earning back calories...eat more?

angelastates

I was just wondering how this chart works. I shoveled snow today and burned 500 something total calories...on my food chart it says that I earned calories...does this mean I need to eat more to meet my calorie goal with food for the day?

andythorn1969

Yes

JoanHolly

no... if you dont eat them back you will lose more. unless you are burning an extreme amount of calories in which case you may wanna eat a little extra, but i wouldnt make it a rule

AngelUK1985

i only eat my excercise calories if im hungry no point in force feeding yoruself food just because you have the extra.

thankyou4thevenom

Yes

These links explain why the system is set up the way it is.

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/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

To put it bluntly.
If you're not eating your exercise calories you're under eating.

So you have a choice.
Lose a lot of weight now by under eating and get it all back later when you go back to eating normally
or
Eat the right amount and manage to maintain your weight when you start eating normally.

Becky011

You will find A lot of debate over this on MFP. What I will say is that you have to see what works for you. One issue you I see with eating earned cals back is that you may not have the correct number of cals burned so you could be eating more than you burned. One issue with burning a lot and not eating them is that is not great for your body. Sooooo see what works for you. I have not seen much success eating them back. See what works for you! Possibly ask your doc if you can. Good luck!

Lizzgeorge77

Technically the way the charts work the answer is yes - you're supposed to stay as close as possible to your net calorie target (often 1200 calories). If you go too far below it then your metabolism could actually drop because your body will be in high stress - expending WAY more calories than are coming in. But as long as you're eating at least 1300 calories a day I wouldn't stress about eating all your exercise calories back.

jennylynn84

Yes. Looks like you're on a 1200 cal diet. That is the minimum you should consume for your own health. So you should definitely eat some. Keep in mind that MFP is just an estimate and it also includes the calories you would have burned anyway. A general rule most use for estimations is to eat 2/3 or 3/4 of the exercise calories.

sherylhs

Lots of posts about eating your exercise calories back. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But I did want to let you know today I also shoveled snow, according to MFP I burned about 470 calories... however according to my BodyMedia it was about 100 calories less. So just be careful if you are planning on eating ALL the calories back. If I were you I may leave myself a bit of a buffer.

~Sheryl