Do you eat your burned calories?

gillian_gail

I've noticed that on the days that I exercise, I actually eat less than on the days that I don't. I have a really hard time getting to my calorie goal on a normal day, but when I exercise I'm finding it even harder.

So my question is, do you all eat the extra calories you gain when you exercise? Also, is it better to try and eat those extra calories or just try to stick with your original daily goal?

Thank you in advance for any responses. Looking forward to reading them :happy:

--Gillian--

evanbeek

I only use them if I have a special occasion or am feeling like splurging a little. Otherwise, as long as you meet your base calorie goal, anything left over is just extra lost weight. : )

lazygirllosesweight

Most everyone here is going to tell you that you MUST EAT THEM OR YOU WON'T LOSE WEIGHT!

I never eat them. I've lost 44 lbs (and counting).

I think it's up to you.

In my opinion, the most important thing is that you make sure you are fueling your body. If you feel weak or sick then you aren't eating enough and you need to bump it up. But if you feel fine and you are meeting your goals, then do what works for you.

Also, I've heard that increasing your calorie intake can help if you've plateaued. I don't have any experience with that, so I'm not sure. (What I mean, is yes, I've plateaued. But to this point they've been small plateaus so I haven't fiddled with my calories trying to fix it.)

jheller

No. Why would I want to increase my calories to cover what I burned - that's the point of burning in my opinion. I also consider those burned calories a hard earned reward for working out. But you know some days are tough and you just need that little extra helping at dinner or something sweet in the evenings (not often but occasionally!) and knowing that I exercised and burned those calories gives me greater options to manage my food.

I really wish this site did not add them into your daily intake - it seems counterproductive.

Jessica

hiddensecant

If you have over 100 lbs to lose, it's not entirely important to eat all your exercise calories. But do try to get in your 1700 at least.

Maybe you can try a glass of chocolate milk after your workouts (170 calories).

NOTE: Typically, you should eat your exercise calories. Especially those of you on 1200 calorie diets .. that's what your body needs to function minimum. When you exercise to burn off an extra 500 calories, you leave your body with a mere 700 calories to do all the important stuff (like keep your heart beating).

cds2327

yes, you need to

rybo

My opinion after a few months here .

Generally yes, you should eat them back. BUT there seems to be some instances where if you don't eat them back it's ok. This probably is the single most confusing aspect of this site.

The site sets you up to start at a caloric deficit. Sometimes its a pretty big deficit. So, when you exercise and don't add back what you've burned, you can get into a dangerously high deficit. (unhealthy)
I think a lot more people would be better off starting at an "even" caloric balance and then they can use exercise calories to create thier deficit.

aippolito1

I work out everyday so I'm hungry all day even on days I don't work out because my metabolism is still going...so on days I don't work out, I really have to manage my food well or I'll be STARVING. So on days I work out, yeah, I tend to eat every last one. Eating my exercise calories works for me.

If not eating yours helps you lose weight and you're not hungry, then you should be fine. Just remember that not eating them is creating a larger deficit so eventually it could stall or slow your weight loss and when that happens, it's time to think about eating some or most of them.

de1amo

when your young your metabolism is naturally more virilant--i dont think there is an answer to this-we are all unique and we have different diets with different components--i never eat all my exercise calories but come as closer to possible on other headings--a cup of chocolate is not going to give a good boost to the metabolism no matter what time you take it--the sugar in it has no purpose in the body other than rot your teeth--if you eat healthily and arent hungry your doing the best you can--

i feel less hungry on the days i exercise and need less calories than when i am sitting around thinking about my next meal-like today when i am resting after a heavy session on the machines yesterday--rest is as beneficial as exercise in all this--think healthy think substainable and long term--i have crash dieted and it comes back and you lose your muscle in the process

leix

Ive only recently heard about this. So far ive lost 44lbs not eating my exercise cals.
Some days i'll eat a little back, but i wont get all of them.
I just try to hit my main daily goal as some days i cant even do that.

de1amo

in the theory of this place you have been fortunate not to push your body into starvation mode and a stop to the weight loss -i have done the same with my loss of 24lbs and still dont eat many of my exercise units--i sense i am slightly older than you so bang goes my theory of age and bmr affect!

