Eating Exercise Calories....ugh!

Options
hollymurphy4
hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
in Health and Weight Loss
Mentally I can not make myself eat the calories I gain from exercise. I don't know how to get past this. Today I didn't exercise, but I have been cleaning the house all day which is burning calories, but I just can't make myself eat more. If I ate more I would feel like I was defeating the purpose of exercise. For instance, it's 4:15pm and it's telling me I still have over 1400 calories to eat. There is no way I will eat this much this late in the day. HELP!!!!
«1

Replies

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Options
    It's best not to make a habit of leaving that many calories on the table daily. That said, if you are not hungry today don't worry about it. Maybe try looking at the whole week instead of each day and if you go over on your calories a couple hundred here or there it's really no big deal.
  • pjennekuuk
    pjennekuuk Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    Yes I"m struggling with that too. Your best bet is to go with something healthy yet rich in cals. I cannot recommend avocado enough. Drizzled with a bit of soy sauce - they call that the poor man"s sashimi.
    Also a handfull of nuts will do the trick, roasted almonds (no sault) and they are nice to nibble away on whilst watching TV without feeling you have eaten a complete meal.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Options
    I struggle with "making" myself eat sometimes but it has gotten much better with time. One thing you can do is have more calorie dense meals earlier in the day. ie...add peanut butter to an apple...have a handful of trailmix etc. Your body needs fuel. It needs the right amount of fuel...not enough gas in the car and your can't function...too much and your have to carry around the extra...keep the right amount in the tank and you are all good
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    Thanks for your help.
    And that's the other thing, when I'm physically busy all day I'm just not that hungry. I can't force myself to eat when I'm not hungry.
  • niftyafterfifty
    niftyafterfifty Posts: 338 Member
    Options
    I don't eat all of my exercise calories, but I have increased my daily calorie goal from 1200 to 1500. I try to always eat at least 1500 calories. If I know I'm going to have a high calorie dinner, I exercise more than if it's going to be a "light" eating day for me. Planning dinner early helps me eat the calories I need to during the day, so I'm not trying to do it all in the evening. My weight loss had stalled until I increased my calories and reduced my exercise.
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    Options
    I don't have a heart moniter and don't plan on getting one at the moment but when I do zumba the website says I burn over 900 calories. There is no way I could eat all that unless I filled up on fast food or junk. I use the calories to help me the next day so if I go over a bit I donlt sweat it. So far its working for me.
  • lmcww8
    lmcww8 Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    I have this problem a lot too, especially since I'm training for distance races and filling up on voluminous foods like fruits and veggies (low calories but more water= filling). I've found that adding nut butters or things like avocado to my daily meals helps me incorporate more calories without trying to cram them all in toward the end of the day. Plus, sweet potatoes with a little bit of sunflower seed butter taste amazing... almost like a dessert! And I get some healthy fat/protein that keeps my hunger in check for the rest of the day so I don't wind up overeating like crazy.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Options
    Another option would be to set up your goal by counting exercise into your daily lifestyle. So, instead of "sedentary" or "lightly active", you might be heavily active" (can't remember the exact words MFP uses). So, you would include all your activity in your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and not log exercise into MFP. You would be given a higher number of calories to eat, but not have "exercise calories" to "eat back". This is how other diets work.

    MFP is different in that it gives you a target based on doing no planned exercise, and assumes that if you do, you will eat accordingly. Some people prefer to count that planned exercise as their overall TDEE though, and not log the exercise in MFP. To be honest, if cleaning is a normal daily activity for you, then it might make more sense to count it as part of your normal activity level anyway.

    Ideally, you need to eat more than you are doing to fuel your activities. It doesn't really matter which method you use to work out how much you need to eat, but you really need to get more than you are doing. Otherwise, the calorie deficit you are setting for yourself is much bigger than recommended by MFP and might not be healthy for you. If your net calorie goal is 1300, for example, today you are netting -100 calories. How can your body keep functioning properly on those kinds of numbers?

    You don't have to wait until after you have exercised to eat the food. Knowing that you're going to be burning a lot of cals, you can eat them beforehand. If you're struggling to eat that much, look for calorie-dense foods like full-fat dairy products, nuts, avocados, a bit of extra healthy oils in your cooking etc.
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    Yes I"m struggling with that too. Your best bet is to go with something healthy yet rich in cals. I cannot recommend avocado enough. Drizzled with a bit of soy sauce - they call that the poor man"s sashimi.
    Also a handfull of nuts will do the trick, roasted almonds (no sault) and they are nice to nibble away on whilst watching TV without feeling you have eaten a complete meal.

