whats the point of excercise if I eat back the calories?

Achrya

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

AdrianBry

But your body requires a certain number of calories JUST TO FUNCTION. And, generally speaking, that number is a hell of a lot higher than 700.

I agree with you 100% on that.
If you ate 1300 or whatever then exercising is not going make it LIKE you ate less than that

HealthWoke0ish

I exercise. I "eat back" my calories burned. I've averaged 6-7 lbs lost each month for the last 10 months. I use the calorie number MFP gives me as a goal, i.e., I try to "net" that every day.

To each, his own. If it's working for you, keep it up. If not, change it up.

Peace.:drinker:

tworthen79

never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

Whatever you do....don't do what he said.
If my calories are set to 1600 that's a 500 calorie deficit. Which equals a pound a week. If I burn 300 at the gym, now my body is getting 1300. Which is a huge deficit. Yes it's slow weight los, put it makes transitioning to maintainence easier. And gaining the weight back more unlikely. You didn't gain all the weight in 20 wks, so why push your body to shed it in that time. Slow and steady.

Liz_Mfp

I know exercise is healthy but in regards to loosing weight. I find that when I workout I end up eating the calories that I burned. So for example my goal on MFP is about 1300 calories to loose 2lbs per week.

My understanding is that MFP set at 1,300 calories you will lose 2 pounds a week When You Eat Back your exercise calories.

If I don't work out I end up eating those 1300 calories,

Yes, and at 1,300 cal, you will lose 2 pounds a week with no exercise.

but if I do work out MFP tells me I can eat those calories back, whats the point then to cardio workouts for loosing weight?

No point.

My trainer at gym suggested I don't eat back all calories that I burned

Why?
in order to reach what goal exactly?
He may be correct...but what is he thinking not eating your kcal back will yield you?

but I find that difficult because as it is I am already cutting enough calories to loose those 2lbs per week...

Yeah you do, because you are set to lose 2 pounds per week at 1,300 kcal and no exercise.
:-)

I do enjoy working out, but should I skip cardio until I loose the weight that I want to loose?

The questions that ask "...should I..." need to be evaluated and and answered with "...should you....in order to ...what?"

What is your goal?
What are you trying to accomplish exactly?

That info is needed before we can answer whether you "should"
:-)

Widadita

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

bethannien

But your body requires a certain number of calories JUST TO FUNCTION. And, generally speaking, that number is a hell of a lot higher than 700.

I agree with you 100% on that.
If you ate 1300 or whatever then exercising is not going make it LIKE you ate less than that

wut...? :explode: ok, no one is saying that 600 calories of food would suddenly disappear from your body after exercise. We seem to be using 1300 cals so let's be consistent. You eat 1300 calories in a day. You exercise to burn 600. Your body is then left with 700 calories to use to carry out daily functions. And most people need more than that to function properly.

AdrianBry

I exercise. I "eat back" my calories burned. I've averaged 6-7 lbs lost each month for the last 10 months. I use the calorie number MFP gives me as a goal, i.e., I try to "net" that every day.

To each, his own. If it's working for you, keep it up. If not, change it up.

Peace.:drinker:

CORRECT - at the end of the day all that matters is what WORKS BEST FOR YOU but let me add this (again)

When some of you hit a plateau you're going to have to eat less and/or exercise more (with more intensity or time) - for those of you who don't want to eat less or can't because your hunger levels will go up...

then exercising more is your only option and at that point we can agree it's not smart to eat back anything.

trogalicious

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

Take the advice as what it is. "feeling fine" isn't necessarily a sign of getting all of the nutrition you need. Take the advice at face value.

nedtoloseme

Sir, you don't know what your talking about. I'm at a plateau right now & it didn''t help me to lose weight when I exercised & ate less. In fact I gained. I finally realized I have to eat those calories back, plus I felt tired all the time. So stop talking about things you don't know about. You don't have to lose weight fast - you need to be (at least most of the people on here) healthy.

Widadita

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

Take the advice as what it is. "feeling fine" isn't necessarily a sign of getting all of the nutrition you need. Take the advice at face value.

That is no advice, you say whatever you wanna say, I know I feel great. I get all the nutrition I need. and I know my body better than you do so If I say I feel FINE then I feel just fine and you cant tell me how I should be feeling.

AdrianBry

maybe I should start a new thread on for this question but What is considered "TOO FAST" for those of you here?

is it more than 2 pounds per week?

trogalicious

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

Take the advice as what it is. "feeling fine" isn't necessarily a sign of getting all of the nutrition you need. Take the advice at face value.

That is no advice, you say whatever you wanna say, I know I feel great. I get all the nutrition I need. and I know my body better than you do so If I say I feel FINE then I feel just fine and you cant tell me how I should be feeling.

Fine.

You wanna go with captain bobblehead that is telling you to eat less... or the folks that have lost 750+ lbs on here, you go right ahead. I wish you the best of luck with that. Not that any of us have been there before and are trying to talk to you about the path that you're going down, and how it's not gonna last..

...but hey, whatever.

