Eat my exercise calories? But I'm not hungry.

weightofyourskin
weightofyourskin Posts: 173
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
I keep reading about how important it is to eat back the calories you lose exercising. i certainly don't want to push my body into starvation mode or do anything unhealthy for my body. It's just that most of the time I'm not hungry enough to eat my exercise calories!

For example, today I'm at approx. 528 calories so far. That's lunch and snacks (I took advantage of an opportunity to sleep in today so woke up too late for breakfast). I went on a long walk, about 10 km, that burned off around 567 calories. This puts me at around -39, which means I have to eat over 1600 calories by the end of the day.

Except it's 7:30 PM already and my dinner will consist of a pork chop and steamed vegetables, which won't be nearly 1600. Should I add in some high-calorie foods like ice cream just to get up to the 1580 that MFP recommend I have? I'm not sure what to do here - what are your suggestions/recommendations?
«1

Replies

  • runner328
    runner328 Posts: 174
    I have the same problem. I have eaten already but I have over 300 calories left. I mayeat some hummus & pita chips.
  • MissyFit08
    MissyFit08 Posts: 274 Member
    bump: I have the same problem. I would like to know what we are supposed to do with the extra calories. Especially if we aren't hungry enough to eat them.
  • SetecAstronomy
    SetecAstronomy Posts: 470 Member
    My personal recommendation would be...if you're not hungry, don't eat! You've eaten SOMETHING already, so it's unlikely your body is going to go into starvation mode. If you burn more calories than you consume, that's the key to weight loss.

    Unless of course you're not TRYING to lose weight...

    And kudos for having a negative! My negative usually becomes positive after breakfast...LOL
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    im with u i have over 900 calories left to eat and im just not hungry but im gonna go ahead and find some dinner and maybe snack on cereal later
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    If you are not hungry, you're not hungry and honestly the worst thing you could do would be eat. What about some popcorn or something like that? It has calories but not tons and it is not bad for you either (as long as it is not movies theater stuff lol). Edys has really good frozen fruit bars, they are not too bad either. Good luck and congratulations on your workouts :)
  • boilermakerblaw
    boilermakerblaw Posts: 78
    This is my issue everyday...I think its best to listen to your body! If you feel shaky..then you should probably eat something! If you feel great than, great!
  • WWhitaker
    WWhitaker Posts: 309
    I've asked this question before and usually what people tell me is to plan better (which I'm starting to do). When you know you're going to do a certain type of exercise one day, plan to your meals accordingly. Sometimes I have an overly active day and wind up eating some junk at the end of the night...but I don't feel guilty for it. It's up to you whether you'd rather meet your net no matter what cost or not meet your net at all.
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
    Read the topics here:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I don't think you you have to eat back every last calorie, but if you are exercising more then your body needs more good calories to run on, and being consistently low on calories isn't going to do your body any favours.
    If you are way under your net cals every single day then I'd suggest planning your days better so you aren't left with so many cals to eat at the end if the day - ie. add some healthy snacks earlier on in the day.
    If this is a one off, don't stress about it, just plan better for tomorrow!
  • tyadrake
    tyadrake Posts: 107 Member
    I also have the same problem, I will usually at that point eat yogurt or a frozen fruit bar or Skinny Cow Ice Cream bar to make up for some of it. My reader keeps telling me I am not eating enough and am in jeopardy of going into starvation mode when I feel like I am eating constantly. But sometimes enough is enough!
  • beccau_20
    beccau_20 Posts: 191 Member
    My personal recommendation would be...if you're not hungry, don't eat! You've eaten SOMETHING already, so it's unlikely your body is going to go into starvation mode. If you burn more calories than you consume, that's the key to weight loss.

    Unless of course you're not TRYING to lose weight...

    And kudos for having a negative! My negative usually becomes positive after breakfast...LOL

    I agree with this. I also agree with the person who said to plan better. "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

    But I digress, I would say you're good, just as long as it's once in a while.
  • ♥Mjohnson76♥
    ♥Mjohnson76♥ Posts: 13
    Just read this off a friends blog..

