Don't eat your exercise calories

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  • ingeh
    ingeh Posts: 513 Member
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    I didnt eat my exercise cals back for 2 weeks and didnt lose (was netting around 700cals a day after exercise) and when I upped my cals to 1,300cal a day and ate back my exercise cals then I started to lose again. Just lost 2lbs in my first week of doing it this way. So for me eating them back is good and helps as your already defient without exercise taking away calories so you have to get back up to your minimum goal
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
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    To those people who claim they maintain or gain weight when they eat their exercise cals back - then you are DOING IT WRONG! The law of thermodynamics will not allow you to gain weight when you ate a deficit (and MFP already has you eating at a deficit BEFORE you exercise). You are either thinking you worked out more than you did, or logging less than you ate. If you understand this and don't exercise to create an even larger deficit (and understand the consequences this might have) then whatever, do your thing.

    I was anorexic for 2 years in high school, and I ate about 500 cals a day, sometimes less. If you are eating 1200 a day and NOT eating back the 400, 500 you burn - you essentially have a restrictive eating disorder, which I can tell you, is not actually a healthy OR fast way to lose weight in the long run. You'll be flabby from muscle loss and put it all back on if you don't keep up the restriction forever.

    Okay sorry... this topic really rustles my jimmies =S

    Different things work for different people and obviously there are exceptions but... if you don't see something wrong with eating 500 cals a day then there's a problem.
  • mroger801
    mroger801 Posts: 91
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    I checked with my physician about logging exercise calories and eating them back. She suggested not logging exercise because the calories burned during exercise are bonus weight loss. So far, I've loss 54 pounds in 4 months by not logging exercise and not eating back exercise calories.

    Ultimately, everyone is different and you should check with a physician before you make your decision. At least your physician knows your body (unlike me and everyone else on here).
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    I eat back 75% to 100%of my exercise calories and have been successful so far. However, because my calorie goal right now is 1640 because I am bigger and am only trying to loose one lb a week. If I don't eat 100 or 200 calories back, I am still not in starvation mode.
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
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    I found when I added my exercise to MFP and had the extra calories "allowable" I would just eat them because I was allowed. I find now that I don't eat my exercise calories (so I don't put my exercise into the diary) I manage perfectly find on my calorie allowance.

    Just goes to show the power of the mind.

    Try it and see how you go! If you're anything like me I can "allow" myself anything and try to justify it, so I don't need MFP telling me I can have those extra calories if I exercise...

    Eat them or don't it really is up to you, it's your body. Don't think bad of those of us who do eat them though.
  • msrobinson77
    msrobinson77 Posts: 177
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    I usually don't eat mine unless I'm hungry. If I do I try nit to eat over half but usually I don't log my exercise so I don't see those calories



    LMAO @ your profile pic:bigsmile:
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
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    Those were not allowed calories. Those were required calories by the internet police for you to consume.
    lol@your siggy
  • Bluestar083
    Bluestar083 Posts: 146
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    To those people who claim they maintain or gain weight when they eat their exercise cals back - then you are DOING IT WRONG! The law of thermodynamics will not allow you to gain weight when you ate a deficit (and MFP already has you eating at a deficit BEFORE you exercise). You are either thinking you worked out more than you did, or logging less than you ate. If you understand this and don't exercise to create an even larger deficit (and understand the consequences this might have) then whatever, do your thing.

    I was anorexic for 2 years in high school, and I ate about 500 cals a day, sometimes less. If you are eating 1200 a day and NOT eating back the 400, 500 you burn - you essentially have a restrictive eating disorder, which I can tell you, is not actually a healthy OR fast way to lose weight in the long run. You'll be flabby from muscle loss and put it all back on if you don't keep up the restriction forever.

    Okay sorry... this topic really rustles my jimmies =S

    Different things work for different people and obviously there are exceptions but... if you don't see something wrong with eating 500 cals a day then there's a problem.

    Yup-this!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I checked with my physician about logging exercise calories and eating them back. She suggested not logging exercise because the calories burned during exercise are bonus weight loss. So far, I've loss 54 pounds in 4 months by not logging exercise and not eating back exercise calories.

    Ultimately, everyone is different and you should check with a physician before you make your decision. At least your physician knows your body (unlike me and everyone else on here).

    It's as much a fact that everyone COUNTS differently as it is "everyone is different".
  • kat_renee
    kat_renee Posts: 131 Member
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    I too was eating the extra cals given to me by my workouts. It put my losing at a standstill. So now, I don't put in my workouts until after my daily food log is complete and only eat cals before workout.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    So the OP joined in April and her one contribution to the message board is this? And according to their ticker, haven't lost a single pound in four months. Interesting.

