excercise cals... what do u do?

Jess21684

okay just so i can decide what the best option for me to do for myself is, im just curious what you guys do with the excercise calories. do you guys ignore them and try not to eat them back, do you only eat some or half of them back or do you try to eat all of them?! I just wanna see what seems to be the most used way of dealing with these excercise calories so i can determine what i think would be best for me cause im struggling with this it seems

ebkins7

I try to eat most of them back. It's hard sometimes for me because I workout in the afternoon mostly which leaves really only 2 meals (post workout and dinner) to consume that many calories.

It's best to eat them (or the majority of them) because as it is you are all ready on a deficit, when you workout you are expecting your body to function on FEWER calories than that. So it's best to get at least 1200 NET calories!!!

Just my 2 cents!

♥_Ellybean_♥

I usually eat some of them.. I don't eat if I am not hungry. If I have eaten all my food for the day and am hungry and have exercise calories i use them. But I don't FORCE myself to eat just cuz they are there

AKosky585

I only started to lose weight when I started to eat mine back. I typically eat 80% back, depending on the burn..some days it might be a bit less...but I usually do 80% for a safe number in case I didnt burn as much as my HRM said I did.

themommie

I usually ignore them and dont eat them back. If I happen to work out alot that day then I might eat back 100-300 cals of them. I think different things work for different people this seems to work for me, you just have to fine what works for you

kimballtracy

im not sure what to do either... good question.

Adsnwfld

I know you are supposed to eat them, I frequently don't. When I had 50 lbs to lose it wasn't a big deal, now my weight loss as slowed and I'm experimenting with eating them v not.

EvelynForsyth

It depends! yesterday i did lotsof exercise because i wanted to eat pizza in the evening but usually i eat a few back leaving a couple hundred (i usually burn approx. 500 cals) because i dont know how accurate this website is.
You need to make sure the calories you consume are minimum of 1200....so if you ate 1400 but burnt 500 you're need to make sure eat some back.....if you dont regularly then your body may go into starvation mode and prevent you losing weight!

danielled6875

bump

gillian2004

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

Hourglass25

It depends on what kind of day im having. trust me i eat them must of the time, but there is days that I am not that hungry so i dont get to eat them all.

smelmel

Hi, I don't eat all my exercise calories, For the first year I usually had about 250 left and for the past few months now I'm fitter and exercise more I have about 400 left. My weight loss has been steady and I am down to 63kg but I do exercise everyday so I always eat about 1500 cals a day and I never get hungry,
Maybe just trial and error, I remember when I started I wasn't sure either but everyone is different and you have to find what works for you.

freerange

I use my exercise (cardio) calories as a buffer, try to eat at least some of them back, but not all. And I don’t count my weight lifting at all, so any calories burned during weight lifting should all go to fat loss (hopefully . BUT I’m not close to my ideal weight (yet), the closer you get to your goal weight the more you want to eat your exercise calories, to avoid kicking your body into storing fat because it thinks you are starving.

JillyBean819

I eat about 95% of my workout calories.

freerange

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

Remember exercise for fitness, diet for weight loss. AND YOU SHOULD DO BOTH sorry for yelling.

neelia

A majority of the time I eat them. Other times I don't.

koolgurl84

Thats what I thought too. But some people on here say eat some of the exercise calories back, then other choose not to add their exercise calories to prevent throwing off net goal. I say do whatever works for you, bc our bodies work diff.

jessieinblue

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

Why would you stop exercising?

darrenw74

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

This is actually not true. Try not to think of it as calories that are going right back into your fat stores. Your body needs the fuel from the food. The calories you burned are already burned. Also, consider that your body is using energy to process the food, and it's keeping your metabolism going. The calories you burn working out are great, but really it's about the longer term goal of increasing your overall metabolic rate (BMR).

I wish I could find it, but there was a poster in the forums earlier today that revealed being stuck at a weight for multiple months until she started eating her workout calories.

DeAunte

So should we or shouldn't we eat the calories we burn? I want to see the weight come off, however I've been running 3 miles a day on a 1490 calorie diet. When I enter the exercise I bumps my daily allowed calorie intake up. Still not sure what to do :happy:

DeAunte

Good point. Sometimes I eat them and sometimes I don't.

ladyhawk00

I typically eat at least half of mine. Here are some threads that explain how MFP calculations work, metabolism and why it's a good idea to eat at least some of them. These are really MUST READS!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

Good luck to you!

downtome

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

I feel the same way, It doesn't make sense! Why is this so confusing. If you are trying to lose weight, why would you want to eat what you have burned off? Wouldn't you lose weight quicker by not eating them? This seems to be one of the highlight topics and the reason is, because it is so confusing!

unckat09

So should we or shouldn't we eat the calories we burn? I want to see the weight come off, however I've been running 3 miles a day on a 1490 calorie diet. When I enter the exercise I bumps my daily allowed calorie intake up. Still not sure what to do :happy:

How many calories are you burning? If you drop below 1200 for your net intake, you should at least eat them up to that point. You don't want to send your body into starvation mode. Just my opinion...

downtome

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

This is actually not true. Try not to think of it as calories that are going right back into your fat stores. Your body needs the fuel from the food. The calories you burned are already burned. Also, consider that your body is using energy to process the food, and it's keeping your metabolism going. The calories you burn working out are great, but really it's about the longer term goal of increasing your overall metabolic rate (BMR).

