What's the point?

britterbrittney

I see it ALL over here..and I personally don't do it.

I talked to my personal trainer about it, and she also told me I do not need to.

Exercise Calories. The point of exercising is to burn calories and become more physically fit. So, going with the burning calories idea. It takes eating 3500 calories to gain a good ol' lb and it takes working off 3500 to lose one. So, if I'm trying to lose weight, in my lil head, it doesn't make sense to eat them back. I eat my (try to) calories for the day. I looked at those calories as what I need to survive. I go to the gym to burn calories so I can lose some poundage, not to eat more food. However, I think if my body is telling me I need more energy (calories) I will eat some, because I think my body knows best.

Ahh. Okay, so I'm just looking for thoughts and what people think about this. Or why you choose to eat or not eat your exercise calories.

Just a friendly discussion will do.

ladyhawk00

Has to do with how MFP is designed.

Should help to read these:

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/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

bry_all01

my trainer also says not to, as well, but then again, I'm counting protein intake, not calories.

DanaKinzer

I try to eat back some of my exercise calories, but not all of them. If I don't eat back some of them then I will be absolutely ravenous the next day. A very long time ago, I had an issue with keeping weight on and had to learn to eat when my body said it was hungry. So now, if my body says 'feed me', I do it. If I am ravenous the day after a work out, I wind up undoing all of the hard work from the day before.

However, I don't eat them all back because I use the websites estimates for calories burned. Without a heart rate monitor, that is only an estimate. It could be accurate, could be over or could be lower. So eating back my exercise calories could set me up for failure.

I find that the way I do it is a nice compromise.

joehempel

I see it ALL over here..and I personally don't do it.

I talked to my personal trainer about it, and she also told me I do not need to.

Exercise Calories. The point of exercising is to burn calories and become more physically fit. So, going with the burning calories idea. It takes eating 3500 calories to gain a good ol' lb and it takes working off 3500 to lose one. So, if I'm trying to lose weight, in my lil head, it doesn't make sense to eat them back. I eat my (try to) calories for the day. I looked at those calories as what I need to survive. I go to the gym to burn calories so I can lose some poundage, not to eat more food. However, I think if my body is telling me I need more energy (calories) I will eat some, because I think my body knows best.

Ahh. Okay, so I'm just looking for thoughts and what people think about this. Or why you choose to eat or not eat your exercise calories.

Just a friendly discussion will do.

Don't eat them back in my opinion....I try not to. The way it was explained to me was your body is like a gas tank.

You wake up...you eat...you fill it up....you use energy...you eat....you gain more.. The body becomes more adept and efficient at burning. You go to bed, and when you wake up at a deficit you eat again.

As long as you are eating every couple hours then you're good to go...it works for me! I'm not dead tired, crashing, exhausted, whatever, and I've been doing it for the past couple months.

papastu

im 100% with you britterbrittney, my trainer said the same.

Just watch the response you get, love the post


Stu

Jojobeth

I see it ALL over here..and I personally don't do it.

I talked to my personal trainer about it, and she also told me I do not need to.

Exercise Calories. The point of exercising is to burn calories and become more physically fit. So, going with the burning calories idea. It takes eating 3500 calories to gain a good ol' lb and it takes working off 3500 to lose one. So, if I'm trying to lose weight, in my lil head, it doesn't make sense to eat them back. I eat my (try to) calories for the day. I looked at those calories as what I need to survive. I go to the gym to burn calories so I can lose some poundage, not to eat more food. However, I think if my body is telling me I need more energy (calories) I will eat some, because I think my body knows best.

Ahh. Okay, so I'm just looking for thoughts and what people think about this. Or why you choose to eat or not eat your exercise calories.

Just a friendly discussion will do.

I pretty much feel the same way! I feel satisfied with the calories I am given everyday w/out exercise calories. It would be hard for me to eat my exercise calories too...I would feel like I am eating too much!

AZTrailRunner

I suppose it comes down to how many cals you plan on eating and how many you plan on burning.

Simple scenario to ask your trainer.

I am supposed to eat 1800 cals per day. On my last hilly mountain run I burned over 1500 calories. At the end of the day I would've netted only 300 calories. Ask your trainer if that is a healthy amount of calories to support basic bodily functions.

chevy88grl

In most cases, no.. you shouldn't eat them back. BUT, MFP is designed differently. I see someone else posted links as to how this website works. I would definitely read them.

