Eating your exercise calories??

lduplessis

So, I'm super proud when I burn off a bunch of calories at the gym...so now what? Do you eat those extra calories you burned off or just let them be?? Help ??

hostile17

I aim to eat my calorie allowance, then any exercise is 'bonus weight loss' as it were.

So no, I don't eat more to offset my exercise.

Which also is why I don't record my exercise in the MFP application... I don't want it encouraging me to eat more!

modernfemme

When you exercise, you burn calories. Definitely eat them if you're hungry. At the end of the day, your net should be your calorie goal.

Mindful_Trent

There are many many posts about this on MFP already, but please check out these two links. You ARE supposed to eat those calories - MFP already gives you the deficit you need before exercise is considered. Your exercise calories are "extra" that you need to eat to get back to the planned deficit.

These do a good job explaining the details:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/69708-calorie-deficit-for-dummies-a-little-long

peggybrant

MFP tells us to eat them and as long as we stay in our caloric range we will lose the weight. I personally do not eat them, I let it be quicker weight loss cuz I'm impatient.

caristear

I don't eat all my exercise calories but I do go above my 1200 calorie a day allowance.

51501

I don't, but that may just be me. I'm eating what I should to fuel my body and I figure anything I burn off working out is to my advantage.

hostile17

When you exercise, you burn calories. Definitely eat them if you're hungry.

I think that's key. If you're hungry - eat. Your body is telling you it wants food.

As long as it's proper hunger of course, rather than fake hunger. Hard to tell, I know...

katbass

Copy and Pasted (for the second time today) answer I just wrote on another thread asking almost the exact same question.... Its probably the most common question asked on the forums

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.

Bottom line: eat more, lose more.
BMR + exercise calories = success
(i eat at least half of my exercise calories)

Hope that helped!

Mindful_Trent

MFP tells us to eat them and as long as we stay in our caloric range we will lose the weight. I personally do not eat them, I let it be quicker weight loss cuz I'm impatient.

FYI - quicker is not always better. if your deficit is too high for an extended period it can slow your metabolism, especially for people who don't have a ton to lose - not sure what category you are in. Read the Calorie Deficits for Dummies post I linked to above - it has some good, important information.

sham0968

I do not eat them but I an curious about the results of the people that do..

modernfemme

FYI - quicker is not always better. if your deficit is too high for an extended period it can slow your metabolism, especially for people who don't have a ton to lose - not sure what category you are in. Read the Calorie Deficits for Dummies post I linked to above - it has some good, important information.

I couldn't agree more. Besides, I've tried eating the bare minimum and I just got so hungry that I lost it and went on a total binge. We're making lifestyle changes here, not quick fixes that don't stick.

NoAdditives

Yes, you should eat them. Basically, if you eat too little you won't lose weight and your body will store fat.

I eat all my exercise calories and I still lose my desired 1 pound per week. In fact, I often lose more.

starlte

i asked the same question, you need to eat them back. i could go into a long explanation, but would only confuse you and myself as i cant really explain it to well. i do know this, you need to eat them back, and although it might not make sense to eat back the calories you just burned off it is important to do so. i wondered at first if i should even exercise if i just have to eat it all back. but exercising has more benefits than burning calories. im sure someone will post with a more in depth answer, which always confuses me. but in laymen's terms, yes, eat them back.

Yleija

OMG'SH great post. I'm gonna check out those links. I was wondering the same thing. I hardly ever eat all I've burned.

Mindful_Trent

I do not eat them but I an curious about the results of the people that do..

I do, and it's working for me so far. It's about accurately tracking calories in vs calories out. I log everything (calories in) and use a BodyMedia FIT to track the calories I burn (calories out). MFP gives me 1300 before exercise to lose a little less than 2 lbs/week, and I eat most of my exercise calories back to maintain that deficit. It works - but only if you honestly track everything you eat and don't overestimate exercise calories burned.

AwesomeMe

Good to know my train of thought was correct. That is how WW pretty works.

melaka

But why should I eat my exercise calories if I am NOT hungry? I'm serious. I don't WANT to eat. I consume at least 1200 and often hit my limit (1490) per day. I don't think it makes sense to eat if you're not hungry.

katbass

Well, you have to listen to your own body. I know if I workout hard and burn 500 calories, there is no way I can eat all of them back. I shoot to eat half of them back. But if I only burn 100 or 200 back, I always find an apple with peanut butter or something small to feed my metabolism.

bounce0033

Basically everyone has already said the right thing but here is another reference:

http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html



Excerpt:

Sixty percent is too large a number to ignore. While eating only skinless chicken and avoiding highly refined carbohydrates is certainly virtuous, depriving your body of the calories it needs, not only to survive but to sustain effective workouts, is downright self-defeating. Here's why:

Your body needs energy for strength training, cardio, weight lifting, walking, sleeping, digestion, etc. This energy comes from food. The calories in food are fuel for your body. If you don't supply the fuel then you will suffer from the following:

Strength Loss. Your body doesn't receive the energy it needs for the physical activities you do. You'll feel tired and weak at the gym.