    You need more calories when you work out. If you're exercising while following a low-calorie eating plan, you'll need to take into account the calories you're burning. That's because it's now easier to enter starvation mode. Let's say you're burning 400 calories and only eating 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day. This means you're really only taking in 800 to 900 calories per day before you begin to calculate how your body composition is changing. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, so as your body changes, you need to eat more to keep the weight loss coming.
  • fridayjustleft04
    fridayjustleft04 Posts: 851 Member
    The same thing happens to me all the time because I frequently burn over 1000 calories. If I know I'm going to burn a lot that day, I'll eat more during the day (I mostly workout in the evenings). So at 5 pm my diary may say I've gone over on calories by a couple hundred, but at 8 pm, I'm back in the green. I never eat all of them back on a big burn day, though. As long as you eat SOME of them back (at least a couple hundred..depending on how much you burn), you're good. Your calories (not net..just intake) should be over 1200 if you exercise during the day (or whatever your daily goal is..mine happens to be 1200). Having said all of this, I am still losing weight consistantly. I don't eat all my calories back, but I do eat some..more or less depending on how hungry I am.
  • kutterba
    kutterba Posts: 107 Member
    you don't HAVE to, but you could. I make sure I eat all my regular calories - but not necessarily all the exercise calories. I don't think the site nags you about those. I know if I'm short on my regular calories that it pops up & tells me to eat more! I like to have about 100-200 left over. once in a while. good for my, I think.
  • no5wingfan
    no5wingfan Posts: 15
    I keep reading about how important it is to eat back the calories you lose exercising. i certainly don't want to push my body into starvation mode or do anything unhealthy for my body. It's just that most of the time I'm not hungry enough to eat my exercise calories!

    For example, today I'm at approx. 528 calories so far. That's lunch and snacks (I took advantage of an opportunity to sleep in today so woke up too late for breakfast). I went on a long walk, about 10 km, that burned off around 567 calories. This puts me at around -39, which means I have to eat over 1600 calories by the end of the day.

    Except it's 7:30 PM already and my dinner will consist of a pork chop and steamed vegetables, which won't be nearly 1600. Should I add in some high-calorie foods like ice cream just to get up to the 1580 that MFP recommend I have? I'm not sure what to do here - what are your suggestions/recommendations?

    I have never heard this...in that case I'm never eating enough; but dont you want to be in the negative to lose?
  • dawnmariebear
    dawnmariebear Posts: 6
    I have the same problem, I always have 100 to 200 calories left over every day. Yes I agree If I am not hungry why eat? I do understand that if our body doesn't get the required amount of calories then it stores it as fat. It is hard to eat when not hungry. I am trying to find a good snack to make up thos calories. I don't want to just eat cake or ice cream knowing that that would add up the calories more quickly :{
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
    banana with peanut butter or apple with peanut butter. go buy a protein bar-- that's around 300 calories right there. Most people don't eat enough protein. Maybe you should plan out your day better for food. If you know you are going to be burning 500 calories, eat before and after. If you ate a banana with peaunut butter before you have about 250 there, and if you had a protein bar after, that is another 300, so you will eat back your calories easily. Focus on eating smaller meals throughout the day.

    Also, if i'm recalling right you said you walked a 10K? that's about 6.2 miles, and i'm assuimng that took you quite some time because I run that in about 55 min.. ANY time you exercise for more than 60 min, you should be eating something small or just a supplement to give you extra energy. When you go on your walk, eat a granola bar after an hour or bring a gaterade to drink. You need to think of FUELING your body. Eat more small things throughout the day. Also, find foods that are high in calories because you are having an issue with that. So protein shakes, milk, protein bars, banana, apples, carrots, avacado.. etc.
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
    I think you might be limiting your fats too much. Add a pat of butter to your steamed veggies and have some almonds or seeds for snack tonight. If you could throw in a salad with some olive oil with your supper that would help too. Fats won't hurt you if you're eating the right kinds. Also curious as to why you aren't having any carbs with your supper? A side of quinoa, brown rice or whole wheat noodles would complement the chops and veggies quite nicely and 1 cup will run you about 200-300 calories.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
    Step one: take peanut butter jar
    Step 2 : Take spoon
    Step 3 : Dip spoon in jar
    Step 4 : Lick spoon

