so........i must be crazy!

Hotbysummer

tracking my workouts gives me more calories to consume......................??!! should i avoid the additional calorie allowance, does it defeat the purpose, or what?! i probably sound like an idiot, but i guess ill never know unless i ask! talk to me peeps!

Tarah1357

I'm still new at this so I really couldn't tell you..lol However, I've been wondering the same thing! I've been trying to eat half of my exercise calories but sometimes I don't. It depends on the day and what I'm eating and how much I've worked out if at all. I'm already getting 1400 calories so it's tough! But supposedly the more calories you burn, the more food your body needs as fuel.
Like I said, I'm really not sure...but that was my input!

WrenLynn

Depends on how you are calculating your calories. Unless you are using a chest strap heart rate monitor you probably aren't getting accurate numbers and even then you have to back out the calories you would have normally burned if you hadn't exercised which is approximately 1.5 calories per minute. So if my hrm says I burned 400 calories walking on the treadmill for an hour then I would only log 310 exercise calories burned. I would then recommend you eat at least half of the 310 calories but you may eat them all if you prefer.

sarah44254

Imagine calories as fuel. Your body needs, let's say, 2000 calories to run well throughout the day. You eat all 2000 calories and you feel good! your body feels good! Then you work out, and use up 500 calories. Now your body is no longer 'full of fuel' and needs more! So it is totally fine to eat every last exercise calorie. BUT if you don't feel like eating, don't force it.

You want to try and stay above 1200 a day, if you go under repeatedly you risk your body thinking that you are having hard times, and food is in shortage. It will go to 'starvation mode' and stop burning calories as much as it normally does. It will store fat to keep you going until the 'food shortage' is over.

Kminor67

It's your choice whether or not to eat your exercise calories. It's actually a topic of a lot of debate. Personally, I eat most of mine, and I've not had a problem losing. If I want something fattening, I exercise more to "earn" it!

megsta21

This should explain why you should eat those extra exercise cals....

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

Although i tend to only eat 50-75% of them as MFP over estimates a little... =]

Hotbysummer

i am wondering about the way my elliptical track my calorie burn!!!! I do it steady for apx 45 minutes, and the machine reads around 800 calorie burn. when i talk about it to friends, they are really shocked! im also fairly new with this machine, so i dunno! im thinking body bug???

Tarah1357

I'm glad you posted this...it's actually helpful reading these responses! :happy:

Hotbysummer

np!!! well, my issue is that my workouts are pretty much the last thing on my agenda. I hit the ground running in the morning with Josh overseas, the girls (2, and 3) are all mine 24/7. They keep me so busy, and i hate to try and stress about a 45 minute elliptical session when i can just keep it care-free in the evening when they are squared . these additional calories show up so late, im wondering if i can add them before i actually do the work?? cheating?? not really sure.....

adhillman01

If you're getting an accurate count of how many calories you burn you can eat them back and still lose weight. Depending on what your settings are at there is a calorie deficiency built into your daily calorie allowance. Often times calorie counts are overinflated though, so if you eat them all back you may be eating too much. Or you could not eat them back a lose a little more weight. This is probably not suggested if you already have your weight loss set to 2 lbs per week, because that is exceeding healthy weight loss.

jessicayoung82

I only eat about 25% of my exercise calories because I workout in the evening. So, I use my exercise calories for an after dinner snack. The problem that I run into is the day after a hard workout I am usually hungry ALL day.

sarah44254

Some days I will add in to this site what I THINK I might eat. Then if it is over the recommended limit, I will make sure to exercise. If it is under, I just take it easy. Today I needed 330 more calories than I was given, so I went for a run. I now have a little bit of room for a snack late at night if I need it, too!

The 800 cals seems a little high to me, but it all depends on if you haven't worked out a lot, or if you weight a bit more. The larger the person, and less active they are, the easier it is for them to burn calories, I think? Not certain. As you lose weight and get more fit, the same exercise is likely to burn less calories.

sarah44254

Oh, and if you are worried that eating the exercise cals will prevent you from losing? I just want to let you know that I go over on cals some day, I go way too far under other days. Some days I eat 100% of my exercise cals, some days I leave them alone completely. I have lost every week since I started here almost 7 weeks ago. It is really just knowing what you are eating, and understanding when you are hungry!

Hotbysummer

thx so much for all the input! it's making it all a lot easier to grasp when i can talk to people going through the same thing as opposed to going into this blind!

Bmorrow

tracking my workouts gives me more calories to consume......................??!! should i avoid the additional calorie allowance, does it defeat the purpose, or what?! i probably sound like an idiot, but i guess ill never know unless i ask! talk to me peeps!

Everyone has an opinion about this...here's mine, I never eat All of those earned calories back, but if I'm hungry and want I snack...I eat it! No Guilt:-). I look at it as a cushion and a motivator to get moving!

MeliciousMelis

It's your choice whether or not to eat your exercise calories. It's actually a topic of a lot of debate. Personally, I eat most of mine, and I've not had a problem losing. If I want something fattening, I exercise more to "earn" it!

That's my method!! I eat almost all my exercise calories back, and have been consistently losing at 2.5 a week.

Hotbysummer

That is awesome! 2.5 a week!!!!!! Good for you!