Anyone else annoyed?

KimmyEB

I was just discussing this subject at dinner tonight. To me, the idea of eating back exercise calories is insane. The only time I've really felt it was okay to do, was on my birthday (sorry, I LOVE Cheesecake Factory...not gonna give up my 1 slice of chocolate raspberry cheesecake a year ). Or, if your body is genuinely hungry, then I'd say listen to it, and eat something. And by genuinely hungry, I don't mean "I walked past the bakery section at the grocery store, saw the cake, and just had to have it." That's how I used to be. I've learned to determine when I'm really hungry, and when it's just seeing sweets and craving them.

It never annoys me when people ask about them, because honestly, up until tonight, I was very confused about the subject, too. But yeah, it definitely annoys me when I see people saying "YOU MUST EAT THEM BACK! YOUR BODY WILL STARVE!" Forcing yourself to eat something when you're not hungry just seems stupid to me.

kylee_marie

if people post a question on here, i am assuming it is to get a response... however someone chooses to answer that question is up to them. if you don;t want opinions, don't ask the question. every person is different and you have to play around with what works for you. me personally, if i am hungry, i eat them back, if not, i dont... i just listen to my body.

PJS323

I'm not annoyed that people ask. I get that a lot of people on here are looking for help or suggestions. My issue is with those that tell others that if they DON'T, then they are asking for trouble, or they will not end up being successful. I have asked questions myself, I would never fault anyone for that. I've read numerous threads where members have made it a point to say that it's dangerous & wrong to not eat them back. That is what I find annoying.

jg627

It seems a little backwards to me to 'eat back' your calories after exercise. If you're going to use calories as energy in the gym, then what are they doing still sitting in the fridge next to the milk? I go to the gym in the evenings. On my strength training days I do eat more calories than my off days, but I do it in the morning so the stuff I eat has time to find it's way through my digestive track and into my bloodstream so that I have the energy to push weight when I hit the gym.

millerll

Here's my take on this, for what it's worth.

When you're very obese, you can afford to carry a much larger calorie deficit. Hence, the success on the Biggest Loser, etc. However, as you get leaner and closer to an optimum body fat percentage, you should increase your caloric intake by eating most of your exercise calories.

If you don't eat them, will you still lose weight? Probably. But you will most likely be losing muscle mass and not fat, which is not what most people want. And some people do stop losing altogether. Also, if you're exercising, it's hard to get enough nutrients (not the same thing as calories) when you're in a large deficit.

I highly recommend folks search the forums for posts concerning guides to calorie deficits. There are many written by very knowledgable people who actually have university degrees in nutrition, sports medicine, etc., and they explain it better than I can. Whatever you decide is best for you, at least make it an informed decision. Good luck!

CaptainMFP

As one of those people who advocate this (I am a biology professor; I teach cell biology and physiology, so my knowledge is based on professional experience), I'm targeting comments to people who are on plateaus and who have relatively little weight to lose. The people I find most worried about whether or not to eat exercise calories are people are either (1) on a plateau or (2) trying to lose relatively small amounts of weight while doing extreme amounts of exercise. In both of these cases, people would be well-advised to eat more to fuel their metabolism. As a couple folks above have rightly pointed out, people with bigger weight loss needs (i.e. legitimately need to lose 50+ lbs.) can definitely get away with bigger calorie deficits, but once metabolism stabilizes, you need MORE of something to jump start it. Based on information many folks provide, they are pushing the limits of cardio and strength training; they cannot do more safely so their best option is increasing calories. (And I don't mean gratuitously. Nutritious calories!) Running a big enough calorie deficit long term CAN genuinely be dangerous depending on your percent body fat and overall physical activity, and people should have this knowledge in making a decision about what is best for them. While each weight loss journey is unique, the basic function of cells and the basic rules of metabolism really don't vary that much from person to person. There is a lot of bad information on the internet (more bad than good where science is concerned) and not all opinions are created equal. Can many people lose safely without increasing caloric intake? Sure, and if you're one of them, more power to you. But the majority of people who struggle with weight loss do so because either they are not watching what they are eating carefully enough or they are simply not eating enough. My two cents.

JennsLosing

i think different things work for different people. Myself, i eat them when im hungry, i dont eat them when im not hungry. Simple as that.