Having trouble eating enough calories
retgarr
Posts: 13 Member
So I have been very active and sucessful the past month. My current calorie goal is 1690 a day to lose 2 lbs a week. I have been doing intermittent fasting eating 8, fasting 16 and eating mostly protein and vegetables. I have also been going to the gym 3-5 days a week, with 3 of the days being quite intense.
The problem is that according to the calculations of myy apple watch, on many of these days I'm burning 800+ calories. So MFP credits me those calories. But with that credit I don't think I can eat enough food to meet the 1200 calorie minimum.
Using today as an example, I consumed about 1300 calories of food. But accorrding to my exercise log, I burned about 1100 calories. Leaving me 1500 calries left. I just finished dinner and feel like theres no way I could eat anywhere near 1500. Even if I say the watch is way off and I only burned 500, that still leaves me with 1000 caloris to eat. Again, I don't think I can do that.
Is this something to be concerned about? Or do I just need to get the 1200 min regardless of exercise?
The problem is that according to the calculations of myy apple watch, on many of these days I'm burning 800+ calories. So MFP credits me those calories. But with that credit I don't think I can eat enough food to meet the 1200 calorie minimum.
Using today as an example, I consumed about 1300 calories of food. But accorrding to my exercise log, I burned about 1100 calories. Leaving me 1500 calries left. I just finished dinner and feel like theres no way I could eat anywhere near 1500. Even if I say the watch is way off and I only burned 500, that still leaves me with 1000 caloris to eat. Again, I don't think I can do that.
Is this something to be concerned about? Or do I just need to get the 1200 min regardless of exercise?
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Replies
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Firstly, how are you calculating your intake? Are you weighing all your food, or estimating portion sizes? Logging everything? It may be that you are eating more than you think.
Chances are, your calorie burns at the gym are inflated. If you can give an indication of the type and duration of your workouts, people will be better able to comment on that.
If your calorie logging is accurate, there are several ways to increase calories without increasing volume, using foods that are both calorie and nutrient dense, such as cheese, nuts and nut butters, avocado, oils for cooking and dressings, etc.
Yes, consistently under eating is a problem, and can lead to too rapid weight loss, including loss of lean body mass (you will lose both fat and lbm regardless, but lbm loss can be minimised with an appropriate calorie deficit and adequate protein intake), as well as other negative health consequences. Faster is not better.
Also, 1500 cals is the minimum recommended for men, not 1200.8 -
I feel most of my food has been measured accurately. Scanning labels and using declared weights. I do assume that my calorie burns at the gym are inflated and often adjust them significantly.
I am trying to stay ahead of things because so far the results have been great. Slightly over 2lbs a week weightloss and noticable increases in strength and performance at the gym. So it certainly seems to be going well, but it seems like things can be deceiving at the start.
Thanks for the reply. I will try supplementing with those suggestions on hard gym days.0 -
I feel most of my food has been measured accurately. Scanning labels and using declared weights. I do assume that my calorie burns at the gym are inflated and often adjust them significantly.
I am trying to stay ahead of things because so far the results have been great. Slightly over 2lbs a week weightloss and noticable increases in strength and performance at the gym. So it certainly seems to be going well, but it seems like things can be deceiving at the start.
Often your 'real world' results are the best indicator. Using a weight trend app (Libra, Happy Scale, Trendweight) can be really useful. Look at your average weight loss over time (min four weeks for men, six for women) - if your average loss is faster than projected eat more, if it's slower, eat less
Two lb per week is quite aggressive unless you have a significant amount of weight to lose (like over 100 lb), so please take that into account too. Initial weight loss tends to be a bit more due to water weight loss, so see what happens over the coming weeks.
A couple of things to note re logging (I don't think you need to worry overly at this point) - there are loads of errors in the database with scanned items, so it's always good to double check that what is appearing in your diary is the same as what is on the packet, and weights on packaging can be off (in either direction, but in my experience usually heavier), so you can end up with more than you think, and all those little bits can add up! Again, don't think you need to worry at this stage, it's usually more an issue for people who aren't losing as expected.6 -
I am tracking weight using a wifi connected scale, measured each morning at approx the same time. I satrted at 217 with a goal of 175. I just kinda felt like if I was being too aggressive, I would be hungry all the time. But I feel good, with good energy.
