This may not be a popular question ... Not eating ENOUGH?!?

kenzysmom · October 2011

Ok, so I'm relatively new to MFP but not to diet/excercise/trying to lose weight. I really do understand why I have to eat all of my calories everyday but I will admit it's a struggle and honestly MFP is the first I've really heard that I should eat my calories I burn during exercise. Also, this is the first time I've really ever worked out consistently and so much! I go to the gym 5-6 days a week and sometimes 2x a day so I'm burning a lot of calories, sometimes over 1,000 according to MFP (although I have a HRM on my wishlist to confirm this!). But honestly, because I'm so heavy I'm suppose to be eating over 2,100 calories a day and on my good days I'm struggling to get there, let alone eating the calories that I've burned at the gym.

So basically I guess my question is ... do you think I should sacrifice eating healthy in order to hit my calorie numbers? Basically if I have a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks I'm usually running around 1800 calories. And almost always I feel satisfied if not completely full! I've started to add in some full fat versions of salad dressing and that sort of stuff but I must admit it's a struggle to knowingly eat bad when I'm so determined to be successful this time. Also I've been allowing myself a cheat meal (or sometimes a day!

) where I'm going WAY over my calories so does this balance out eventually?

I'm really frustrated with my weight loss at this point. Last week I hit the gym REALLY hard, took 3 classes in one day, a double session another day and the other 3 days I did one class but a challenging one, ate great and gained a lb! While I know, everyone including my trainer is telling me to stop letting it bother me, it still did. So I'm just thinking that maybe had I eaten MORE while working out so hard I wouldn't have gained. Or maybe my body just hates me and it's not gonna make it easy for me. I'm definitely not giving up. I did take the weekend off the gym and didn't log this weekend and gave myself some time to just feel badly about it but Monday I was right back at the gym, did a 5K on the treadmill in the morning and did TRX and 30 minutes of cardio with my trainer in the afternoon and I'm feeling great so I'm not giving up I'm just wondering if maybe I could be doing better by eating more!

pftjill · October 2011

bump, love to answer, but have to get to bed. Promise I will get to you!!

judkinsjenny · October 2011

oh and all that exercise is building muscle. meassure yourself.

Pebble321 · October 2011

Honestly - I wonder if you are working too hard at the gym, and putting too much stress on your body, especially if you are starting out pretty heavy.
Why not cut back a little on the excessive exercise and eat a bit more to balance the exercise you are doing - in other words meet somewhere in the middle.
I am a real advocate for eating your calories but I think if you are starting out and have a fair bit to lose then your have a whole lot more wiggle room than someone who is smaller and only trying to lose a few kgs. So, don't feel you have to eat every single exercise cal, but do have some of them.

Be kind to yourself, don't go so hard that you are going to burn out, keep motivated and you WILL see results

nomorearmflab · October 2011

Alright, I'm going to address things as they come to mind, so give me a second.

1. Eating your calories back.
You should always try this. There is higher calorie healthy food like avocado, nuts and legumes that can help you reach this goal. Since you have such a high amount of calories you have to eat back, I would highly suggest eating these kinds of foods. now, I usually leave a 100-200 calorie deficit on my calorie count, so don't beat yourself up if you are within 200-300 cals of your goal. However you must attempt to get there. Potato can help you get there too, whole grain bread and full fat yogurt will help you reach your goals as well. Adding in full fat dressings wont help, and if you want to eat more and you can then you should. just more healthy snacks!

2. Calories balancing out.
It doesn't really work like that. Calories wont roll over into other days. What ind of cheat food are you eating? How frequent is this occurring? It would help a lot to know these.

3. Gaining weight
Weight is a fickle fickle thing. It can be determined by how much salt you take in, what hormones are going through your system as well as the kinds of foods you are eating. I would suggest measuring yourself. Though your weight may fluctuate, seeing how many inches your are shaving off will show you that you are actually making progress. If you look at the scale another time and it says that you have gained, try measuring yourself afterward. You might be surprised at what you find.

4. Personal trainer.
ALWAYS pay attention to them. It is his job to help you out, so listen to him as much as possible. Ask his advice and tell him whats bothering you and why.

psych101 · October 2011

Honestly - I wonder if you are working too hard at the gym, and putting too much stress on your body, especially if you are starting out pretty heavy.
Why not cut back a little on the excessive exercise and eat a bit more to balance the exercise you are doing - in other words meet somewhere in the middle.
I am a real advocate for eating your calories but I think if you are starting out and have a fair bit to lose then your have a whole lot more wiggle room than someone who is smaller and only trying to lose a few kgs. So, don't feel you have to eat every single exercise cal, but do have some of them.

Be kind to yourself, don't go so hard that you are going to burn out, keep motivated and you WILL see results

^^^this!

jennysmission · October 2011

I have to say I'm 100% in your shoes I work out most times a day at least 5 days a week can burn anywhere from 500-1100 calories a day! I'm not losing much at all...I feel like at my weight and all the excercise that I should be losing great I have only been over my calories 1 time and it was only 32. I have lost way better when not working out in the past...so I to was wondering if I'm doing to much, like others suggested!!

kenzysmom · October 2011

Thanks for the advice and suggestions! My trainer is telling me to slow down at the gym because she's afraid I'll burn out. It's hard though because I am genuinely enjoying it although I have felt it when I've pushed myself too far! My trainer is AWESOME but she's admitted to me the first day that she's not the best to ask for nutrition advice, after talking to her for a few mins I could tell she wasn't lying! But man, when it comes to fitness she definitely knows what to say to get me moving beyond what I thought was possible!

psuLemon · October 2011

oh and all that exercise is building muscle. meassure yourself.

A person can't build muslce that quick. Also, i didn't see what classes she was taking but unless it's strength training, she isnt building muscle.

With that said, when you workout a ton, your muscles develop fatigue and retain water (thence the weight gain). If you do start goign to the gym twice a day, you need to eat more. I workout 5-6 days a week (1 hour a day) and I eat 2600-3000 calories a day. This is for body recomposition (turn body fat into muscle).

Now if you only eat 1800 calories, and you workout twice and burn 1000 calories, it's the equivalent of eating 800 calories. If you have trouble eating more, then eat higher calorie foods, cook food in olive oil, etc... Have a protein shake post workouts like muscle milk which is higher calorie. When working to increase muscle and decrease fat quickly, diet is imparitive. Also, try to eat more often (I eat 6-8 times a day). If you spread out the food, it makes it easier (in my opinion) to consume large amounts of calories.

kenzysmom · October 2011

Well this week I lost ... 1.4. So basically I lost the lb I gained last week plus .4. I can't say I'm not frustrated. This week I'll make it my mission to eat all my calories including what it says I burned!

This may not be a popular question ... Not eating ENOUGH?!?

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