Eat my workout calories? Or, not?

comiclady24

Hey all,

I'm getting a bit confused about whether or not I need to be eating the calories that I'm burning off during workouts, or if I need to be leaving them alone and eating as if I had never worked out that day. I'm hearing both sides and my scale isn't budging so I was wondering if any of you guys had some good advice... I'm confused!

:noway:

Thanks!!

cazzincali

Some people eat their workout calories. I don't.

jenh1101

I usually don't eat mine back.

wendyleach

I try not to eat them. but if i go over by a bit they help. dont beat yourself up just try to avoid using them. thats what i do.

CallejaFairey

it def seems to be a hot topic on here for sure. my thought is, if you don't want to eat them, at least make sure your net cals get to around 1200, which means you should eat some. i usually eat back some of mine, but then it's rare i burn enough cals to go below 1200 eaten for the day since i have a lot to lose. but, i have yet to gain anything because of eating them back.

i think if atm you aren't eating them back, and your scale isn't budging, why not try eating them. what's it going to hurt? i have read an awful lot of posts/blogs about people who believed they shouldn't eat them hitting plateaus, or not losing much at all, deciding to go ahead and eat them and boom, losing like they want to be. so give it a try. good luck

dcjulian

Your net calories (on your home page) should never be less than 1200. So yes you should eat your exercise calories.

jrt9999

A lot of it may depend on how hard you work out. I know when i do an hour of heavy weight lifting I am famished... When i lightly run on the treadmill for 20 mins not near as hungry.

Also depends on your goals. If you use exercise to build muscle and cardiovascular strength then eating enough to fuel the exercising makes sense.

I eat all mine back plus some. I am both losing weight and gaining muscle.

Good luck!

melzteach

There are a lot of posts like this one and in the three months that I've been using MFP this thread made the most sense.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories

I usually eat about half of my exercise calories back.

ladyhawk00

In short, yes, at least some of them. Here are some threads that discuss how MFP works, metabolism, and why it's important to fuel the body properly. Good luck to you!

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

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

LovelySnugs

couple of things for you. first: www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
next: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

christina_michelle

I would say what everyone else said make sure to at least eat 1,200 calories. Its more important to eat your exercise calories back when you are closer to the weight you want (last 20 lbs) because your body is now officially burning a lot more calories naturally everyday with the muscle you have gained.

I personally eat 1,300 - 1,800 calories a day and have dropped 7.5 lbs this month. I only need to lose another 2.5 to be at a healthy weight (135 lbs at 5'4). So you can see i'm already pretty close.

I would recommend eating calories back healthfully. Low sugar, high protein, healthy complex carbs. NO diet foods...those chemicals are absolutely HORRID for you. that includes Yoplait Light and Diet Coke...

lsenour

I have lost two lbs/week and have eaten most of mine back......sometimes it 's just way to much food. Your body needs more food when your working out. I make it up with healthy choices like lean proteins and vegies.

Gundyfoefundy

In order to understand how your body sheds weight, you should probably understand how to monitor and adjust your caloric intake properly. First, it is important to know your RMR, or resting metabolic rate, to figure that out google search an RMR calculator. Your RMR determines the amount of calories your need to sustain your body for an entire day of just sitting around—this doesn't include working out. Mine, for example, is 1982 calories. Once you have your RMR you multiply that number by anywhere from 1.2 to 1.9 judging the amount of physical activity you participate in on a daily basis. Obviously 1.2 would be sedentary physical activity, and 1.9 would be that of intense physical activity. According to this my caloric intake should be around 2600 calories. In case you haven't caught on, this is how my fitness pal calculates your caloric needs. So, to answer your question, yes for the most part you should eat the calories you burned off. In order to properly shed weight you must sustain a good workout regimen and follow a good nutrition plan. By failing to eat the calories you burned you may shed weight faster, but your body will eventually breakdown. This could also lead to a relapse in dieting—aka you may end up finding yourself craving sweets. I'm telling you this from years of experience. If you want to drop weight you're going to have to establish that regimen, and STICK TO IT. Eventually the pounds will come off, and you will be in great condition both physically and mentally.

comiclady24

Thank you all so much!! You've all given me a lot to think about, and a lot to research.

Thanks again!!

:flowerforyou:

Emi_chan

I used to stick with a strictly 1200 calorie diet and then after exercise, I would net to about 800 calories a day. When I was eating that little, I didn't lose a pound. But this week, I've been eating about 1500-1700 calories a day and then after my workouts, I've been netting 1200 a day. And surprisingly, I lost nearly 2 lbs. So my advice is to be as close to 1200 as possible. Sometimes, I'm under but not by much - 1180 or so.

Hope this helps!

pghfan

I don't, but as I get closer to goal, or if I hit a plateau, I may give it a try. I am happy with my losses right now (about 2-2 1/2 pounds per week) and I started off with 40-50 to lose.

MyNameIsNotBob

I try to keep my net calories as close to 1200 as possible. Some days, I go a little over, and some days, I go a little under. But not by much. <100 cal. either way, usually. That means that on the days I have serious workouts, I can eat 1800 or 2000 calories instead of just 1200. If I could only eat 1200 calories every day, I'd be one sad puppy.

Bets527

Thank you for posting this, I get it now. :happy: