Are we supposed to eat our exercise point calories?

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Asces
Asces Posts: 182
in Health and Weight Loss
I have my goal at 2 pounds a week.. if I eat the calories earned from exercise will I be losing the 2 pounds a week still?

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Yes, as long as they are calculated correctly. To lose 2lbs/week MFP gave you a caloric deficit of 1000 cals/day, if you exercise you increase the deficit so in order to keep your deficit at 1000 you must eat the burned calories back.
  • BrandiParsonRNC
    BrandiParsonRNC Posts: 25 Member
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    Good question! I always eat my excercise points and seem to come out just fine! I have to excercise in order to get my coffee creamer in! That's where the points go! Not so good, but I stay at point level this way!
  • AmandaBarnhardt
    AmandaBarnhardt Posts: 2
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    Absolutely! You have to keep that metabolism up!! :)
  • meltygarden
    meltygarden Posts: 111 Member
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    I have wondered about this, especially since the calories burned in exercises seems to be given a much higher count here than on the actual machines I'm using at the gym. Because of this I've been sort of taking the middle ground, not eating all the calories MFP says I've earned through exercise but somewhere between what the machines say and what MFP says. That's working for me. I lost 5 pounds last week doing that. Some of that was most certainly water, though, but I figure it's near enough the 1.5 to 2 pounds a week I'm aiming for.
  • HLAMODEI
    HLAMODEI Posts: 22 Member
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    That is a great question, I was actually wondering the same thing. I feel like those extra 200-300 cal/day are going to make me gain weight or maintain my current weight. It is only day 5 for me and I have not offically weighed in yet (2 more days) but I did weigh myself this am and scale says I lost....but I guess I just don't get why, if I'm not hungry towards the end of the day, do I have to be sure I eat my extra calories?? Help!
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I eat mine and I have consistently lost weight at the rate I requested. :-) (I also adjusted my rate down as I got closer to my goal, and I also purchased a HRM so I'd have a more accurate estimate of the calories I burn, so I can confidently eat them :-) )
  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
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    Definitely! MFP has set you are certain deficit (say 500 cals), so if your maintenance is 2000 calories, it will become 1500. However if you then burn 400 calories in exercise it will bring your total calories for the day down to 1100 net. That makes it a 900 calorie deficit - you don't need that much!

    I hope that makes some kind of sense. In short, yes you can eat your exercise calories and still lose the weight you have MFP set at.
  • msjamartin
    msjamartin Posts: 148
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    Where are you getting your exercise calories from?? The machines at the gym, MFP listings or HRM? the gym machines and MFP tend to be on the high side for many exercise (although I've found some to be low). For this reason, I do not eat all my calories back as I do not have a HRM for the most accurate count (these are the best but even they are just estimates). I eat some back. I've lost consistantely for over a year with using a calorie range rather than a finite max.

    Everyone on here has a very definate opinion on this topic. I feel you have to find your own balance. Maybe try eating all for a couple weeks. Then adjust and eat part of them for a few weeks. See which option give you the best results. You could even just keep it mixed up and some week eat all and some weeks eat part etc. Keep you body guessing and this helps as well.
  • Asces
    Asces Posts: 182
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    Thanks everyone. I will adjust my eating so I am eating at least some of the exercise points.
  • Asces
    Asces Posts: 182
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    I get all my exercise from working out at home... currently doing the 30 day shred, yoga, and just dance on the wii.
  • George1567
    George1567 Posts: 107
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    All the readings from where ever you get them are a man made device trying to predict the human body. Do your documentation, decide a consumption that works for you.....eat back half, all, whatever. And stick with it for a few weeks. Watch the scale and them you can make a determination on how it is going. If you loose less than planned then maybe your not burning as much as you thought or you are eating more than you think........the reverse is true if you loose mare than your goal. Use these trends to adjust, and keep adjusting. As you loose weight and gain fitness it will change. This is why documentation and trending is such a big help with long range goals.

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