Why would you eat exercise calories?

hoops1888

I don't get why you would eat your exercise calories! Surely you would nit lose any weight by doing that? Can someone explain please

sjtreely

I eat them sometimes because I'm hungry.

lms32164

I don't eat them for all my exercise calories. Just the ones where I get a good burn and feel extra hungry. If you don't stay close to the calories MFP sets for you to loose, I think you have more chance to Plateau. I have lost weight eating mine.

angiesteele

you need to do a search in th forum topics on this.

hottottie11

I eat my exercise calories and I still lose. I eat anywhere between 1800 to 2000 cal total and I net an average of 1490 calories a week. Here is what helped me understand "eating my exercise cals":

My activity level (excluding exercise; this is important) is sedentary because I work a desk job. MFP calculated my Total Daily Energy Expenditure to be 1760 calories. This means to maintain my current weight I must stay at 1760 calories.

Now I have set myself to lose 0.5lb per week because I'm getting pretty lean and I want to focus on reduce body fat while maintaining muscle. MFP assigned me 1490 calories per day. A deficit of 250 calories per day. Now I work out ALOT. 6 days a week for 1 to 2 hours. I can burn an additional 500 to 1000 calories on those days.

I use a Polar FT4 HRM and it has been a godsend because I can know for sure what I burn.

For example, I went to zumba today and burned 554 calories. My total calorie burn is no longer 1760...it is now 2311 (1760+551). It is very important to me to maintain my deficit. I don't want to lose more than 0.5 lb per week. So my calorie goal for a 0.5 lb loss per week is now 2061 (2311-250). So in essence, I must eat back my "exercise calories". I really don't like how it sounds because it seems like you are eating away all your hard work but if you don't fuel your body properly you run the risk of stalling your weight loss. Now I always leave a little room for error. So I always leave about 100 to 150 calories for cushion.

I've been losing about 0.5 to 0.75 lbs per week. The key to making this work is making sure your activity level reflects your normal life not including exercise. Then you can add in exercise.

You can, as an alternative, set your activity level to include exercise. For example, active or very active with exercise. MFP will give more calories to eat. In this case you don't log your exercise and you wouldnt have to eat them back.

My settings are sedentary and I add in my exercise cals. I eat a average of 1800 to 1900 cals per day and burn an average of 400 calories per day through exercise (2800 cal per week). I net between 1400 to 1500.

BUT If I change my activity level settings to very active to include my exercise....MFP will give me 2152 as my TDEE and a calorie goal of 1902 to lose 1/2 per week. IN this case I wont "eat back my exercise cals". The math turns out to be the same.

Hope this helps

LisaMariaCallow

THANK YOU!!!! I've never understood that, and everyone says "eat back your exercise calories"...those are my "bonuses"!! They are also most likely a big part of how I've reached my goal weight, gotten to my lowest weight in my adult life, and allow me an occasional "cheat"!!

Tattoos_and_Tea

I dont eat mine back either. I think it works for some people to eat some/all of their calories back but not for others. Everyone's body is different.

mysteryfoxes

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

unsuspectingfish

I eat a lot of them almost every day and I've continued to consistently lose weight. I actually lose faster when I eat more of them. Plus, I'm starving when I don't eat them, which makes sense, because I would net less than 1200 every day if I didn't eat them back.

gc2052

because when I do not I gain. I walked the Avon marathon and a half and gained 3 pounds. Could not eat an extra 4-5 thousand calories.

sophieshaped

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

Haha

laddyboy

It also has to do with your current level of calorie intake. If you're only eating 1200 calories a day and you burn 600 and don't eat them then your total net calories for the day is 600 and that is not enough for sustained energy or nutrients.

It all about creating a caloried deficit to lose weith. It's like this

BMR + Activity Level = Maintenance calories - deficit = calories to eat
1500 + 200 = 1700 - 500 = 1200 In this example your maintenance calories is 1700, you choose to only eat 1200 for a 500 a day deficit and 1 lb per week loss. If you ALSO exercise and burn an additional 500 calories a day you would then have a net caloric intake of 700 which will slow your metabolism (some call it starvation mode) and you will possibly start to store fat and gain weight.
So, to sum it up...it's all a numbers thing.

Hope I helped.

hoops1888

Okay thankyou Very much for the explanation ! Cleared that one up. I actually think I eat my exercise calories haha

sugarbone

I don't get why you would eat your exercise calories! Surely you would nit lose any weight by doing that? Can someone explain please

So that you don't starve.

NuMe46

I appreciate these explanations. I hit a plateau and when I started eating my exercise calories I got off the plateau. Thanks for the info.

cmduncan23

Hey I know you have a lot of replys,
I think the easiest way to look at it is

-If you have a set decreased calorie amount and are doing no exercise you should slowly be using your fat as an energy source and ultimately losing weight
-It can't be abrupt or your body will think it is in starvation mode
-If you are doing exercise you will have a greater calorie deficit and your body will start taking energy from muscle (which is not ideal) and fat
-So if you are eating the right foods after exercise the body will use these nutrients and replace the muscle
Its a slow and gradual way of having to trick your body, and getting longer results as opposed to a quick weight loss that is mainly muscle that is lost and ultimately the body will be damaged for it.

