Asked my Trainer re eating back calories

Janworkingitout

Great post, thanks for sharing. When I first started MFP I was afraid to eat my exercise calories back. I lost weight quickly, but I also felt weak and light headed most of the time. That didn't last long! I now eat back my exercise calories! I feel great and am still losing weight. I hope your trainer's letter gives someone else the courage to eat those calories back!

MarybethAltizer

Bump!

sanura

thanks so much for posting this!!

_LA_

wonderful! I feel much better about eating 'over' my goal even though my exercise brings my net down...thanks!

myboysmomx2

BUMP!!! :-)

BrandNewMia

Thank you for sharing!!! It seems there are still a few skeptics out there, but I thought your trainer's answer was very well stated and makes sense 100%.

dublvision2

this was great! thanks for sharing- definitely want to keep this so I can reference back when I have one of those "What in the world am I doing?" moments. lol!

Mrz_Rich

Bump!

SheilaSisco

AWESOME post! Thank you so much for sharing this!!! I knew/believed all of this already, but it is still NICE to see that someone can explain it in a way that really makes sense to the masses! You're awesome! and thanks again!

giggles007

bump

needed this piece of information - it makes sense aout how our body is much advance than we think....now that Im thinking about it, of course it will do what it can to survive: it makes sense! I have read soo much into this and so far this is clear and concise explanantion of the human body in relation to fitness and nutrition....I like it....Thanks for sharing

gp79

good info

StaceyZombie

Bump

queenkimie

OMG thank you so much for asking this and posting her answer! I have been wondering the same thing AND trying to stick to 900 calories on Medifast And still trying to workout at least 45 min. a day. I have been a Crazy beeyatch and there were a couple of days where I just ate everything in sight. After reading this, I will up my calories and be super happy when it tells me I've earned extra calories Thank You again!!!!

finallyhappening2011

Good info, thanks for sharing.

Mads1997

The answer she gives is right for the question asked HOWEVER you didn't tell her that MFP already sets you a deficit. I'm sure her answer would have been totally diferent then.

Ask again and this time give her the full story

How so? She's saying to eat most of them back. She acknowledges that 1200 is a deficit and probably too much for some people., then states that if you burn 600 and don't eat them back, you're asking your body to try and exist on 600 calories a day if your calories are set at 1200.

Translation, she DOES get that you're at a deficit and she DOES advocate eating most of the exercise calories back.

I did say the trainer was correct in what she said (the usual 1200 statement that gets thrown around) but I thought it was a personal letter to her trainer and her answer should have been more involved than that. She might also have been told she shouldn't be eating below her BMR for example.

Aren't we ALL eating below our BMR on here? At least those of us on here for weight loss (as opposed to maintenance or gaining)? Seems like 1200 is likely below most average adults' BMR.

Nope not everyone automatically aims for 1200 cals and you will still lose weight eating your BMR. Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function without stepping out of bed.

SilverVal

Hey everyone,
I know i have read over and over on here to eat back the calories you burn exercising and yes i have been. (most time) Even though i realy felt like it defeated the purpose of exercising.

Anyways my boot camp instructor is also a personal trainer and right into nutrition so i emailed her and asked her opinon on the eating back calories.
I copied her reply to anyone that is interested (it is a long reply) - if not interested in what she had to say please dont continue reading as i know there are a few on here who do not agree with eating back the calories not matter what is explained.

Here is my question and her reply.

Question:
I am on a program online (www.myfitnesspal.com) I put in everything I eat and also mark down my calories burned each day through exercise.

It is telling me to eat back my exercise calories I burned so my net does not fall below 1200 - which is my goal if I want to lose 2 lbs a week.
They said if I only eat 1200 a day and burn off say 600 that is only giving me a calorie intake of 600 for the day.
What do you suggest? I just hate to eat back all the calories I worked so hard to burn off – kinda defeats the purpose in my opinion?

