Eating all my workout calories

Georgina_Roche

Hi All,

I've just been reading a few posts and came across something I'd never heard of......should I be eating all of my workout calories back? MFP recommends that I eat around 1,200 per day and I usually come in under this (usually because I'm not hungry & try to only eat when I am hungry) and typically I'd burn between 400-500 calories per cardio workout (I do strength workouts too). But I just read on another thread that I should be eating those 400-500 calories on top of my normal 1,200 per day or I won't lose weight.

Is this right? I'd appreciate any help anyone can give! I'm losing 1-2lbs per week, which is supposed to be the healthy way. I've lost 7 so far so I'm expecting the plateau to hit soon!

erickirb

Its not that you wont lose weight it is that you may "starve" yourself, slowing your metabolism down and what weight you do lose will most likely come from muscle not fat, which would further slow your metabolism. You should get a min of 1200 Net which is 1200 plus exercise calories. If you only ate say 1100 calories and burned 400 through working out, your body will function as if you only ate 700 (1100-400) calories, which is nowhere near enough to live off of over any period of time (longer that a week or so).

eleanoreb

Yeht he 1200 is net, meaning if you don't do any excercise thats the amount you should be eating. If you exercise eat more.

ItsCasey

Eat at LEAST 1200 calories per day. I know it's hard to do when you're just not hungry, but your body needs that many calories at a minimum to perform its basic functions, from pumping blood to digesting food.

As for eating exercise calories, you can lose weight without eating them. I've done it. But it will happen more slowly, and the energy you have for exercise will decrease over time. erickirb is also right about losing muscle, which further slows your metabolism.

It takes time to see and feel the physical effects of not eating enough, which is why people who are new to dieting and exercise are reluctant to believe that there is such a thing as too few calories. But over time, if you continue eating 1200 calories or less while burning 400 to 500 through exercise, you will begin to notice a loss of muscle, slower weight-loss, and less energy.

Georgina_Roche

That's great guys! Thanks for all your help & replies!! :happy: