excercise calories

beachygirl

Hello, im fairly new on the site and I wondered what everyone does as far as the calories you earn from excercise? Do you eat them back or do you not? What has worked for you guys? im unsure what to do . Most days i burn an extra 500 on the treadmill but im unsure if i should be eating all the calories allowed/

baisleac

Your NET calories (on your home page) should be as close to the daily goal MFP set for you as possible.

Your REMAINING calories (on your homepage and food diary page) should be as close to zero as possible.

MFP builds in a deficit for you based on the information you gave it: height, weight, lifestyle, goal weight loss, etc.. All you need to do is follow the calorie goals it gives you.

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com - several links on the site worth reading

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/baisleac/view/eat-only-when-hungry-i-don-t-think-so-97672
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/231636-the-eating-when-you-re-not-hungry-dilemma
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works

Jalachri

I never ever eat my exercise calories! I feel if I want to lose then I should not eat them. I did on Easter and prob will on MOthers Day for my treat but that it

aneumany

you can if u want, u dont have to, the idea is the deficit, in order to loose the pounds, if ur hungry eat something, otherwise, dont.. like ive heard other people say, listen to your body and definately have a protein shake after every workout ,they help ur muscles recover (they'll also help u feel full) ...unless ur nearing the last few pounds to ur goal weight or have plateau'd, its not necessary

rshunk

I know most would disagree, but I do not usually eat back my exercise calories. A lot of days I have trouble just getting to my goal. Usually if I do eat any of them back, it is in the supplements I take before and after my workout. Everyone is different and you just have to find out what works best for your body! Best of luck to you and feel free to add me if you would like!

jellybaby84

It's up to you, many do, many don't.

I'd say eat them if you're hungry. If you're not hungry then 'bank them' is the phrase I believe.

I find I lose weight more quickly if I don't eat them (in fact I gain if I do!) but other people gain if they don't and lose if they do. Experiment and see what works for you.

The other thing to do is make sure you really are burning as much as you think you are. Otherwise, if you overestimate what you burn and eat the calories back you'll be overeating.

meadows654

MFP recommends that you do eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories so that you net 1200 because it's already giving you such a deficit with your food. What did MFP suggest for your daily calories? For example, if it says to eat 1300 and you exercise and burn an additional 500, you will have 1800 total you could eat. Just try not to go below 1200 net. In this example that would mean you'd have to eat 1700 calories that day to net out 1200. It gets trickier when people are only given 1200 for their daily goal, because they pretty much have to eat back all of their exercise calories. That's why some people on here rely on their HRMs so they get an accurate reading of calories burned during a workout. Remember, if you eat too little, your body will end up storing food instead of burning it!

beachygirl

Thank you guys so much for your reply!

JellyPrz619

I usually dont . Some days I burn almost an extra 1000! And ppl tell me I should eat them back cuz otherwise my body will go into starvation mode?? Iono not eating them is kinda working for mee so far.. I'm thinking of eating them back maybe twice a week just to do the "zig zag calories"

amyality

Ha! I was eating them back when I first started and lost only 2lb in a month. I just quit logging and things seem better. I don't feel hungry, just have to resist snacks after dinner. I am supposed to eat 1700 calories a day and I end up burning between 250 and 550 in exercise daily. Good luck to you.

mrk34

I don’t eat exercise calories back.

Consuming exercise calories on purpose doesn’t make any sense to me.

I don't create calorie deficit to waste it be eating additional calories.

chevy88grl

I eat them back. I've found that when I don't, I don't get enough calories and my body freaks out. When it freaks out - it starts to slowly gain weight. I know the calorie range which I have to hit in order to maintain my weight and I make sure I hit those goals.

Everyone is different and everyone's body responds differently. If what you are doing isn't working - don't be afraid to try new things - switch it up until you figure out what DOES work. Had I not had the courage to up my calories - I likely would have given up at 167lbs and just gained the weight back. I took a step and started messing with things until I hit on something that works. Do I think EVERYONE should eat 2200-2500 NET calories a day? Nope. But, I know it works for me. Less than 2200 and I slowly gain weight back.

spaingirl2011

I usually burn somewhere between 400-500 calories per workout and so I do try to eat a portion of those calories (maybe add about 100-150 calories) because I want to be able to maintain the level of energy I need to really hit the workouts and I've learned that my body stalls if it feels I'm working it too hard and not eating enough. The biggest lesson I've learned is that I do need to track the extra calories I eat and I can't eat them in ice cream .

Really, it's all about what works for you. If you're legitimately hungry, you should eat reasonable food. Don't make yourself hungry because of what numbers say. Experiment with what works for your body.