Eating Exercise Calories? - I'm not 100% convinced.

Options
2

Replies

  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    Options
    I NEVER eat my exercise calories, but I'm on a strict training program right now for my sport.... I think I would feel extremely cheated after I work as hard as I do to throw away my workouts.

    ?????

    You're training for a sport and you value your workouts only for the calorie burn?
  • Cooriander
    Cooriander Posts: 2,848 Member
    Options
    I don't - and I don't think it makes a difference. The concept doesn't make sense to me, and it is too complicated for my brain on a diet to comprehend ---> BUT maybe if I get stuck on a plateau and my peak day doesn't take care of bumping me out of it - I will reconsider.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    Options
    some days i eat all of my exercise calories. some days i eat half, some days i dont eat any...it just depends on if im hungry or not. i try to net 1200 at the very least, but sometimes (ok rarely) i dont. its just one day and in the long run wont make THAT big of a difference. i definitely dont feel like im cheating myself or undoing all my exercise.
  • dreambig_gohome
    dreambig_gohome Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    I NEVER eat my exercise calories, but I'm on a strict training program right now for my sport.... I think I would feel extremely cheated after I work as hard as I do to throw away my workouts.

    ?????

    You're training for a sport and you value your workouts only for the calorie burn?

    Well, no, I didnt mean for it to come off that way. Let me reiterate that I'm training to reach my peak physical condition through strengthening and stamina building, as well as muscle control and coordination exercises and core strengthening.
  • StrawberrySuzyQ
    StrawberrySuzyQ Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    I eat my exercise calories but not necessarily all of them. There are times when I just am not hungry enough to finish them all and so I don't feel guilty if I leave between 200-400 calories after having figured in my exercise. I have continued to lose weight and have not hit a plateau and my recent bmr went down after I lost the last ten pounds. I try to eat healthy and track my exercises and this is the first time in several years I've been able to make real strides in losing weight. If I can keep it going like this I will actually be at my goal weight by my next birthday.
  • aWashCloth
    aWashCloth Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    For 11 days, I worked my *kitten* off, not eating a single calorie back, eating healthy, and about 1400 calories a day, sometimes a bit less. I was 218 lbs for the entire time, and did not lose a pound. Not a decimal. This week I started eating back my calories so my net would be roughly 1200 calories (The minimum average someones body needs to function) and within about two days of doing that, I lost 2.6 pounds. So, eating back enough calories for your body to still function is important, everything else is just gravy.
  • Breadoholic
    Breadoholic Posts: 75 Member
    Options
    My bmr is 1200 and my net calorie intake is 1200. So I don't eat my exercise calories. I'm pretty lazy unless I'm exercising. Maybe if I had children to chase after and spent more than 45 minutes on housework a day I very well might eat some my exercise calories. I'm only working two days a week right now. When I do work and stand on my feet for eight hours, I don't eat my exercise calories, but I do add in 200 calories for my work day, provided I still do some exercise. I have never even heard of eating your exercise calories before mfp, and I've only ever eaten what I thought would make me lose weight, and then exercised some on top of that. I may at some point do a week of eating my exercise calories, just to see what happens. I don't feel hungry or deprived, even when I work out really hard. If I do, then I say screw it, and eat something healthy, but that is pretty rare.

    I think it's best to listen to your body. If you are eating healthy and on the days you work out hard you find yourself hungrier, eat some more, just make sure it's healthy food. If you find your not as hungry when you don't work out, you should eat some of your exercise calories when you do work out. Best to listen to your body. Everyones body works different. Gotta experiment to see what works for you.

    I completely agree, but some MFP users have made me feel guilty for having a different opinion. I eat 1200 calories per day - although sometimes I don't log in - and I probably burn 300 calories three times a week (so 900 a week), but I'm not hungrier and I don't feel out of energy so why would i then eat? I honestly believe that everyone loses weight differently, some people have faster metabolisms than others. Every person has a right to choose how they lose the weight... they can eat their exercise calories, but they don't have to. We're still losing weight and maintaining our weights.

    Anyway my point was I agree with you!!

