Eating exercise calories?

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Janie5605
Janie5605 Posts: 182 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im not convinced I'm burning as many calories as MFP says I am...so heres my question...should i stick to my original calorie goal and take whatever calories i burn as a bonus? or should i eat some of them? I've had enough trouble eating my goal calorie intake anyway I'm not sure I could boost it much.
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Replies

  • zml_mom
    zml_mom Posts: 270 Member
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    I have wondered this lately to,
    i usually never eat them back and have a hard time even eating 1200 a day
  • JeanWalker109
    JeanWalker109 Posts: 220
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    I say stick with your original feeling. If you have those "exercise calories" and then you feel hungrier than normal - I see them there as sort of a back-up. I don't know how others feel. That's just me. However, I don't really go off that. I try to stay within my "normal" range. It's really a personal choice, though.

    I hope that you find what works best for you & congratulations on the weight lost thus far. *high five*

    Jean
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    You should eat some of them until you can get a HRM and have a more accurate view of what you're really burning.
  • AnitaRC
    AnitaRC Posts: 5
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    Hi Janie - I wouldn't eat them - however if I was planning to attend a special event - I would make sure to excersice to give me some added calories without guilt or derailing my plan.
  • MissDwood
    MissDwood Posts: 108 Member
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    ladies there are several responses to your answer...try typing "eating back exercise calories" into the search under the message boards :)
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    If you're following MFP estimations, I would only eat half of them back. Otherwise, you run the risk of over-eating because for most, the estimations are too high. Get yourself a HRM asap though, and you'll be able to eat the correct amount of calories. As for boosting your intake, try higher calorie foods like peanut butter, nuts, bread, pasta, cereal, avocado, granola, beef, and eggs.
  • x3vanessaxo
    x3vanessaxo Posts: 23 Member
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    I'm SO glad you asked this, im having the same problem. If your supposed to burn more calories than u consume in order to lose weight, then why would u eat ur exercise calories? especially if you just worked your @$$ off in the gym! lol
    :)
  • dragonfly__
    dragonfly__ Posts: 172 Member
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    I eat them back if I am hungry and if I am not I don't.
  • akpow
    akpow Posts: 1
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    I say stick with your original feeling. If you have those "exercise calories" and then you feel hungrier than normal - I see them there as sort of a back-up. I don't know how others feel. That's just me. However, I don't really go off that. I try to stay within my "normal" range. It's really a personal choice, though.

    I hope that you find what works best for you & congratulations on the weight lost thus far. *high five*

    Jean

    I agree with this...I only use exercise calories if I need them. I usually don't eat them back and it's working well for me.
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I eat some back - depending on how hungry I am. Some days I don't feel I need them, other days I can't get enough food!! Overall I think I eat about half back over the course of the week.
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
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    I do not usually eat them back. I do have a HRM so I know how much I burned. If I am more hungry than normal, I might eat some, but usually I do not. I eat only the calories allowed during that day. I zig zag my calories so there are some days I have more food than others.
  • corgifan
    corgifan Posts: 155 Member
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    I pay attention to how I'm feeling. As a rule, you should never, ever dip below 1,200 calories in a day. That's even more important if you're exercising. Otherwise, just listen to your body. Don't eat just because MFP thinks you should. If you're focusing on eating healthy, fresh foods you'll probably be fine either way.

    You could try getting a HRM if you're really wanting to nail down how much you're burning. Do keep in mind though, that you should also be fairly precise with what you're eating. It's easy to underestimate bites and nibbles if you don't measure- especially if those bites and nibble are calorie dense foods that add up quickly (ie a nibble of a grape won't have much of an effect, but that tablespoon of cookie dough will.)
  • agrabau
    agrabau Posts: 35
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    I have been wondering the same thing! I am actually going to buy a HRM tomorrow so I can get a better idea of my actual calorie burn during exercise. That way I will definitely know where I am at. I usually eat about half of my exercise calories back to prevent myself from feeling deprived or hungry which helps me stay on track!
  • rdunke
    rdunke Posts: 14 Member
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    You should eat some of them until you can get a HRM and have a more accurate view of what you're really burning.