Maybe I'm just lucky so far and should adjust when there is actual evidence of a problem.0 -
So I have been very active and sucessful the past month. My current calorie goal is 1690 a day to lose 2 lbs a week. I have been doing intermittent fasting eating 8, fasting 16 and eating mostly protein and vegetables. I have also been going to the gym 3-5 days a week, with 3 of the days being quite intense.
The problem is that according to the calculations of myy apple watch, on many of these days I'm burning 800+ calories. So MFP credits me those calories. But with that credit I don't think I can eat enough food to meet the 1200 calorie minimum.
Using today as an example, I consumed about 1300 calories of food. But accorrding to my exercise log, I burned about 1100 calories. Leaving me 1500 calries left. I just finished dinner and feel like theres no way I could eat anywhere near 1500. Even if I say the watch is way off and I only burned 500, that still leaves me with 1000 caloris to eat. Again, I don't think I can do that.
Is this something to be concerned about? Or do I just need to get the 1200 min regardless of exercise?So I have been very active and sucessful the past month. My current calorie goal is 1690 a day to lose 2 lbs a week. I have been doing intermittent fasting eating 8, fasting 16 and eating mostly protein and vegetables. I have also been going to the gym 3-5 days a week, with 3 of the days being quite intense.
The problem is that according to the calculations of myy apple watch, on many of these days I'm burning 800+ calories. So MFP credits me those calories. But with that credit I don't think I can eat enough food to meet the 1200 calorie minimum.
Using today as an example, I consumed about 1300 calories of food. But accorrding to my exercise log, I burned about 1100 calories. Leaving me 1500 calries left. I just finished dinner and feel like theres no way I could eat anywhere near 1500. Even if I say the watch is way off and I only burned 500, that still leaves me with 1000 caloris to eat. Again, I don't think I can do that.
Is this something to be concerned about? Or do I just need to get the 1200 min regardless of exercise?
The default minimum for an adult male is 1500. That calorie goal would be fine if you are short and sedentary.
What do your macros look like - protein, fat, and carbs. Are you meeting protein goals, are you getting a decent amount of dietary fat? Dietary fat doesn't make you fat. Olive oil, nuts or nut butter and avocado are calorie dense options. Fill out the rest of your calories with carbs.
Exercise calories can be tough to pin down. Google your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) get a rough estimate to start.
When we lose weight, we lose fat+muscle. Aggressive weight loss can result in a larger % of muscle mass. 2 pounds a week is only appropriate if you have 75+ pounds to lose.3 -
I am tracking weight using a wifi connected scale, measured each morning at approx the same time. I satrted at 217 with a goal of 175. I just kinda felt like if I was being too aggressive, I would be hungry all the time. But I feel good, with good energy.
Maybe I'm just lucky so far and should adjust when there is actual evidence of a problem.
Alas, energy and hunger levels aren't always a good indicator of issues, especially early on. Often, you don't realise you're in trouble until more serious problems start popping up. Honestly, I would drop to a goal of 1lb loss per week if I was you.6 -
Are you using a food scale?2
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I am tracking weight using a wifi connected scale, measured each morning at approx the same time. I satrted at 217 with a goal of 175. I just kinda felt like if I was being too aggressive, I would be hungry all the time. But I feel good, with good energy.
Maybe I'm just lucky so far and should adjust when there is actual evidence of a problem.
Usually by the time there's evidence of a problem, it's going to take just as long to fix it. Nutritional deficiencies take time to show, and time to correct. I can understand your excitement and enthusiasm, but I also encourage some caution.6 -
So my take aways here are to improve food measuring for accurate calories to see if the caloric deficit isn't too extreme in the first place and to eat energy dense foods with higher levels of protein andd natural fats if I am actually eating too little. And adjust to slow down the weight loss a bit.
Now to reconcile that with estimated calories burned. Todays workout was about 1.5 hours long including short breaks. My workouts tend to be a strength ond conditioning type. So free weights with aerobic activity in there too. It seems like even though the apple watch is well regarded, those would be the types of exercise it would struggle to accurately count. How should I be estimating calorie burn?4 -
Honestly, it's damned near impossible to know how many calories you are burning beyond a best guess. Set your calories according to your activity level using MFP, and eat that number of calories every day no matter what you do excercise-wise.0
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So my take aways here are to improve food measuring for accurate calories to see if the caloric deficit isn't too extreme in the first place and to eat energy dense foods with higher levels of protein andd natural fats if I am actually eating too little. And adjust to slow down the weight loss a bit.
