Do you eat your execise calories?

bfeusner

When you work out and gain extra calories burned do you eat more food that day to keep your net calories the same or do you still eat your normal suggested caloric amount?

I tend to only eat my suggested caloric amount 1800 calories regardless of my calories burned exercising. I am getting used to eating small portions and don't really feel the need to eat more calories if I exercise that day!

MrDude_1

no.

AceyFaceX

I usually end up using mine. It's comforting to know that they're there, because I usually go over my calorie limit if I don't exercise... so they're usually used to pay for my mistakes. lol. I need to work on that.

Lesa_Sass

Eating my exercise calories is why I exercise.

But of course I am set to 1200 calories per day.

k8blujay2

Yes (well most of the time anyway) otherwise I get crazy hungry and when I'm crazy hungry I am very irritable, and that's no fun for anyone involved.

thefuzz1290

Always, keeps you from under eating.

alisonjaneyelland

I don't can't see any point of exercising if your gonna eat the calories ??

NicVino

I've been thinking the same thing...

I have not been eating my exercise calories though. I exercise 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day, and burn between 500-1200 calories a day. I find it to be a waste to eat those calories back; I sweat my butt off trying to burn that many in one day to begin with!

But I am curious to know the "real" answer to this-thanks for asking!

PinkEarthMama

Oh heck yes!

I can't ask my car to drive an extra 500 km without extra fuel.

I shouldn't ask my body to work extra had without extra fuel.

I'm exercising to be strong & healthy, not for the saking of eating more!

thepetiterunner

No I don't.

jadedone

A few if I have a full workout. I try to eat around 1500-1600 if I am not exercising and 1700-1800 if I am.

My goal is 1700. My goals is to average 1700 for the week.

I will eat more and go over if I am hungry.

cowgirlslikeus86

I eat 50-90% of them back. I have tried not to but I platued. I had to up my intake from 1200 to 1250 plus eat most of my excercise calories. I wear a Heart rate monitor that gives me my exact calorie count. I can feel assured when I am eating those extra calories, that I actually earned them. BTW what my HRM says compared to what a machine or MFP says I burned is usually way less. Makes a huge difference

alisonjaneyelland

Surely you would loose weight slower if I ate my exercise calories back ??

marquesajen

Yes, because the site already gives me a deficit. If I am eating 1500 a day, burn 300 then I'm running on 1200 which isn't enough for my body (since without losing weight I'd be eating 1900 to stay the same weight), so I try to eat most back. It definitely isn't pointless. Exercise helps burn fat, helps your heart, builds muscle, and eating some healthy cals back won't stop that, it will fuel you!

Disclaimer blah blah blah, everyone is different, etc....

robinogue

I don't either....

wellbert

Yes - but I don't trust the site. I think it overestimates by as high as double for some exercises.

bfeusner

I mean I know that if you set you weight loss goal in MFP it tells you that if you keep your net caloric intake at that number you will lose the weight in the amount of time your requested. I feel like not eating my exercise calories will help me reach my goal faster the only thing I don't want to do is slow down my body's metabolism by not eating enough calories for what my body needs to function.

ninerbuff

When you work out and gain extra calories burned do you eat more food that day to keep your net calories the same or do you still eat your normal suggested caloric amount?

I tend to only eat my suggested caloric amount 1800 calories regardless of my calories burned exercising. I am getting used to eating small portions and don't really feel the need to eat more calories if I exercise that day!

Under eating calories tends to lead to lean muscle loss, which leads to lower metabolic rate, which leads to having to eat less and exercising more to meet calorie burn.
The body is smarter than people think. You can't fool it by eating less than it needs to ensure survival.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

I don't can't see any point of exercising if your gonna eat the calories ??

You exercise to be FIT and not just burn calories. If the intention is just to lose weight, you can just diet and have flabby muscles to achieve it.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

mandycasey

I really don't like this subject because i don't like to be told i'm doing it wrong lol anyway i don't eat my back as a rule. If i'm hungry though i will have something extra but not alot. xx

maru84

Do a search of the forums, we talk about this kind of stuff a lot and that will give you more info. I eat my exercise calories because I need to, I guess I'm a hungry person! You should listen to your body at least as much as you listen to what MFP says- if you're hungry, eat, if you don't want to, don't eat (this is unless you have any sort of eating disorder).

There's more to exercising than just the calories burned- I feel amazing after, it's a stress release, it builds muscle and tones, I sleep better, all of that AND eating dessert are just some of the many benefits. There is a point to exercising, even if you eat all your calories back. Experiment and see what works for you.

DisneyMommy

Not usually but if I am hungry I'll eat a little more. MFP's estimated calorie burns are off so I know I didn't earn as many as they say anyway.

CalJur

Conventional wisdom and so-called expert advice is to do so. This topic comes up often on MFP. You can do a search for the various reasons for and against. I tend to burn at high numbers so unless I'm hungry (which is a common sense approach to me) I don't. Not a rule of thumb though. Just depends on how I feel that day. Not going to stuff myself simply for the sake of doing so.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

Surely you would loose weight slower if I ate my exercise calories back ??

Opposite. I know its hard to wrap your mind around it. MFP already has your goal set at losing. You WILL lose mkore if you eat more. i dont always eat ALL of them back but at least 50%.

vickifrost

I don't know the correct answer but I have a day where I play interclub tennis for aprox 4 hrs then at night I play basketball. On that day I always get the message at the end of the day saying that I need to increase my calories as I am putting my body into starvation. I thing as long as we are not putting back into our bodies the things that gave us the extra weight in the first place its ok.

sheri02r

Eating my exercise calories is why I exercise.

But of course I am set to 1200 calories per day.

Yes me too!

minadee

I do if I'm way under my calorie goal, like more than 300 calories under.

MsQt

Only when I strength train.

Lorleee

MFP's estimated calorie burns are off so I know I didn't earn as many as they say anyway.

Yeah, this is part of what bothers me about the eating back calories. Many days MFP would have me believe I can go on a big ol' binge for the evening because I'm entitled to so many calories. And that would take me way off my eating plan!

ninerbuff

I've been thinking the same thing...

I have not been eating my exercise calories though. I exercise 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day, and burn between 500-1200 calories a day. I find it to be a waste to eat those calories back; I sweat my butt off trying to burn that many in one day to begin with!

But I am curious to know the "real" answer to this-thanks for asking!

So in other words if you're calorie intake is 1300 and you use up 1200 then you're surviving on 100 calories total a day. Catabolism of muscle will happen here and will definitely disrupt your metabolism.
Think about it, if you're in deficit of 2000 calories a day (BMR plus exercise calories) then you should be losing over 4lbs a week consistently. If not, then why?



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Kristinemomof3

[/quote]Under eating calories tends to lead to lean muscle loss, which leads to lower metabolic rate, which leads to having to eat less and exercising more to meet calorie burn.
The body is smarter than people think. You can't fool it by eating less than it needs to ensure survival.



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
[/quote]

Sorry, tried to quote the above, but using my phone

Perfectly said! Heck yes I eat mine, my goal is not to lose lean muscle. I'd be starving if I didn't. The deficit is built in, yada, yada, yada!