Exercise Calories

Hodar

lol... I just noticed MFP adds the exercise calories back to your daily intake. That is really not correct. I mean if you had a hard workout, 1000 calories burned, etc. ...if you ate it back, you wasted your time. The point of losing weight is to burn more than you take in...I don't like that feature. You should maintain the original calorie count, I would NOT eat them. You are just balancing if you do and will never lose the weight. Just remember to eat something like an hour before/after your workout and you will not be hungry. WATER WATER WATER is key!

MFP has you burning more calories than you take in. The exercise is NOT to burn additional calories, it's to tone your muscles so they don't atrophy. You body will burn fat as the last resort. Nothing is as high in protein as your muscles and connective tissue. It's easier for your body to rob your muscles and the connective tissue that holds the skin against your body - than it is to break down and digest food. So, by exercising you are telling your body "Hey, Body - I NEED those Musles, in fact, I need more of them - and the jarring means keep that connective tissue too".

If it were a matter of dropping calories - then you would be on a starvation diet. You've seen people who have starved, notice anything they all have in common? No muscles on their arms, pot-belly, stick-like legs. There is a reason for that. Muscles and connective tissue are the first places that the body hits for the extra calories.

By eating your calories back - or a good portion of them - you are giving your body the food source to keep, and build muscle and connective tissue. You will need and want that later on in your journey - unless you like the idea of a flabby mid-section. The MFP already has you operationg at a 3,500 calorie per week deficit (1 lb fat = 3,500 calories).

montana_girl

For me this is a lifestyle... and in my life, I Iove to eat. So yes, I eat my exercise calories.

And yes, I'm still losing weight.

brit49

Yes I eat most of it, last year I was skinny fat, at a size 2 5ft 5 I don't care if it take 6 months to lose 17 pounds. I will have a firmer body and not a flabby stomach. Who want to see that, I cant afford a tummy tuck.

llkilgore

NO! I worked hard to earn them, and it defeats the purpose of why I did them, which was to burn calories. Now, if there is a really special occasion or unavoidable reason to eat them back then maybe, but those reasons are very rare. I prefer to end my day with as many calories left over as possible and still feel satisfied and have gotten my minimum in!

Do you eat your exercise calories? It seems like alot of calories when you include them.

Nice to see someone who thinks as I do on this subject. We're not exercising so we can gorge ourselves with more food! Calories in, calories out people!

So you aren't exercising to tone your muscles, boost your metabolism, and improve your cardiovascular health? Why not forget the exercise then, and just go on a crash diet to maximize your deficit? It would amount to the same thing.

cheshirechic

I do, only because I have 10-15 lbs. more to lose (to get to my ultimate goal weight). It depends on how far you have to go.

tiffwhit16

I was eating almost all my exercise calories...but, that just results in maintaining your weight. Now I try to not eat the exercise calories at all. Sometimes I go just a little over my 1200 calories a day, but if I've got a lot of exercise calories still left then I don't feel so bad.

MoonIite

I maintained when I ate back all of my exercise calories. I'm short, 5'1", so I need less calories to maintain my weight. I try to create a daily deficit of 500 through diet and exercise. Whenever I exceed that number I eat back some of my exercise calories. I don't worry about netting 1200 cals.

Here is an example:

My sedentary burn is 1487. I burned 430 cals doing 48 minutes of Turbo Jam.
My calorie output would then become 1917 (1487 + 430). I want to lose 1 lb per week, which is 500 less calories.
So I subtract 500 from 1917 bringing it down to 1417. That number would be my calorie intake for the day.

mrk34

I don’t eat exercise calories back.

It doesn’t make any sense to me.

kathymfs

I do not eat my exxcercise calories. I am trying to get 20lbs off and it is not easy.if I eat my calories then why do the excersie.
I am not going to get ahead.

helenbeee

I agree there really is no point eating all your exercise calories back in terms of changing your lifestyle. What happens if you hurt yourself or your circumstances change and you are unable to exercise unfortunately the learnt and maintained habit of eating more is not going to go away easily it takes time to retrain yourself to eat less.

I like to think of those extras as just that sort of a savings account or insurance.....last night I had a blowout in my food diary I dont know how or why but I did I wasnt hungry I had eaten more than enough I was worried about something and fell into the old way of self medicating. The one consolation I had was the fact that I had in my calories savings account (I like to call it that) more than enough extras to cover the blowout. I didnt feel half as bad and therefore didnt beat myself up as I would have done. If you want save them up and use some of them for a special goal treat.

What we need to learn is to apply the same theory used with 'empty platers' (people who cannot leave food on their plate regardless of whether they feel full or not) Just because they are there we dont have to consume them to zero. They should be there to negate any little emergencies or special occasion that arises.

I have a wedding coming up at the end of the month so Ive already started saving calories for this occasion.