Now to reconcile that with estimated calories burned. Todays workout was about 1.5 hours long including short breaks. My workouts tend to be a strength ond conditioning type. So free weights with aerobic activity in there too. It seems like even though the apple watch is well regarded, those would be the types of exercise it would struggle to accurately count. How should I be estimating calorie burn?
If your exercise is relatively consistent, I actually would just adjust intake based on results. For example:
Say you've been losing 2 lbs/week and want to make it 1 lb/week, add 500 calories/day to your intake.
That being said, I am a middle aged short woman, and can lose 2 lbs/week on 1700 calories/day when I'm working out quite a bit. So I suspect there are probably some inconsistencies in your logging (as already explained).
My suggestions: Start off by adding 500 calories per day, tighten up your logging, and see what happens over the next few weeks. If you are still losing too fast, continue to increase your calorie intake until it levels off where you want it.2 -
The one thing from your first post that I don’t see already addressed is that you’re doing Intermittent Fasting yet struggling to eat enough calories to sustain yourself within your 8 hour window.
This is nothing against IF, because I think it’s a good way to help some people adhere to their calorie goals. But if you’re not managing to eat to your healthy goal plus some proportion of your exercise calories it would make sense to take a break on the time restriction of your IF plan.8 -
I was having this exact same problem. After a little over a month of not making my daily calorie goal my energy level just dropped. After some research I saw enough articles say IF starts working best between 14-18 hours, so when I was towards the end of my 8 hour feeding window and still had almost 1,000 cal left to eat I'd give myself another hour or two to get what calories I could in. Also, If you know that day's workout will burn 1,000 cal eat a larger/higher cal breakfast, and lunch.0
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MrBubbleWrap wrote: »I was having this exact same problem. After a little over a month of not making my daily calorie goal my energy level just dropped. After some research I saw enough articles say IF starts working best between 14-18 hours, so when I was towards the end of my 8 hour feeding window and still had almost 1,000 cal left to eat I'd give myself another hour or two to get what calories I could in. Also, If you know that day's workout will burn 1,000 cal eat a larger/higher cal breakfast, and lunch.
IF only ‘works’ as an external mechanism to help some people adhere to their calorie deficit goal. It doesn’t have any special properties beyond that. There is no magic in weightloss or maintenance!
Most people don’t get up in the night to eat so depending on how many hours you sleep, you’ve been doing some form of IF all your life!5 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »I am tracking weight using a wifi connected scale, measured each morning at approx the same time. I satrted at 217 with a goal of 175. I just kinda felt like if I was being too aggressive, I would be hungry all the time. But I feel good, with good energy.
Maybe I'm just lucky so far and should adjust when there is actual evidence of a problem.
Alas, energy and hunger levels aren't always a good indicator of issues, especially early on. Often, you don't realise you're in trouble until more serious problems start popping up. Honestly, I would drop to a goal of 1lb loss per week if I was you.
^^^ +12 -
It's also easier to drink calories than to eat them. A big PB and banana protein shake made with whole milk can easily add 700-800 calories.4
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My choice to use IF is based upon convenience (I do lunch and dinner), the appetite suppression effects, easier calorie restriction, and info such as this https://health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156 . I'm very happy with it so far, so I will concentrate on supplementing with calorie and nutrient dense foods0
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So my take aways here are to improve food measuring for accurate calories to see if the caloric deficit isn't too extreme in the first place and to eat energy dense foods with higher levels of protein andd natural fats if I am actually eating too little. And adjust to slow down the weight loss a bit.
Now to reconcile that with estimated calories burned. Todays workout was about 1.5 hours long including short breaks. My workouts tend to be a strength ond conditioning type. So free weights with aerobic activity in there too. It seems like even though the apple watch is well regarded, those would be the types of exercise it would struggle to accurately count. How should I be estimating calorie burn?
In all likelihood, the workout you describe is nowhere near 1100 calories.
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giancarlov1191 wrote: »Honestly, it's damned near impossible to know how many calories you are burning beyond a best guess. Set your calories according to your activity level using MFP, and eat that number of calories every day no matter what you do excercise-wise.
This approach assumes that zero is a better guess of calories burned from exercise than actually making an educated guess. You would have to be pretty bad at making educated guesses for that to be true.2 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »So my take aways here are to improve food measuring for accurate calories to see if the caloric deficit isn't too extreme in the first place and to eat energy dense foods with higher levels of protein andd natural fats if I am actually eating too little. And adjust to slow down the weight loss a bit.