    And after you get an accurate view of calories burned using the HRM - don't forget to deduct your normal calorie burn ( non exercise) during the same amount of time. Then when entering your calories in MFP reduce the minutes exercised to match the calories burned as determined using a HRM.
  • Hirundo
    Hirundo Posts: 148 Member
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    I don't plan to eat them but if i'm hungry for a little extra or if i feel for a beer or a drink then i know i have the calories remaining for it ... I can indulge myself a bit without feeling too guilty ! ;)

    Though , i'd try to not eat more than half of them ...

    And, honnestly, most of the time, i don't eat them, i go to sleep lol ...
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    I'm SO glad you asked this, im having the same problem. If your supposed to burn more calories than u consume in order to lose weight, then why would u eat ur exercise calories? especially if you just worked your @$$ off in the gym! lol
    :)

    Because the calorie deficit is already factored in from the outset lol omg jfc
  • mandeiko
    mandeiko Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I refuse to eat my calories back. I worked hard to burn the fat, why put it back. :P That's just my thought about it.
  • Getting_Fit_4_Life
    Getting_Fit_4_Life Posts: 401 Member
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    I was struggling with this issue several weeks ago too. I started at 1200 calories daily, but then I would workout and burn about 400 calories daily. I thought I was doing fine by not eating back the calories. Well, I was losing weight initially, but then after about 3 weeks, I stopped losing and I actually gained 5 pounds back. I was frustrated because I felt like I was really eating well and working out like a mad woman. I didn't see the point in eating back my calories. But since I wasn't losing weight as before, I decided to give myself about 2 weeks to see what would happen if I upped my calories. I increased my caloried to 1350 and ate back SOME of my workout calories and to my amazement, I started losing weight again. I actually lost 3.6 pounds this week. I am still somewhat nervous about increasing my calories too much, but at least now I make sure that I don't go below 1200 calores NET. I understand that what works for me may not work for someone else, but I am so pleasantly suprise that this is working for me right now. I think you have to see what works for you too. :)

    If you plan to eat all of your exercise calories, I would suggest you invest in a HRM. I find that my HRM is more accurate for me.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    You should eat some of them until you can get a HRM and have a more accurate view of what you're really burning.

    And after you get an accurate view of calories burned using the HRM - don't forget to deduct your normal calorie burn ( non exercise) during the same amount of time. Then when entering your calories in MFP reduce the minutes exercised to match the calories burned as determined using a HRM.

    Uh, no. MFP takes into account the calories you burn during normal daily activity (which is why you specify if you're sedentary, lightly active, active, etc.). No need to subtract anything from your exercise calories.
  • mandeiko
    mandeiko Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I was struggling with this issue several weeks ago too. I started at 1200 calories daily, but then I would workout and burn about 400 calories daily. I thought I was doing fine by not eating back the calories. Well, I was losing weight initially, but then after about 3 weeks, I stopped losing and I actually gained 5 pounds back. I was frustrated because I felt like I was really eating well and working out like a mad woman. I didn't see the point in eating back my calories. But since I wasn't losing weight as before, I decided to give myself about 2 weeks to see what would happen if I upped my calories. I increased my caloried to 1350 and ate back SOME of my workout calories and to my amazement, I started losing weight again. I actually lost 3.6 pounds this week. I am still somewhat nervous about increasing my calories too much, but at least now I make sure that I don't go below 1200 calores NET. I understand that what works for me may not work for someone else, but I am so pleasantly suprise that this is working for me right now. I think you have to see what works for you too. :)

    If you plan to eat all of your exercise calories, I would suggest you invest in a HRM. I find that my HRM is more accurate for me.

    This is good to know!!

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