Eating back exercise calories?

Danimri84

I'm usually well under my calorie goal, but I've noticed that with the calories I "earn" from exercise, I am only netting about 100 calories a day. I eat a total of 1300-1500. I'm not hungry, I have great energy. Should I be forcing myself to eat back my exercise calories? I would really be having to force it down...

pastryari

Netting 100 calories a day is unhealthy and dangerous. I find it VERY hard to believe you have to "force it down." Eat more calorie dense foods.



Just in case you weren't aware of this feature, when you go to the message boards section, there is a button called search and you can type in a keyword/phrase (ex: exercise calories) and you can see the threads that have already been created on the topic. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1082940-eat-exercise-calories-back-or-not?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16675189

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1082671-eating-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16669944

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1081117-eating-your-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16639841

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/713460--eating-back-exercise-calories-simple-breakdown?hl=exercise+calories&page=9#posts-16619719

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077806-eating-back-my-exercised-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=1#posts-16587883

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1066489-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16426271

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1068065-eat-your-exercise-calories-what?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16419195

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1084144-do-exercise-calories-have-to-be-deducted?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16694734

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1083355-do-you-eat-back-your-exercise-calories-at-lightly-active?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16679523

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1043083-how-many-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=2#posts-16848981

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1087948-exercise-calories-added-to-total-calories-to-eat?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16827429

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/966690-eating-back-exercise-calories-does-it-work?hl=exercise+calories&page=4#posts-16777755

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1088033-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16772442

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1085580-exercise-calories-burned-net-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16718433

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/713460--eating-back-exercise-calories-simple-breakdown?hl=exercise+calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1047512-do-you-eat-back-your-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16081701

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1047325-hard-eating-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16078452

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1046262-food-vs-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16060311

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1035368-do-i-have-to-eat-all-my-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1043598-confused-about-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-16018182

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1043083-how-many-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=1#posts-16009990

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1042639-eating-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories

Danimri84

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

FitCurves444

For the one millionth time.... YES!

RoyBeck

So you burn 1300 calories exercising?

pinkstp

Would be easier to critique your diet if you opened up your food/exercise journal so that we could see it. If you're eating 1500 and burning 1400, I would suggest trying to get a bit more calories in definitely (a "bit" may vary dramatically by person). Definitely go for calorie rich foods that are healthy for you, but you need to feed your body! If your energy is great then maybe yes/maybe no. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to build muscle? We need more info

edited for grammar

Danimri84

Somewhere around there most days. I walk 3-5 miles a day, Zumba, strength training. I work from home, so when I get bored, I work out.

Serah87

Eat more dense food, peanut butter, avocado, nuts, add oil to your food, glass of milk, etc.

Figure out your BMR and TDEE: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I'm 5'2 eat between 1600-1900 calories and have no problem eating, cause I like food. Ohhh see ticker below. :bigsmile:

Danimri84

I'm trying to lose weight. It just seems so off to me to eat more when I'm not hungry.

suziepoo1984

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

Its hard to believe especially for people like me because i did not get fat by not eating. I can eat the entire house down if i could. What MFP has thought me is to eat with moderation. I am guessing now you are eating more veggies and fruits causing you to feel full even with so many calories left. So i guess the simplest answers which would have been covered in any of the above topic would be either
1- exercise less
2- eat more

Eat more would actually be more calorie dense foods

BIRD0

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

Danimri84

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Serah87

I'm trying to lose weight. It just seems so off to me to eat more when I'm not hungry.

Your not hungry is because you been eating to little. If you want a healthy weight loss and to keep the weight off you need to EAT MORE!!!

stumblinthrulife

Your diary is locked. You won't get any credible help unless we can see your diary.

Danimri84

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

Its hard to believe especially for people like me because i did not get fat by not eating. I can eat the entire house down if i could. What MFP has thought me is to eat with moderation. I am guessing now you are eating more veggies and fruits causing you to feel full even with so many calories left. So i guess the simplest answers which would have been covered in any of the above topic would be either
1- exercise less
2- eat more

Eat more would actually be more calorie dense foods

The fruits and veggies thing is probably the exact reason. I really do feel full, but I guess I need to find things to eat that have more calories, but aren't crap.

Danimri84

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

I just look up the exercises on here and go by what it says. I walk 3-5 miles pushing a 35 pound kid in a stroller at 4 mph. I do an hour to an hour and a half of Zumba. I lift weights for an hour or so. I am working out hard and often.

pmaxson

Hi,

Before you begin eating more calorie dense foods, I would look into how you are calculating your calorie burn. Perhaps investing in a heart rate monitor might be an option. I burn 600 calories an hour doing very intense spin or running. I do believe one can burn 600 doing zumba if he/she is totally into it for the entire 60 minutes. However, walking 3-5 miles would be much less. for me, strength training doesn't burn many calories, although it is important for many other reasons, including longer term burn.

If you are full and satisfied, I would be inclined to reevaluate/recalculate your calorie burn. On many Saturday mornings I do a triple - run, spin and swim, for a total of about 1500 calories (usually 3 hours of straight exercising) and I am ravenous when I am done and for the day. I really want to eat those calories.

I worry about you sabotaging your weight loss by incorrect calorie burn estimations. I would start there.

Good luck!

pastryari

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

trogalicious

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

exactly this. every bit of it.

BeachIron

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

More patient than me. Meh. JSF

kimjoan

I asked my doctor (who is a weight loss specialist by the way) this exact question and the answer is "No". Unless you are burning thousands of calories a day you should not be "eating back" your exercise calories if you are trying to loose weight. We have allowed ourselves to subscribe to this "your body will go into starvation mode" and it just isn't true - unless in you in an extreme situation like eating 500 calories a day, exercising and burning 5,000 and doing this everyday.

As I have read the many threads on this subject I have expected that what my doctor told me was the situation. Especially if you feel great! Bravo to you for your efforts!