dr said not to eat exercise calories

Corrie62

There is a lot of that on every message board. Everyone has their own information/opinions. AS individuals we need to sort through and just make our own decisions.

But I don't like to make my own decisions...:grumble: :grumble:

arewethereyet

How come when someone says they are not or don't eat their exercise calories a bunch of people say "oh my, you must eat them you won't lose weight unless you do," and when someone says they are going to eat their exercise calories a bunch of people say "why would you do that, I don't eat mine." I posted under "I am going to eat my exercise calories" and that is what I got.

There is a lot of that on every message board. Everyone has their own information/opinions. AS individuals we need to sort through and just make our own decisions.

This is so true. The problem for me was when I ate only 1200 calories and then burned 400-500 I was a beyotch, had stomach pain, couldnt sleep and was all around miserable. Sure I lost 2 lbs a week, but how long can you maintain a diet such as this and feel that cruddy?

I found that eating and nourishing my body was the best way to lose weight and KEEP it off.

Slammin those size 8s this week baby!!

Good luck~!

lisawest

Here are some topics that explain why in pretty easy to understand terms.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108362-eating-to-fuel-your-body-very-long
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

I would highly recommend doing some more research, and possibly even see a nutrionist or dietician. (I don't really know which would be better in your case.) You will find everything from "eat them or you will NEVER lose another pound!" to "don't eat them or you will NEVER lose another pound!" Both statements are not quite true. Even in the dreaded "starvation mode" you still lose weight, you just lose it slower and it's harder.

Personally (and this may not work for you!), I have done all, some and none at various points.

countrymama08

There is a lot of that on every message board. Everyone has their own information/opinions. AS individuals we need to sort through and just make our own decisions.

But I don't like to make my own decisions...:grumble: :grumble:

Me neither. I read these boards all day and wonder if I am doing it right. I ran into a friend today who happens to be a nutritionist. I said something about her recommending a good book and I mentioned the boards. Her response was " You read too much. You know what to do." I told her my calories goal and she said ok.

I have considered blocking the boards so I stop reading them all the time. It's the same questions and similar opinions all day.

Good luck weeding through and I am sure you will come out with less behind.

antiadipose

i just finished med school.
we dont learn much about nutrition whatsoever!!! other than nutritional diseases, its really not in our curriculum. we did take biochemistry and studied exactly how foods break down. but were not dietitians. many of my own classmates were borderline obese.

im not saying hes wrong, since i actually rarely ever eat my cals back lol BUT im just informing u... doctors dont know everything!!!!

Izzybackyet

It's hard to judge exercise calories accurately.I certainly think the jogging/exercise calorie calculations on MFP are way too generous so you have to find your own level. As for 1200 cals only maintaining weight, thats nonsense, everyone should be able to lose on more than 1200 if they are recording correctly. Good luck:drinker:

kelika71

There have been many posts like this. Personally, I say it depends on the individual. Trial and error and to each their own.

However, one post by someone caught my eye and a lot of people on here put stock in what this person says. The comment was to ask a dietician. So, I did! I have a personal dietician, thanks to having Diabetes. I talked to her Tuesday and again, she said the same thing that she did a few months back: not to eat the exercise calories.
The funny thing is, before I had found this site, she had calculated my calories at 1600. MFP had put me at 1570. Not too far off, I'd say. When I talked to her Tuesday, I told her what MFP has me at now...1430. She said that was about right, perhaps 1450. (I mention the numbers because everyone says that MFP calculates a deficit. She did, too...almost identical amounts!) When I asked her about exercise and making up calories and all the calculating stuff that people keep talking about on here, she said she wouldn't eat those calories.

Like I said, to each their own and everyone is built differently. I know what works for me. I'm not starving, I have energy and my blood sugars are stable. In fact, to quote her, I'm "a very controlled Diabetic." Since I continue to lose weight and feeling better than I ever have, I'll listen to her and use this site to log numbers. Unless the guys that created this site can show me credentials, I'll put my stock in my Dietician, Diabetic nurse and Endocrinologist.

Good luck to all!!

ramonad

honestly, i thought it was ridiculous, why would i exercise and then eat those calories right back. it worked quite well for a while! then for 3 months i sat and sat at the same weight. i exercised more, tried to eat less, everything EXCEPT eat my calories back. so, last week i decided i would try eating back my exercise calories...voila i lost 5 pounds that week! so, i am going to keep on that track til i hit another plateau and cross that bridge when i get to it. if what you are doing is working then great, dont mess up a good thing!

cutmd

Doctors don't know squat about nutrition. They aren't required to take but the minimum of nutrition classes (IE: What is a carb? What is a protein? blah, blah, blah). Unless they have a nutrition certification, degree, or minor with their degree, I wouldn't trust them for nutrition evaluation. Same with exercise. Doctors don't take any exercise prescription classes.

