DO I HAVE TO EAT THIS AMOUNT OF CALORIES IF I EXERCISE???

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aido1ce
aido1ce Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just realized recently that the reason why I haven't lost any weight is because I've developed a bad habit over the years of eating too little and at irregular times. my bmr is around 1400 and I hardly ate above that number. so recently I've started discipline myself to eat more and I set my calories goal to a minimum of 1500. it's more food than I used to but I'm adapting.

however that means I would have to eat more if I want to exercise right? I want to stay healthy so I'm aiming for minimum of 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week, burning probably a min of 300 ish a day. does that mean I have to increase my calories intake even further to 1800 and more on exercise days???
now that's a challenge...

can I eat junk food to stack up my calories?

Replies

  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
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    Yup! Even if it is a 'challenge' give it a go, you can do it:)
  • littlemiss5foot1
    littlemiss5foot1 Posts: 75 Member
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    i eat 1200 caleries a day when i know ill be excercising which is most days but if i know i wont be doing much i eat less, I can only sugest what ive been doing ,

    i suggest protein shakes :)
  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
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    Sorry, what I meant to say is that it is recommended so your deficit isn't too high. I haven't looked at your profile so I have no idea where you are at or coming from. I have personally no problem eating my 2050-2200+ exercise to lose.....good luck
  • MelKut
    MelKut Posts: 167 Member
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    Read this pleaaaaase:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all

    I learned a little about this in Anatomy&Physiology but this has a lot of good information. Yes, a lot of it is from studies that need to be replicated to be "proven" but a LOT of it makes sense. I didn't read the whole thing (skipped some genetic predisposition parts) but the way your body changes when you lose weight is valuable information....
  • aido1ce
    aido1ce Posts: 19 Member
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    eating back my calories is going to be so hard for me, can anyone suggest quick calories to stack up my calories count? does a chocolate bar work :p
  • littlemiss5foot1
    littlemiss5foot1 Posts: 75 Member
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    Protein shakes and eat or drink shakes every 2 -3 hours :) I use Mxines Burn, my friend use scivation whey powder protein, we both happ with what we r drinking :)
  • MelKut
    MelKut Posts: 167 Member
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    eating back my calories is going to be so hard for me, can anyone suggest quick calories to stack up my calories count? does a chocolate bar work :p

    Nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews [my favorite!], add walnuts/pecans to oatmeal/yogurt)
    avocado (in sandwiches, shakes)
    Eat full fat yogurt, milk, cream cheese instead of fat free
    Granolas (or make your own from a recipe online)

    hope that helps :)
  • aido1ce
    aido1ce Posts: 19 Member
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    Protein shakes and eat or drink shakes every 2 -3 hours :) I use Mxines Burn, my friend use scivation whey powder protein, we both happ with what we r drinking :)

    but if I drink protein shake all the time to fill up my calories does that mean I will have to eat less eggs and fish (I usually eat those) just so I don't end up eating too much protein a day?
  • aido1ce
    aido1ce Posts: 19 Member
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    eating back my calories is going to be so hard for me, can anyone suggest quick calories to stack up my calories count? does a chocolate bar work :p

    Nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews [my favorite!], add walnuts/pecans to oatmeal/yogurt)
    avocado (in sandwiches, shakes)
    Eat full fat yogurt, milk, cream cheese instead of fat free
    Granolas (or make your own from a recipe online)

    hope that helps :)
    these are awesome ideas, thank you!!
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Protein shakes and eat or drink shakes every 2 -3 hours :) I use Mxines Burn, my friend use scivation whey powder protein, we both happ with what we r drinking :)

    but if I drink protein shake all the time to fill up my calories does that mean I will have to eat less eggs and fish (I usually eat those) just so I don't end up eating too much protein a day?

    MFP goal for protein is really low @ 15% so going over is not a problem as protein is essential for muscle repair after exercise. Mine are set to 25P / 45 C / 30 F, a lot of people have 30/40/30.

    First of all meet all your macros from your meals, and then if you have calories left over, use them on whatever you like :-)
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    i eat 1200 caleries a day when i know ill be excercising which is most days but if i know i wont be doing much i eat less, I can only sugest what ive been doing ,

    i suggest protein shakes :)

    recommending other people to undereat at an unhealthy level is wrong, you are eating well below 1000 most days which is ridiculous and bordering on an eating disorder. MFP gives you 1200 as a MINIMUM and you are meant to eat back exercise - see your goal page. Mine is below:

    Net Calories Consumed*
    Your Daily Goal 1,850 calories/ day
    Daily Calorie Deficit 540 calories
    Projected Weight Loss 1.1 lbs/ week

    * Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
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    i eat 1200 caleries a day when i know ill be excercising which is most days but if i know i wont be doing much i eat less, I can only sugest what ive been doing ,

    i suggest protein shakes :)

    recommending other people to undereat at an unhealthy level is wrong, you are eating well below 1000 most days which is ridiculous and bordering on an eating disorder. MFP gives you 1200 as a MINIMUM and you are meant to eat back exercise - see your goal page. Mine is below:

