Fitness & Exercise = Earned Cals.... What do U do???

Alethea_OnAMission

Ok so this is my second wk on MFP and I would just like to know, when you earn extra calories from working out is it best not to eat those earned calories?

I haven't been eating the calories I've earned but I'm curious to know what will prompt better results.

misti17

Goodness sugar, be ready, you are about to get 5-6 pages of answers! Welcome and good luck

BTW, I don't eat my exercise calories

jessashcher

I don't eat my exercise calories either, I have been using this site since sept. 13, I have lost 16lbs so far.

LorinaLynn

I always ate them. This is the only time a weight loss attempt as worked for me. Eating more was the missing link.

Plus, looking at the results of women who ate them further cemented that it was the right choice for me.

DeviantDarkwolf2

I eat my exercise cals back some days, as if I didn't I feel zombied. I think it's personal choice. If you feel hungry after busting your butt then I say refuel the body

jweidner33

Here is my opinion.

You maintain a diet to lose weight. You exercise to get in better shape. I always eat back what I burn. I want my body to be a lean mean machine that knows it will always get the fuel it needs to run. Keeps my metabolism in high gear. There are many days I take in 1700 calories but after my workout I net 1200-1300. Which is within my range. I lose a consistent 1-1.5 lbs a week.

RissaBri88

i started in beginning of sept. have lost 18lbs so far. i eat back some, not every last calorie though. but i suggest u dont force yourself to eat them back, if u want a little snack and have the alloted calories go for it, you arent hungry, leave them there. ive had good success with my own way but it might take a little playing around to see what works for your body. best of luck

allyr1

The way I look at it is for you to loose weight, you need to be putting out more than you put in. If you exercise, that means you are putting out energy. If you eat back those calories afterward, yes its true they will get burned off more quickly so it comes out to a little less, you are still minimizing the net energy burn. You should always try to eat a minimum of 1200 cals per day, which allows your system to be working and burning food and not go into fat storage mode. As far as exercise cals go, use them as a treat. I would say stay away from eating them, or at least eating them all, you will get better results this way.

Alethea_OnAMission

Thank U All for your responses.

lisadavis21

It depends on how you feel. If you are finding yourself starving only hours after meals, then dip alittle into those extra calories. What you dont want to do is place your body into starvation mode and then you eat away muscle instead of fat. It also lowers you blood sugar which can be dangerous if you like to cross fit train, you may pass out. You still should however eat you daily calorie intake that MFP has set up for you. The less you put back in the more you burn, the more weight lose. For me I choose not to because I really want to lose weight, however it gives me cushion for the up coming holidays. So if you dont more power to you, but if you do, dont feel guilty...you worked hard for it! Welcome:)

LesliePierceRN

Here is my opinion.

You maintain a diet to lose weight. You exercise to get in better shape. I always eat back what I burn. I want my body to be a lean mean machine that knows it will always get the fuel it needs to run. Keeps my metabolism in high gear. There are many days I take in 1700 calories but after my workout I net 1200-1300. Which is within my range. I lose a consistent 1-1.5 lbs a week.

Absolutely. I'm an athlete, not a dieter.. I do everything I do to fuel my body. I eat my calories back, and it enables to me bring it just as strong or step my workout up to the next level. I"m always looking to improve my body, not hit a certain number on a scale. (Which isn't to say the scale didn't move.. I'm down 45 pounds).

papillion05

I always make sure i go over my baseline calories, which is just over 1200 right now. If I'm having a particularly hungry day I eat more of the earned calories, but I very rarely eat them all, and I've only gone over once or twice in the last couple months. It also depends on what kind of workout I do, and what I have for breakfast. I alternate between a high protein breakfast and a balanced protein/carb breakfast. High protein days i tend to eat less.

Good luck!

TheGsMama

I eat a portion of the calories. They are my reward for the hard work and I find that I need them on my workout days.

skb32881

I typically eat some of them but try not to eat all of them. For example, my base is 1200 calories and I usually earn at least 400 calories with exercise so I'll eat about 1400 calories. But I agree that it really depends on how you feel and what results you get. If you're starving, eat them. You might also want to try changing it up week to week to see what kind of results you get. Some people (including myself) actually lose weight faster if they eat more

lelliebugh

I listen to my body bottom line. Some days I feel hungry enough and eat almost all of my calories. I log EVERYTHING down to the stick of gum I have. Some days I am not hungry and do not eat them all. There is not a right way or a wrong way. You have to listen to your body in a healthy way.

Diary_Queen

I rarely, if ever, eat back my exercise calories. With a significant amount of weight to lose, I choose to burn the fuel stored as fat on my body versus just burning what I eat and then eating what I burn... that whole cycle cuts out the middle man of burning fat for me. This is my idea for myself after 3 months of eating back my exercise calories and plateauing every time I turned around. When I stopped eating them back, I dropped nearly 4 lbs. in a week. I also make sure my diet consists of a great deal of protein to aid in rebuilding muscle after strength training and that my fats are low, unsaturated and spread throughout the day.... my carbs are complex and long lasting. This works FOR ME. I can't say that it would for anyone else, but I like it.

jweidner33

Here is my opinion.

You maintain a diet to lose weight. You exercise to get in better shape. I always eat back what I burn. I want my body to be a lean mean machine that knows it will always get the fuel it needs to run. Keeps my metabolism in high gear. There are many days I take in 1700 calories but after my workout I net 1200-1300. Which is within my range. I lose a consistent 1-1.5 lbs a week.

Absolutely. I'm an athlete, not a dieter.. I do everything I do to fuel my body. I eat my calories back, and it enables to me bring it just as strong or step my workout up to the next level. I"m always looking to improve my body, not hit a certain number on a scale. (Which isn't to say the scale didn't move.. I'm down 45 pounds).

Exactly!! the days I bring in the higher calories are the days I can go forever at the gym. I know right away if I haven't eaten enough.

funkycamper

I usually don't or, if for some reason I'm hungrier than usual, I only eat back some of them. However, I also do a spike day or two a week where I eat higher calories. I usually do these spikes when I have some kind of special event where food is part of the festivities so I don't feel like I'm missing out. This should not be an all out pig-fest but, rather, just allow for some flexibility. So I really look at my overall weekly deficit than my daily deficit.

Unlike many who posted here, the more intense I workout, the less hungry I am. Especially if I'm eating clean, i.e. lean protein, veggies, the good fats, and am more limited on grains/starches (which works best for me due to blood sugar issues), it can be dang hard to get in more calories as I'm already stuffed.

So, usually no, sometimes a bit, and sometimes more than a bit if I'm having a planned spike (splurge). As long as I'm meeting or just under my caloric target for the week, I'm cool.

Maggie_Pie1

You have to be careful eating back your calories, because MFP may not be accurately calculating how much you burn.

I don't eat them back just to eat them back. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not, I don't. Part of this process, IMO, is learning to listen to your body. Most of us are overweight because we eat when we aren't hungry. Why would I train myself to continue that behavior just because of some numbers on a website?