what happens when i eat 500 calories and then i burn 600 cal? does this defeat the purpose of getting 60 grams of protein?

No, the protein is still the same no matter how many calories you burn. I regularly burn more calories then I eat and it has not been a problem at all. Good Luck.

No, the protein is still the same no matter how many calories you burn. I regularly burn more calories then I eat and it has not been a problem at all. Good Luck.

how many calories do you aim for? i think i need more than the 700 a day i eat, because i typically get 400-600 calories from my exercise which is not much and i am womdering if that is why i am sluggish.

what happens when i eat 500 calories and then i burn 600 cal? does this defeat the purpose of getting 60 grams of Protein?

No but I think you have to adjust protein upwards. MFP says I need to have 145g protein before exercise, and have seen it increase to 190 - 200 after exercise.

I probably eat anywhere from 600 to 900 calories a day, and a minimum of 80 g protein

Don, what settings do you put into MFP? it recomends 80 gms of protein for me but i exercise alot and and i struggle to get 90 gms in and only with shakes. I know i am only 5 weeks out but i cannot imagine eating the kind of protein you are doing.

we are the same height and headed for a very similar goal.

Aliekat55

When I first started working out I was noticing how sluggish I was, as well. I upped my calories and Protein and that really helped. When I talked with the fitness trainers you should have seen their faces when I said I was only getting 600 or so calories a day, mostly protein. I am up to about 1000 calories a day now (10 months out). Once I started working out vigorously I tried upping calories. Now I get at least 80 grams of protein but average 90 - 100.

If you are only 5 weeks out from surgery it is going to be hard for you to get many more calories. So my suggestion would be to perhaps take it a bit easier on your workouts. See if you can add half a Protein Bar (Quest is great) or another Protein shake into the mix. burning all the calories is great, but you need to have something to fuel your body.

Eventually, you're going to want to get your calories up. You cannot sustain a negative calorie balance for long....not and expect to be healthy. It's common in the first few months, and that's why high protein and resistance training is so important. It helps slow down muscle catabolism. I've read alot of talk lately on this forum about people thinking it's wrong to be eating high protein, low carb diets.....but this is why you do it, at least in the early months. To spare all your lean body mass.

high protein canbe very hard on the kidneys. i am getting about 45 grams of protein right now. but i am only able get limited amounts of food in.

high Protein canbe very hard on the kidneys. i am getting about 45 grams of protein right now. but i am only able get limited amounts of food in.

From what I've read the amounts we are talking about are only hard on people with kidney dysfunction already. Normal healthy kidneys should easily be able to handle 80-100 grams of protein every day. Of course, in the early post op stages it can be very difficult to eat that much but it gets easier.