Calorie intake question

ginalclark
ginalclark Posts: 35
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I have a question on the long debated calorie intake. I have been doing 1200-1500 calories a day trying to stay closer to 1200. I have been feeling pretty good. I work out about 6 days per week and I don't generally eat back my calories. Today I burned 922 calories on the treadmill. I ate my oatmeal for breakfast and my 465 calorie lunch and after lunch I am super full. (I eat high protein for lunch) Sometimes I don't even feel hungry for dinner but I make sure to eat at least 1200 calories. So the question is...what if you burn a lot of calories doing exercise but aren't very hungry to eat. Is it okay to just eat my 1200 or should I be eating more even though I am not hungry since I burned a lot? I hope this makes sense. haha Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • vangogo3
    vangogo3 Posts: 14
    I'm new to this site, but it makes sense to me that if you are getting proper nutrition, feeling full, and feeling good while only eating your 1,200 calories....then by all means....don't worry about eating more! I, for one, can't seem to do what you're doing. I actually exercise more often just to earn more calories that I can eat! I'm a total foodie! Good luck!
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    You should be eating a minimum of 1200 NET... which is after exercise. So, say you ate your full 1200 today than worked out and burned 922 your net calorie intake is less than 300! Definately NOT good.

    If this is a now and again thing (once or twice a month) it's fine but it's not healthy if it's an everyday thing. This can actually slow down your metabolism.
  • ginalclark
    ginalclark Posts: 35
    Thank you ladies. I don't want to force myself to eat when I am already full. I don't know how to get around that. I don't want to hurt myself.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    The key is deficit. Deficit is the amount of total calories your burn all day (including exercise but also including everything else) subtract the amount of calories you eat. If you work out and don't eat your exercise calories your increase your deficit. This is okay as long as the deficit doesn't become "too big". If it becomes "too big" you can lose a lot of muscle along with your fat, you can mess up hormone levels which will increase water retention, you become lethargic during the day so you automatically burn less without even realizing it, you get hungry, sick of dieting and give up. However, "too big" is different from everyone.

    Personally I always kept my deficit small because I like food, and well I like my muscles too. I never ate below 1750 net when I was trying to lose.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Thank you ladies. I don't want to force myself to eat when I am already full. I don't know how to get around that. I don't want to hurt myself.

    If you know you are going to have a big burn eat more during the day so you aren't stuff it all in in the evening.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/410771-i-can-t-reach-my-calorie-goal-it-s-too-much-food
  • sheclimber
    sheclimber Posts: 176 Member
    When I have a long hard run or ride I often don't feel like eating too much that day, stomach just doesn't really feel like taking in too much food. But I do tend to eat more the next day.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If you're eating 1200-922 you're burning with exercise, your net is only 278 calories. Your body can not function on that small amount of calories. You may be losing weight right now, but it won't be long before your body realizes what is going on, freaks out and stops losing weight. You HAVE to fuel your body in order for it to feel comfortable enough to lose weight for the long term. Weight loss isn't about starving yourself. It is about creating a large enough deficit you'll lose weight while still eating enough to give your body the proper nutrition it requires.

    If you're struggling to get enough calories - I recommend high calorie foods such as nuts, nut butters, etc. Two tablespoons of peanut butter is 190 calories, add in an apple and you're close to 300 calories in that small snack.

    It is really important to eat enough - otherwise, in a few weeks or so you'll be posting "I'm not losing any weight!" and everyone will tell you to eat more. ;)
  • breeanreyes
    breeanreyes Posts: 228 Member
    one thing to think about is that a 300 calorie net intake for a day would be considered in the anorexic range. be sure you're exceeding your amount of proteing suggested everyday and you HAVE to eat TONS of veggies to make up for nutrient lost through sweat. Also, if you can't eat more you really need to cut back on the amount of exercise. MODERATION is the key
  • lwood42
    lwood42 Posts: 18
    It's my unerstaning that when a person loses a substancial amount of weight (say 10 lbs or more) that the metabolism will naturally slow down a little simply because it takes less caloric energy for our body to move after the weight loss than before. That is why there are the plateau's that happen as the body is adjusting to the new weight. One way to throw off the metabolism (or speed it up again) is, once a week increase the calories 500 or more. The metabolism will increase as result. The trick is to keep the boy guessing an avoid sening it in panick starvation mode.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    Hi everyone! I have a question on the long debated calorie intake. I have been doing 1200-1500 calories a day trying to stay closer to 1200. I have been feeling pretty good. I work out about 6 days per week and I don't generally eat back my calories. Today I burned 922 calories on the treadmill. I ate my oatmeal for breakfast and my 465 calorie lunch and after lunch I am super full. (I eat high protein for lunch) Sometimes I don't even feel hungry for dinner but I make sure to eat at least 1200 calories. So the question is...what if you burn a lot of calories doing exercise but aren't very hungry to eat. Is it okay to just eat my 1200 or should I be eating more even though I am not hungry since I burned a lot? I hope this makes sense. haha Thanks for your help!
    No, you eat back your exercise calories hungry or not.
    MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
    That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
    Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
    Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
    In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
    Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.

