, it may be hard for a few days or a week, but your body will adjust to the increased intake and you'll find it isn't an issue for long. If you are still having trouble, cutting back on your burns is a completely valid option. If you simply can't fuel it, you need to not burn as much. But usually, as your metabolism increases, so will your appetite.
  • Oddyss3y
    Oddyss3y Posts: 4
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    have you weighed yourself? how long have you been tracking everything? I would think you would need to adjust your amount of calories, but it sounds like you're doing what you're supposed to. Don't forget, exercise will increase your metabolism, so you'll need more calories. As you exercise, you're allowed more because your body needs more. And if you're not really losing weight, have you checked if you've lost inches? Because exercising will increase muscle mass and that weighs more than fat... so if you're not losing weight, but you are losing inches, then you're doing good. You could always ask your doctor, if you're really concerned. Hope that helps

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