I DO eat my exercise calories back. When I don't, my body turns into a grump and starts to gain weight. I know that I HAVE to net 2200-2500 calories a day in order to maintain my weight. If I go below that for a couple of days, I WILL see a weight gain within a week. Guaranteed.

Do what works for you - but if you stop losing -- consider eating them back for a few weeks to see what happens. Remember that you HAVE to eat to lose. You have to fuel your body.

britterbrittney

I suppose it comes down to how many cals you plan on eating and how many you plan on burning.

Simple scenario to ask your trainer.

I am supposed to eat 1800 cals per day. On my last hilly mountain run I burned over 1500 calories. At the end of the day I would've netted only 300 calories. Ask your trainer if that is a healthy amount of calories to support basic bodily functions.

Great scenerio...I would assume I would need to eat more. Shoot, I would probably want to eat more after exercising like that!

NikkisNewStart

I just burned 300 calories beating a dead horse... and you better believe I eat them back. Works for me.

yeahfatty

i don't eat them .. i tried that one week & didn't gain ..but didn't lose either ..eehh, kind of counter-productive in my book then.

chevy88grl

i don't eat them .. i tried that one week & didn't gain ..but didn't lose either ..eehh, kind of counter-productive in my book then.

One week, as a rule, isn't enough time for your body to adapt to change. You have to give it more like 2-3 weeks in order for it to adjust to what you're doing.

AshDHart

I suppose it comes down to how many cals you plan on eating and how many you plan on burning.

Simple scenario to ask your trainer.

I am supposed to eat 1800 cals per day. On my last hilly mountain run I burned over 1500 calories. At the end of the day I would've netted only 300 calories. Ask your trainer if that is a healthy amount of calories to support basic bodily functions.

^This! It's simple math.

yeahfatty

i don't eat them .. i tried that one week & didn't gain ..but didn't lose either ..eehh, kind of counter-productive in my book then.

One week, as a rule, isn't enough time for your body to adapt to change. You have to give it more like 2-3 weeks in order for it to adjust to what you're doing.

well i'm losing all the other weeks so i don't really see the point in changing things up if it's working out just fine.

sure if i start gaining, i stop losing or something .. i'll try to change it up .. but why fix what isn't broken right? (:

jmore85

I dont eat mine back, defeats the purpose in my mind too. Lots of people say they do , but I figure, I am trying to push my body to use it up its STORED calories, why would i give it extra calories for the workout. Also, I think if you eat back your calories you can end up doing things like eating at the end of the day, when really, we dont need to eat before we go to sleep.

yeahfatty

i don't eat them .. i tried that one week & didn't gain ..but didn't lose either ..eehh, kind of counter-productive in my book then.

One week, as a rule, isn't enough time for your body to adapt to change. You have to give it more like 2-3 weeks in order for it to adjust to what you're doing.

well i'm losing all the other weeks so i don't really see the point in changing things up if it's working out just fine.

sure if i start gaining, i stop losing or something .. i'll try to change it up .. but why fix what isn't broken right? (:

that being said .. i'm still kind of taking it easy on exercise .. i never burn more than 700 MAX .. which never takes me under the 1200 cal limit .. seeing as my daily intake is 2080 cals. (:

funkyspunky871

Elleinnz

Great post I just read - well worth looking at - and very similar to my experience...... to start with I did not eat them.... over time weightloss slowed to less than half a kg (1lb) per week .....- started eating them - back to 1kg (2.2lbs) per week average loss...:-)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/295140-my-hopefully-interesting-experience-with-exercise-calories

xraychick77

its mosty personal preference. certainly there is no medical need to eat back. Unless you are going to extremes, like burning thousands of cals a day. but then whats the point of doing that unless you just really want a cheesecake. really you are correct in saying what is the point of exercising if you are going to eat back? i know a lot of people say it keeps your metabolism going blah blah. but in reality, your RMR is what it is and exercising a few times a week will not change it. even endurance athletes RMR's dont really change. and your metabolism is what it is. there is a lot of talk about foods and such that boost your metabolism..this is untrue..all anything food can do is cause you to burn a tiny bit more calories than other foods. its called the thermonic effect of food.

you burn cals from exercise and just daily living. i know people use the whole your body is a furance thing and you need to fuel it to keep going..yes and that analogy is often misused into you need to eat to BURN calories or keep your metab going. your metabolism goes all day and night it never stops, it doesnt go into starvation mode or any of those other myths.

its phisiologically impossible to gain weight on a calorie deficit. most causes and reasons people swear they gain weight when they eat less are things like water or bloating, bowel contents which accounts for maybe 5lbs but is not representative of body fat%. or they arent being honest with the amount of cals they are eating.

omid990

the concept eating exercise calories is all based on the numbers game:

Lets say i need to eat 2000 calories to maintain my weight.

