DON'T Eat Exercise Calories!!

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  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
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    Speaking as someone who would probably pass out and/or suffer from not getting enough food to fuel workouts and daily activities...

    Consider also that we're only considering "weight" here. When you continually eat under the recommended caloric requirement AND workout, oh sure, you may lose weight for a while, but you may also be losing muscle mass and effectively decrease your metabolism. Keep this up for a while and when you try to workout or do any rigorous activity, you'll suffer. You may also set yourself up for adrenal fatigue if you're not properly fueling yourself.

    So yeah, IMO, losing muscle mass and setting the stage for potential adrenal fatigue is not worth it. Try to re-evaluate a few things:

    The reality of what you're eating - do you weigh and meausre accurately?
    Do you record snacks and other tidbits of food throughout the day?
    Do you have a heart rate monitor or similar to determine the intensity and relative calorie burn of your work outs?
    Do you have energy or do you feel fatigue throughout the day?
    Do you have any possible medical conditions that could inhibit weight loss? (i.e. thyroid problems, PCOS, etc.)


    Have you checked out any other caloric intake formulas such as Harris Benedict ? These may be a better means of determining how many calories you need and at what activity level you're at.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Following your Doctor's advice is fine and totally up to you. (Whether we all disagree or not). However, I would just be careful to post such a strong topic as "DON'T Eat Exercise Calories!!". Many users on here might be new and have little knowledge of nutrition, etc and they follow any and all advice on here. What is right for your health (according to your Doctor) goes against what most believe to be healthy and safe for a diet. It's not safe for all!
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
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    I think it's great that you shared with us what your doctor told you, because the fact is that different people/lifestyles/goals can mean different ways to live and lose. I personally find it helpful to hear what other people are doing, even if I'm not necessarily going to change what I do.

    For instance, when I first started, I thought that I HAD to eat my exercise calories, even if I wasn't hungry, because I was set for 1200 net calories per day and I was afraid that being under that net calorie goal would hurt me.

    I've since discovered: I don't HAVE to eat them, but I can! And that was the saving discovery for me! I'm losing about 2 lbs./week, and taking in about 1500 calories per day, net between 1100-1300 on average. An amount which, I have calculated, will be the BMR of my goal weight!
  • xDeannaGarciax
    xDeannaGarciax Posts: 675
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    Oh this sounds like a great discussion to me! I'm really looking forward to seeing more responses! :smile:

    So here's my 2 cents worth; I eat a low carb lifestyle...so yeah...anyone that wants to get into on that one, lets rumble! Peacefully of course! :flowerforyou: My caloric intake is anywhere between 800-1400 on any given day and I never worry about eating back exercise calories. I simply eat when I'm hungry! I load up on protein and fiber-lots of meat and poultry and LOTS of greens! Veggies, certain nuts and small amounts of fruits are my favorite snacks! I've been doing this for over a year, have lost 65lbs. and have never felt better. I'm consistently losing weight also.

    With that being said...I'm not a nutritionist, a dietitian or a doctor of any sorts. This is what works for ME. And from what the OP stated, she is just giving out what might work for someone else. It is up to the individual to seek out the advice of a doctor before undergoing something extreme! Don't be ignorant and just follow what someone says!!

    Haha, the last part is similar to my post! Everyone on this site should know that we all are giving our individual opinions, you don't like what someone says....simple- don't follow it. Noone is being irresponsible by sharing what they were told or what works for them! Well said girl!
  • Rugbychick16
    Rugbychick16 Posts: 183 Member
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    My doctor told me I didn't have cancer and it turns out I did, so I guess I have learned to listen to my own body and make descions that are right for me from there. :flowerforyou:
  • RedneckWmn
    RedneckWmn Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Following your Doctor's advice is fine and totally up to you. (Whether we all disagree or not). However, I would just be careful to post such a strong topic as "DON'T Eat Exercise Calories!!". Many users on here might be new and have little knowledge of nutrition, etc and they follow any and all advice on here. What is right for your health (according to your Doctor) goes against what most believe to be healthy and safe for a diet. It's not safe for all!