    Christina
  • Breadoholic
    Breadoholic Posts: 75 Member
    Options
    For 11 days, I worked my *kitten* off, not eating a single calorie back, eating healthy, and about 1400 calories a day, sometimes a bit less. I was 218 lbs for the entire time, and did not lose a pound. Not a decimal. This week I started eating back my calories so my net would be roughly 1200 calories (The minimum average someones body needs to function) and within about two days of doing that, I lost 2.6 pounds. So, eating back enough calories for your body to still function is important, everything else is just gravy.

    I find that weight just suddenly falls off. It's an accumulative process. Maybe if you had of changed how you ate for the first 11 days you wouldn't have lost that 2.6 pounds. Who knows. Congrats though. YAY LOSING WEIGHT FUN TIMES.

    Christina
  • Starieberry
    Starieberry Posts: 11
    Options
    I lowered my daily calorie intake allowance from 1600 to 1300, and when I work out I usually eat at least some of them, but so far I haven't eaten all of them...It just depends if I'm hungry or not. That way, I have 300 calorie a day wiggle room, so if I eat my exercise calories then it's okay.
  • jenza11
    jenza11 Posts: 2
    Options
    actually I don't work out or do any exercise at all...
  • stayathomezookeepa
    stayathomezookeepa Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    I never used to eat my exercise calories back at all! I just thought well hey what is the point if i am trying to lose weight...WRONG!! I started zig zagging my calories and eating my exercise calories back and this week I lost 2 lbs :) Your body needs fuel.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    I think that it's a good way to maintain weight rather than lose pounds.

    thats wrong, as MFP gives you a deficit BEFORE you exercise. so you will still lose weight if you eat all your exercise cals.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    Options
    I eat my exercise calories and it seems to be working well for me. :)
  • schmorla
    schmorla Posts: 77 Member
    Options
    I had been eating back roughly half of them but for the next two weeks I'm gonna try not eat them to see if it makes a difference.
  • lottycat
    lottycat Posts: 333 Member
    Options
    I usually eat about half of mine back, I don't have an HRM - if I did and could more accurately record mow many calories I'm burning I would eat them all back. But I am skeptical about the accuaracy of MFP in calculating exercise calories, the estimations usually seem a bit high. But the best thing is just to experiment for a week or so and see how you feel, you'll eventually find a happy medium. Good Luck x
  • mamitosami
    mamitosami Posts: 531 Member
    Options
    I eat mine. Almost all of them, every single day. On average in a week I burn 5000 calories. I feel weak and restless if I don't. And I'm usually training for a race of some sort, so I feel the overwhelming duty to fuel my body. I lost all my extra weight this way.
  • JoelleMonique
    JoelleMonique Posts: 107
    Options
    I think you need to learn to listen to your body, hunger is a good indicator that you need to eat, some days I'm hungrier than others and then I eat a little more than days when 1200 cal is enough.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Options
    MFP is designed so that it gives you the calories you expend on a normal day at your specified activity level with a deficit of 500 calories if you set it to lose 1lb a week. If you exercise and eat back those calories, you'll still have that deficit, won't be hungry, have a more sustainable weight loss and fuel future workouts.

    I've lost 26lbs so far eating all my exercise calories on top of my daily 1340 limit (which started at 1600 when I was bigger), and that includes over 800 extra some weekends after a long run.

    My opinion is eat all or most of your exercise calories, but be totally honest about how hard you worked - if it seemed easy, it's probably best to record a little less than MFP gives you.

    If you're still unconvinced, set your activity level at a higher setting then don't eat your exercise calories.
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    Options
    Exercise calories are an absolute boon. i'm so glad they're there to eat back.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    If you don't want to eat them then try changing your activity level to active or very active, which will give you more calories so you will be eating enough, without the thought of "eating your exercise calories".

    This way your are essentially setting your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) then creating a deficit from that to lose weight. This is what most trainer/doctors/nutritionists do. Most professionals will tell you not to eat you exercise calories back because they added it into your TDEE, whereas MFP ignores exercise and only accounts for it when you perform it. Either setting a higher activity level and not eating the exercise cals or following MFP with a lower activity level and eating them should get you to the same place.

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFP do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

Categories