    Be efficient.
    Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    It's my unerstaning that when a person loses a substancial amount of weight (say 10 lbs or more) that the metabolism will naturally slow down a little simply because it takes less caloric energy for our body to move after the weight loss than before. That is why there are the plateau's that happen as the body is adjusting to the new weight. One way to throw off the metabolism (or speed it up again) is, once a week increase the calories 500 or more. The metabolism will increase as result. The trick is to keep the boy guessing an avoid sening it in panick starvation mode.

    Losing weight and being thinner doesn't ALWAYS mean a lower daily calorie intake. I'm currently 145lbs and consuming 2300-2500 NET calories a day to maintain my weight. I know that if I drop down to 2100-2200, I will easily lose weight. Size doesn't always dictate your caloric intake - it is more about your activity level.
  • samtrois
    samtrois Posts: 27
    try snacking on peanuts.. 50 grams of peanuts is around 300 calories..

    also, how was the 922 calories on the treadmill worked out, did you input your height, weight age, and use a heartrate monitor??
    If it was just the inbuilt calorie count then it is likely very inflated.
  • ginalclark
    ginalclark Posts: 35
    Thanks everyone!! Let me just say I promise I am a true foodie. I love to eat but I am guessing my problem also lies with my water intake which is less than needed, which I am trying my hardest to work on. I will take all of your advice and eat more calories especially if I do a high burn which I only intend to do once a week as I am trying to train myself to run my first marathon. (starting with a half) So yes more calories and water it is! Oh and I eat a high amount of protein daily! Thanks again!
  • lwood42
    lwood42 Posts: 18
    @Maximalife, /I have a har time eating ALL the exercise calories. How about eating half those exercise calories back? lol

    @ginallclark. Water Is the best diet aid. I will swear by that. I take a full 32 oz of water down first thing in the moring to en any dehyration an repeat that 4-5 more times throughout the day.
  • lovinglife1001
    lovinglife1001 Posts: 10
    Personally, the more I exercise, the more hungry I am throughout the day. I might not be hungry right away after exercise but I feel more hunger after awhile on the days I do so I try to eat at least half of my exercise calories back. I think when we expend more energy, we should eat more to replenish and fuel our body. I guess it's different for everyone but the important thing is your body is not feeling starved and that you're getting all your nutrients.
  • Nickieg3
    Nickieg3 Posts: 5 Member
    I also wondered about this... so glad to have read this post... my question that goes somewhat along with this is, what if I am going over my recommended protein grams by quite a bit each day? Like 20-30? I'm not eating anything out of the ordinary to do this just happen to eat most healthy stuff with a high protein amount. Is this a bad thing? Should I really stick at the 45 it recommends? Also what are good veggies to eat that can help get back the "exercise calories" that MFP wants me to eat back? Sorry for all the questions, I myself am new to this site :)
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    Fruit juice. Not filling at all and 100 cals a serving. Drink V8 Fusion and get a serving of fruit and a serving of veggies in each glass. This is my recommendation for "clean eaters."

    I am NOT a "clean eater," so I REALLY think you should just eat some cookies. It's Girl Scout season and about 3 of ANY type will hit you with 200 calories. I prefer Lemonades. There's an app so you can easily find some/
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
    also, how was the 922 calories on the treadmill worked out, did you input your height, weight age, and use a heartrate monitor??
    If it was just the inbuilt calorie count then it is likely very inflated.

    This.
  • hungryPHATbunny
    hungryPHATbunny Posts: 84 Member
    I have EXACTLY the same query...you could be me!!! Lol.
  • _Kate_P
    _Kate_P Posts: 132
    When I have a long hard run or ride I often don't feel like eating too much that day, stomach just doesn't really feel like taking in too much food. But I do tend to eat more the next day.
    me too. Usually on days of hard exercise, I end up netting super super low, but the next day I'll eat higher once I regain my appetite. Exercise suppresses appetite, but as long as your weekly net cals is around your goal, you'll be fine
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