I Burn more Calories than what I eat...Help!!!

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Tanyawhite30
Tanyawhite30 Posts: 473
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,
I have started the gym exactly 1 month ago today...My calorie goal for the day is 1200, I try to stay away from most processed foods so I eat alot of fruits and veggies so it fills me up alot so that makes it hard for me to get to my 1200 Calories everyday.
I have found a new passion for running so my daily routines consist of running and strenght training...I usually burn between 800 to 1000 Calories 6 days a week.......which leaves me with ALOT of calories to eat....I am so confused with this calorie deflict thing, I cant see myself eating 2200 calories in a day, I find that its alot of food. Any suggestions on what I should do? I want to do this the right and Healthy way and deffinately dont want my body to go to (starvation mode) and by the looks of it I guess thats what I have been doing. It would really be appreciated if someone could help me out with this. Thank you :smile:
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Replies

  • prism6
    prism6 Posts: 484 Member
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    protien bars,cereal,pizza and beer...oh no, bad me that's what I ate to get to this weight. I am kind of in the same boat as you. I have been exercising and I usually do not eat all my calories back. I guess I kind of feel it is counter productive. Find a safe treat that you can enjoy and yet not hurt your progress. If I do alot of exercise, I will treat myself to a bakery bagel...
  • KNMD
    KNMD Posts: 28 Member
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    NUTS. Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Peanuts.... etc. = energy + calories + good fat
  • kekl
    kekl Posts: 382 Member
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    Yes - please eat more! It's not healthy to only eat 1000 calories a day especially on top of that exercise!

    Try nuts, more peanut butter, replace your egg whites with eggs - maybe add some cheese and lean protein in there. Protein bars! If all else fails try liquids - protein shakes, even low fat chocolate milk....

    Good luck!

    ps- i eat 2100 calories net every day. It's really not that much :) just got to find denser foods
  • jskaggs1971
    jskaggs1971 Posts: 371 Member
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    Keep eating healthy foods, but look for more calorie-dense ones like tree nuts, peanut butter, brown rice, and the like. Fruits and veggies are great, but it's hard to get all your caloric needs met with them when you're working hard.
  • Ainohikari
    Ainohikari Posts: 14 Member
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    Gatorade, drinks with calories(preferably not soda), more protien! Eat some carbs too!
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
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    IDK. I see this kind of post a lot and can't quite wrap my brain around it. I think if you're really burning 1000 calories a day from intense exercise you should be ravenous and easily eating over 1200 calories/day even if you were a pure whole-food raw vegan (I have). If you really don't have much of an appetite why do you need a weight-loss system like MFP? If you're really grinding past depravation and in "starvation mode" you should be kind of out of it and lethargic and unable to do that kind of intense exercise day after day. Really? No injuries? No Illness? No Flakiness? You can drive and perform at work?

    I'm not saying you’re lying or anything- I just can't relate. Furthermore all the numbers and calculations are guestimates based on a number of assumptions so they’re essentially always wrong (or rather never exact). In some situations they’re more off than others. It’s unrealistic to treat these numbers as exact and with great precision. If the goal is weight loss you want to be in the ballpark but err on the side of low calories.

    My vote is if you're full and feel OK and mentally sharp and performing strongly in the gym and elsewhere don't worry about the extra calories and err on the side of lower calories and weight loss (if that’s your goal). If you feel ravenous and foggy, lethargic and deprived, having trouble sleeping well, etc then eat more, up to what MFP and your entries say.

    People here have made a lot of good suggestions for specific foods.
  • Elizabeth_M
    Elizabeth_M Posts: 562 Member
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    I'm not sure how you could survive on essentially 100 calories!?

    You need to eat more foods that have proteins and good fats in them.

    Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, quinoa, avocado, olive oil, nuts
  • emstgm
    emstgm Posts: 117 Member
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    I'm pretty sure that most people here would advise you that 1200 calories eaten with 800-1000 burned is not enough to sustain your body. You are netting 200-400 calories a day. I think you should feed yourself. 1200 calories is already a deficit.
  • Gargwin82
    Gargwin82 Posts: 152 Member
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    PERSONALLY I'd take a day off the gym or cut back on how much I did there. Then again there is a reason I'm on MFP to start with ;)
  • alegrria72
    alegrria72 Posts: 34
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    Peanut Butter! How I miss PB! Just 2 tablespoons is 200 calories. You may even be able to make it at home or if there is a Whole Foods nearby they have grinders where you can make it fresh. Other nuts and nut butters also give you healthy fats, protein and calories. Maybe try greek yogurt too?

