Calories and exercising

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kimmie1013
kimmie1013 Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just wanted to see if anyone eats all their calories when you exercise. When I exercise my calorie count goes up quite a bit. I'm afraid to go over my 1200 calories a day . But from what I have read you have to eat more to lose weight. I have not lost any weight in a week. I was losing everyday at least something.

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  • jlclarke
    jlclarke Posts: 107
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    It is good to eat at least half of your exercise calories if not more.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    On days I exercise, I eat 1400 calories. Days I don't, 1100, this works for me. I always make sure that I have about 500 calories or less remaining so I don't go into starvation mode.
  • shell1205
    shell1205 Posts: 138
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    I usually try to eat half of my exercise calories... some days it's hard, because I'm not hungry. If I need to make up some, I usually grab a Special K bar or something like that. But I always eat at the very least my 1,200 calories!!
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    This site already calculates a calorie deficit so that you are in losing mode. When you exercise and burn more calories the site adds those calories as calories to be eaten. For example: it takes 3500 less calories in your diet to lose a pound. In order to maintain your weight it takes lets say 2000 calories per day. So MFP automatically subtracts an extra 500 calories from your daily calories and tells you to eat 1500 calories per day resulting in that 500 calories you would have normally ate and multiplying it by 7 days to give you the 3500 calories or 1 pound to lose that week. Lets say you exercise and burn off 300 calories and now MFP tells you to eat 1800 calories. This is the 1500 calories you need to lose that pound plus the 300 calories you burned with exercise. (These numbers are all just for an example)

    If you do not eat your exercise calories your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose any weight. It seems counter-productive, but I promise you the numbers are what matter the most! And if you think that you can just lose weight faster by not eating your exercise calories, you will be very frustrated when that scale won't budge cause your body thinks you are starving it! (I've been there a million and one times until I finally learned! lol!)

    I hope this explanation helps. Keep up the good work. This is the hardest struggle I've ever had in my life and is a lifestyle choice I choose to make every day. You can do it! Trust in the site and it will take you to your goals! :smile:
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
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    Just wanted to see if anyone eats all their calories when you exercise. When I exercise my calorie count goes up quite a bit. I'm afraid to go over my 1200 calories a day . But from what I have read you have to eat more to lose weight. I have not lost any weight in a week. I was losing everyday at least something.

    Hi. Please see this thread from a 'Sticky' post over in the General Weight Loss section of MFP:


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
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    Also, I think it is smart to eat maybe half to 3/4 of the exercise calories MFP tells you to because I think that there is no accurate way to figure up how many calories you truly burned in a workout unless you have something like the bodybugg that calculates your personal caloric burn. It is better to underestimate a little than over. All of the calories are just an estimate and should be used as such.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    I ate some of mine back yesterday because I burned off almost everything I ate yesterday, was at a net of just under 400 cals, so I ate about 800 last night to get about the 1200 mark.
  • happy_heather121
    happy_heather121 Posts: 135 Member
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    I think if you're hungry, eat some extra calories, but if you're not, don't eat them. I stopped losing weight last year when I started eating the calories. Now I don't and I am losing weight again. I do eat more than the 1200 if I'm really hungry and I know I burned a lot that day. But I think suggestions to eat 1/2 are good too. I really think you need to listen to your body on this one. Only you know if you're STARVING you know? If you're not, don't worry about it.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    Absolutely. I eat as many as I can. Most times I just can't eat them all, but I do at least give it the old college try. :happy:

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