    I love avocados and nuts. Thanks for your help.
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    I struggle with "making" myself eat sometimes but it has gotten much better with time. One thing you can do is have more calorie dense meals earlier in the day. ie...add peanut butter to an apple...have a handful of trailmix etc. Your body needs fuel. It needs the right amount of fuel...not enough gas in the car and your can't function...too much and your have to carry around the extra...keep the right amount in the tank and you are all good

    I love peanut butter, but I can't bring myself to ever eat it because it has sooooo many calories.
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    It's best not to make a habit of leaving that many calories on the table daily. That said, if you are not hungry today don't worry about it. Maybe try looking at the whole week instead of each day and if you go over on your calories a couple hundred here or there it's really no big deal.

    Thanks for your help.
  • clareeast
    clareeast Posts: 64
    Options
    You need to try and eat nett above your BMR (that is taking into account exercise/activity calories). Your body needs a certain amount of fuel to operate efficiently, and a bit more to move on top of that. Try to think of your body as a car - if you don't put enough petrol in you won't get very far! I know it sounds counter-intuitive (intuition says: surely if you eat more, your weight loss will be slower), but this method works! You won't cause too much harm to your system by eating under for a few days, but it is not healthy or sustainable in the long term.

    Try to eat lean protein as a first choice after activity to help repair/build muscle - the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be anyway, as muscles need fuelling! Complex carbs are good earlier in the day - try to avoid the simple carbs if you can. If you know you are going to have a busy day, eating slightly larger than usual portions of breakfast and lunch can help get your calorie intake up! If you really can't face food, try a shake or smoothie.

    You have a mental block on this issue. Try a week of eating the exercise calories back and see what difference it makes to you!
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    Another option would be to set up your goal by counting exercise into your daily lifestyle. So, instead of "sedentary" or "lightly active", you might be heavily active" (can't remember the exact words MFP uses). So, you would include all your activity in your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and not log exercise into MFP. You would be given a higher number of calories to eat, but not have "exercise calories" to "eat back". This is how other diets work.

    MFP is different in that it gives you a target based on doing no planned exercise, and assumes that if you do, you will eat accordingly. Some people prefer to count that planned exercise as their overall TDEE though, and not log the exercise in MFP. To be honest, if cleaning is a normal daily activity for you, then it might make more sense to count it as part of your normal activity level anyway.

    Ideally, you need to eat more than you are doing to fuel your activities. It doesn't really matter which method you use to work out how much you need to eat, but you really need to get more than you are doing. Otherwise, the calorie deficit you are setting for yourself is much bigger than recommended by MFP and might not be healthy for you. If your net calorie goal is 1300, for example, today you are netting -100 calories. How can your body keep functioning properly on those kinds of numbers?

    You don't have to wait until after you have exercised to eat the food. Knowing that you're going to be burning a lot of cals, you can eat them beforehand. If you're struggling to eat that much, look for calorie-dense foods like full-fat dairy products, nuts, avocados, a bit of extra healthy oils in your cooking etc.

    Thanks so much for your help!
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    You need to try and eat nett above your BMR (that is taking into account exercise/activity calories). Your body needs a certain amount of fuel to operate efficiently, and a bit more to move on top of that. Try to think of your body as a car - if you don't put enough petrol in you won't get very far! I know it sounds counter-intuitive (intuition says: surely if you eat more, your weight loss will be slower), but this method works! You won't cause too much harm to your system by eating under for a few days, but it is not healthy or sustainable in the long term.

    Try to eat lean protein as a first choice after activity to help repair/build muscle - the more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be anyway, as muscles need fuelling! Complex carbs are good earlier in the day - try to avoid the simple carbs if you can. If you know you are going to have a busy day, eating slightly larger than usual portions of breakfast and lunch can help get your calorie intake up! If you really can't face food, try a shake or smoothie.

    You have a mental block on this issue. Try a week of eating the exercise calories back and see what difference it makes to you!

    Thank you so very much for your help!
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Options
    I struggle with "making" myself eat sometimes but it has gotten much better with time. One thing you can do is have more calorie dense meals earlier in the day. ie...add peanut butter to an apple...have a handful of trailmix etc. Your body needs fuel. It needs the right amount of fuel...not enough gas in the car and your can't function...too much and your have to carry around the extra...keep the right amount in the tank and you are all good

    I love peanut butter, but I can't bring myself to ever eat it because it has sooooo many calories.