SueGeer

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

Haha

Definitely!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Sue x

missmaggiemd

I personally have noticed if I don't eat my calories back I don't lose. So I try to keep mine up. Just try it and see how it works for u. Everyone is different.

bear19741

lol sorry but this will make u think again........been on here three weeks it say i should eat 2600 to maintain my current weight. now i can only eat around 1700 on a good day or i feel sick if i eat more...now in saying that i burn on average 900cals a day and in 3 weeks i have lost 8.8 kgs and i dont eat my cals back that i burn........now i have spoke to a few personal trainers on this topic and they say what the site says is true but in turn what im doin by eating less then is reccomended im now teaching my body to burn fat that is stored instead of storing it......the funny thing is we had a week of rain last week and i couldnt do my normal 20klm a day ride (didnt want to get wet) and i lost more weight when i didnt do exercise then when i did. now i did eat less that week then i normally do but also lost more......i rang 1 personal trainer and he said the reason for this is because my body had gone into FAT BURNING MODE from doing over 100klm a week on my bike and it would stay in that mode for a week or so if i dindt do any riding....ive now started riding again and it hurts and they say its because my body has now gone back into storage mode again and i'll prob put some back on for the next few weeks and the start losing it again..........dont worry its confused me as well

victoriangirl_001

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

very well done!

psuLemon

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/376036-eat-exercise-calories

Look at the second page

psuLemon

lol sorry but this will make u think again........been on here three weeks it say i should eat 2600 to maintain my current weight. now i can only eat around 1700 on a good day or i feel sick if i eat more...now in saying that i burn on average 900cals a day and in 3 weeks i have lost 8.8 kgs and i dont eat my cals back that i burn........now i have spoke to a few personal trainers on this topic and they say what the site says is true but in turn what im doin by eating less then is reccomended im now teaching my body to burn fat that is stored instead of storing it......the funny thing is we had a week of rain last week and i couldnt do my normal 20klm a day ride (didnt want to get wet) and i lost more weight when i didnt do exercise then when i did. now i did eat less that week then i normally do but also lost more......i rang 1 personal trainer and he said the reason for this is because my body had gone into FAT BURNING MODE from doing over 100klm a week on my bike and it would stay in that mode for a week or so if i dindt do any riding....ive now started riding again and it hurts and they say its because my body has now gone back into storage mode again and i'll prob put some back on for the next few weeks and the start losing it again..........dont worry its confused me as well

When you dont eat enough calories, like you are doing, you arent burning fat but actually burning muscle. And you lost more weight not working out because you body is not retaining water

mark03264

If you set up MFP right to start with then the daily calorie goal that MFP gives you already has a calorie deficit built in to lose weight. That said, you should eat close to the calorie goal MFP gives you each day including eating back most of your exercise calories. If you are too far under your daily calorie goal you are very likely to cause your body to hang onto the fat it has by either slowing down or even stopping fat loss. It may not happen right away but eventually you will most likely plateau. If you have a lot of weight to lose you can probably get away with it longer but as you have less to lose your body will plateau easier. May sound counter-intuitive but that's just the way it is.

Serialdieter

I don't eat mine I am on 1200 cal a day and I burn around 300 cals max per day. In 2 weeks I have lost 11lbs I don't feel starved or tired if I hit a plateau I will try but at this moment in time I am happy doing it as I have.

psuLemon

I don't eat mine I am on 1200 cal a day and I burn around 300 cals max per day. In 2 weeks I have lost 11lbs I don't feel starved or tired if I hit a plateau I will try but at this moment in time I am happy doing it as I have.

You really should at least net 1200 otherwise you are depriving your body of its nutritional reqirements. Also doing this method will slow your metabolism as your body will pull energy from the ammino acids in your muscle for energy.

aussie_nic_getting_fit

ive been on MFP sice january 2011. lost weight consistently every week . i started working out in May 2011, altough i love it and feel GREAT, my weight loss slowed down (alot) and ive had 2 plateaus, i have never eating my exercise calories.

Two weeks ago, ive start eating back 1/2 to 3/4 of my earned cals, i have now GAINED 1.2kg (2.6LB)..

IS THIS NORMAL???? IT REALLY GETTING ME DOWN....

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/378136-started-to-finally-eat-exercise-calories-im-gaining-weig

JennW130

if you hit search and type in exercise calories you'll find a ton on info on it

MikeSEA

As others have stated, if I'm already at a caloric deficit without accounting for exercise, why wouldn't I eat my exercise calories back? I'm still in a deficit.

123456654321

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

psuLemon

ive been on MFP sice january 2011. lost weight consistently every week . i started working out in May 2011, altough i love it and feel GREAT, my weight loss slowed down (alot) and ive had 2 plateaus, i have never eating my exercise calories.

Two weeks ago, ive start eating back 1/2 to 3/4 of my earned cals, i have now GAINED 1.2kg (2.6LB)..

IS THIS NORMAL???? IT REALLY GETTING ME DOWN....

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/378136-started-to-finally-eat-exercise-calories-im-gaining-weig

it is quite possible. If you eat at a low calorie level for extended periods of time you metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lack of energy it has in the fat stores. If you start eat more, it sends your body in shock. If you give it time it should regulate itself and will probably drop weight quickly.

BeckyKSmith

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

LMAO!!!!!