Fat Gains. Fat is emergency storage for your body. Your body burns muscle for energy first when you don't eat. You'll become skinny but fat.


Muscle Loss. The weight loss is muscle loss. Muscle loss equals fat gains as muscle burns more calories than fat.
"The body is like a chimney," says Sapone. "If you don't feed it fuel, it won't burn." In other words, if calorie intake drops too much your body enters a protective starvation mode in which it hoards fat. Sapone adds that in this mode you are simply building muscle to tear it down over and over again. So, it makes sense that in addition to building in scheduled days of rest once you return to working out, you must fulfill your body's daily caloric requirement. You can find this number using an online calculator based on your lean muscle mass weight, height, age, and activity level. Once caloric requirements are known, you must consider two more non-negotiables: the appropriate balance of macronutrients and meal timing.

As often as you have heard it, the body is truly a finely tuned instrument in need of very specific ratios of nutrients to perform at its best both in the gym and out. You must regulate carefully the ratio of healthy fats, adequate protein and low-glycemic carbohydrates in your diet. Also, with regard to meal timing it is essential to keep glucose levels as steady as possible so that you can perform at your best during each workout. Eat five or six small meals throughout the day to avoid the common tendency to crescendo your calories-that is, to eat little or nothing early in the day and to consume the majority of your calories in the evening. Inadequate caloric intake prior to working out leads to subpar workouts, and without a steady supply of glucose in the blood the body is likely to burn hard-earned muscle rather than fat while you are working out.

lduplessis

You guys are so awesome. Thank you for all the advice and information. Happy Eating

btrflyflutter

Copy and Pasted (for the second time today) answer I just wrote on another thread asking almost the exact same question.... Its probably the most common question asked on the forums

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.

Bottom line: eat more, lose more.
BMR + exercise calories = success
(i eat at least half of my exercise calories)

Hope that helped!

That helped me extremely...I had just posted on this topic this morning and talked to a trainer I know about it....I was so confused on if I should continue the 1200 or do the 1480 that my BMR suggest!
Thank you soooooo much for the post....written so I could understand! LOL

melaka

Ignore this one!

melaka

Okay, I get what you all are saying, really I do. I'm not going to argue with that. Of course we do need a minimal amount of fuel to run our bodies. The thing I can't understand is why it is a good idea to eat when you're not hungry - we should not be forcing ourselves to eat when we don't want to. For someone like myself who gained weight because I just like to EAT and am very bad at identifying if I am hungry as opposed to craving, I need to learn to listen to my body. Right now, my body is telling me not to eat my exercise calories. My focus is breaking my old habits (such as eating ice cream at night just because I want to). I eat what I am allowed everyday and feel just fine. Although, trust me, I still eat what I want. I just eat it in moderation! I budgeted a donut the other day into my day and it tasted just great! I do plan to visit a nutritionist later on this month, so I'll ask them to clarify this.

katbass

I guess I didnt see/read anyone stating "You have to eat even when you arent hungry."
I am with you on the "learning to pay attention to your body" concept. I honestly got to the point where I thought my body didnt have an "Im-full! Stop-eating!" button. I could eat and eat and eat and eat and then look for MORE to eat. But now Ive learned to really pay attention to "hunger" vs boredom or anxiety or stress. And drinking a glass of water helps a LOT...when I think im hungry, I drink a bottle of water before choosing what Im going to eat. Usually, I end up skipping the food since the water is satisfying enough.
Good luck in your journey!

btrflyflutter

Melaka...I don't think anyone is saying to eat those calories if your just not hungry....I am finding myself to be really hungry the last 3 days on a 1200 cal diet when my BMR says to eat 1480 cals.
If you eat your eating healthy and exercising and your just not hungry then I don't think that's a problem...I imagine your body would tell you if you were...I know mine has been!!!

catrinasm

I eat half of them!!! Good luck! :glasses:

melaka

Okay, thanks everybody. Sorry, I was just getting the impression that you SHOULD eat them and if you're not, you doing it wrong! Um.

And I eat the max allowed every day. I don't want to go too low, either!

Good luck!

javamom

I eat every last one of mine! I don't want to dip below 1200 calories eaten (when you take exercise calories into account).

katbass

Okay, thanks everybody. Sorry, I was just getting the impression that you SHOULD eat them and if you're not, you doing it wrong! Um.

And I eat the max allowed every day. I don't want to go too low, either!

Good luck!

well....you SHOULD eat at least SOME of them Even just a small yogurt is 80-100 calories. You can do it! (Look at me cheering you to eat more!! )

EstherTalia

I do, but not always all of them. If I want a little something for dessert after dinner, then I'll have something. If not, I don't. I haven't been hungry since I started this program, aside from at the beginning, and I'm losing weight, so it seems to be working. I've noticed that when I don't make the calorie goal, I get a message telling me that I'm short. Eating too few calories can push your body into starvation mode, and can also lead to not sticking with a healthy eating routine. My goal when I got here was to lose weight slowly, learn how to eat the right way, and keep the weight off.