    Very well said!
  • sharonuk10
    sharonuk10 Posts: 277
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    You also need to consider the fact that MFP is trying to teach us a new way to eat FOR LIFE and not just to lose weight. I personally love food to much to ONLY eat 1000 calories a day for the rest of my life. And if I only eat 1000 a day for now then what happens when I lose all the weight then want to go back to a more normal amount of calories? My body wont be able to handle it and I will gain the weight back.

    SOOOO totally agree with this.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    ,
  • taijade
    taijade Posts: 38
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    Okay, I'll wiegh in on this (pardon the pun *ahem*)

    My Dr has told me that I don't need more than 1000 calories per day and he wants to see my food diary in 4 weeks time to prove to him that I'm doing just that.

    I am finding it very hard. I went over today by 40 calories and I'm beating myself up over it because I know my Dr will tell me that I should be consistently UNDER 1,000.

    I'm hungry, I'm more exhausted than usual and I find that occasionally I feel shaky and dizzy-ish. But, I'm following my Dr's advice because I've tried everything else and nothing else has worked, so I'm hoping it passes and I get used to it.
    To be honest, I would not advise another person to do this.
  • Hoverlight
    Hoverlight Posts: 10
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    It seems to me there's valid points on both sides of the arguments. Does anyone have access to documented studies on either extreme? It would be great to have more solid information.

    *shrug* I don't have a problem with thoughtful debate on a subject like this. It's good to get every angle and consider every argument. The more I know, the better-informed I can be about the decisions I make for my health. And I do think it's a lot more individual than MFP is prepared to deal with - I used one of those scales that measure everything - body fat percentage, water weight, BMR, etc - for each individual person, and my BMR was actually at 1300cals per day, If I recall correctly. Not much of a deficit.
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
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    Oh this sounds like a great discussion to me! I'm really looking forward to seeing more responses! :smile:

    So here's my 2 cents worth; I eat a low carb lifestyle...so yeah...anyone that wants to get into on that one, lets rumble! Peacefully of course! :flowerforyou: My caloric intake is anywhere between 800-1400 on any given day and I never worry about eating back exercise calories. I simply eat when I'm hungry! I load up on protein and fiber-lots of meat and poultry and LOTS of greens! Veggies, certain nuts and small amounts of fruits are my favorite snacks! I've been doing this for over a year, have lost 65lbs. and have never felt better. I'm consistently losing weight also.

    With that being said...I'm not a nutritionist, a dietitian or a doctor of any sorts. This is what works for ME. And from what the OP stated, she is just giving out what might work for someone else. It is up to the individual to seek out the advice of a doctor before undergoing something extreme! Don't be ignorant and just follow what someone says!!

    Haha, the last part is similar to my post! Everyone on this site should know that we all are giving our individual opinions, you don't like what someone says....simple- don't follow it. Noone is being irresponsible by sharing what they were told or what works for them! Well said girl!

    Exactly!! I mean, yeah, if someone came on and posted that they were just subsisting off...I don't know, water and a handful of grapes everyday and losing weight and were promoting that, then yes, we all KNOW that's not healthy! For the most part though we are all on here just giving out what works for us and that differs from body to body because no one is the same! If you're going to take someone's advice and base your diet on what they do then at least read up on it or talk to your doctor about it first. Don't just dive head first into something because someone else is having fantastic results!
  • Raina0512
    Raina0512 Posts: 216
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    I know it sounds crazy ad against what MFP and most users believe, but please just read on........Just this week I went to a medical weight loss center to sign up and the physician there said to go down to a 1000 calorie diet - as opposed to the 1200 the MFP gave me - and she said that no matter how much I work out, I should still only take in the 1000 calories a day....this confused me because MFP says that "if you keep your calories this low your body will go into starvation mode" - the important thing she said also is to slightly vary how many calories you take in each day - 950, 1050, 1000, etc - to keep your body guessing. Wow! Now I know why I have hit a plateau......I thought if I burned an extra 400 calories then it meant I could have a little extra that day or a treat :sad: Yikes!! But I am going to follow my doctor's advice since I am under her care specifically for this medical weight loss program.

