exercise calories...do you eat them?

robin52077

If your trying to lose weight you need that deficit. If you want to maintain then eat them. If I know that I'm going to go over in calories one day I excercise extra hard a few day before and after.

Sorry, but completely incorrect. MFP is designed with a built in deficit, regardless of exercise. It is designed for you to EAT them, to maintain the deficit you chose. If you do not eat them, you have created a larger deficit than you (presumably) intended.

Here are some threads that explain how MFP works, metabolism, and why too large of a deficit is detrimental.

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

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

Ladyhawk beat me to it but these are THE threads to read. Also what liscar said. They are SOOOO right.

I was STARVING on 1200. I am 5'2" 105 lbs , eating 1800 a day and NOT gaining.
The closer you are to goal, you should not be set at 2 lbs a week, sometimes not even 1.
A half will suffice for the last ten pounds, and exercise and EAT them. The key is to weigh all your food so you're not e=overeating and use a good HRM so you're not overestimating those workout calories you're eating back.

Too high a deficit can cause a TON of problems, only one being a stall in weight loss. Your health can be affected as well.

hellen72

I run a lot, if I ate all my exercise calories I would be eating more than before and I was putting om then.

I have adjusted my figures slightly. I think my maintenance is 1600 ish not the 1900 tells me as I know I will but on if I eat thatvand don't exercise

So to give myself a deficit of 500 a day I have set my target at 1100 plus exercise - I exercise just about every day. Mfp is too generous on exercise so I have made 1 mile 80 rather than over 100. If I didn't eat my exercise cal I wouldn't survive! On a long run day I will end the day quite a long way into the green. On a normal day I will be slightly in the green. I am generally ending the day on 1400-1800 ( apart from on marathon days or the day before or day after a marathon when I eat what I want).

If I have a day of no exercise then I don't stick to the 1100. My no exercie day will be before or after a marathon which is an eat what u want day anyway

thankyou4thevenom

If your trying to lose weight you need that deficit. If you want to maintain then eat them. If I know that I'm going to go over in calories one day I excercise extra hard a few day before and after.

Sorry, but completely incorrect. MFP is designed with a built in deficit, regardless of exercise. It is designed for you to EAT them, to maintain the deficit you chose. If you do not eat them, you have created a larger deficit than you (presumably) intended.

Here are some threads that explain how MFP works, metabolism, and why too large of a deficit is detrimental.

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

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

I'm going to quote these links again because they're important to read. If afterwards you don't agree that's fine but at least know both sides of the argument.

I do eat them but only when I'm hungry. If don't want to eat I won't force food down my throat to meet a calorie count.

cgwhite

Most of you seem to be missing a major point here... Exercise changes your body!!! Start exercising and you will change the way your body uses calories. For most people, I am talking about those of us who are not marathon runners, exercise starts to build muscle again. It also starts to increase our metabolic rate, lower our resting heart rate and also blood pressure.

If you don't feed these changes you are wasting your time and will slip into a deficit that can lead to the body going into reverse, start storing fat again and eating muscle instead. Beware of over deficiting your body it can have dire effects. Yes, your body will start maintaining weight as it struggles to survive. Much has been said on this effect elsewhere.

This is all about a lifestyle change. The fact that you lose weight should be looked at as the side effect of your increased exercise and better diet. Counting calories, all calories including your exercise ones, is of the utmost importance WHEN you get started with MFP. If you don't then why bother. Once you have been doing it for years you will know what is going on with your body and be able to guestimate your daily intake. Your weight will be your guide. Assess your progress based on not only your weight but your fitness and I might suggest your body fat %. (Skinfold calipers are very cheap and highly accurate.)

Being fitter will pay dividends as your BMR goes up, your weight comes down, and you can then eat more and enjoy it rather than worrying how to reduce your calorie intake.

Enjoy life.

Regards,

Chris.

sarahliftsUP

I'm just kind of in shock with how many misinformed people there are on here..

Many people know why it's important to eat back your exercise calories, or at least as many as you can, but some people are confused with how MFP calculates your calories for the day. I try to eat back as most as I can, leaving roughly 100 untouched for whatever estimations I have made throughout the day. I try to log every bit of food I eat, but sometimes I may screw up and forget.

So, yes, I eat my exercise calories! You need to eat them back as MFP already has your calories set at a deficit.

mikeylikesit1177

not eating back all your calories will put your body in starvation mode. Your body will then think it needs to store whatever you eat as fat so it will have fat stores to burn when you starve it again. Eat your calories and keep your metabolism up.

corrinnebrown

This has me at 1200 calories and I am doing p90x...there is no way my body can survive on 1200 so I eat 1800, like p90x tells me to. The MINIMUM caloric intake is 1200 calories for your body to survive so if you work out you need to replenish those calories or your body goes in starvation mode. Take it from me, when I started this site I was working out 6 days per week and eating 1200 calories a day...I gained weight. When I went up to 1800 the weight started falling off

Enigmatica

I just listen to my body...if I'm hungry I eat some, if not I don't.

Same here

scagneti

From what I can tell, it seems as though there are two types of people on MFP -- those who have adapted this as their new lifestyle and will continue to exercise and use the tools MFP provides and those who are trying to get to whatever goal weight and are counting down the days when they can stop exercising and monitoring what they're eating. There is no way to continue to eating so sparsely and exercising regularly for an extended period of time (like the rest of your life).

For those in that 2nd group of people, I can't count how many say that they can't lose weight unless they severely restrict their caloric intake and that it's ok because they're "not hungry anyways". The sad thing is that they don't seem to realize that their metabolism is already shutting down (THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NOT LOSING UNLESS YOU EAT LIKE A BIRD! DUH!) and it doesn't bother telling your body that it's hungry because it knows you're not going to feed it anyways.

mikeylikesit1177

PS I have lost 9 pounds 12 days using the numbers they give me on here including eating back my calories

Spinmedry

You can eat them or not, depending on how hungry or stressed out you are. Of couse, the less you eat the more you will lose, and vice versa. I think the important thing is to not go BELOW your daily calorie alottment.

specialsong77

I typically try really hard not to use my earned calories from exercise, but on rare splurge days when I do I feel a little less guilty. :P