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baby81girl2003
baby81girl2003 Posts: 79 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I have worked my butt off this week and my weight has gone up about a pound. I have been eating my "exercise calories" but now I am thinking I shouldn't. I hear what people say about how it's calculated in and I need to eat them.....but...they burn off 5000 calories a day sometimes on BL and you can't tell me they are eating that many! There are so many mixed reviews. I can't eat that many calories! I get too full and I simply don't want anymore food. What to do...

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  • rozarotti
    rozarotti Posts: 139
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    I very rarely eat my exercise calories. Thats why I don't always post them.
  • lanie13
    lanie13 Posts: 55
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    I personally never meet my daily calories on here. Even if I get close I usually burn around 600-900 calories a day, and i'm not going to eat the remaining calories just cause they're there ya know? like you said, you get too full and don't want to eat anymore. i don't know, maybe switch up the exercise so the body doesn't get used to it? Or you know what else? it could be muscle building
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    I only eat them back when I feel extra hungry. This seemed to work for me in the past.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    what they are doing on BL is not healthy, it is for ratings.

    How are you calculating your calories burned? If you are not using a HRM then you may be way overestimating the amount. If you use the numbers on the machine or MFP I would recommend eating back 50%-75% of the exercise calories, to insure you are not eating more than you burn.
  • sambrint
    sambrint Posts: 8
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    It could be you are bulding up muscle (which weighs more than fat) - when I joined a gym I put on weight (I wasn't dieting then so they said it's muscle making my weight go up). Try cadio exercises (swimming, walking etc) instead of strengh bulding exercise?
    Good luck!
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
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    I tend to eat about half my exercise calories depending on how hungry I am that day. I always have at least my minimum of 1200 but usually do not meet the total amout of calories it says I can eat in a given day.
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
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    As long as your NET calories are above 1200, I wouldn't worry about eating them all back. When my daily calorie goal was 1200, I HAD to eat back ALL of my exercise calories. Now that I am on maintenance, I have more flexibility, but still try to eat them all back, because if I don't, I continue to lose weight, which I do not want.
  • Yleija
    Yleija Posts: 16
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    I hardly ever make it to eat my full exercise calories. Eat till your satisfied. don't worry about not being able to eat them. I know that it's the thing to do, but I listen to my body. If it tells me I'm done then I'm done. I'm not gonna force it just to meet some calorie goal. As long as I'm not in starvation mode I'm good.
  • royam01
    royam01 Posts: 123
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    So far I have not been eating my exercise calories and I like it better that way... Why work so hard to burn them off only to eat them all back? I dont exercise so I can eat more, I excercise so I can lose weight :)
  • shannygoat
    shannygoat Posts: 24
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    I always have calories left over. The only time I eat my extra exercise calories is if I'm having a really hungry day (or a I can't stop grazing on everything because I need a cigarette) day. Years ago when I was on Weight Watchers, they told us to bank our exercise calories and then we could treat ourselves once a week. I used to save them up and go out and get dessert, or something that i had taste for. I was surprised that after a taste of it, I was satisfied.

    I don't know if that helps, but that's a suggestion of what to do with your extra calories.
  • JoniBologna
    JoniBologna Posts: 653 Member
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    Great advice peeps. It does seem rather illogical to eat back all the calories you burned (unless you're at 1200 a day).
  • kellykat2
    kellykat2 Posts: 87 Member
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    I honestly do not understand why that add the exercise calories back in there? If we are working our you know what's off to burn the calories, why are they added back in? I don't get it. Anyone understand the logic?

    I always though you lowered your calories and exercised.
  • gecho
    gecho Posts: 426 Member
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    I'm afraid i do eat some of mine back, not all of them usually but some. I don't really understand the whole debate over do or don't 'cause if you read how to lose weight pros will tell you that you have to burn more than you eat but other pros tell you to eat what you burn so you have a set # of cals a day. It's been explained to me several times and you can read about it in several topics but i still don't get it so if i'm not hungry i don't eat if i'm starving after a workout I'll drink a glass of milk or something. really up to your discreation(sp?)
  • baby81girl2003
    baby81girl2003 Posts: 79 Member
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    I use the calorie counter on the treadmill, and I googled the calories burned for my workout DVD. It puts me at around 500 calories burned daily. I think I will try eating only half of them and see what that does.
  • Erius
    Erius Posts: 23
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    Well...it won't be your first day like this. This is only my 2nd day using the myfitnesspal, but I was on Weight Watchers from the start of my weight loss journey, which started August 20th. I've lost 46.7 lbs since then, but it hasn't been without obstacles! I bought an elliptical...a Godsend, but it broke....twice! I had to figure out other workouts..I have a just turned 4 yr, an almost 3 yr old, and an almost 9 month old baby, so I'm crazy busy. Luckily, I've found a routine that works for me, and I have a husband who will take all three for 2 hours while I workout at night, if I didn't get the opportunity during the day. Not all of my weight loss has been steady. I did gain a pound over Christmas, had losses of only 0.2 lbs...those are the hard weeks. But you know what...I've almost reached my next goal! 175 lbs by my birthday, end of Feb...And I KNOW I can do...because I want to. Forget the bad days! FORGET THEM!!!! Tomorrow will come...today will pass....you didn't fail...you learned something, right? Feel frustrated again? Let it out, then LEAVE IT, and start again. I have been through things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, but I had to chose which way I wanted to go, and after reaching my heaviest at 238.5 lbs, that was it. What happened, happened. I can't change it, and now I know I can get through anything. I WILL lose all of my weight, and I WILL live a long healthy life watching all of my babies grow up. Hopefully this was the little pep talk you needed. You can do it....go back to your start, and let that smile carry you through the day. Congratulations...because you will make it! As for the whole calorie thing...I never eat mine back, but that's because I'm never hungry. My secret trick...Nestle Pure Life flavored waters. I don't drink anything but water and 1 cup of fat free milk a day, so the water really helps. I drink about 6 bottles a day. Cleans you out, keeps you hydrated, and curbs hunger and cravings. Now, GO ROCK THAT WORKOUT!!!!
  • lmvolk
    lmvolk Posts: 51 Member
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    I am ABSOLUTELY certain that if you are too full to eat, you shouldn't eat (if you are trying to lose weight)
    I am an exercise physiologist (or was, about 20 years ago, according to my Master's degree)
    I have noticed that this site seems to overestimate the calories burned for various exercises. (I've noticed the same thing about treadmills and other exercise eqpt in gyms, too)
    That may be why you don't want that much food!
  • baby81girl2003
    baby81girl2003 Posts: 79 Member
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    Thanks a lot everyone! It's nice to know I'm not alone on this subject or doing something wrong. I will listen to my body on this one and try eating as needed (without going over) and I will leave the extra calories there unless I need a few. Hopefully this will solve my problem. If not, I will keep trying.

    Erius- Thank you so much! You are absolutely right!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    So far I have not been eating my exercise calories and I like it better that way... Why work so hard to burn them off only to eat them all back? I dont exercise so I can eat more, I excercise so I can lose weight :)

    Then you should set your caloric intake at maintenance and use exercise to create a caloric deficit. MFP is set up so you have a deficit without exercise and to keep your daily deficit goal intact you must eat your exercise calories.
  • Thorneapple
    Thorneapple Posts: 154
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    Everyone is different, remember that. Not everyone's body is going to react the same to calories consumed and exercise.

    I eat about half of my exercise calories. Some people eat all, some people eat none. You have to find the balance that works for you. Do a little experimentation to see how much you can eat to feel satisfied but still lose.

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