I wish I could find it, but there was a poster in the forums earlier today that revealed being stuck at a weight for multiple months until she started eating her workout calories.

Thank you, this helps clear it up some for me. I guess I'm just impatient as I suppose a lot of people are to get the weight off quicker!

firehiker

Here's what I would do...which is all my meat-head gym rat friends do, and it seems to work for them. After your workout, drink a "recovery shake". Done! (Well, as far as your workout-calorie-deficit)

briannem9

I find that I lose more weight if I eat most of them...otherwise your body thinks it's starving and holds onto the fat it should be burning. When you put in your calculations, you told it how much exercise you do on a regular day (i.e. your job, chasing kids), and how much you are going to work out. Your everyday calorie count is based on how much you do during a normal day. If you do more, your body needs more in order to burn off excess fat. And it keeps your metabolism high throughout the day.

Dobsaya

MFP already cut your calories based on your goal. For instance for me to maintain, I would eat about 1700 calories a day. By allowing me 1200 calories a days that is 500 calorie deficit a day and 3500 calorie deficit a week. So basically a pound a week. So if I eat my exercise calories, I am still at that 500 calorie deficit a day. Don't forget healthy weight loss is 1 to 2 and !/2 pounds a week.

ladyhawk00

but if you eat the calories you have just worked off there is no point in doing the exercise unless your trying to get fit and not loose any weight. And when you stop exercising you will just pile on the weight

I feel the same way, It doesn't make sense! Why is this so confusing. If you are trying to lose weight, why would you want to eat what you have burned off? Wouldn't you lose weight quicker by not eating them? This seems to be one of the highlight topics and the reason is, because it is so confusing!

Simple math (but yes, I know it can be hard to grasp at first):

MFP uses your info (height/weight/age/sex) to determine your BMR. This is the minimum amount of calories for you to survive, breathe, blink. It then adds in your activity level (daily activities like walking to the mailbox, whatever work you do, etc). It then subtracts a set amount based on your loss/week goal. This is your weight loss cal goal. If you exercise, it then adds in cals to KEEP YOU AT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS CAL GOAL.

For example:

BMR = 1500
Activity Level = + 300

So this puts your Maintenance calories at = 1800
This is the cals you would eat for NO WEIGHT LOSS OR GAIN.

Weight loss goal per week = 1 lb
1 lb = 3500 cals per week. Per day, this equals 500 cals subtracted from your Maintenance cals. This is your cal deficit.

1800 - 500 = 1300
1300 is the amount you would eat for a 1 lb per week weight loss. If you do no exercise, this is how much you get.

If you then go and exercise, you have burned off more calories and CREATED A LARGER DEFICIT.

If you do not replace those calories burned by exercise, you have a greater deficit and will be set up for a greater rate of weight loss than you (presumably) intended. MFP uses the max of 2 lb per week because for most people, anything more than that is UNHEALTHY.

So then we are here:
1300 daily cal goal (includes cals subtracted for weight loss already)
+ 300 for exercise (for example)
= 1600

If you do not eat 1600, you have now created a deficit of more than 500 (the deficit amount needed for 1 lb/week loss.)

You are now at a higher/faster rate of weight loss than you signed up for, and are probably not going to be able to sustain it. Ask yourself.... Is this what you really want?

(End of rant) :bigsmile:

hpygirl64ColleenLinder

set your calories to 500 less then where you should be for you age, weight, etc. using the tools on here, 500 calories less per day will allow you to loose one healthy pound per week. the exercise calories should be used up and this is why....when you go below your daily allotment of calories like so many on here do it only works against you and then your burning your muscle and not your fat. everyone gives kudos for being under calorie goal but i can't express how much this ends up working against them. any questions on nutrition or workout programs that expend the most calories in 40 minutes of time and where you get REAL results without paying for gym membership I'd be more then happy to help guide you in the right direction. Cheers and remember to PAY it FORWARD. Colleen in Seattle

jilld76

I usually try to eat some of mine. For the amount of activity I do in a day (basically sit in my car all day) I only get 1200 calories a day, so if I work out and burn 400 and don't eat any of my extra calories, then I'm only at 800 calories for the day, which isn't good. So I try to eat about half, if I'm hungry I'll eat them, but most of the time I work out at night and I try not to eat after 8 pm, so I have to try to eat most of my calories during the day and then just leave a little bit plus some of my workout calories to eat after I work out. It's definitely tough most days to get myself to where I need to be, but just do the best you can.