Do I HAVE to eat moer when I exercise?

suzhawken

When I exercise and I record it on myfitnesspal, it increases the number of calories I can eat that day.

Do I HAVE to eat those extra calories?? If I don't would my body do into starvation mode (ie hold onto the fat) or would I just loose the weight that much quicker?

Any ideas?

Thanks!

asallen7

BUMP!

lacroyx

everyones different. some people do some don't. I'd choose one and see how it goes for a few weeks. if you like the results, stick with it.

I personally don't always eat all my excercise calories. especially if I am not hungry.

ebonybliss

It's said to eat them back. Just don't eat less than 1200 calories per day. Some people do eat them back some don't, eat what you can at least some. I persoanally try to eat them back except for a hundred or so therefore I am still losing. Let your body tell you what to do.

kao708

Do a search on the subject in the boards, you will find 100's of posts about this that offer various opinions and suggestions. Ultimately, you have to decide what works for you but I would eat some of them back. I've seen a lot of people say they eat about 1/2 back to avoid going too low for the day! Good luck!

shanhawk

From what I have read on the forums...there is a calorie deficit already built in, so you should eat at least 1200 net cals each day. Basically, you should eat your exercise cals back. I personally have a hard time with this as Im not hungery all the time either. I know that "starvation mode" is thrown around a lot on this site as well...but I don't understand how 1200 net cals is the magical number for everyone when each person is so different. I say try things out and see what works for you.

Baregravity

i have a real good answer for you. i wrote a blog that relates to this describing the two fuels we have in our body, sugar and fat. if you want to read it feel free, i think you may really enjoy reading it.

but in short, if you have a bodyfat % of more than let's just say 10%, then no you don't have to eat the extra calories. in fact i only occasionally go over my calorie goal of 1650 even though on some days i could eat well into the 3000+ range from the amount of exercise i have earned that particular day. And to further emphasize my point i have been able to lose 25 lbs since the beginning of this new year 2011!

good luck!!!

Elbee1

I just wanted to thank the originator of this thread and all those who responded. I had the same question and didn't know what to do either.

suzhawken

WOW!! This is awesome! I can tell that this is going to be my new "home"!

Thanks to you all for your quick responses - I am going to see how it goes with eating none to no more than half of the calories that I can eat with the exercise I am doing.

What I love is that it pushes me to exercise cause then I have the ability to add a few extra calories to my day! What a bonus!! A WIN-WIN for me!!

I was able to lose 10lbs in 2 weeks with healthy eating and P90X - I am hoping to lose about that much in 4 weeks without doing the P90X ritual (just don't have that kind of time that I can honestly commit to).

I think that is very attainable and a very healthy short term goal. Agreed?!

Thanks again!

LarryPGH

but in short, if you have a bodyfat % of more than let's just say 10%, then no you don't have to eat the extra calories. in fact i only occasionally go over my calorie goal of 1650 even though on some days i could eat well into the 3000+ range from the amount of exercise i have earned that particular day. And to further emphasize my point i have been able to lose 25 lbs since the beginning of this new year 2011!

On the other hand, I'm in the same general ballpark as Baregravity, and I *have been* eating back my exercise calories (only about 150-200 / day) and I've lost the same general amount of weight in about the same time!

I think, though, that it's important to note that there's not one absolute answer to this question. And, there's usually more to the answer than the way in which the question is asked. It's important to note that the answer depends on a number of factors: how heavy you are (if you're obese, then that's a much different weight loss scenario than if you're looking to dump those last five pounds in order to get to a "Normal BMI" range), what your diet looks like (i.e., are you succeeding in limiting your sodium intake? are you drinking your water? does your protein/carb/fat ratio support healthy muscle growth?), your age and gender (naturally!)...

Most important, it seems to me that when people ask the question "Do I have to eat back my exercise calories?", they're really trying to ask, "will I lose weight if I eat back my exercise calories?" -- when, in fact, a better way to ask the question is "will I lose weight safely and gain muscle tone and set myself up for a healthy lifestyle (not a yo-yo diet) if I eat back my exercise calories?"

The question pretty much answers itself when you put it that way, doesn't it?