Up my calories or just something to get used to?

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  • momo2011Tuck
    momo2011Tuck Posts: 49 Member
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    I weigh a bit more then you but not to much and if I walk two hours I burn at minimum 650 calories. I think you should try upping your calorie intake because you may be burning way more than you think, in return not eating enough to cover those burned calories.
  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
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    Thanks everyone, i will try to summarise a response to everyone, I have never drank soda so thats not really an issue for me. I try to eat 3 meals a day with two snacks. I havent cut out chocolate cold turkey, i eat a small amount still. No, im not depressed and i do not need to see a doctor. And the 300 cals is the average MFP has given me for the amount of exercise i put in time wise. Walking less is not an option, i cant get to where i need to be otherwise.
  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
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    Also, im not sure how the eating what you burn thing means. Do i need to eat at least 1200cals AFTER what ive burnt exercising? So if i ate 1500 and burnt 400, i wouldnt have had enough?
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    I see you have a baby, and it is normal to be tired when you have young children:yawn: Since this is your first child (I assume), you are used to having your energy and did not realize you would be so tired with a baby! Relax.

    I don't think your food diary was open to look at it. But I would suggest you increase your calories so that your nursing is supplied (if you are)...I think by 400 calories? Also make sure you eat enough protein at your meals...say 20 grams per meal and snack, so that you are getting 100grams or more/day.

    Maybe set the timer when baby takes a nap and rest also about 30 min. For exercise, it is really great that you walk! :smile:
    You could also add in some basic calisthenics (sorry, spelling?) like 20 sit-ups/pushups and some yoga/stretching. Ironically, the more you challenge yourself with exercise, the more energy you have! Do you have an exercise DVD? Try to do some of it.

    Drink your water! Place a cup on the counter with a piece of paper and pencil. make a tally mark for each cup you drink...at least 10 cups...more if you can. Log it at the end of your day.
    :)MinMin
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,051 Member
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    Have you changed what you're eating for breakfast?

    This is going to sound silly, but when I started trying to eat better I started having grain type stuff for breakfast- bagels, cereals, that kinda stuff... and I started to feel like that. Then I switched to having more protein based stuff (egg and turkey bacon on a wheat wrap usually) and the difference was PHENOMINAL. Stopped feeling so laggy and dragged down... realized my body doesn't do as well with carbs as most other people.

    Do you think that could be something?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Also, im not sure how the eating what you burn thing means. Do i need to eat at least 1200cals AFTER what ive burnt exercising? So if i ate 1500 and burnt 400, i wouldnt have had enough?

    The suggestion is based on the way MFP works. Stick at your nice higher level that was suggested, very wise.

    Normally, you would take all your daily activity, everything, see what it burns, and then take off a deficit to determine what you eat.
    So say 2000 burned minus 500 is eating 1500. That means about 1lb week fat hopefully burned off, because you didn't replenish it.

    MFP works a tad different, to encourage you to do the exercise, or to confuse everyone, they leave exercise out of the equation until you do it and log it.
    And then you get credit to eat it back again, so the deficit is still there.
    So say 1700 minus 500 is eating 1200 plus exercise 300 is eating 1500 total.

    Math comes out the same, when it happens changes. Those figures were just examples, have no idea on your suggestions.

    Oh, for better estimate of that calorie burn on walking, which can be very accurate estimate, you can correct MFP suggestion with your own. Try this calculator, ask for the Net figure.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    Now, what else you can do, is change your Activity level up to the level that includes on your feet a decent part of the day - Lightly Active or Active - and then don't worry about logging the normal walks which are great workouts, but they'll be included in the math already.
  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
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    Thanks everyone, my daughter is almost 15 months old so im used to running around after her and i dont nurse so no extra cals needed there. She sleeps 14 hours at night (im very lucky i know!) so its not even like i get disturbed sleep or anything. Unfortunately she doesnt normally nap. She saves it all up for bed time i think! If she does nap its in the stroller while im walking anyway.

    Yes i have changed what i eat for breakfast, it used to be a bar of chocolate or some other ridiculous thing. Now ive been having 2 slices of brown toast with jam and 2 cups of water. I have 2 at a time normally because we only have gigantic cups! I think i used to run on sugar all day long before.

    Thanks heybales for clearing that up, it all makes sense now. I think i might go and have a banana now thanks to that! :bigsmile:
    My activity level is lightly active right now i think. I put it as that because thats how i am in the house. The walks are just extras that vary in length every day. I walked very nearly 2 miles today and just couldnt walk the 1.5 miles back home! I was just so burnt out i had to get on the bus! Normally that walk isnt a problem.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Yes i have changed what i eat for breakfast, it used to be a bar of chocolate or some other ridiculous thing. Now ive been having 2 slices of brown toast with jam and 2 cups of water. I have 2 at a time normally because we only have gigantic cups! I think i used to run on sugar all day long before.

    Thanks heybales for clearing that up, it all makes sense now. I think i might go and have a banana now thanks to that! :bigsmile:
    My activity level is lightly active right now i think. I put it as that because thats how i am in the house. The walks are just extras that vary in length every day. I walked very nearly 2 miles today and just couldnt walk the 1.5 miles back home! I was just so burnt out i had to get on the bus! Normally that walk isnt a problem.

    So you can leave your activity level, and just use that calculator for the walks. Might suggest, weigh stroller/daughter, and count half that weight in the calc - because you are moving it along with yourself.

    Also, to what someone else said regarding carbs. If you have sensitive insulin response spiking badly, bread hits your bloodstream faster than table sugar in fact, faster than a candy bar.
    You may have had no effect with chocolate before, but could now.
    That over response for many also means a bad drop to blood sugar levels - there goes the feeling of energy as body recovers that correctly.

    Might test, pick up a couple Zone or Balance bars, and just have 1 of those for breakfast with water, see how it goes.
    If much better, that was the problem. Don't have to keep eating those that was just test, but try to get protein/fat into each meal, and eat that before the carbs if possible, never carbs first.
    If you have that bad of a response, you are also staying in the resulting fat-storing mode longer than normal.
  • momo2011Tuck
    momo2011Tuck Posts: 49 Member
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  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
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    The stroller with my daughter in it is probably close to 50lbs. And when its full of groceries its probably closer to 70 or 80lbs.

    I will have to try something like that for breakfast. I cant get them here in the UK but ive Googled it and know of similar things that i can get hold of :)

    I have dieted before in a similar way (when i first joined this site and failed with the diet!) i dont remember feeling this way. I ate similar things to what i do now, just one slice of toast for breakfast rather than two, but i found i needed (or felt like i needed!) the extra slice this time. So it seems quite likely thats whats causing it. Because i also go on to have a sandwich for lunch. I felt better for half an hour after eating it then back to normal.

    Ive used the calculator on the link you posted too and it says 236cals for 60 minutes of walking. Not sure what to do about adding the stroller weight though. Just add 50lbs to my 215lbs?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    The stroller with my daughter in it is probably close to 50lbs. And when its full of groceries its probably closer to 70 or 80lbs.

    Ive used the calculator on the link you posted too and it says 236cals for 60 minutes of walking. Not sure what to do about adding the stroller weight though. Just add 50lbs to my 215lbs?

    Your sensitivity to carbs can change over time.

    I'd add just 25 lbs to weight for estimate. Pushing is easier than carrying the weight.
    So that would be the cals to eat back.
  • holly2234
    holly2234 Posts: 37
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    Thanks youve been a great help :D