why you should eat your exercise calories ( for dummies)

kennie2

when you work out you burn fat. its just measured in calories as you're releasing energy.
you should always eat back your exercise calories to replace the fuel.

so its like a car.
you give it petrol. it runs. then it needs more energy but the tires get worn out
so
you eat which gives you fuel. exercise. then you need to refuel to keep running. but over time you are burning fat!

i hope this has made things simpler.

Solat37_Neil

So when we eat we're replacing tyres, or refuelling?

kennie2

refuling.

papastu

i'll stick to only eating back after major exercise, seems pointless if burning off 200 cals to eat it back, seems to be working fine for me thanks

minadeathclutch

yeah that makes no sense. you don't want to spend a certain amount of time to burn 300 calories. then eat it all back. you should ofcourse eat SOME of them back. our bodies are much more complex than putting gas into a vehicle.

kcavities

"should" is such an inappropriate word in this context.

i gain weight when i eat back my "exercise calories" in whole. i maintain my weight when i eat back some (half) of them. i lose weight when i don't eat any of them.

fat fuels the body. if one has an excess of fat, the body will also use that. and, as you said, burned fat is measured in calories. if you already have calories to expend, why eat more?

that's not exactly a rhetorical question--but one for each individual to consider. i'll venture to conclude my little contribution by asserting that everyone is different--everyone's BODY is different--and so for SOME individuals, net intake should not necessarily be the focus of their diets.

some people have success doing what you suggest; others do not (among them, myself).
it's not black and white.

funkyspunky871

www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

sexforjaffacakes

best way to lose weight is calorie defecit - you don't need to eat back exersize calories, kinda defeats the purpose of burning them off realy doesn't it?

Rae6503

A better way to think of it, I think, is: To lose weight you have to create a calorie deficit. That is you have to burn more than you eat (cars can't burn more gas than they have). If you have your MFP set up to loose weight you are already creating calorie deficits every day. If you work out and don't eat the calories you are creating an even bigger calorie deficit and sometimes it can be too big which causes plateaus and "starvation mode".

SarahofTwins

I always say "to each their own". Everyone is different in their methods of losing...don't fix something that isn't broken. I eat about a quarter of those exercise cals and still lose after 4 months

kennie2

this post did say for dummies. meaning people you havent worked out what works best for them and then they go and have a net of 600 or whatever. just helping them out. if you found something that works for you thats great. but chances are it'll just put beginners in an unhealthy state.

skinnyinnotime

this post did say for dummies. meaning people you havent worked out what works best for them and then they go and have a net of 600 or whatever. just helping them out. if you found something that works for you thats great. but chances are it'll just put beginners in an unhealthy state.

You're not helping anyone out by calling people dummies, you're being rude.

jeffpettis

I'm confused, where do the tires fit in???

dad106

this post did say for dummies. meaning people you havent worked out what works best for them and then they go and have a net of 600 or whatever. just helping them out. if you found something that works for you thats great. but chances are it'll just put beginners in an unhealthy state.

You're not helping anyone out by calling people dummies, you're being rude.

Guss we're not allowed to express how we feel.. only the OP is.

With that being said..

A lot of people starting out may eat their calories then wonder why their not losing weight, so in my opinion it's better off to start out not eating them and then adjust as needed.

macenro

http://isitchristmas.com/

suzannekatherine

My assumption has always been that, besides increasing muscle mass and thus making it easier to burn fat in general (higher metabolism), that exercising was pointless, anyway. I have lost significant (for me) amounts of weight (possibly quicker and more easily) doing pretty much no exercise or not changing my usual routine. It seems to me that the only reason to exercise is to allow yourself to eat more and not feel so hungry all the time (deprived.)
That said, I seem to be gaining body fat having added more exercise to my life and trying to eat back my calories. But, that could just be that I have wrecked my metabolism with all the low calorie eating I've been doing over the last several years. I tell you what. I am so sick of this mind game roller coaster that is trying to manage my body's steel trap fat storage system. Come on, science. Get on the ball with gene therapy (or whatever)!!

korygilliam

If you don't think you should eat back your calories, this is just one of the many posts explaining why you should.

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

For those of you that gain when you eat your calories, it is because, per the makers of the site, it is because you are in starvation mode and you will gain or not lose for a week or more because of your body having to realize that you aren't starving. You can either do this now, and be able to be healthier while you lose, or you will have to do it after you quit or reach your goal...


I didn't think it was correct either, until I read the posts and read the FYI's of the site by the people that developed the site.

kalelwifey

lol ...so pointless to argue this people....Its about what your body allowwssss....some people it works for..soem ti doesnt...No one is ness ..a dummy or wrong.....if you doing one and it aint working for u..try the others..and i dont mean half assing one..but then complaining about it not working..i mean ..actually doing ittt


You eat your calories back..and you lose weight..then shid...lol keep it up


You eat your calories back and you maintain or gain..then dontttt keep eating em backk.....


Dadgumm people lol i swear peopel argue this point every other minute how bout..ask ur doctor and see what he or she says ....

kennie2

this post did say for dummies. meaning people you havent worked out what works best for them and then they go and have a net of 600 or whatever. just helping them out. if you found something that works for you thats great. but chances are it'll just put beginners in an unhealthy state.

You're not helping anyone out by calling people dummies, you're being rude.

so the guy that created all the for dummies books is being rude? thats why his books have been so successful. that explains it

funkyspunky871

best way to lose weight is calorie defecit - you don't need to eat back exersize calories, kinda defeats the purpose of burning them off realy doesn't it?

No. You already have a deficit built it. If you don't eat them back, you run the risk of damaging your body, metabolism, and mental health. You don't need a HUGE calorie deficit every day. It's not healthy and will do more harm than good in the long run.

Simple math here people. I was a sophomore in high school when I signed up for MFP. I understood the concept of NET calories the very first day, without anybody ever explaining them to me.

Larius

best way to lose weight is calorie defecit - you don't need to eat back exersize calories, kinda defeats the purpose of burning them off realy doesn't it?

Emphatic no. Below a certain caloric intake your metabolism drops and you burn less calories every minute of every day.