Now to reconcile that with estimated calories burned. Todays workout was about 1.5 hours long including short breaks. My workouts tend to be a strength ond conditioning type. So free weights with aerobic activity in there too. It seems like even though the apple watch is well regarded, those would be the types of exercise it would struggle to accurately count. How should I be estimating calorie burn?
In all likelihood, the workout you describe is nowhere near 1100 calories.
Yeah, I figure that's the case. On those workouts where there is a lot of weight training involved, I'm guessing the watch is not as accurate so I often reduce the recorded amount by half. Which still left me with a lot of calories to eat.
For elucidation here was the workout that day
3x10 single leg squats to 20" box
3x40yd farmer carry 40lb kettlebells
3x40yd claw grip dumbbell carry
box jump to max height, increasing from 14" to 32" by 1.5 inches at a time or so 3 reps each height
30x1 Deaadlifts starting very light bar, adding to max, then dropping to finish out 30
5 reps of 30 kb swings followed by lunnge 15yds with kb over one shoulder, then back on other shoulder.0 -
What do you select on your Apple watch to track the workout? Those numbers do seem really inflated... my watch would only give me a couple of hundred for that I'm sure.Theoldguy1 wrote: »So my take aways here are to improve food measuring for accurate calories to see if the caloric deficit isn't too extreme in the first place and to eat energy dense foods with higher levels of protein andd natural fats if I am actually eating too little. And adjust to slow down the weight loss a bit.
Now to reconcile that with estimated calories burned. Todays workout was about 1.5 hours long including short breaks. My workouts tend to be a strength ond conditioning type. So free weights with aerobic activity in there too. It seems like even though the apple watch is well regarded, those would be the types of exercise it would struggle to accurately count. How should I be estimating calorie burn?
In all likelihood, the workout you describe is nowhere near 1100 calories.
Yeah, I figure that's the case. On those workouts where there is a lot of weight training involved, I'm guessing the watch is not as accurate so I often reduce the recorded amount by half. Which still left me with a lot of calories to eat.
For elucidation here was the workout that day
3x10 single leg squats to 20" box
3x40yd farmer carry 40lb kettlebells
3x40yd claw grip dumbbell carry
box jump to max height, increasing from 14" to 32" by 1.5 inches at a time or so 3 reps each height
30x1 Deaadlifts starting very light bar, adding to max, then dropping to finish out 30
5 reps of 30 kb swings followed by lunnge 15yds with kb over one shoulder, then back on other shoulder.
Regardless, you seem to be losing quite quickly so I wouldn't worry too much unless it's too quick.0 -
What do you select on your Apple watch to track the workout? Those numbers do seem really inflated... my watch would only give me a couple of hundred for that I'm sure.
Regardless, you seem to be losing quite quickly so I wouldn't worry too much unless it's too quick.
Yeah, it's for sure inflated. So I basically just subtracted 500 calories from that. I selected "Other: Open Goal" for everything other than the deadlifts, those I selected "Strength Training". I also selectively paused the exercise, especially during the box jumps when setting a new height.
The other factor is there is 204 pounds of me, which is a lot to move around. Looks like there is a lot less of you. And I'm still early days so less efficient. It took me just under 1.5 hours.
I've tried looking into how accurate the Apple watch is, but most of the info seems to test it against running. For which it seems to be little different from lab methods. But given the pauses and bursts in more varied exercise, I'm guessing less accurate. But I've got no evidence of that either.0 -
Sounds like you're doing really well. Keep it up 0
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As I was reading through this thread a couple of things come to mind. In my, admittedly limited, understanding, it’s not what you do on any particular day that matters most. It’s what you do over time. And if you need to lose weight, I would wager that not eating enough hasn’t been your problem over time. I would further wager that if you don’t eat as much as you think you need to today or tomorrow, before long you will be hungry enough to not have that problem any more.
Here’s what I think, not that you necessarily care what I think, but if you accurately log your intake and don’t overeat, then you will eventually get where you want to go. I would be quite surprised if the not wanting to eat enough continues to be a problem for very long.
As far as estimating calorie expenditure through exercise I would advise to adjust your calorie goal as you gain experience in how your intake and exercise affect your weight loss trajectory. It’s not absolutely necessary to be absolutely perfectly calculated each and every day. You have time.
I wish you well on your journey.
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