A pound is 3500 calories so if i want to lose a pound a week, i need to have a 500 calories deficit (500x7=3500).

so then, the number given to me to eat is 1500.

Now, if i exercise and burn 300 calories. This puts me at a deficit of 800 calories for the day. if i eat the 300 back, then i still have the original deficit of 500.

if you normally eat 1200 calories, burn 300, then you're at a 900 calorie deficit. many people cannot sustain themselves on only 900 calories a day.

now of course this is an extreme simplification and nothing is this neat or clean, but eating exercise calories is reducing weight loss to calories in vs calories out.

SassyStef

I think this is a huge stress for many plp, honestly I have done it all ways possible lol my trainer says to eat back about 85% which works for me. I started out not eating them back and lost about 7lbs, then I went to eating them and lost 20lbs, now I am on a new track that I eat when my body tells me and I have lost another 3lbs, I am pretty close to my goal too . I dont work out as hard and I am geared more towards muscle gain now so I am not as worried about the totally calories in and out.

Basically I think doing what you feel is best is good, but for goodness sakes I say EAT!! LOL

SKP1986

If I am hungry, I eat. If I am not hungry, I don't eat. I'm not going to starve myself and I'm not going to stuff myself.

I, too, think the body knows best and I am going to start listening to it.

omid990

I just burned 300 calories beating a dead horse... and you better believe I eat them back. Works for me.

:laugh:

Jennplus2

If I eat 1200 calories and do my normal workout my day would look like this...1200-950=250 left to fuel my body ALL day. After a while doing this everyday, because I don't have a huge amount to lose, my body will start to freak and think I don't have enough food. The point is to get at least 1200 to fuel your body to walk to the car, breath, cook dinner, you get the point. If you eat 1500 calories and only burn 300 per day by all means skip eating them back but don't think that if you go as low as you can on calories you will lose faster.

camy_chick

i usually don't eat mine back. i just use them as a backer, in case i WANT to splurge a little bit. it's nice to have that buffer there.

cheshirechic

I use MFP to create a 500 cal deficit built into my daily calorie intake, so I always eat back my exercise calories. I try to net the number MFP has set for me. It's not because I trust the all-knowing MFP robots behind the curtain, but that I know that I have a tendency to overdo things, and it becomes a slippery slope if I don't have a stable program to keep me in check. So, if I started having a deficit of 100 at the end of each day (in addition to the 500 auto), the next day I'd shoot for 150. Then 200. I used to find under-eating addictive, and that's not healthy. I also know that by eating a set, reduced, but still healthy number (enough for my body to properly function on), I still lose. But I have to eat my exercise cals to do this. It seems counterintuitive, but it's not, since MFP builds in that deficit. When I wouldn't eat enough, I stopped losing weight. Now I eat to lose, not live to eat, haha.

(Obvi, this is just what works for me. I can only speak from my own experience.)

Also, speaking to the masses, your deficit and whether you eat your exercise calories back depends on where you are compared to your goal. I've read that if you have a lot to lose, it's fine to not eat those exercise cals back. If you're closer to your goal weight, you have to be more careful about maintaining enough calories IN so your body knows it's ok to still let go of that poundage.

westcoastSW

The closer you are to your goal weight, the more of a difference it makes. When you have 200 pounds to lose, you can afford not to eat back every exercise calorie. But when you're trying to lose, say, 15 pounds, your body is functioning differently and your metabolism is much more sensitive to small numbers of calories.

AZTrailRunner

The closer you are to your goal weight, the more of a difference it makes. When you have 200 pounds to lose, you can afford not to eat back every exercise calorie. But when you're trying to lose, say, 15 pounds, your body is functioning differently and your metabolism is much more sensitive to small numbers of calories.

^^^ THAT!

britterbrittney

I also work a wacky schedule 5pm - 3am. I work out at 3-330am when I get out of work for about an hour (typically burn 400-700 cals) I go home, have my protein shake. Relax and I'm in bed by 5-6am. So there isn't anywhere for me to add those calories in.

britterbrittney

The closer you are to your goal weight, the more of a difference it makes. When you have 200 pounds to lose, you can afford not to eat back every exercise calorie. But when you're trying to lose, say, 15 pounds, your body is functioning differently and your metabolism is much more sensitive to small numbers of calories.

^^^ THAT!

This is what I was thinking too...