As a doc I can vouch for this. Honestly, I think at least those specializing in primary care should be required to learn how to help someone exercise and manage their weight, but instead no one talks about it after medical school and during medical school they just teach about vitamin deficiencies and such. The most we can do is quote studies on how your weight/bmi correlates to diseases and mortality. I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about nutrition and exercise, but only because I educated myself on the outside like many people do. I bet the OP's doc has no idea how many calories she eats in a day herself.

I don't understand why the exercise calorie thing is so controversial. Many people don't measure their food, or don't know the calories in the food they're eating and have to chose a similar item. People also forget about a bite of this or that, and tend to overestimate calorie burn during exercise. They also tend to move less when they are exercising and dieting, decreasing the daily calories burned (wear a pedometer folks!). Therefore, unless you are not doing any if those things most people do, you will not lose as much as you expect to when you are eating every calorie you think you earned. So the question is not rather to eat your exercise calories, but whether to leave a buffer IMO. But I digress

deannasw

Oh one last thought... I have noticed MFP giving a *warning* about too little calories consumed when I hit the submit button once. I felt like crap that day and really did not eat that much.. So I think that should be taken into account when questioning what to do...

antiadipose

As a doc I can vouch for this. Honestly, I think at least those specializing in primary care should be required to learn how to help someone exercise and manage their weight, but instead no one talks about it after medical school and during medical school they just teach about vitamin deficiencies and such. The most we can do is quote studies on how your weight/bmi correlates to diseases and mortality. I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about nutrition and exercise, but only because I educated myself on the outside like many people do. I bet the OP's doc has no idea how many calories she eats in a day herself.

i agree 100%! we were taught about vitamin deficiencies, and nutritional abnormalities. but we HONESTLY were never properly given anything about a healthy diet or a way to lose weight!

i remember going to a dr's appt with my dad (who is a diabetic) and i was telling the doc how badly my dad ate. the guy was like thats completely fine! thats what the meds are for! to regulate his blood sugar!
NOO!!!! and my dad eats the same way just because his doc justified it as reasonable.

jrich1

So if I workout like I did yesterday and burn off everything I ate and put myself in the negative calories I should starve my body and not eat any of the exercise calories?

arewethereyet

So if I workout like I did yesterday and burn off everything I ate and put myself in the negative calories I should starve my body and not eat any of the exercise calories?

herein lies the biggest issue in my mind. I usually burn 200 calories when I exercise. Some ppl burn 1200 or 800......so that leaves you with 0 or 400 calories to run the most important engine in your life?

gibbsgirl

I find it funny that this is such an issue on here, while I, on the other hand, just ate 265 calories OVER my exercise calories, lol.

Sharont213

The only thing i know is I have been adhering to the MFP program - when I work out, I eat some/all of my calories so I always net around 1200 and I am losing. And when I was simply dieting (and starving), I wasn't.. for me, it's simple.

brittonymiller

I don't eat my exercise calories, not because I don't think it's a good idea, but because I want to bump my weight-loss up a level. I started on June 28 and have lost 20 pounds. I don't expect my weight-loss to stay at this level since I had a lot to lose in the beginning, but it def. gave me the boost I needed to stick with this new lifestyle during the tough beginning stages. My only advice about eating exercise calories is to be cautious about errors in the database. It may say you have burned 500 calories when you only burned 300. If you eat all 500, you have eaten too much for the day. Otherwise, I say eat those calories and don't feel guilty.

RMX82

Easy solution. Are you losing weight and dropping inches? If so, continue what you are doing. If not, switch things up. Trial and error.

stevendaley

MFP is a great tool and figures everything out for you, You burn calories just by being alive and whatever you put in for your exercise is counted toward your weight loss goal, just be sure to keep up with your goals. A pound of weight is about 3500 calories. Simple math...burn 3500 calories, lose a pound. Now take your daily caloric intake, (eating), then deduct your calories spent, (BMR, Exercise) the result is a loss or gain in weight. Simple. If you burn 100 calories more than you eat, you will lose a pound in about 35 days.

lee112780

It really, really depends on your body...Everyone is different. I am eating my calories, and not losing muchj, so I think I will stop eating mine. If you are losing, don't stop doin what ur doin. If you are not losing, change something

lee112780

I find it funny that this is such an issue on here, while I, on the other hand, just ate 265 calories OVER my exercise calories, lol.

LMAO MEEE TOO!!!!