Exercising into Negative Calories...

Paulbp4

I have seen several people log EXTREME burns on their profiles... I mean like 1000 to 2000 calories. I know that this is possible... but if it brings you into negative calories isn't that really bad? By negative I mean, not eating them back and not eating how many you "burned" off.

If you ate 1500 but MFP thinks you need 2300 and on top of that you are burning off 1500.... and you set it to burn 1 pound a week... that's a 2800 calorie deficit right? That's almost a pound in that day. I don't have a nutrition degree but can't that be pretty damaging....

If this person feels full is it fine?

If they feel full is it likely they aren't burning that many calories?

addisondisease

If this person feels full is it fine?

They are lucky

If they feel full is it likely they aren't burning that many calories?

MFP isn't totaly accurate in its estimates, and people can enter too much time.

When i climb its often in the 2,000 cal range for a couple hours. Starvation mode doesn't happen in the matter of hours, it takes a lot longer than MFP scares people to think. But yes for a negative burn please eat those back.

Twins2007

I think that some people overestimate their calories burned...

For example, when I work out on my elliptical it says I burned 700 calories for 45 minutes...My HRM says 30% less than that!

Unless you are extremely working out I just don't see how these high numbers are exact...

Being in such deficit can't be wise in my opinion either!

Rompa_87

I would say that is pretty risky.

I sometimes do the 2000 cal burn thing depending on whether I'm racing or not but I cannot imagine how it must feel to then practically starve your body afterwards...It would probably be useful for anyone who cares about numbers on a scale instead of their health, metabolism and muscle mass.

30yearssincebikini

Huh?

Rompa_87

I think that some people overestimate their calories burned...

For example, when I work out on my elliptical it says I burned 700 calories for 45 minutes...My HRM says 30% less than that!

Unless you are extremely working out I just don't see how these high numbers are exact...

Being in such deficit can't be wise in my opinion either!

Maybe. Although, for me my HRM always says I have burnt more than what the machines or MFP saya. So I just be conservative and use the numbers on the site.

slcobb001

You are totally correct... AND it really doesn't work. Your body goes into starvation mode and two things happen. First, your body starts holding onto everything it can hold onto to fight the starvation. The second is it triggers your hunger. So you don't lose the weight that you expect and you walk around STARVING for food.

Set the goal and let MFP handle the calorie intake.

I'm a long distance bike rider so it is normal to use 1500 to 2000 calories. I let that day be the day that I can really eat some food... It is a win/win, I keep my weight loss calories the same and I get to eat...

Good luck on your weight loss...

Steven

junyr

I wish I had an answer but I don't. I have no good explanation why I feel like I do, but I totally feel like the body is a bit more complex of a machine than simply calories in/calories out. I'm open though and just follow what feels right and so far it's working.

Yanicka1

well that is a bad idea. Probably not bad if it happen from time to time but could have long term negative effect if done day in and day out. I kinda like having hairs on my head and a working brain.

Paulbp4

I only do my consistent gym routine right now, my max burn being whatever a quick lift would be plus the 350-425 a machine says. I probably don't eat all these calories back right away and if I didn't get a protein shake in me between breakfast and lunch I would probably pass out... while I sit at my desk.

I have burned 1000's before. I am sure I will in the future but I can't imagine not recouping my calories. When I wrestled in high school it was like my parents had a second son to feed.

fatgirlzrule2

Are these people with huge burns pretty big people? I am quite heavy, and I burn a lot more calories per minute than someone, say, 150 pounds. For 25 minutes of Zumba I burn over 500 calories. I personally eat back some of my exercise calories, but usually not all of them. I am trying to eat clean and would find it really difficult to eat back every single calorie. I am sure when I lose a lot more and get smaller and am burning less I will eat them all back, but for now I just cannot. And it clearly hasn't hindered my weight loss.

kag1526

I have gone into negative calories for a little while but not for a full day. If I wake up early and hit the gym sometimes I will burn 500-600 while I'm gone if I do alot and really work that day.

Most of the time I didn't eat that much for breakfast before I left. So I have negative calories. However I come home hungry and its fixed and positive again before lunch.

Rayman79

Yes, being bigger will mean you burn more, but I'll typically burn over 1000 cals on my Saturday workout which is typically about 90 mins of cardio intervals and resistance training. I'm not a huge guy (not as small as I'd like to be though - at about 185lbs).

I usually don't eat all my cals back on that day (unless I'm going out for dinner or drinks), but I'm usually really hungry the day after. I've only ever been in negative calories a couple of times - when I was just starting out on MFP, but over the course of a week it still came out pretty even.

Personally I think that's the key. No single day on its own will determine your success or failure, regardless of how perfect or disasterous it may be. How it averages out over a week, a month or a year is what we should really be focussing on.

Di3012

I have seen several people log EXTREME burns on their profiles... I mean like 1000 to 2000 calories. I know that this is possible... but if it brings you into negative calories isn't that really bad? By negative I mean, not eating them back and not eating how many you "burned" off.

