Burning more than you ate in one day..

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BryGuy2
BryGuy2 Posts: 244
in Fitness and Exercise
So today as you can see in my diary, I burned more than i ate today. I know some people eat back their calories burned but I am really focused on weight loss right now. What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is it okay to not eat those calories back if I feel fine and not hungry? If anyone is wondering, I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort. Just really looking to lose some fat within the next couple weeks. So what I ate today, worked fine for me. Didn't feel sick or that hungry (but did feel hungry at some points) and I had a decent amount of energy. Just curious on everyone thoughts. Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • Ttopeka
    Ttopeka Posts: 160
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    Maybe it's fine for a few days - but eventually your body will start to suffer. It NEEDS fuel to work. Your weight loss will stall if you don't eat enough calories to properly fuel it.
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    I think you should eat more :)
  • Superchikanthem
    Superchikanthem Posts: 362 Member
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    Maybe it's fine for a few days - but eventually your body will start to suffer. It NEEDS fuel to work. Your weight loss will stall if you don't eat enough calories to properly fuel it.

    ^^ Agreed. I did the same thing as you today. But I know that tomorrow I will be really hungry so I will eat a little extra tomorrow.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I don't have an eating disorder, I'm just netting negative calories for the day. Starving myself is totally normal, isn't it? :huh:
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 938 Member
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    Cars don't run without fuel. You won't either.

    Like the others said, it's okay today but don't make a habit of it, you'll hold onto fat more when you deprive yourself like you did today instead of losing it.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Oh no, you're in starvation mode now
  • campsallmel
    campsallmel Posts: 12
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    You are putting your body into starvation mode. Its going to think that you are trying to starve yourself and then it will store every last piece of fat and won't release it.
  • megs2003
    megs2003 Posts: 90
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    I would suggest doing a Search in the Message Boards for BMR and TDEE. I am 5'3" woman and that isn't enough calories for my height and gender if I was sedentary. You should never eat less than the exercise calories burned - your body needs calories just to maintain bodily functions and you have to eat enough to fuel those functions AND your workouts. You wouldn't drive your car without oil - you would kill your engine, that's essentially what you are doing to you body.

    You do not look like you have to lose weight, you might want to concentrate of building muscle instead of losing weight.

    Just my two cents.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    So today as you can see in my diary, I burned more than i ate today. I know some people eat back their calories burned but I am really focused on weight loss right now. What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is it okay to not eat those calories back if I feel fine and not hungry? If anyone is wondering, I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort. Just really looking to lose some fat within the next couple weeks. So what I ate today, worked fine for me. Didn't feel sick or that hungry (but did feel hungry at some points) and I had a decent amount of energy. Just curious on everyone thoughts. Thanks in advance :)

    So you just burned off a bunch of carbs today, of course along with the fat.

    And your diet being so low, hardly filled any of them back up. So your liver stores are pretty depleted.

    Go into a workout tomorrow, and the carb usage will probably have to start in the muscle glucose stores because the liver is too low.

    But the blood sugar must be maintained, and your body will get that blood sugar from muscle breakdown. Your muscle will be fine getting their glucose from the muscle stores, and of course the fat that burns along with it, but that cannot be put into the bloodstream for any other organs (brain major one) that needs blood sugar.

    Since that was rather calm workouts at least, that calorie burn was likely only 60-70% carb, so you can do the math, and try to eat that much back at least before your next workout.

    Plus, with probably no extra protein beyond daily requirements for other things, not like your muscles can repair/recover correctly.

    If you wanna lose fat, feed the workout what it needs so body can get stronger, deficit only from daily activities, and feed the BMR so body has the energy to make the body improvements.
    Because a slowed metabolism just burns less fat while doing ALL activity. Less calories of course, but that means less fat.

    But for one day, just the effect above about glucose stores used up.
  • angel79202
    angel79202 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    are u sure ur calorie burn was accurate, seems high to me...
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
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    I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort.

    seriously?? why even put that in there. this is a type of eating disorder by the way... im sure 100's of other comments will get the point across about how its wrong to do this, so i wont bother adding anything else and getting upset.
  • Ttopeka
    Ttopeka Posts: 160
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    I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort.

    seriously?? why even put that in there. this is a type of eating disorder by the way... im sure 100's of other comments will get the point across about how its wrong to do this, so i wont bother adding anything else and getting upset.

    I wouldn't necessarily say he has an eating disorder - to me, it just sounds like he's misinformed about how to properly nourish his body.
  • LANIECE1
    LANIECE1 Posts: 78 Member
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    Eat up!
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
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    I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort.

    seriously?? why even put that in there. this is a type of eating disorder by the way... im sure 100's of other comments will get the point across about how its wrong to do this, so i wont bother adding anything else and getting upset.

    I wouldn't necessarily say he has an eating disorder - to me, it just sounds like he's misinformed about how to properly nourish his body.

    i said it is a type of eating disorder. idk i dont really mean to be offensive, but it kinda offended me. lots of people dont realize they have eating disorders, they are in denial. these tendencies often lead to one, or at least an unhealthy obsesion and deffinitly isnt sustainable for long. meaning it isnt a lifestyle change, hes on a 'fad diet' if you will.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Folks - he mowed the lawn, did some walking at 4mph, both of which are decent estimates of calorie burn unless the 4mph was uphill at great effort.
    And some plyometrics.

    Not talking about huge effort here.

    Small effort, sadly combined with normally small daily goal. And one day occurrence.

    Probably get hungry tomorrow more. Now that's the problem, now you've got this artificial goal in your way to perhaps eating more within the next 24 hrs, but that doesn't happen to be in the same "day" for logging. So it makes the next day look bad, if you only look at day to day basis.
  • JohnB50
    JohnB50 Posts: 7 Member
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    Well I am doing the same occasionally. If its occasionally I don't really see a problem, although I do eat some of the calories back most times. When you are at my weight with so much to lose then I think my body can take the hit - when you are pretty sorted like you are it takes more of a hit. If you go into starvation mode you'll soon know and can easily rectify it. I also have the occasional cheat day like in Tim Ferris' 4 hour body to change my calorie intake and keep my body confused enough to stop it going into starvation mode. Working for me so far - but will have to be more careful if I ever get near my goal
  • snugglesworthjr
    snugglesworthjr Posts: 176 Member
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    exercise bulimia
  • cjbennett2012
    cjbennett2012 Posts: 38 Member
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    Slow and steady wins the race matey, know ur trying to lose weight and that's great but if u carry on overdoing it with no food in ur belly ur body is gonna go for any fat left, essentials included, after that it will be the muscles u have been working so hard on.
  • susanmary88
    susanmary88 Posts: 37
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    I think if its every once in a while and you just arent hungry enough to eat all the cals you burned its okay but I wouldnt go doing it every day because I think you'd just burn yourself out!
  • terrie_exercise_mom
    terrie_exercise_mom Posts: 58
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    So today as you can see in my diary, I burned more than i ate today. I know some people eat back their calories burned but I am really focused on weight loss right now. What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is it okay to not eat those calories back if I feel fine and not hungry? If anyone is wondering, I don't have an eating disorder, nor am I depressed or anything of the sort. Just really looking to lose some fat within the next couple weeks. So what I ate today, worked fine for me. Didn't feel sick or that hungry (but did feel hungry at some points) and I had a decent amount of energy. Just curious on everyone thoughts. Thanks in advance :)
    I think you did an awesome job! Guarantee you almost everyone on here is going to tell you to eat more...never fails!

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