Do you eat your exercise calories?

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  • timesinfinityplus2
    timesinfinityplus2 Posts: 57 Member
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    If you are using the MFP format, you are supposed to eat your calories from exercise back.

    If you are doing TDEE-x% then you eat that every day.

    Those NOT eating your exercise calories back, you will regret it eventually. I was the same way when I started and thought I was fine, then crashed hard.

    Those who say they can't eat enough calories, how did you get fat again? If you can't get enough calories, drop the salad and eat something more dense (peanut butter, olive oil, etc.) in calories.

    Or better yet, go to TDEE-x%
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    Not all of them- but then, that's the idea.

    I did find that in extreme cases, I do need to step up my calorie intake. Last Saturday I did a 31-mile charity bike ride. According to my HRM I burned over 1,400 calories. I tried not to eat that much extra (although the cup in my avatar pic contains beer!). I woke up at 5 AM Sunday, ravenously hungry. I took in extra servings of protein Sunday, still felt hungry most of yesterday and am finally starting to feel normal.

    Lesson learned for the 38-mile ride i'll be taking next month.
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
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    No, because my TDEE-25% is about the same as the calories I eat anyways on MFP without eating exercise calories back. I only make exceptions if I'm hungry, then I will eat until I'm satisfied.
  • rslarsenx2
    rslarsenx2 Posts: 6 Member
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    So when I tell MFP that I intend to exercise 5x a week for x minutes, is my calorie goal based on that? Should I still log my 5 workouts or is it just expecting that I will?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    So when I tell MFP that I intend to exercise 5x a week for x minutes, is my calorie goal based on that? Should I still log my 5 workouts or is it just expecting that I will?


    No your calorie goal is NOT based upon "I intend to workout." MFP does not give you credit until you log your workouts. MFP gave you a calorie goal based upon "I want to lose XX pounds per week."

    So if you are using MFP as designed .... YES, you log workouts and those calories are added back to your daily total.

    Some people choose to use TDEE less a % because exercise IS factored in already. That way you eat the same calories everyday ..... they sort of "average" the workout calories for the week. With TDEE .... if you want to log workouts ... you over ride the calorie count to 1.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    So when I tell MFP that I intend to exercise 5x a week for x minutes, is my calorie goal based on that? Should I still log my 5 workouts or is it just expecting that I will?

    MFP assumes you're not going to do it. Your calorie goal does not include your intended exercise. That's more for your goal setting purposes. MFP will not give you credit for that exercise until you actually do it and log it...at that point, MFP will give you more calories to fuel that activity.

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