Answer:
Great question! To start, I would like to clarify that eating 1200 calories to lose weight is fine for some people, and not others. It may be too low. So for those of you that are interested in calorie counting, you must check a program first like the one listed above, as the amount can be influenced with your activity level, your height, and your age.
When you're eating 1200 calories per day you would likely lose weight without exercise. So when you add exercise in there, and burn another 600 calories, you leave your body only 600 calories to use for energy throughout your day. This is not good. Not only will this make you tired and quite possibly *****y, but your body will start going into starvation mode. This is a fact my friends! Our bodies are absolutely brilliant, and we are made to survive. This is what our bodies want, and will do anything to obtain. Therefore, when you eat too little, your body will hang onto everything you eat...just in case it doesn't get enough calories today, and/or the next day. When you eat just enough calories for your body, your body will be satisfied, and will burn the calories for energy. This is what you want because this will also make you feel energized, and it will feed the muscles we are working so hard to get Therefore, when you workout, yes you want to replace the calories lost, and you want to replace it with healthy food choices and not look at it as an excuse to hit the Toonie Tuesday fast food restaurant on your way home. Working out is awesome for losing weight because there is a calorie deficit, but more importantly, it helps you relieve stress so you don't stress eat, and it also helps you build lean muscle so your body is strong and burning calories at rest all day long. Remember, every pound of muscle you have on your body, you burn and extra 50-100 calories doing nothing per day! If you want to get this lean muscle, you must eat back a proper amount of calories after our workouts. So no, you are not defeating the purpose by eating back some of the calories lost during a workout.

Another point I would like to make is that when people create a calorie deficit of course they're going to lose weight initially. You just need to be mindful how much of a deficit you've created. If it is too much of a deficit, you'll lose for a couple weeks, and you'll lose fast. The only thing is that it is not maintainable. You're body will start craving food like crazy, and when you start to feed yourself a proper amount of calories, your body will pack on pounds because it is scared that it will soon run into another famine, trying to survive on low calories. It will want to preserve the calories it is getting as a "safety net". Therefore, you want to lose weight by taking calories out in a smart way. This can simply be through healthy eating and exercise. Our workouts can burn anywhere from 300-800 calories per hour. This depends on how hard you work, your current weight, and the type of workout we do for that day. Another deficit you can create in a healthy way is through your food. Counting calories is a great way to show you portion control, so you start to learn what your body needs. I do believe that counting calories at the beginning of a weight loss journey is good as it teaches you about types of food and the calories they contain, along with the amount necessary for you. Portion control is great thing to learn in this day and age with "supersize this, and 2 for 1 that", because we have portion distortion when it comes to food. Nonetheless, if this is something that you can't find the time to do, or something you don't want to do forever, listening to your body is very important as well. If you're cutting back on your calories, working out, and are well hydrated but notice you're always tired, one of the reasons could be because you've cut out too many calories. Adding in an apple a day, or some cottage cheese could make the world of difference. Cookies don't usually fit the bill.

Overall, being mindful of the types of foods you eat while working out, is likely going to work for some as well. Kicking the late night snacking can slash a couple hundred calories a week - or more! Switching from double double coffee to black can cut back calories, opting for an actual piece of fruit compared to a glass of juice can make a difference. Make small changes that cut back calories in a smart way....don't overdo it and put your body into starvation mode. It will be the start of habitual yo-yo dieting. Yikes! Balance it out so it is a lifestyle you can maintain

Love the questions ladies - Let me know if you have any questions in regrads to the answer

Thanks

vee280875

Love it! It has answered pretty much all my questions!!!! Thank you!!!!! :happy:

JaneP2011

Thanks! :flowerforyou: Bookmarking

shelleyphant

Thanks for posting this. Lot's of my friends refuse to eat exercise cals and it worries me. I did weight watchers points a couple of years ago and it set a maximum daily points you could earn through exercise as 4. I worked out I was doing 15 a day. I made myself so Ill I had to spend time in hospital and spent the next six months struggling to walk to the end of the road never mind run.

I learnt the hard way, fuel your body else risk it breaking down!

Mountain_woman

Bump.