Weight-Loss How can I "smartly" add ~300 cals a day?

Weight-Loss
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jojoluvsu2

New member
I've just recently gotten my eating under control, no more impulsive snacking or bingeing (pat on the back for me :)). So now that I've taken tally of my eating, I'm sitting around 1500 cals a day. I'm 5'4" and currently weight 153, looking to get down around 130ish (However, I'm not holding myself to that number. I'll see how I look and feel as I get closer. I have quite a bit of muscle so I have no idea what my "skinny weight" should be... Anyways, that's besides the point...oh me an my ramblings). I workout 5-6 days a week, and 3-4 of those are hard cardio sessions, about 1hr long and 1000 cals (HIIT type stuff), plus weights and light cardio on the other days. I don't feel like I'm eating enough at 1500 given the huge calorie expenditure. I havn't worked out my calorie requirements exactly, but I think I would do better eating around 1800 cals a day. My question is, where do you think I should add those calories (time of day) and what should I eat? I'm a creature of habit, so I have the same breakfast/snack/lunch/snack every day, which I find keeps me full and energized all day so I'd rather not touch that part of it, but dinner can be changed around as I like. Please let me know what you think!

Here's my typical day:

7am - 2 cups multi grain cheerios, 1 cup skim milk (300 cals)
10:30 - 1/2 cup granola, one portion source fat free yogurt (215 cals)
12:30 - half high fibre pita, 2 slices low fat turkey or roast beef, 2 tbs low fat creem cheese, 1 cup romaine lettuce (300) 1 small tangerine (30) 1/3 cup Gardennay soup, 1/2 chopped broccoli (80 cals) total (410 cals)
3:00 - one medium apple, 2 tbs peanut butter (250 cals)

Total before dinner - 1175 (and this is every day except weekends)

So, what should I eat for dinner/snack in the evening? I'd like to hit 1800 cals, so another 625 or so.

Thanks for any help!
 
jojoluvsu2 said:
I've just recently gotten my eating under control, no more impulsive snacking or bingeing (pat on the back for me :)). So now that I've taken tally of my eating, I'm sitting around 1500 cals a day. I'm 5'4" and currently weight 153, looking to get down around 130ish (However, I'm not holding myself to that number. I'll see how I look and feel as I get closer. I have quite a bit of muscle so I have no idea what my "skinny weight" should be... Anyways, that's besides the point...oh me an my ramblings). I workout 5-6 days a week, and 3-4 of those are hard cardio sessions, about 1hr long and 1000 cals (HIIT type stuff), plus weights and light cardio on the other days. I don't feel like I'm eating enough at 1500 given the huge calorie expenditure. I havn't worked out my calorie requirements exactly, but I think I would do better eating around 1800 cals a day. My question is, where do you think I should add those calories (time of day) and what should I eat? I'm a creature of habit, so I have the same breakfast/snack/lunch/snack every day, which I find keeps me full and energized all day so I'd rather not touch that part of it, but dinner can be changed around as I like. Please let me know what you think!

Here's my typical day:

7am - 2 cups multi grain cheerios, 1 cup skim milk (300 cals)
10:30 - 1/2 cup granola, one portion source fat free yogurt (215 cals)
12:30 - half high fibre pita, 2 slices low fat turkey or roast beef, 2 tbs low fat creem cheese, 1 cup romaine lettuce (300) 1 small tangerine (30) 1/3 cup Gardennay soup, 1/2 chopped broccoli (80 cals) total (410 cals)
3:00 - one medium apple, 2 tbs peanut butter (250 cals)

Total before dinner - 1175 (and this is every day except weekends)

So, what should I eat for dinner/snack in the evening? I'd like to hit 1800 cals, so another 625 or so.

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

HIIT can't be done for an hour.

And why are you pounding your body so hard and much?

How do you know you are expending 1000 calories?

And do you know how many grams of each macro you are consuming?
 
Steve said:
HIIT can't be done for an hour.

