Why eat exercise calories?

MissIrvine84

I'm trying to stick with a 1500 calorie diet because on average I was probably eating close to 2000 or more every day without tracking and exercising. MFP wants me to eat 1200 a day and that is very low for me because I'm not really a meal person, I'm a grazer. I eat a million times during the day, whenever I'm hungry or at work and have a break or lunch or something.

I can understand eating them if I was eating only 1200 calories a day, then turning around and working off 200, because that would equal out to only 1000 which is too low. Since I'm on the 1500 plan I'm doing myself, at least until I get used to things, I think I'm going to continue to avoid eating them when I can because I tend to overeat on the weekends and I'd like to have them equal out.

When I track calories I become OBSESSEd with them. I've become so obesessed that I track most of the food I think I'm going to eat all at one sitting, then eat what I can if I have the calories. Becoming obesessed with calories is messing with me though. I feel like I can't eat anything and there were a good 3 days in a row where I was eating between 500-1000 calories and working out. I need to stop that

DeeJayTJ

i too am obsessed with counting calories.

i think i may have finally hit a plateau but im not for sure. ive been stuck bouncing around between 179lbs and 182lbs. its driving me crazy!

i count calories like crazy though, but for the last 2 months ive only been taking in 900-1200 calories a day.

Punktorian

The generic number thrown around to burn a pound of fat is 3500 calories. So over a short period of time your body will lose that pound if it has 3500 fewer calories than it takes to maintain your current weight. So to lose 2 pounds a week it has me at a 1000 calorie deficit per day, 1000x7=7000 so there is the 2 pounds. The workout calories burn add onto that initial estimate of how many calories you need to maintain current weight. Listen to your body, if you are tired you may need more calories, if you are not loosing the weight you might want to cut back on how many exercise calories you use.

KatieM7

You said that you feel like you are eating too much. Is that you are feeling over full or is it you mentally feel like you are eating too much? Something that has helped me get in calories when I need to get them up and not feeling really that hungry is to eat nuts. I especially like sunflower nuts. I get them without the shells it's just easier for me like that I don't want to bother with opening them. They don't make me feel over full but help me get the calories up to where they need to be. HTH

alantin

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this yet but the body can take the energy it needs from three sources (In the order it prefers to burn them when exercising):
1.) The food you eat
2.) Your muscle tissue
3.) Your fat tissue

I've read tons about this stuff but frankly don't remember much about the scientific details.. Nevertheless, it pretty much comes down that while exercising, you mainly take the energy from the carbohydrates you ate. If there is no such supply, the next choice is your muscle tissue and the fat tissue is only the last preference. Of course this depends on the type of workout and strain too but I believe the general rule is right.
After a workout your body is in a catabolic state (it is breaking itself down) and it needs nutrients to turn the catabolism to anabolism (building the muscle stronger and preparing the damage that the exercise gave to the muscles).

When you lose weight, you lose both, lean muscle tissue and fat tissue. Exercise is an attempt to affect the ratio in which you lose them but if you don't eat the exercise calories, you don't give the body the easiest source for the energy it needs and force it to resort to the second easiest. The muscle tissue.
I believe, the body fat is mostly used for energy when resting (excluding low heart rate aerobic exercise.)

Also the reason why they recommend you to eat about 500 kcal less than you burn is that around there the ratio stays pretty optimal. If you eat less, you run the risk of burning more muscle than you need to.

So the bottom line is:
Eat the exercise calories! It helps you lose what you want to lose!

I think, I got it right for the most part but if anyone has anything to correct or add, please do!

alantin

After writing that I found this excellent post by banks1850 about the subject. -->

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

NWCountryGal

The only thing I understand is that when we eat our exercise calories, it's balanced nutrition, not junk food. A balanced diet provides what the body needs to build it. It makes sense that the body needs X amount of calories to feed on to survive and if it doesn't get it from good foods, it will start feeding on lean muscle mass because that is the healthy part of our bodies. So if you are to have, say, that 1200 for your age, height, weight, etc., then you "rob it"(in a good way)when you exercise. So when you exercise, you build up your heart strength and muscle. But if you aren't replacing good food to help build that muscle and strength, well, like I said, the body will try to protect itself. I think eventually, doing it the other way, the body will not be healthy.

Just my opinion though, Denise

I ate my extra calories at first, but I haven't for the last week. It didn't make sense to me either. Why go through the trouble to burn calories, if I'm just going replace them with more calories?

NWCountryGal

Yes, I remember this from last year and thanks for finding it. It was researched pretty well I believe and well, it works for me and I never felt better in my life. It's even hard to eat all my food some days and I do eat more some days then I should but less the next. Only because I just am not perfect to the # of calories;)

Thank you for saving this and providing it here, Denise

After writing that I found this excellent post by banks1850 about the subject. -->

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

EKarma

I don't eat my exercise cls.. I told my doctor exactly what I was doing too.. I stick to 1200-1300 cals a day and I exercise.. She said, "Erin, you're doing great. You shouldn't worry." She did a blood test and everything came out normal.. I have been doing this since I started.. I never ate my exercise cals.. I did start going under 1000 cals a day in Oct 2009.. My body DID go into starvation mode.. I didn't lose anything for forever and I didn't know what was going on.. But Some peeps suggested I up my cals to at least 1200 and the weight started coming off again. Like I said I keep them at about 1200-1300 cals a day. I keep an eye on my sodium and drink lots of water. I also take psyllium husk powder.. It's a natural fiber. I take it twice a day and it keep me hella regular. I dropped 3-4 lbs in my colon in the first couple of days..

MissKaay

I don't eat my exercise calories, EVER. Hahah, and I eat a little under my count, its hard for me to get it all in and I lose weight just fine.