Umpire57

I know many are going to hate this but I have to say, If I didn't eat them I would be starving. People always ask this and say they can't eat all their calories. I have to say I have NO issues eating mine while eating healthy and I still average what they say I will which is 2 pounds a week.

de1amo

like i said i dont and i still lose 2lbs a week and that is a higher percentage for me because i am smaller. i dont eat my calories back but i get hungry the next day--im sure the 2 are linked but i grind it out and keep under my allowance of 1200 cals. the max i have eaten here is 1600 cals++ im sure i could eat more if i drank some beer or a chocolate as someone suggested but i would feel that isnt the point of dieting and those type of things have no nutritional goodness

lazygirllosesweight

I know many are going to hate this but I have to say, If I didn't eat them I would be starving. People always ask this and say they can't eat all their calories. I have to say I have NO issues eating mine while eating healthy and I still average what they say I will which is 2 pounds a week.

Well, I think that's different. If I were starving, I'd eat mine. Obviously it's a bad idea to deprive your body of the energy it needs. But I think people who claim you MUST or you're doing it wrong are a little extreme.

de1amo

yesterday i had 900 calories of exercise and i start from only 1200 thats about an 75pc increase--i wouldnt want to eat that much if i could physically do it while keeping on only healthy foods

LuckyLeprechaun

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo


there is a wealth of info on this thread. I recommend eating them. our biggest losers recommend eating them.

you wouldn't try to drive your car cross country and not refuel the tank right?

timbotina

I usually try to stay in my alotted calories (before exercise)...so far I have lost 30 lbs. doing so......but there are days when we go out to eat or go to a party (tis the season for graduations and weddings) so I do splurge some then...but I feel as thought I am not on a diet just trying to be healthy 80% of the time and bad 20% of the time......doing it this way doesn't seem very had and has more staying power.....also if you are working out and you are hungry....eat a little more but only if you want....don't consume calories just to meet a certain number.....that is senseless.......eating healthy all day whether you exercise or not should leave your body satisfied.......just MY opinion.........

KaySaver

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Eat those calories!

You may have been eating up to 2000 or even 3000 calories before you started MFP, and just by changing your daily calorie intake you can lose weight!

So if you change the way you eat and you are losing calories why would you then exercise and not eat those calories? You will end up starving your body and your body will hold onto everything it can and make losing weight even more difficult then it already is.

Your body needs so many calories just to survive and live even if you don't do a damn thing. So eat those calories in a healthy way, add the exercise and eat those calories.

Your body will see that you are feeding it and exercising it and it will reward you by speeding up your metabolism and get rid of those unwanted unhealthy pounds!

You need to learn how to re-eat so that you don't get back into this situation, like so many of us. Yes before I used to not eat the calories and I did lose weight but look where I am right now! After four times of losing the weight I am right back where I started because of not doing it correctly.
This time after a lot of reading and research I'm doing it the right way and I am keeping this weight off for good!

de1amo

when you get your initial bmr rate for your calorie count it is obtained by giving your start weight-as your weight goes does your bmr reduces thus meaning you need less calories to live-so if you dont reduce your intake your weight loss will reduce or stop as many do---i started with a bmr of 1717 and now i am down to about 1612 so i need 100 less calories than at the start--so eating my total forcast would stop my loss!

silversurfer

Yes, always, always, always eat back the calories you burn through exercise. Believe me you will still lose weight. I know it seems like the wrong thing to do, but it's not. The link below explains the reasoning behind this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

de1amo

very interesting--made some sense but it presumes you exercise everyday but most of us rest every other day as prescribed by the instructors at gyms-- i find the calories i get credited the day of the workout are harder to consume because my body is revved up and burning the fat store i want to erradicate--the day after when i rest is when i need my excess calories as my body searches for stores.

i have never eaten back my calories and have consistantly lost the weight down to my present which is 5lbs off my goal --i am reconsidering my goal because i have been advised i should be aiming for lean plus 15pc fat which means another 8lbs total to go. i eat healthily and have basic rules that i hope has put the fat in the metabolisms reach to consume--i dont drink with meals i dont eat after 7,30pm and i rest well -simple practical things i think have sense--i cant eat my calories back because i havent got the appetite to consume that much food!--i do about 900 calls on a workout day and that is a 75pc ramp on my 1200 rest day allowance--

jclguru

Thank God I don't listen to these people that say 'yes yes yes' or you HAVE to eat back your
excercise calories. I burn roughly 1000-1500 calories a day. With my calorie intake at
roughly 1800, there's no way I could eat back all of those calories that I've burned.

I've been on this change for 13 months now. From the beginning I've kept stats of all
my workouts. On average, I lose 2.5 pounds per 7 workouts. Never plateaued.

In summary, eat what you can and you'll be just fine.

Doug

de1amo

i generally lose about 2lbs per 3 workouts--i average about 700 to 900 cals per workout--including strenghts--its not pushing myself hard

ashie075

My friend is a Physiologist and a personal trainer and she's always said you should eat half of what you've burned. So if I burn 800 calories i'll eat back about 400. You need to keep that metabolism humming and your body NEEDS food after an intense workout.

de1amo

that sounds about what i have been doing--my cal norm is 1200 and the most i have ever eaten was 1699 on a 900 cal exercise day--makes sense for the way i have done it!

