Exercise Calories

missimperfect

Do you have to eat them back?
For me it just depends on if I am hungry or not...but usually I don't and if I do I don't eat all of them back.

Anywho, how does eating exercise calories work for helping you lose weight?
Wouldn't you lose faster if you did not eat them back?


I feel like I've been asking TONS of questions lately:/

Crystal817

Tons of topics on this is you search "Exercise Calories".

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390145-should-i-eat-my-exercise-calories
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/418163-so-the-whole-exercise-calorie-thing
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/415004-eating-back-exercise-calories?

Nikki582

Hottly contested issue. I sometimes eat them, sometimes don't, they're there if I'm hungry, basically.

Some people swear by eating them back, others (like me) just 'meh' about them all.. in my opinion, if it works for you, keep doing it. And if you plateau - try the alternative.

I think the theory is if you eat them back you'll not be putting your body into "starvation mode" but I don't think it's a OSFA thing.

ajbeans

There are threads on this if you search, but a quick answer is that yes, you should eat them. MFP is designed to help you lose weight healthily without exercise. Exercising without eating the extra calories creates too large of a deficit which can negatively impact your metabolism. As a result, your weight loss may eventually slow, and you may struggle with keeping the weight off once you lose it.

Eating exercise calories is more important the closer you get to your healthy weight. Most of the people on here who will happily proclaim that they're having success without eating their exercise calories have more weight to lose, so it makes sense that they're not having trouble. But they probably will as they get closer to goal weight. And even at higher weights, not eating your exercise calories pretty much ensures that you're going to lose a decent amount of lean body mass, and that's not a good look.

BobbyClerici

I don't always, but it's good to get it close.
Today I retire with a few hundred on the table - no biggie!

I look at that as my "buffer" - lol

gigiangelique

i eat if im hungry. I always go over eating so i have to work extra hard at the gym...

Xtina_Beba

I try to eat my exercise calories back to net 1200 but if i'm not hungry then i won't force myself to eat.

sewedo1

I do not eat back exercise calories unless I am hungry and I've been doing just fine with weight-loss.