    It makes sense. That's all I'm saying.... And it's worked for me. :drinker:
  • obifatkanobi
    obifatkanobi Posts: 190
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    I see a lot of people here, referred by their own doctors. The information MFP gives is sound and in accordance with the majority of doctors and dietitians. I see a lot of success stories from people who are, well, succeeding at losing weight and becoming healthier. Finally, there is the advice of not losing too fast or shorting your body too much, or the weight won't stay off. It's not just about losing weight, it's learning to live a whole new lifestyle. I wish you the best, both short term and long, but I will stay with the recommendations of the majority of medical specialists, stick with the recommendations of MFP (it's working great for me as long as I'm honest and keep track of everything) and advise you to get a second opinion.
  • Families_R_Forever
    Families_R_Forever Posts: 630
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    Wow this is a HOT topic...520 views so far! Everyone has great opinions and like others I say...do what is right for you and your body! Good Luck to everyone! :flowerforyou:
  • geri1geraldinesuzanne
    geri1geraldinesuzanne Posts: 125 Member
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    i've always though that 1000 kcals is the norm, no matter how much you exercise, i used this method in my teens and i worked prity well then, now a few years on its a bit harder but seems to work ok also
    :drinker:
  • PattyTheUndefeated
    PattyTheUndefeated Posts: 302 Member
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    *cringe*

    Yes, you'll lose plenty of weight fast on a less than 1000 calories-a-day diet. AND you'll also lose precious muscle that keeps your metabolism high and your body strong. High protein or not, you're doing yourself some serious damage. Enough said.

    This just proves my point that most doctors are irresponsible morons.

    I can't say I'm shocked as posts such as this one come up from members all that time that have been given blatantly horrible advice and misinformation from individuals in the health care industry.
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
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    I am sorry, but it is only in the very rarest of cases (i.e. someone who is of very short stature, who has medical issues, or who is extremely obese) that it should ever be recommended to consume less than 1000 calories/day. Even 1200 calories/day, the amount touted often as being the lowest recommended value for women, tends to be too low for most people.

    In terms of whether or not to eat exercise calories, that is your own choice. If you eat them, you will return to the calorie deficit that MFP gave y ou in the first place (before you exercised). If you don't eat them, you will have a much larger deficit. If you eat some of them, you will have a larger deficit then you would have before you exercised. But there is not 1 way to do this. It is important to remember that some people burn 1000s of calories a day in exercise, and some only burn say 200 calories/day. If you burn 1000s, yes i would say you need to eat many of those back. If you burn 200, perhaps it is best if you don't.

    Also, even with careful calorie counting, it is well known in the nutritional field that we all (even dietitians) underestimate the number of calories we eat. There is errors on food labels, food labels can be misread, scales can read wrong, measuring cups may be off, we may not account for everything we eat, and the calorie amounts on MFP are not always 100% accurate. When you add all these together, it is likely we are underestimating calories by about 10%/day, at least. So if you consider that, and say you only burned 200 calories in a day, perhaps you are not eating at a deficit, afterall.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    I think....there are people who are overweight enough to be able to eat at or less than 1000 calories a day UNDER A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION, and be ok with it...for a short period of time (I've read 4-8 weeks max).

    My own general doctor would happily subscribe pills for me, as he has a separate weight loss business, along with cosmetic surgery. But I don't want pills or extreme weight loss, I want to be healthy and lose weight normally and KEEP IT OFF.
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,291 Member
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    I agree with barney, I'd probably pass out if I ate that low of an amount, but then again I know my BMR is way over that to begin with, so there's no way I'd consider doing that. I think that for people who need to lose extreme amounts of weight, that would make sense, but not for a permanent change. I just know that I feel like garbage if I don't eat some of my exercise calories back.
  • diet45
    diet45 Posts: 392 Member
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    I have lost 7 lbs so far eating most of my exercise calories. I have also been do cardio and strength training. I feel the healthiest and strongest I have ever felt. I feel this is a life style change and don't just a quick weight loss fix. Please listen to your bodies. I ate under 1000 calories for about 10 yrs when I was younger and was a total gym rat. I never felt healthy. I was definitely unhealthy and I was definitely starving most of the day. Bests wishes!!!

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