    Obvious troll is obvious.
  • MrsGriffin67
    MrsGriffin67 Posts: 485 Member
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    I checked with my physician about logging exercise calories and eating them back. She suggested not logging exercise because the calories burned during exercise are bonus weight loss. So far, I've loss 54 pounds in 4 months by not logging exercise and not eating back exercise calories.

    Ultimately, everyone is different and you should check with a physician before you make your decision. At least your physician knows your body (unlike me and everyone else on here).

    My doctor also told me not eat back my exercise calories. I was only burning about 200 a day. I was thinking about going to see him again since I've really bumped up my burn (about 600/day 3x/wk). As you said, check with your physician, they know your body the best.
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    How many of people who vote for eat have been successful, I mean reached their goals? and how many of those who vote for nay? i was just curious...
    "It works for me so far" is not quite convincing, just yet.

    I've always eaten back my exercise calories, and even upped my overall daily calories by upping my activity level setting on MFP. When my calories were too low overall (1,290 was my setting for a while), I plateaued for 6 weeks. As soon as I upped my daily calories, upped my protein %age, and continued to eat back my exercise calories, I broke the plateau and kept losing. Plus, I'm at a time in my life where I'm not fighting myself -- I want to make this a lifestyle choice, not a "restriction period". I can maintain what I'm doing now forever.

    Another note: I work out hard every time I work out -- and I agree w/the poster who said that without that fuel, she feels tired, hungry, and can't perform like she wants to during her workouts. If you've got muscle to fuel, and hard workouts to get through, you need FOOD. Period.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I drink mine. Exercise calories = wine.
  • celticmuse
    celticmuse Posts: 492 Member
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    LOVE IT!!!
    You know what happens when you don't eat your exercise calories, don't you?

    kitten_die-300x280.jpg
  • jloncz
    jloncz Posts: 3
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    LIKE!!!
  • nikkif87
    nikkif87 Posts: 193 Member
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    I normally eat some of my exercise calories, but never even close to all of them. Everyone should just do what works for them and rock it!
  • AimingHighWeighingLow
    AimingHighWeighingLow Posts: 192 Member
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    I don't think I have eaten all my exercise calories. In fact I try to make a rule never too. I want to weigh less not eat more. My way has so far worked for me. Once it doesn't of course I would review things or just not exercise lol (KIDDING!!!)
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    First there are many ways to lose weight and some of the "eat them back" guys like Taso are my good friends here.
    But I agree with the OP.

    My feeling is, if you're going to eat back the exercise calories what the point of exercising? To eat more or burn fat? To me I see it as a wash if you eat them back. Personally, I'm lazy I would just rather eat less and not exercise.

    Now if your goal is maintenance then I think it's a great idea to eat them back, but if the goal is to burn fat, then no way.

    Starvation mode is not understood much at all. It's not going to kick in after one, two, or even several days. The decline is gradual and is typically a problem after weeks.

    This is why I incorporate Spike Day's, if I have a day each week where I eat a calorie surplus, then my body can't go into starvation mode. How can it be starving if I store energy?

    Also the energy I store is not bodyfat, it's glycogen. Since with a surplus, glycogen is stored first! Because it's heavily depleted while I'm dieting, and short-term energy is a higher priority then long-term (bodyfat) energy storage.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    First there are many ways to lose weight and some of the "eat them back" guys like Taso are my good friends here.
    But I agree with the OP.

    My feeling is, if you're going to eat back the exercise calories what the point of exercising? To eat more or burn fat? To me I see it as a wash if you eat them back. Personally, I'm lazy I would just rather eat less and not exercise.

    Now if your goal is maintenance then I think it's a great idea to eat them back, but if the goal is to burn fat, then no way.

    Starvation mode is not understood much at all. It's not going to kick in after one, two, or even several days. The decline is gradual and is typically a problem after weeks.

    This is why I incorporate Spike Day's, if I have a day each week where I eat a calorie surplus, then my body can't go into starvation mode. How can it be starving if I store energy?

    Also the energy I store is not bodyfat, it's glycogen. Since with a surplus glycogen is stored first because it's heavily depleted while I'm dieting, and short-term energy is a higher priority then long-term (bodyfat) energy storage.

    I agree Russ. To many times I think exercise calories burnt gets highly exaggerated and it turns into an excuse to eat more. Only when massive amounts of calories are burned on top of a huge deficit should some exercise calories be eaten.

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