    Tomorrow plan better. This is not healthy and in the long run will hurt you.
  • catgirl711
    catgirl711 Posts: 59
    Just speaking from personal experience earlier this year I was only dieting and then after 2 months of losing weight I started exercising too. And promptly stopped losing weight. I was only eating enough to keep me full but I was still pushing myself into starvation mode. I found that if I ate a protein bar or drank a protein shake that would help me get a few more calories and keep from pushing myself even further into starvation mode.
  • fridayjustleft04
    fridayjustleft04 Posts: 851 Member
    I have never heard this...in that case I'm never eating enough; but dont you want to be in the negative to lose?
    You're still in a negative because this site builds in a deficit. It's set up for you to lose even if you don't exercise, which is why exercise calories (on this site) are a bonus.
  • weightofyourskin
    weightofyourskin Posts: 173

    Also, if i'm recalling right you said you walked a 10K? that's about 6.2 miles, and i'm assuimng that took you quite some time because I run that in about 55 min.. ANY time you exercise for more than 60 min, you should be eating something small or just a supplement to give you extra energy. When you go on your walk, eat a granola bar after an hour or bring a gaterade to drink. You need to think of FUELING your body. Eat more small things throughout the day. Also, find foods that are high in calories because you are having an issue with that. So protein shakes, milk, protein bars, banana, apples, carrots, avacado.. etc.

    It was about 1h45. I always eat some fresh fruit/veggies and a granola bar during my walks (and drink about 3 cups of water).

    I'll definitely have to plan my meals better! I haven't been exercising this much for a long time, so I'm used to eating small lunches and low-cal snacks because in the past I didn't burn off important amounts of calories throughout the day and I didn't want to be over by bedtime.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    Here, please everyone read this and decide for yourselves what you'd like to do:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    And also this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/231636-the-eating-when-you-re-not-hungry-dilemma

    Cheers!
  • RebelBrew
    RebelBrew Posts: 55
    If you arn't hungry don't eat it is not going to affect how your body is working if you dont eat all the calories back. Hunger is a a sign for needing of food if you are not hungery then why eat. I personally don't eat back my calories don't see the use seem redundant to eat what you burn but thats my choice
  • DontThinkJustRun
    DontThinkJustRun Posts: 248 Member
    How are you figuring your burn? Are you wearing a heart rate monitor? It is highly unlikely you burned 500+ cals by walking 6 miles, the average person burns 600 running a 10k so walking would be significantly less. That would be why you're not that hungry, you're potentially over estimating your burn. Just a thought.
  • Jenlwb
    Jenlwb Posts: 682 Member
    I know it's hard to plan, sometimes life happens, but why not make it up the next day? Shame we can't carry over the credit to even out the good and bad days! Or as barbiex3 says, that's a long walk, take a protein bar with you!
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    I never eat mine back. EVER.

    BUT, if I do exercise, I make sure that my intake is at least AT my goal, unlike most of my days where I'm pretty far under.

    ie: if your goal is 1200, and you workout, make sure you eat AT LEAST 1200, not necessarily all of your calories back.

    BUT, this is my opinion, because it's what works for ME.

    Everyone's body is different. Sometimes you have to play around with different ideas to find what really works for you!

    Good luck on your journey! [:
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
    just try to get at least 1000
  • weightofyourskin
    weightofyourskin Posts: 173
    How are you figuring your burn? Are you wearing a heart rate monitor? It is highly unlikely you burned 500+ cals by walking 6 miles, the average person burns 600 running a 10k so walking would be significantly less. That would be why you're not that hungry, you're potentially over estimating your burn. Just a thought.

    I have a fitness app on my iPhone to track it. It's usually on par with what MFP says I've burned when I enter the time spent walking under my cardio exercises for the day or what other fitness websites say when I plug in my pace, weight and time spent walking.
  • Justkeepswimmin
    Justkeepswimmin Posts: 777 Member
    Forgetting the whole eat my exercize calories or don't eat my exercize calories debate.....IF you decide to follow the eat my exercize calories (or at least half of them) motto ... no I don't say Ice cream is the best way to go...there are things that are high in calorie that have better nutrients for you. Hummos, protein bar, protein shake, low fat cheese, whole grains, fruit....
This discussion has been closed.

Categories