    Good Luck!
  • LatinaGordita
    LatinaGordita Posts: 377 Member
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    I never eat all my calories burned, but when my calories are low I have a single serving pouch of planters nuts energy mix (180 cal). I usually have it after my walk. I also have a protein shake (270cals) after my evening aerobics/elliptical. I like these options because they are easy, quick, calorie dense and I do not feel icky afterwards. Find foods you like that can provide you with more calories if you have trouble meeting your 1200 on a regular basis.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I agree with most of the above-- if you have trouble eating your calories you can drink them in the form of protein shakes or smoothies. First of all though, make sure you are measuring everything properly and getting as accurate a measure of exercise calories burned as possible.
  • shellimus
    shellimus Posts: 158 Member
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    NUTS. Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Peanuts.... etc. = energy + calories + good fat

    ^^ THIS! Plus how about a little avocado?
  • SuperFreakKT
    SuperFreakKT Posts: 2
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    Also confused by your post! I work out a ton, I'm also a runner... but I'm usually starving! I don't eat all my calories, but I typically have at least 1600/day.

    I think you should focus on eating "healthy" fats (like nuts, avocado, evoo) as others have suggested as well as getting in whole grains to fuel your running (oats, quinoa, farro).

    I have to wonder... are you REALLY only eating 1000-1200? That should technically put your body in starvation mode, especially if you are active. Maybe you are not measuring portion sizes or counting the calories correctly? (I don't mean it as an insult - just trying to make this make sense!
  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
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    IDK. I see this kind of post a lot and can't quite wrap my brain around it. I think if you're really burning 1000 calories a day from intense exercise you should be ravenous and easily eating over 1200 calories/day even if you were a pure whole-food raw vegan (I have). If you really don't have much of an appetite why do you need a weight-loss system like MFP? If you're really grinding past depravation and in "starvation mode" you should be kind of out of it and lethargic and unable to do that kind of intense exercise day after day. Really? No injuries? No Illness? No Flakiness? You can drive and perform at work?

    I'm not saying you’re lying or anything- I just can't relate. Furthermore all the numbers and calculations are guestimates based on a number of assumptions so they’re essentially always wrong (or rather never exact). In some situations they’re more off than others. It’s unrealistic to treat these numbers as exact and with great precision. If the goal is weight loss you want to be in the ballpark but err on the side of low calories.

    People here have made a lot of good suggestions for specific foods.


    My vote is if you're full and feel OK and mentally sharp and performing strongly in the gym and elsewhere don't worry about the extra calories and err on the side of lower calories and weight loss (if that’s your goal). If you feel ravenous and foggy, lethargic and deprived, having trouble sleeping well, etc then eat more, up to what MFP and your entries say.

    I have to agree with you. I run half marathons and rarely lose weight during the training process because i'm hungry and need to feed my body in order to keep up with the types of distances I run. I could never do what I do with less than 1200 net calories (or even 1500, which is my daily norm)
  • kristinathenina
    kristinathenina Posts: 142
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    I was doing something very similar, and I gained weight doing that. I bumped up my absolute minimum calories per day level to 1400 (I HAVE to have that many), that way I wouldn't get too low everyday. I am much happier now, and dont feel so run down all the time like I did before. Add some of the things you told your self you could never have again in, just in moderation. For me it was pasta(170 cals per serving), peanut butter(180 per serving), and MILK (100 per serving) When you first start, try adding milk into your diet, it will let your body slowly adjust to having more, without making you feel overfull. Feel free to friend me for other ideas :)
  • RedHotRunner
    RedHotRunner Posts: 850 Member
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    I have to agree with you. I run half marathons and rarely lose weight during the training process because i'm hungry and need to feed my body in order to keep up with the types of distances I run. I could never do what I do with less than 1200 net calories (or even 1500, which is my daily norm)
    Another thing i'm curious about. Your fitness diary says you ran for 30 minutes today and burned 400+ calories. I would only burn 300 doing that, but am at goal weight. I'm wondering if your fitness numbers are off. They seem to be a bit inflated, but because I don't know your weight, I can't be sure.
  • Tanyawhite30
    Tanyawhite30 Posts: 473
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    I
    Also confused by your post! I work out a ton, I'm also a runner... but I'm usually starving! I don't eat all my calories, but I typically have at least 1600/day.

    I think you should focus on eating "healthy" fat (like nuts, avocado, evoo) as others have suggested as well as getting in whole grains to fuel your running (oats, quinoa, farro).

    I have to wonder... are you REALLY only eating 1000-1200? That should technically put your body in starvation mode, especially if you are active. Maybe you are not measuring portion sizes or counting the calories correctly? (I don't mean it as an insult - just trying to make this make sense!
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    Do you use a HRM to track your calories burned? You may be overestimating. I know I was for a long time, and it severely impacted my weight loss.

    Up your protein and fiber intake, your body needs fuel!
  • Tanyawhite30
    Tanyawhite30 Posts: 473
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    I dont know why anyone would say I don't log in everything I eat.. I am obviously here for a reason and take it seriously. I also don't understand why I don't have more appetite than this considering the amount of calories I burn

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