There are so many theories it seems with anecdotal evidence about what under eating the cals does--what about the hordes who must be eating to their allowance--how does it work for them??

Rea_K

This is just my opinion, but before I started using the MFP message boards I did what I was told- low calorie healthy balanced diet, plenty of exercise. I purely used MFP to log my food using the iphone app. I was happy doing what I was doing, burning 900 cals, eating 1200. I did this for four months and lost 55lbs, a lot in the first couple of months but 2lbs per week for the last couple of months. I then started reading the posts about 'starvation mode' and eating exercise calories. I was duped, I panicked, and I started eating my exercise calories and as I thought I was going to go into starvation mode or start putting on weight. Well, after 2 weeks I didn't lose any weight and I was just hungry all the time!! I wqas struggling to eat the calories so I took advice and ate high cal foods and 'healthy fats'. Which of course once I'd have a few nuts I'd want the whole lot, etc. I was at my weakest point mentally since I'd been dieting. I started getting hungry at ridiculous times and really felt as though I was going to fail.

I decided to forget about the starvation mode and eating my exercise calories and I went back to normal. I lost 3lbs, and am no longer constantly hungry. I have my routine back. I LOVE eating vegetables and salads, I really cant see how eating 1 tablespoon of peanut butter will benefit me more than eating a whole cucumber, two peppers, and 100grams of beetroot- this is roughly what it is equivilant to. Last night for my dinner I had the above with loads of cottage cheese. There was soo much food I couldn't even finish it!! So to me, I AM eating enough food, it's not my fault that the fruit and veg which I love to eat are low in calories. I feel great. I'm sure I'd know if my body was in starvation mode. I'm not going to have a beer or eat a chocolate just to boost up my calories. The whole thing for me was to eat healthy and fell healthy, which I am doing.

As I say, this is my opinion and it works for me. We are all diferrent.

SHBoss1673

This is just my opinion, but before I started using the MFP message boards I did what I was told- low calorie healthy balanced diet, plenty of exercise. I purely used MFP to log my food using the iphone app. I was happy doing what I was doing, burning 900 cals, eating 1200. I did this for four months and lost 55lbs, a lot in the first couple of months but 2lbs per week for the last couple of months. I then started reading the posts about 'starvation mode' and eating exercise calories. I was duped, I panicked, and I started eating my exercise calories and as I thought I was going to go into starvation mode or start putting on weight. Well, after 2 weeks I didn't lose any weight and I was just hungry all the time!! I wqas struggling to eat the calories so I took advice and ate high cal foods and 'healthy fats'. Which of course once I'd have a few nuts I'd want the whole lot, etc. I was at my weakest point mentally since I'd been dieting. I started getting hungry at ridiculous times and really felt as though I was going to fail.

I decided to forget about the starvation mode and eating my exercise calories and I went back to normal. I lost 3lbs, and am no longer constantly hungry. I have my routine back. I LOVE eating vegetables and salads, I really cant see how eating 1 tablespoon of peanut butter will benefit me more than eating a whole cucumber, two peppers, and 100grams of beetroot- this is roughly what it is equivilant to. Last night for my dinner I had the above with loads of cottage cheese. There was soo much food I couldn't even finish it!! So to me, I AM eating enough food, it's not my fault that the fruit and veg which I love to eat are low in calories. I feel great. I'm sure I'd know if my body was in starvation mode. I'm not going to have a beer or eat a chocolate just to boost up my calories. The whole thing for me was to eat healthy and fell healthy, which I am doing.

As I say, this is my opinion and it works for me. We are all diferrent.

you are correct in saying we are all different, but who told you to eat that stuff because you might be in starvation? And look at you, look how far you've come, why would you EVER want to lose 2 lbs a week? This isn't a race, eating for life requires some study, some observational decision making, and not just listening to some people on forums.

I love giving advice, but I'm not disheartened if someone takes it with a grain of salt and goes to do their own research, you SHOULD do that.

I don't know if someone told you to eat high calorie foods or not, or if you just read it, or what, but that's NOT what the concept of starvation mode is all about. Why can you lose weight while at a serious deficit, even if you are already close to, or at, your goal weight? Because your body can and will slow down organ function to lower your total calorie burn, it takes MONTHS to recover from prolonged metabolic slow down (which means switching your calorie levels for 2 to 3 weeks will do nothing more than make you gain weight and feel bloated), and you shouldn't just start eating tons more food, it's a process, a process you do because eventually, you're going to want to be at maintenance, and to do that you really need to eat enough to fuel your body. That doesn't mean eating chocolate and drinking beer, nothing of the sort. It means being able to eat comfortably for the rest of your life, what you choose for food is your own decision, but before you make it, talk to people who have experience with this stuff, this is not something that peers should be advising you on because anecdotal evidence is no evidence at all.

