Do you eat all of your exercise calories back??

skinneemee79

I have been reading a lot of these posts, especially the ones where someone is working so hard and not losing. The responses I have seen have all been different. I see people saying either, YES it is a must to eat them all, or NO, they only eat back some or half. I did it the right way for about a month, really believing my body needed all this food I was eating, but I was eating when I wasn't even hungry to get in all my calories. Now I've changed things up and feel like my body is functioning fine and I am not hungry or beyond full! Just wondering how many people lost when not eating all their calories vs when they do. Starting to think its different for everyone! Also thinking this "starvation mode" I've firmly believed in, might just be a crock and only applies when you really are still hungry and not eating. UGH!

AggieCass09

i eat all mine and i keep losing. check out my blog for more on this but in short, i was in starvation mode (its not a crock) and was basically feeding off of muscle then i upped the calories and ate all my exercise cals back. I gained a bit (replenishing the muscle that had been fueling my body) then the fat started dropping...i lost 5% body fat in a month!

It is all up to what works for you but your body needs fuel to run.Think of your body like a car...you wouldn't go on a road trip on an empty tank just like you cant work out with out eating enough calories. MFP already adds a deficit into your calories so you dont need to create a bigger one; especially if you are close to your goal or well in the "normal" BMI range.

Lunachic77

i eat all mine and i keep losing. check out my blog for more on this but in short, i was in starvation mode (its not a crock) and was basically feeding off of muscle then i upped the calories and ate all my exercise cals back. I gained a bit (replenishing the muscle that had been fueling my body) then the fat started dropping...i lost 5% body fat in a month!

It is all up to what works for you but your body needs fuel to run.Think of your body like a car...you wouldn't go on a road trip on an empty tank just like you cant work out with out eating enough calories. MFP already adds a deficit into your calories so you dont need to create a bigger one; especially if you are close to your goal or well in the "normal" BMI range.

BUMP

Sasha_Bear

Only time I eat them back is if I'm extremely hungry that day and feel I need them. Otherwise I don't bother.

BeGreat25

See, I was the eating the calories I spent too and I didn't lose any weight at all! Now I am trying not to eat the calories I spent in hopes that I do lose the few pounds I need to lose. If it's not working for you then we're the same! lol
Then just eat what you normally do and don't eat the calories you spent
Good luck!!!

gayla_lynn

I exercise alote because we own a gym and I have four horses and 4 dogs so I stay very physical most of the time. Iv been adding all my physical stuff in and I usally always have calories left over but I find myself not hungry enough to eat them most of the time. Its nice having them there if I have one of those days, But I try not to eat unless Im hungry and just pay attenion to that feeling. But your right I think everyone is different.

00trayn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

This explains why it works for some people and not others.

jeffrodgers1

I do make a conscious effort to eat back most of my exercise calories. I don't feel obligated to though.

There are times when I likely wouldn't be possible to do so (i.e. I run for two and a half hours on Saturday or Sunday and blow 2500 calories in the process... I'm not sitting down and eating all those back)

Even though I don't eat all my calories back, I am still losing. I try to stay within 500 calories of my target.

vayax

I try to eat half of mine. But sometimes I'm not hungry or feel weak so I don't push it. Sometimes I cannot even have a glass of milk. Like yesterday I didn't even complete my regular calories and on top of that burned almost 500 cals exercising... I made good choices so quiantities were big... could not eat anything else!

woja9640

I disagree with you a bit. There is a starvation mode where the body starts storing up your calories as fat.

I was sick with bronchitis a few weeks ago and for the first 4 days hardly ate a thing. I was like 900 calories under my calorie goal and ended up regaining 3 to 4 lbs of what I had lost.

Now I'm not saying you have to eat all of your calories, however, I would say you need to eat within 200 calories of what you are alotted for the day after adding the calories you burned off exercising.

I have been doing this and have lost 14 lbs in the last 2 months. This is along with exercising 5 to 7 times a week.

Remember you have to keep your body fueled in order to have the energy you need to work out and for your metabolism to work properly.

This is from advice my sister was telling me she got from her knowledge as a personal trainer and her own personal trainer who had gone to school and studied the human body.

Hope this helps. :bigsmile:

adrbelt

I have been using myfitnesspal now for a little less than a month and I've been eating almost all of my calories, even going over a little here and there... going over by 30 - 100 calories a couple days a week. So far, I've lost 8 lbs. I think the trick is to keep working out. If you don't work out while you're counting calories, it seems like a wash. But the exercise is what steps it up for me and takes it to the next level. I don't know, just my theory so far!

dieseljay74

I eat mine back and a litle after hard weight training sessions. Otherwise I do not...I really don't do much cardio anyway.

aristel

bump

LindaSueBakk

I usually earn between 300 and 400 exercise calories a day. I leave about 150 calories untouched. That way if I've forgotten to log something or am not sure if all the foods are logged exactly right, I'm still under. Just make sure you don't go under 1200 calories a day - that IS starvation mode. And it's not a myth, it's the truth!

skinneemee79

Thanks everyone! I was at 1200 calories and burning about 500 a day, so was eating about 1700 calories a day. I decided this week I would eat 1400 calories and not eat back what I was burning. I eat every couple of hrs. I try to eat mostly filling foods with good values. I really don't feel hungry, but if I do, I try to eat a piece of fruit or some extra veggies. I just felt like before I was giving myself permission to eat junk cause I had the calories left and I wasn't even hungry. I really feel like 1400 calories is decent...I am now only burning between 300-400 a day. I think I am getting enough that my body wont start storing. We will see though!

NobodyKnows

I have only been tracking my calories for a couple days now, but have been dieting for about 6 weeks. The last two days I barely (if at all) touched my exercise calories. My eating habits have been pretty consistent over the past 6 weeks. I would say I probably only get into the exercise calories maybe once or twice a week, and that is when I am treating myself a bit.

ETA My weight loss in the past 6 weeks is 22 lbs.

DesertCowgirl

bump

a_freeman

I doubt that I have the magic formula but I have lost 33 lbs in 10 weeks. I set MFP to my BMR minus 900 calories. Of course, when I enter exercise calories, it increases the MFP number which means I eat my calories. I'm convinced that the exercise keeps me from going into starvation mode which maybe has more value than the actual calories burned.

Raynamama

i eat all mine and i keep losing. check out my blog for more on this but in short, i was in starvation mode (its not a crock) and was basically feeding off of muscle then i upped the calories and ate all my exercise cals back. I gained a bit (replenishing the muscle that had been fueling my body) then the fat started dropping...i lost 5% body fat in a month!

It is all up to what works for you but your body needs fuel to run.Think of your body like a car...you wouldn't go on a road trip on an empty tank just like you cant work out with out eating enough calories. MFP already adds a deficit into your calories so you dont need to create a bigger one; especially if you are close to your goal or well in the "normal" BMI range.

This really helps thank you so much for posting this response, I really appreciate it! I have been struggling with this for about 3-4 weeks now. :flowerforyou: