Daily Calories vs. Exercise Calorie Deficit

Kelekat

Hi all:

I've burned a significant amount of calories today hiking in the mountains.

This has added a large number of calories to the overall number of my daily caloric intake.

I don't want to eat all of these calories back--isn't it a good thing to have a deficit at the end of the day? Isn't that what exercise is really all about--burning more calories than you ingest?

I'd appreciate some input.

Thanks

ready2beme

As long as you are eating enough calories to keep your body fueled and you aren't feeling hungry, then no, I wouldn't think you'd have to eat them all back.

Alida1985

I am no expert but from what I have read you do indeed want a deficit. Though I think the way this thing is set up is so that you DO have a deficit everyday if you set it up for weight loss mode. I think it really comes down to how you want to eat during the week. My bf and I will have huge deficits on some days because we're saving up for a day we want to go out and enjoy hot dogs at the movies or a nice big dinner. We look at our calories by the week. Might want to read some stuff by Brad Pilon...he's got interesting information on that topic.

Macrocarpa

Hi,

Jealous of the mountains ) Post pics please!

This is one of the most common questions on MFP.

There are two schools of thought:

1. Listen to your body and pay attention to fatigue / hunger cues - ensure you're eating your daily baseline of fuel with additional calories if your body needs it after extensive exercise. This could be half or less of your exercise calories

- or -

2. Ensure that your net calorie intake is above 1200 calories (ie eat back enough of your exercise calories to ensure you're
above the 1200 threshold for the day)

The two are not mutually exclusive.

It is a good thing to have a deficit, but there is a limit to how much benefit this deficit can deliver. 1200 net calories is the most frequently quoted 'threshold' of where your body goes into starvation mode and starts storing energy as fat (which you don't want). Note this is net calories, ie your exercise calories + 1200. That can be LOTS of calories.

Complicating it is the fact your body gets more efficient over time, so if you're a regular hiker you may burn far less energy than MFP estimates. Unless you're wearing a heart-rate monitor it can be pretty hard to work out how much energy you're outputting.

lambertj

If you feel hungry, eat 1/2 back today and save the other half. I know for me personally I can run a deficit (not eat my exercise calories) some days but other days my body is hungry and my workouts aren't as strong. I just make sure I eat them back on those days.

Kelekat

Great answers, all.

I think I'll be a month or two before my body adjusts to any of the hikes we do. San Diego has soooooooooooo many mountain hikes, it would be nearly impossible for one person to do them all in a lifetime. Many are straight up for what seems miles, although of course, they're actually moderate hikes. My heart pounds and I get breathless. I need to build up quite a bit more stamina before my body adjusts.

Plus I'm weight training three days a week--worked out with my trainer yesterday and I'm in pain today. Now that I've come home and hit the couch, it may take an act of Congress to get me back up--and that's only if it's wrapped up in Advil!

I just want to eat enough so that my body is satiated and doesn't go into starvation mode and shut down the calorie burn!

ready2beme

Make sure you know what your BMR is. That's how many you need just to maintain the basic functions of your body

Kelekat

It's 1,428 according to the calculator, but I'm not really sure what that means with regards to the calorie deficit. Doesn't that mean that I should lose weight well on 1,200 calories (providing my metabolism is firing on all cylinders)?