    Net Calories Consumed*
    Your Daily Goal 1,850 calories/ day
    Daily Calorie Deficit 540 calories
    Projected Weight Loss 1.1 lbs/ week

    * Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned
    THIS! Never eat below your BMR because you will burn MUSCLE with your fat, which I doubt most people want.....Plus it can really hurt your internal system. Your kidneys will eventually produce ketones if you under eat and it really overworks your kidney and is not good for your body either..I had the problem of producing ketones when I was pregnant because I exercised and ate less because I wanted to minimize my weight gain, but I ended up having to learn a lot about nutrition to make sure I ate enough and stayed healthy in the process.
  • nongie06
    nongie06 Posts: 15 Member
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    My dear Lord! I have been wondering the same (why eat soo much in order to lose weight?). I work out for about 90 minutes 3-4 times a week, and my report is consistently-"u are eating below your calorie target." Does this mean I can eat fries and other unhealthy foods to make up for the remaining calories (cause it seems the veggies aren't doing me justice) and will I still shade the weight??????
  • MelKut
    MelKut Posts: 167 Member
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    My dear Lord! I have been wondering the same (why eat soo much in order to lose weight?). I work out for about 90 minutes 3-4 times a week, and my report is consistently-"u are eating below your calorie target." Does this mean I can eat fries and other unhealthy foods to make up for the remaining calories (cause it seems the veggies aren't doing me justice) and will I still shade the weight??????


    well I would try to stick to healthier foods if I was you :laugh: whole grain breads, meats, cheeses, yogurts. There is PLENTY of food out there other than veggies :smile: You will need to add foods, and look at your protein/carb/fat ratio and add foods that will get you to those goals as well as just calories.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    My dear Lord! I have been wondering the same (why eat soo much in order to lose weight?). I work out for about 90 minutes 3-4 times a week, and my report is consistently-"u are eating below your calorie target." Does this mean I can eat fries and other unhealthy foods to make up for the remaining calories (cause it seems the veggies aren't doing me justice) and will I still shade the weight??????


    well I would try to stick to healthier foods if I was you :laugh: whole grain breads, meats, cheeses, yogurts. There is PLENTY of food out there other than veggies :smile: You will need to add foods, and look at your protein/carb/fat ratio and add foods that will get you to those goals as well as just calories.

    ^^^^good advice, you are better making up the difference with healthy but high calorie foods, like nuts, nut butter, cheese, olive oil, avocado etc.
    An occasional treat wont hurt if you have the spare cals, but maybe once a week.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    a little bit of choc etc won't hurt if you are exercising that day anyway. I tend to save mine for my monthly cravings and try and snack healthily the rest of the month.

    Make your own burgers more healthily with a wholemeal roll, or unbreaded grilled or oven cooked chicken and salad in a wrap.

    I like sweet potato chips done in oven, I do it with fish (unbreaded and cooked in oven also) and green beans instead of fish, chips and peas from chippy etc.

    I eat more now than I did when just calorie counting with my old diet (with ready meals, battered fish/chicken etc) and lost 3 stone.
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
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    Dried fruit, even the kind with no sugar which is what I eat, also adds quite a few calories and satisfies a sweet tooth! I love natural dried no sugar added pineapple. Heck, even fresh pineapple has tons of calories in it. I use to eat pineapple ALL the time lol! I now limit myself from going crazy with it. Sigh this summer is going to be rough lol
  • HeatherDerexson
    HeatherDerexson Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm so glad you asked this question. I was about to ask almost the same. Yesterday I went to a friends Zumba class and then taught my own and did the ciruit at Curves (only once) in between. Needless to say this burned about 1500 calories. Which is what my daily intake should be. After that exercise I also walked to the school to get my kids so there went another 100. When I went to bed last night I had 1331 calories left that I could have consumed. ????? So in my situation or one similar I've been told to yes, eat more, but if you only have like 300 left for the day I think your still ok. This is a confusing topic. I do know though you have to have calories to burn them otherwise your body will hold them, just like when you retain water. Hope this helps, I know reading some of your responses helped me.
  • xMonroeMisfit
    xMonroeMisfit Posts: 411 Member
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    I'm so glad you asked this question. I was about to ask almost the same. Yesterday I went to a friends Zumba class and then taught my own and did the ciruit at Curves (only once) in between. Needless to say this burned about 1500 calories. Which is what my daily intake should be. After that exercise I also walked to the school to get my kids so there went another 100. When I went to bed last night I had 1331 calories left that I could have consumed. ????? So in my situation or one similar I've been told to yes, eat more, but if you only have like 300 left for the day I think your still ok. This is a confusing topic. I do know though you have to have calories to burn them otherwise your body will hold them, just like when you retain water. Hope this helps, I know reading some of your responses helped me.

    Holy cow, did u eat those back?

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