Do i need to eat all my extra exercise calories?

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tina2222
tina2222 Posts: 94
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering if i need to eat all the calories earned through exercise? Is it better to eat these or stick to the 1200 cals theat MFP allows me?
I am new to this site so any tips or tricks would help me alot! and feel free to add me as a friend - i like to see how everone else is going too, its great motivation feeling like im not doing this by myself :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    You should, the way mfp works. Personally, I don't force myself to eat them all, but say I earned back 200, I will probably eat something extra like a snack or something. I think my problem before was that I was working out too much and not eating enough. I've lost 22lbs since feb. I've been off and on my plan. Didn't lose any over the summer. But just recently lost between 6-8 sticking to mfp
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    check this site out, it will answer all your questions
  • velvetkat
    velvetkat Posts: 454 Member
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    I personally dont eat my exercise calories back. Ive also been here since Feb but I have lost 86 lbs and eat lots of fruits and veggies and limit my carbs, It works that way for some people and others eat theirs back and lose.
    The people in the know say that we all tend to underestimate calories by 40% and overestimate the calories we burn by 20% so i figure if that is true then I am already eating my exercise calories back basically.
    Try it one of the ways for a few weeks and if that doesnt work try another way.
    Its all what works for you! Dont let others tell you what to do.

    Good luck!
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  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/331769--do-i-eat-my-exercise-calories
  • Spitfirex007
    Spitfirex007 Posts: 749 Member
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    Everyone will have an opinion on if you should eat them or not. Some people will post links and tell you it's a fact you have to. Others will swear they are wrong! My best advice would to read what every links are posted. And experiment with eating them vs not eating them. And figure out what works best for you!

    I personally never eat mine unless I am hungry and want a late night snack. That works for me! Others, not so much. =)
  • tina2222
    tina2222 Posts: 94
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    Thanks for all your help! those links above are qjuite useful and i cant believe how fast the replies are on here :) i think i will try both ways (eating my exercise calories and then not eating them) and see how it goes. People have had great results both ways!

    SW:69kg
    CW:68kg
    GW:58kg
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
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    Yes, I think you should. That also seems to be the consensus on MFP, bar a few dissenters.

    If you're worried about putting weight on a result, you won't, as you can see in my blog (see link below)

    Cheers
  • MakingChange
    MakingChange Posts: 22
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    Hey tina2222,

    Thanks for posting this question, I've been really unsure about it as well.

    Is this goal to eat 1200 cal a day - and maintain this level by eating exercise cals, or a are you supposed to create as big a deficit as possible?

    Currently, I think I try to eat between 1200 - 1300 cals, but do enough exercise to burn at least 400 cals, leaving me with a total of around 900, is this effective to lose weight?? Is there a way to be even more effective??
  • MakingChange
    MakingChange Posts: 22
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    Wow, that's a lot of responses in the time it took me to write my question!
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
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    You'll stop losing weight if you dip below 1000/1200 NET calories on a regular basis. A well documented (on MFP) phenomenon called 'starvation mode. Again, see my blog (link below) if you're unconvinced or swayed by non-scientific opinion.
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
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    Everyone will have an opinion on if you should eat them or not. Some people will post links and tell you it's a fact you have to. Others will swear they are wrong! My best advice would to read what every links are posted. And experiment with eating them vs not eating them. And figure out what works best for you!

    I personally never eat mine unless I am hungry and want a late night snack. That works for me! Others, not so much. =)

    Very good advice!!
  • Eve1972
    Eve1972 Posts: 297
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    Play around and find out what works the best for YOU! ;)
  • evesacks
    evesacks Posts: 94 Member
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    Eat them if you are hungry!

    Don't eat them all if you feel eating them would be greed!

    I have always eaten some of them, I eat more of them now that I am at my target weight as I am hungrier, I guess because I don't have 50lbs of of fat stores anymore!

    And eat then on good food, IMO eating them back in chocolate or processed rubbish will lead to weight gain.
  • jovbaker
    jovbaker Posts: 11
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    this is all very well but how can you eat them back if you don't know how many you are burning?

    i cycle to and from work everyday (an hour each way with LOTS of hills) and some sites say this is 400 cals each way, others say over 1000!

    I tend to average about 14mph but go approx 8mph uphill and 18mph on the flat. There is no way of measuring this so do i eat back an extra 800 a day or 2000!!

    it a considerable difference.

    all advice sought...
  • tina2222
    tina2222 Posts: 94
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    hi jovbaker,
    Sorry i cant answer that question, i am just going by what the website says when i add it to my exercises. But i think there are HRMs that have calories burned included? and i think there are similar devices that ipods have that can connect to your nike shoes. however i think that is just for running.

    Hope this helps at least a little . .
  • 8rules
    8rules Posts: 169
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    Post in any internet forum and ask if you should drink mercury in your water and someone is going to come out and say yes.

    This is one of those topics.

    The plan presented is to eat your exercise calories. I would start with that and then adjust accordingly if you are not getting results.
  • liza001
    liza001 Posts: 77
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    Starvation mode ?

    I agree with all the above posts against having your exercise cals! 
    *I like the idea of consuming some of your cals if you're hungry 
    *I really liked the one about overestimating your workout cals and underestimating your consumed cals 

    I lost an average of 1lb a week from February -April I was not happy not losing 2lbs a week as I had in the past (younger) so from April to August I had my exercise cals and lost a grand total of 2lbs in 16weeks! I persevered because I wanted my metabolism to return to what it should...  2weeks ago I went back to my tried and true 1000 per day and maybe 100-200cals occasionally if I'm extra hungry and lost 4lbs the first week... Last week I haven't lost anything but I understand that and I tried to avoid using the scales as my master, hence why I could preserver for 6 weeks, believing that it must also be muscle.. Haha didn't put on THAT much muscle! Hahaha 

    I feel MFP promotes 1200 cals and starvation mode etc due to us humans eating so unhealthy ... If 1200 cals has cakes and junk food in it well yes, it's not good for you.. However if you're having balanced food eg: 5 veggies, 2 fruits, 1 protein and 5 carbs then I do not feel there's an issue with so called "starvation mode" if you were to eat balanced above foods there are no cals left for junk food... I feel this should be promoted more... Also rewarding the public with food for exercising is getting the public moving, which they may not be losing weight but moving especially if they have got to sweating is a great thing.

    I do like HSV's my HSV today is that I can hold my arms taught and giggle them without them flapping anymore! As of today! Yay...Hahaha funny but true! 
    My profile pic is my goal, I'm getting close... 

    Below is a couple of websites I found interesting... 

    http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267  

    http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html 
  • whisperingdragon
    whisperingdragon Posts: 334
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    Post in any internet forum and ask if you should drink mercury in your water and someone is going to come out and say yes.

    This is one of those topics.

    The plan presented is to eat your exercise calories. I would start with that and then adjust accordingly if you are not getting results.

    This!
  • liza001
    liza001 Posts: 77
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    I'm a biggest loser fan... They are on 1000-1200 cals a day and workout all day long ... Look at their losses each week, they do not eat back their exercise cals and they are so fabulously heathy at grand final...

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