And why are you pounding your body so hard and much?

How do you know you are expending 1000 calories?

And do you know how many grams of each macro you are consuming?
Click to expand...


The HIIT I do was part of an exercise study for a PHD candidate at my University. I posted a description on a thread about HIIT somewhere in the exercise forum, with a link to the paper he wrote. I do the HIIT on a bike, less impact on the knees :) I know some HIITs are for only 20 minutes-ish, sprint type running, but this is done on a bike. We do 4minute intervals at 90%MHR, then 2 minutes no or little resistance, for 10 intervals so 60 minutes.

I love the hard workouts, takes me back to my x-country skiing competition days:). But I do listen to my body carefully, and I don't push it or go at all if I'm feeling sore or run down.

The 1000 cals is an estimate based on the readout from the machine, and monitoring my heart rate.

I just started using FitDay (which I love!) and it's telling me that I'm eating about 45% carbs, 33% Fat, 22% protein.
 
jojoluvsu2 said:
The HIIT I do was part of an exercise study for a PHD candidate at my University. I posted a description on a thread about HIIT somewhere in the exercise forum, with a link to the paper he wrote. I do the HIIT on a bike, less impact on the knees :) I know some HIITs are for only 20 minutes-ish, sprint type running, but this is done on a bike. We do 4minute intervals at 90%MHR, then 2 minutes no or little resistance, for 10 intervals so 60 minutes.
Click to expand...

What Steve said. I think you are confusing HIIT with just plain IT. If you can do it for an hour, it isn't HIIT. It's just intervals. Hell if you can do it for 10 minutes, it isn't HIIT (although common usage would beg to differ in this regard, common usage is almost always wrong). Your friend may be calling it such, but that's not what it is. No matter what kind of amazing shape you are in and how mutant your genetics are, there's no chance. The original and oft-quoted study was done on elite athletes who were completely wiped after 4 minutes.

Don't believe me? Set your bike to an appropriate resistance and and give 'er to your complete maximum for 30 seconds. 100% exertion. Peddle as hard and fast as you possibly can. Then "walk" for 30 seconds. Repeat. Then try to tell me you can sustain this for 10 minutes and I will call you a liar right to your face. :p 4 minutes is a good starting point, and you can progress to as much as 8 or 10, but really, increase in volume = decrease in intensity. It's an absolute relationship.

The main reason I mention this though is that, depending on your goals and your nutritional plan, high intensity cardio is often counterproductive on a deficit diet because you simply don't have the energy for it, despite what you may think, especially if you're also weight training - which should almost always be given priority and accounted for in terms of post workout nutrition. So, I wouldn't recommend it. Not at all.

As for the meal, try 8 oz (raw weight) Salmon, 2 oz swiss cheese, and 1 cup (cooked) of the fibrous carb of your choice. I recommend buttercup squash. Straight neck is pretty good too.
 
Hate to beat a dead horse, but about the HIIT again. What you're describing with the 30s all out biking is known as a Wingate, at least in the cycling world. I'm not sure if it has an equivalent term for running. I'm not an expert in the field, but what I do know is that the exercise I was describing was referred to as an HIIT by an exercise physiologist, a paper was written about it and peer-reviewed by other exercise physiologists and then published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (see link). I think the "High Intensity" part referes to your output during the exercise, and we were working at 90%MHR, which is very high intensity. I don't doubt that the all out sprints you're describing are also HIITs, but as far as the literature I've read and experts (published researchers) I've talked to are concerned, this workout is as well an HIIT.




But that is completely besides the point. I'm looking to up my calories so I can sustain that kind of exercise. I have a goal of doing triathalons, and to do those I'm going to have to up my exercise even more to reach that level of fitness. However, I need to lost a bit more weight first in order to be able to do the running (I've already damaged my knees, running too much while carrying too much weight).

Focus, thanks for the advice! That seems similar to what I had been doing (protein and carb mix), just in more quantity.
 
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