PLEASE someone help me understand..

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jeanniedreambtl
jeanniedreambtl Posts: 95
in Health and Weight Loss
So I read the "Newbies" topic about how important it is to eat the exercise calories. But how do I eat that many calories without eating too much?

Like I'm confused. I dont know how to eat that many calories with out eating unhealthy, know what I mean? So....someone please fill me in!

Please and Thank You:)
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Replies

  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    how many calories do you eat at a time sorry i went back and reread what you wrote you dont have to eat your exercise calorie i would only eat those as a last resort if you are really hungry you are trying to work of your weight
  • jewely82
    jewely82 Posts: 52 Member
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    How many calories are you burning with exercise? Usually I only burn between 200 - 350 calories with the exercise I do every day. It really shouldn't be that difficult to eat healthy things to use those calories. A glass of milk, piece of fruit, some almonds or peanut butter are all healthy things you could eat to use those exercise calories.
  • dlestermfp
    dlestermfp Posts: 106
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    Nut products are good for you and very dense in calories.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    that s right that what the ladies on buns of steel tape said just because you exercise dose mean you can eat alot you your only burning a few at a time exercise helps you burn when your resting and it make it easier to lose weight
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    You HAVE to fuel your body in order for it to let go of that fat it's stored. If you're burning 1000 calories a day on exercise, I can see why it's hard to eat that much, but if you're burning 300 then it shouldn't be hard to eat that. You should be eating every 2-3 hours. So instead of eating low-fat/non-fat, eat full fat. It's better for you, of course higher calories, but doesn't have the added chemicals to make it low-fat. Avocados are pretty high in cals but are awesome for you, I add 1/2 avocado to a sandwich to get the nutrients from it.

    If you only had 20 pounds to lose, then eating your exercise calories may not work, but at the weight you want to lose, it's better to start out eating them (again - fuel your body, twinkies don't count!) and then when you plateau for a month or so, then you can try eating half of them or not eating them at all.

    I love bagels, so on days I exercise a lot and have extra cals, I'll treat myself to having a whole grain bagel with a little cream cheese. Again, high in cals but not bad for you if you get the healthy kind. Nuts, like someone said, too.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    I don't have a problem eating them, believe me. :tongue:

    You want to maintain a slow and steady weight loss- which MFP sets you up to do. For me, that means a deficit of 1000 calories/ day. You eat your exercise calories to maintain your deficit. It's ok to play around with the numbers, and find whatever works best for you. Some people eat half of their exercise calories, some eat more, some eat less.
  • OomarianneoO
    OomarianneoO Posts: 689 Member
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    I know it sounds really crazy to eat what you burn exercising. It's hard for most of us to wrap our minds around the thought since most of us were taught the whole eat less exercise more. I had my doubts when I first started, but it does work. It did for me. I'm back on track now, but learning all the things while I was here before helped me maintain my weight loss all this time (just over 6mos.). I can't explain things any better than when I first started (Banks always took care of that lol). But you'll get the hang of it. It'll click especially if you keep coming to the forums and use the tools provided.

    As for eating healthy and taking in all the calories you need, well it all depends on what you like to eat. You'll have to figure that out on your own. I know there's a thread around here somewhere of peoples favorite foods. I'll look for it...found it (listed below).

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/29508-new-foods-you-like

    I always thought of it as a treasure hunt of sorts. Half the fun is trying new things and making your own combination of stuff that will satisfy you and help you achieve your goal.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    for me i dont want eat anymore than i do allready my weight 228.4 pounds i weight more than a 6foot four football player dose i need to shrink my tummy my point is that at 228 pound im to fat to work out that much to have alot of exercise calories to spend unless you can run a mile a day and you dont even burn that many calories doing that
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
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    for me i dont want eat anymore than i do allready my weight 228.4 pounds i weight more than a 6foot four football player dose i need to shrink my tummy my point is that at 228 pound im to fat to work out that much to have alot of exercise calories to spend unless you can run a mile a day and you dont even burn that many calories doing that

    I would have to disagree with you....I'm 5'4 & started w/MFP @235lbs on 6/3/09. Although everyone is different in their stamina & endurance, I am able to burn between 600-700 cals per hr exercising (cardio). You just have to find an exercise that works for you & stick with it to build your endurance. Even walking for 1hr should burn a couple hundred calories.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    I recommend finding out what your maintenance calories are (what calories you use by just normal living activities and if you wanted to stay at your current weight).