Essentially, don't believe everything you read, and seek the advice of experts before doing something like that. That would be my advice.

I hope this helps.

de1amo

i can echo Rea's experience but i didnt feel drawn to eating the excess--i try to eat everything that is healthy and nutritionally of value. someone suggested i eat chocolate drink to use my calories on here the other day-ridiculous!

i eat more than before joining here and have a more measured approach to my exercise-i was running myself ragged and getting moody on 'my' own regime---i am still losing regularly and in a better mood.-i have learnt a lot here and find the info about food invaluable but i will never eat crap food for the sake of keeping the counter moving towards an arbitary target--i do wish the calorie extras could be spread a bit to rest days as thats when i feel hungriest!--i am me Rea is her and we are all different with different diets and routines--we are as individual as the stars and no one fit diet will serve all of us.

Rea_K

SHBoss1673, I was only using de1amo's example of the beer and chocolate. I didn't do this myself, lol. Just thought I'd clarify as I didn't want you thinking I just started eating loads of junk and unhealthy foods, haha!

When I first started using the message boards, my first ever experience on here wasn't a very good one. Someone started a psor saying she hates people who claim to be 'full' eating 1200 calories a day. I simply contributed saying that I am full on that many calories. Well soon after I was being patronised and made to feel bad for being able to eat 1200 cals! Anyway, my doctor is fine with my diet, and I told them this, but some of them still thought they knew best. I started to doubt myself so I tried eating my exercise calories. I wasn't excessively eating, but I really wasn't used to eating so much. I've never been a big eater. I tried substituting the foods I ate for higher calorie food, but as I say, it didn't work for me. I would have fallen off the diet wagon had I continued.

I know I mentioned 2lb a week weightloss but that was when I was heavier. These days there's no way I'd lose that. I'm more focused on just toning now and am not bothered if I lose any more as I've coe further than I thought I would. The way I eat now is a way of life for me, and I don't burn as many calories as when I started, as I mainly do strength training now & just one day of cardio. I feel that I am happy with my weight now, am happy with what I eat now. My whole life I was never a big eater. I eat more than I used to, I just eat the right stuff now. Even though I eat 1200 cals, I should mention that I have Thursday evenings 'off' within reason (yay,lasagne & trifle tonight), & I have Sundays off after weigh in- again, within reason. Maybe this is why I am able to go without eating my exercise calories. For me, I like sticking to 1200 so that I can have that treat when I want it! This works as a way of life for me rather than a diet. I believe that I have lost the weight healthily and have been well informed throughout. I have bought books, spoken to my gym instructor and my doctor. My only mistake was feeling forced into something by some members on here. Of course the majority of the people on MFP are lovely, & genuinely want to help & be nice- including yourself! x

de1amo

as my brother commented to me--going to the gym is for those who wish to eat what they want without bothering about weight gain--once i reach my goal i will be less obsessive about constant diet--i have learnt a lot of things about my intake and portion control but look forward to being freer with my calories but still keep the exercise going--my gym cost me a fortune and i would have extreme guilt about spending so much and not using it!

Rea_K

as my brother commented to me--going to the gym is for those who wish to eat what they want without bothering about weight gain--once i reach my goal i will be less obsessive about constant diet--i have learnt a lot of things about my intake and portion control but look forward to being freer with my calories but still keep the exercise going--my gym cost me a fortune and i would have extreme guilt about spending so much and not using it!

I am with you on this one. Last Friday I went to a Greek restaurant (I'm Greek, no way could I cut out the food!!!) and had a meze. I overate by soooo many calories. The next day I went for an 80 minute run to make up for it!!
I don't want to be on a diet my whole life and as I'm pretty fit now I'd rather just exercise and in keep in shape. Exercise is a major part of my life again now, and I am so fit. As soon as I have completely toned up I know that the main thing I have to do is maintain my body and my focus will be on keeping up the gym. But I already know I will, as the hard part was getting that fitness back. All I need to do is keep it up.

I was always fit and healthy, and never had that emotional relationship with food. I just got lazy and stopped exercising. I really admire and feel for the people who have had to overcome the emotional part of losing weight. I think I definitaly got it easy. I never really ate much, just the wrong food, skipped breatfast, etc. Now I eat right, eat my 3 meals a day, and keep up the exercise.