I'm out.

emily_peters

First off, exercise has so many benefits to your body, including strengthening bones & muscles, boosting your metabolism, and increasing your production of serotonin - so you feel better! Even if you're not trying to lose weight, staying active benefits your life in so many ways

Secondly, this Adrian fellow could not be more wrong - there are so many trainers out there like him who mistakenly think you can just diet someone down until they reach their goal weight and then it's over. It's the same mistake so many people make (to listen to trainers like that), and I've made it myself. You cannot just starve yourself until you're where you want to be. Your metabolism will crash, and when you start eating properly again your body will balloon out of control because it doesn't know how to utilize food properly anymore. It will just store everything you put in your mouth because it's believed you've been starving this whole time. (Do some research on catabolism vs. anabolism). Not only do starvation diets (anything less than your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate - which is how many calories you'd burn lying in bed all day doing nothing, usually around 1200-1800 cals, depending on the person) wreck you mentally, emotionally and physically; but they do more harm than good in the long run. If your goal is to lose weight the healthy way - and KEEP it off - DO NOT follow the recommended calories / macronutrients recommended by MyFitnessPal or unqualified "professionals" who have their own wallet more in mind than your health - google search a BMR calculator and a calorie intake calculator (or calculate it yourself - many equations are available online) and customize your goals on here.

Thirdly, listen to your body! If you are truly hungry (not just bored or craving something), then eat. Feed yourself whole, nutritionally dense foods that satiate and don't let a calorie counter control your life. Don't get me wrong, I love MyFitnessPal and its convenience. But the ultimate goal in life is balance and moderation, right? Nobody wants to spend their entire life dieting. Life is definitely too short for that. Anything that sounds like it's too extreme (aka Trainer Adrian), most likely is.

Use good judgement & relax a little.

cavia

For me, eating more IS the point.

Without exercise I could only eat 1800 calories.
With exercise, I can eat up to 2500. I like to eat a lot, so I exercise.
Exercise also tones and builds muscle.

Yep, me too! I'm a foodie and I wasn't going to leave any calories on the table that didn't need to be left! Loved my long run days because a 10+ mile run equalled a high volume food day for me.

Widadita

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

Take the advice as what it is. "feeling fine" isn't necessarily a sign of getting all of the nutrition you need. Take the advice at face value.

That is no advice, you say whatever you wanna say, I know I feel great. I get all the nutrition I need. and I know my body better than you do so If I say I feel FINE then I feel just fine and you cant tell me how I should be feeling.

Fine.

You wanna go with captain bobblehead that is telling you to eat less... or the folks that have lost 750+ lbs on here, you go right ahead. I wish you the best of luck with that. Not that any of us have been there before and are trying to talk to you about the path that you're going down, and how it's not gonna last..

...but hey, whatever.

I'm out.

so what losing 135 lbs makes you an expert now? please, dont make me laugh.

and I am out too.

Achrya

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

K. Do you boo. I didn't say you had a disorder or anything of the sort, just pointing out that 'feeling fine' is something often said, but hardly an indicator of anything at all.

trogalicious

I never eat back my exercise calories and I lose weight just fine. I am on a 1200 calories diet and my workouts are about 400 calories. and I feel perfectly fine, I sleep 8 hours, go to work, do all the things and feel full of energy.

I mean. Not to get all 'mean' or whatever (heaven forbid) but all the pro-ana types thing they feel fine and full of energy.

Just putting that out there.

I am a girl who weights 136 after losing 44 lbs in the last two years, I still have fat to lose and muscle to build. I just said how I feel. I dont have an eating disorder. If I feel fine then I feel fine, I dont see why you have a problem with it.

Take the advice as what it is. "feeling fine" isn't necessarily a sign of getting all of the nutrition you need. Take the advice at face value.

That is no advice, you say whatever you wanna say, I know I feel great. I get all the nutrition I need. and I know my body better than you do so If I say I feel FINE then I feel just fine and you cant tell me how I should be feeling.

Fine.

You wanna go with captain bobblehead that is telling you to eat less... or the folks that have lost 750+ lbs on here, you go right ahead. I wish you the best of luck with that. Not that any of us have been there before and are trying to talk to you about the path that you're going down, and how it's not gonna last..

...but hey, whatever.

I'm out.

so what losing 135 lbs makes you an expert now? please, dont make me laugh.

and I am out too.

153. See, them missing calories are hurting your eyesight.

AdrianBry

wut...? :explode: ok, no one is saying that 600 calories of food would suddenly disappear from your body after exercise. We seem to be using 1300 cals so let's be consistent. You eat 1300 calories in a day. You exercise to burn 600. Your body is then left with 700 calories to use to carry out daily functions. And most people need more than that to function properly.

No, that's not how it works at all (esp. if you have a high bodyfat %) - your body feeds off the stored glycogen (or the carbs stored in your muscle & liver) + your bodyfat for energy during exercise

BONUS TIP: if you exercise fasted or first thing in the morning you'll burn MORE FAT and less carbs (glycogen)

technobunny

But your body requires a certain number of calories JUST TO FUNCTION. And, generally speaking, that number is a hell of a lot higher than 700.

I agree with you 100% on that.
If you ate 1300 or whatever then exercising is not going make it LIKE you ate less than that

wut...? :explode: ok, no one is saying that 600 calories of food would suddenly disappear from your body after exercise. We seem to be using 1300 cals so let's be consistent. You eat 1300 calories in a day. You exercise to burn 600. Your body is then left with 700 calories to use to carry out daily functions. And most people need more than that to function properly.

Thank you. Reading Comprehension +1.