    I found this out by going to various sites to calculate my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Then, since I want to lose in a healthy, controlled way, I subtracted 1,000 from my TDEE to come up with 1,450. This is very close to what MFP came up with (80 calories more, actually), considering MFP doesn't know my actual daily routine.

    Now, 1,200 is the number that many experts say is the bare minimum our bodies (females) need in order to function. We don't want to go below that, not even by exercising, because our bodies send out signals to conserve fat cells due to inadequate intake. So, if I burn up 400 calories at the gym, I'm actually at 1,050 net calories. I'm too low! My metabolism will slow down to compensate for not being fed enough fuel. So I eat a protein bar, which contains 230 calories. Not ALL of what I burned up, but enough to bring me to an efficient intake level. I don't feel hungry and I don't have to force myself to eat more.
  • carissa55
    carissa55 Posts: 41 Member
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    I'm confused. Does this mean I need to eat my exercise calories or not? I'm not losing weight. I've been eating all of my exercise calories. I think I'll start my eating only half of them and see if I loose weight. Does this sound right?

    Thanks! :)
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    The reason I only eat part of them is that I'm not 100% certain of either a) the calories I burned or b ) the calories I took in. My measurements might be off a bit or the machines over/under calcuating my calories used. So I leave a little wiggle room :wink:
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    :drinker: most diets put you on a calorie range close to your maintence level you need to exercie enough to burn3500 calories to drop a pound if your eating all your exercise calorie its going to take along time for you to lose weight and if your worried about to few calories thing a bout the doctors that put people on a 1200 calorie diet so they can be healthy enough so they can do a opration on tham you want to lose it at a slower pace so you can tighten up as you go so i say exercise exercise and dont eat those calories
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    MFP actually deducts the calories you need to not eat or burn off from your maintenance based on what you enter in 'settings'.

    So if your maintenance is 1900, and you say you want to lose a pound a week, MFP will set your daily calorie goal at 1400. MFP will never set your calorie goal less than 1200. As long as you don't go below 1200 INCLUDING exercise calories, you're fine :smile: .
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
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    Hi

    I usually eat half of my exc cals...it's important to eat enough...it really is!
    If u have trouble eating your cals pick string cheese (not the reduced fat), peanut butter, and nuts.....
    You can also try and drink some cals...make a protein shake with whey powder etc
    I would try and add 100 cals to each meal (piece of cheese or handful of nuts isn't much) and 50 cals to snacks
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
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    The reason I only eat part of them is that I'm not 100% certain of either a) the calories I burned or b ) the calories I took in. My measurements might be off a bit or the machines over/under calcuating my calories used. So I leave a little wiggle room :wink:

    I had the same concern about the accuracy of the estimates too--both MFP & the machines so I invested in a heart rate monitor-totally worth the $. This is what I found. The elliptical (3 types) & the stairmasters overestimate by at least 25%. The treadmill is pretty close. All other activities (strength training, outdoor actvities, home repairs, etc) the estimates are usually low. So now I only go by the HRM numbers & I eat between 50% - 100% depending on what it takes to make me feel full--I workout in the evenings between work & dinner so I only have a few hours before it's too late to be eating.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    you cant let your self starve but thruth is what got are selfs into this mess was we ate to much wene were not hungry dont eat just to eat as you can see by my ticker i have been here a while i did have finely stop pampering myself a nd now it starting to drop of me
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    Eat the healthy stuff you'd eat if you were eating fewer calories.
    Then eat more of it.
  • jeanniedreambtl
    jeanniedreambtl Posts: 95
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    Thank you all for your advice. I think I'm just going to eat more times a day, and keep the same exercise regime going. I'm doing something right cause I've lost 9 pounds in lil over a week:)
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Keep in mind that even when you eat your exercise calories, you are still operating at a caloric deficit. Also, people who have a lot of weight to lose can maintain a higher caloric deficit than those people who are close to their goal weight. I would at least eat half your exercise calories b/c it's better to lose a little more slowly and make sustainable life changes. For food suggestions, you can click on anyone's name to view their food diary,( if they have made it public (I have)).

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