If you ate 1500 but MFP thinks you need 2300 and on top of that you are burning off 1500.... and you set it to burn 1 pound a week... that's a 2800 calorie deficit right? That's almost a pound in that day. I don't have a nutrition degree but can't that be pretty damaging....

If this person feels full is it fine?

If they feel full is it likely they aren't burning that many calories?

If the person genuinely feels full, is it right that they force-feed themselves?

Lots of people do not eat their exercise calories, some people do not eat them all back, some people eat them all back.

swimbikerun2006

Interesting question! As a person who has engaged in endurance sports for over 10 years, I really struggle with dropping pounds. It is not unusual for me to burn over 1000 calories in a day...long bike ride or run. I eat along the way to keep the energy to keep going; but I cannot seem to lose weight!! I knwo I am not eating ALL the calories i burn and am very excited to get going with MFP!! I am new here...so, can't wait to see how it works for me!

Macrocarpa

IMO the burn calculators don't take into account your fitness level...

When I first started with MFP and was running 4km or so the burn was supposed to be around 480 calories or so. I would support this guesstimate based on my heartrate. I'd get ravenously hungry afterwards and have to replace almost all the exercise carbs in one form or another, or would feel dizzy and patchy.

Yesterday I ran 15km, nearly four times the distance, and felt fine the entire way through despite flying along. In theory I should've burnt nearly four times as much energy but I would guess it's more likely to be half that. I ate more food than normal, but ultimately ate less than I would've on a normal calorie intake day from when I joined MFP.

CalorieArson

If you think about it, in order to lose weight, you are consuming less calories than you are burning by just living. So a lot of us on here are negative net calories for the day (average person uses about 1500 calories a day by living). What's really important IMO, is the big picture. To be negative on MFP for a day is not that big of a deal as long as your average MFP net calories are close to your weekly goal. Its all about the big picture.

bahacca

Not sure over what period of time you are viewing their diaries, but I know I often do NOT eat my calories and am often a lot under(it is 7:30 pm and I have 750 calories left today)on days I workout. I am just not hungry. Then on rest days, I tend to be more hungry, so I'll go over by a few hundred. Key is balance over time.
Now if they are in a 1000 cal defecit day after day for a long period of time, that isn't healthy.

MaximalLife

I burn through exercise about 1100 calories daily, and I enjoy EATING THEM ALL RIGHT BACK!
I account for them in my activity settings and exercise log.
LOVE IT!

sofitheteacup

I think that some people overestimate their calories burned...

For example, when I work out on my elliptical it says I burned 700 calories for 45 minutes...My HRM says 30% less than that!

Exactly- I do a little over 500 cals burned on my elliptical, but MFP bumps that up to the 800s, which drives me nuts because there's nothing listed about effort and I'm going hard, then having to decrease what it says. It's a little depressing, but then it makes me question when my friends list high burns doing hardly anything...

Kassieisproud

You guys that actually burn over 1000 are amazing! Cant wait to be that fit And as for the topic i really dont think its likely for someone to burn that much and not be hungry
Ive been doing this for 8 weeks now and never burned that much but ive still been putting on muscle and the more muscle you have the hungrier your going to be i cant eat just 1200 total anymore
I round my workout time down if i worked out for 44 mins i only input 40 to give room for error and eat most of them back

CyberEd312

I burn through exercise about 1100 calories daily, and I enjoy EATING THEM ALL RIGHT BACK!
I account for them in my activity settings and exercise log.
LOVE IT!

Ditto... I burn 1200 - 2000 calories most days and eat back (85% of my exercise calories) those calories everyday and lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week.... Heck this week alone put me over 300 lbs. lost with a 5 lb. weight loss this week 32 months into my journey.. If you fuel your body it will respond in kind......

judyw51

I typically average about 1000 burn calories a day and yes I eat those calories back! I have lost 65 lbs so this seems to be working for me. I am now within 10 lbs of my goal weight.

chicklidell

I burn through exercise about 1100 calories daily, and I enjoy EATING THEM ALL RIGHT BACK!
I account for them in my activity settings and exercise log.
LOVE IT!

^^ this....but I don't eat all back...some days some...some days more I burn on average 1000-1200 caloreis a day...i'm only 115lbs..it takes me 3-4 hours to achieve that number and i'm not walking at a brisk pace..if you know what I mean..but i'm an athlete...so it's different!

jenlb99

I probably burn over 1000 calories 6 days a week with an hour of kickboxing (I underscore it though and log only 880ish worth, just to be on the safe side), so I am in negative calories 6 days. I eat the vast majority of those back, but if I'm not hungry, I won't.

I lost 4.4 lbs my first week, but gained a pound my second (but lost a total of 3" from my midsection, so who cares what the scale says?!). I have a difficult time eating only 1200 a day on my rest day, so I usually bump my calories to 1400 that day.

I weigh in on Sunday, so we'll see if I've lost anything (scale weight or inches).

I'm not huge; only 27 lbs from my goal weight, but kickboxing at full strength is a brutal (but FUN) exercise.