Why do we eat our exercise calories?

joonna

Why do we eat our exercise calories? Is it the same as if we do not exercise and simply eat the allotted 1200 cals? I don't understand the point to burn 500 calories at the gym then eat back the 500 calories!

Please explain

binary_jester

- there are numerous questions about this topic already.

Charlie001

Be nice RJ! It depends on your point of view and belief system. I personally do not eat back the calories. Partially on days when I burn to much and starving. If you want to lose weight, I believe a 500 cal deficit a day will do it.

erickirb

MFP recommends a min of 1200 NET, after exercise. So if you eat 1200 and burn 300 your net is only 900 (1200-300) and your body will have the energy as if you only ate 900 cals. To get you to the min of 1200 you would have to eat a total of 1500 to net 1200 (1500-300)

binary_jester

Be nice RJ!

Sorry. here ya go!

erickirb

Be nice RJ! It depends on your point of view and belief system. I personally do not eat back the calories. Partially on days when I burn to much and starving. If you want to lose weight, I believe a 500 cal deficit a day will do it.

You are missing the fact that MFP already has to in a caloric deficit of 250 to 1000/day at 1200 cals if you burn 500 at the gym your deficit is now as big as 1500, more than the 500 MFP recommends. If you eat 1200 cals and don't exercise you will lose your goal amount of weight to ensure the same caloric deficit MFP suggest you eat your exercise cals.

If you are in a 1000 cal deficit at 1200 cals and burn 500 your deficit is not 1500 and it is as if you only ate 700 (1200-500) and did no exercise. To keep your deficit at your goal, in this case 1000, you must eat back the 500 cals.

katbass

Short answer: Try Searching this topic, as it has been discussed ad nausea here on the site.

Longer (but not nearly long enough) answer:
Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is caleld your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say Ilay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive.
The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.
So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.
MFP gave me a number of calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbtrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the res tof their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. But the second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on withut causing longterm troubles.

It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lsoe some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

Hope that helped!

katapple

Short answer: Try Searching this topic, as it has been discussed ad nausea here on the site.

Longer (but not nearly long enough) answer:
Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is caleld your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say Ilay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive.
The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.
So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.
MFP gave me a number of calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbtrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the res tof their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. But the second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on withut causing longterm troubles.

It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lsoe some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

Hope that helped!

You're my hero Kat

katbass

LOL, Thanks Katie...sometimes I type it out just to remind MYSELF why I am eating close to 2000 calories on days I workout like crazy I think it is finally "clicking" in my head

1200 calories = bad
BMR + exercise cals = good

badbradclark

Why do we eat our exercise calories? Is it the same as if we do not exercise and simply eat the allotted 1200 cals? I don't understand the point to burn 500 calories at the gym then eat back the 500 calories!

Please explain

It's also more complicated than simply eating a certain number of calories, you should be eating a certain type of calories, especially if you are doing high intensity exercises. The more intense the exercise, the more careful you should be about what you put into your body before and after your workouts. If you expend 500 calories working out just so that you can eat couple twinkies, then you aren't doing your body any good. I generally use up my exercise calories through a power bar or clif bar prior to my work out and then eating a bit more for dinner (when working out before dinner) or eating a bagel or other snack after the workout (when working out after dinner). I try to avoid simply lumping exercise calories into a bucket that I can use for anything.

erickirb

LOL, Thanks Katie...sometimes I type it out just to remind MYSELF why I am eating close to 2000 calories on days I workout like crazy I think it is finally "clicking" in my head

1200 calories = bad
BMR + exercise cals = good

You can eat below BMR as BMR is the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight in a coma, not to live but to maintain your weight in that state. But I would only recommend that if you have a lot of weight to lose.

katbass

LOL, Thanks Katie...sometimes I type it out just to remind MYSELF why I am eating close to 2000 calories on days I workout like crazy I think it is finally "clicking" in my head

1200 calories = bad
BMR + exercise cals = good

You can eat below BMR as BMR is the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight in a coma, not to live but to maintain your weight in that state. But I would only recommend that if you have a lot of weight to lose.

I could....but those extra 300 calories between 1200 and 1500 realllly make me feel like im not starving myself. I dont feel deprived or like Im "dieting" if I eat 1500 cals a day. But yes, you are correct...I could