    This is when I started doing better. When I got over the "so many calories" mindset. Yes it has "so many calories" but you are mentioning that you are not eating enough calories. When I started eating the nut butters or trail mix I was able to get my wonderful calories..which are neither good nor bad...just are ....I don't eat a ton of bread because I would rather spend my calories else where but not because it has so many calories...remember...stalled car or extra red fuel cans...best scenario is a car running on a appropriately filled tank...
  • hollymurphy4
    hollymurphy4 Posts: 122
    Options
    I struggle with "making" myself eat sometimes but it has gotten much better with time. One thing you can do is have more calorie dense meals earlier in the day. ie...add peanut butter to an apple...have a handful of trailmix etc. Your body needs fuel. It needs the right amount of fuel...not enough gas in the car and your can't function...too much and your have to carry around the extra...keep the right amount in the tank and you are all good

    I love peanut butter, but I can't bring myself to ever eat it because it has sooooo many calories.

    This is when I started doing better. When I got over the "so many calories" mindset. Yes it has "so many calories" but you are mentioning that you are not eating enough calories. When I started eating the nut butters or trail mix I was able to get my wonderful calories..which are neither good nor bad...just are ....I don't eat a ton of bread because I would rather spend my calories else where but not because it has so many calories...remember...stalled car or extra red fuel cans...best scenario is a car running on a appropriately filled tank...

    You are so right!!!! Thanks!
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    This probably has nothing to do with the original topic, but you only had coffee creamer for breakfast? No coffee to go with it? I am saying this, because if you aren't counting some of your stuff, not logging it, it may LOOK like you have more calories left over than you do. I am not bashing you or anything, so please don't take that wrong, but you also might want to eat a little more throughout the day. No wonder you have such a high amount left over for the day.
  • ShrinkRapt451
    ShrinkRapt451 Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I struggle with "making" myself eat sometimes but it has gotten much better with time. One thing you can do is have more calorie dense meals earlier in the day. ie...add peanut butter to an apple...have a handful of trailmix etc. Your body needs fuel. It needs the right amount of fuel...not enough gas in the car and your can't function...too much and your have to carry around the extra...keep the right amount in the tank and you are all good

    I love peanut butter, but I can't bring myself to ever eat it because it has sooooo many calories.

    Questions:
    1. How do you have MFP set? 2 lbs/week loss?
    2. How many calories do you usually burn? (edited to add: diary suggests around 600 in exercise, PLUS whatever your body burns to just be alive and walking around for the day.)
    3. Any ideas as to your body fat percent? (Do you have a way of measuring it accurately? If so, the calculators on www.fat2fitradio.com are really helpful; still decent guesstimates if you don't know body fat %)

    If you're set for 2 lbs/week loss and you're not eating the calories back, you're not doing your weight loss any favors.

    If your net calorie intake for the day (calories in - calories burned) is less than what you need for the basics of keeping your body working (Basal Metabolic Rate), you're not doing your weight loss any favors either. But MFP will not set your calorie goal to prevent netting too low. (And for the record, most people who've been eating too little for a while aren't hungry, but that's because they've slowed their metabolism to a crawl.)

    There are lots of methods that work, but if you can't make yourself eat exercise calories, then up your daily "regular" allowance and don't eat 'em back.

    Examples with math:

    Goal of 0.5 lb/week weight loss = 250 calorie deficit set by MFP
    Exercise calories burned daily: 600

    Total daily deficit: 850 (100 more than setting MFP for 1.5 lbs/week)

    If your average net calories for this is above your basal metabolic rate, you'll feel satisfied and you'll drop steadily.
  • verdammtwenig
    verdammtwenig Posts: 48
    Options
    I REALLY, REALLY think a lot of people of MFP make this whole losing weight thing to complicated. By and large, the larger the difference between the calories you take in and the calories you burn, the larger your weight loss is going to be. The change in your metabolism from eating "too few" calories is really negligble. Starvation mode doesn't happen until you're sitting at a negative net calorie intake over a long period of time. So...don't sweat it.


    If I've eaten healthfully...had a few servings of protein, eating 3 servings of vegetables, eaten whole grains...I don't eat them back unless I'm hungry.

    If I go to bed full but have a 500-800 net calorie deficit, I don't worry about. I am especially okay with this because we all tend to underestimate the number of calories we eat and overestimate the number of calories we burn, so the real deficit is likely smaller than what MFP is telling you.


    That said, if I am sitting at a 800+ calorie deficit at the end of the day, but not feeling particularly hungry...those are the days that I like to have a small bowl of ice cream before bed.
  • jenjay76
    jenjay76 Posts: 42
    Options
    I don't ever try to eat what I have gained in working out. I just figure then I can eat what I want and not have to worry about it.

Categories