eating your burned calorie! Really!

Huffdogg

post-workout refeeds should ideally be high in protein and quality carbs. A big fat chicken salad, tuna salad made with greek yogurt rather than mayo, a pork tenderloin sandwich made on hearty whole grain bread, wild rice with red and black beans, etc.

MaraDiaz

ii SAY DON;T EAT all OF THEM BUT YOU CAN GO A bit over with the extra calories burned.. ALSO, I agree just listen to your body!

The old 'listen to your body' is kind of crap. You can convince yourself that you're not hungry and don't need to eat, and the body won't always scream at you to eat anyway. Eat the calories back and make adjustments based on what you see on the scale and on the measuring tape. Measurements are vital because your body won't always show you what it's doing in terms of poundage.

I didn't get this fat by convincing myself I'm not hungry!

No doubt some people can convince themselves of this, though, and certainly caffeine and prescription diet pills can make a person think they aren't hungry or tired out when they're really both.

gazerofthestars

Eat if you're hungry. Don't, otherwise. It's simple as that. As long as you're maintaining a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.
Personally, I always eat at least half of them back and I've dropped pounds steadily.

MB_Positif

Didn't a whole lot of folks get fat overeating because they "listened to their body" regarding hunger?

I choose listening to my body over feeling weak, run down and stupid when I eat too little.

rovernio

if i would be eating my working out calories it would be a 3500 cal feast so i never do

MB_Positif

i don't eat them.... I DRINK THEM!!! PROTEIN SHAKE!!! DISREGARD GLASSWARE!!!

lol, didn't your mother ever tell you not to drink straight from the blender? what if a blade came loose and you swallowed it?

lindamac101

I am supposed to eat 1200 per day, if i work out I will eat 1400-1500. The calories burned during exercise I thinks is a guilde line and not everyone burns the same amount of calories. I was not losing any weight when i ate back all of my exercise calories. I am 49 years old and I also think that has to do with calories burned. Unfortunately as you get older your metabolism slows bummer.

kryptonitekelly

i don't eat them.... I DRINK THEM!!! PROTEIN SHAKE!!! DISREGARD GLASSWARE!!!

Honestly...that's the cutest picture ever!

kryptonitekelly

post-workout refeeds should ideally be high in protein and quality carbs. A big fat chicken salad, tuna salad made with greek yogurt rather than mayo, a pork tenderloin sandwich made on hearty whole grain bread, wild rice with red and black beans, etc.

Now i'm hungry!

Sarena3

There are so many benefits to regular exercise I can't even remember all of them. It improves brain functions, circulation (which makes for prettier skin) better muscle tone, better sleep, more ease of movement, stamina for long days, less depression, less stress, calmer moods, increases body's ability to heal and of course easier appetite and weight control. So exercise is a goal in and of itself and to exercise well, the body needs to be appropriately fueled.

SUPERhecticMOM

I think it's different for everyone but I compare it to a car. If you are driving your normal route to and from work you use a set amount of gas....but if you want to take a road trip you add more gas to the tank. When your calories are allotted they are already set up to give enough "gas" to do your regular day of life but if you add in a trip to the gym/extra exercise you're going to need the extra "gas" to fuel your body for the "road trip"

mixedfeelings

I'm experimenting at the moment. I've never been able to eat much without putting on weight. I'm 5'10", my calorie goal is 1420 but I stick to around 1200, when I exercise I eat a bit more but not the full amount as I'm not hundred percent sure I'm burning what the site says I am, next month I'm going to purchase a heart rate monitor to track calories burnt that way. Even then I don't think I will eat all the extra calories I'm given but I do use it to my advantage when I know I won't be able to control my calorific intake as much.

Forgot to mention, I do try and up my protein when working out, and my extra calories when I don't need them, well I usually have milk/soya milk.

healthyliving_girl

I eat my exercise calories 5 out of 7 days a week. I have lost 34 lbs since July - surpassed my original goal weight and shooting to lose 5 more.

It can work. I think as long as you aren't hungry, then it's okay to not eat them...not all calories are equal. If you eat "more clean" foods, then you will fill up without eating the exercise calories back. Salads, vegetables, and fruits will tend to fill you up even though they have little calories. However, you may find yourself more hungry if you snack on crackers and what have you, meaning you may "need" to eat more, in order to not feel like you're starving our body.

I played around with the numbers at first. In the beginning, my goal was 1650 a day and I worked out in order to eat 2000 calories a day. And many days I still eat that much, but some days I can get away with a net of 1400 because I ate more "Clean" that day.

You'll find what works for you.

kryptonitekelly

I'm experimenting at the moment. I've never been able to eat much without putting on weight. I'm 5'10", my calorie goal is 1420 but I stick to around 1200, when I exercise I eat a bit more but not the full amount as I'm not hundred percent sure I'm burning what the site says I am, next month I'm going to purchase a heart rate monitor to track calories burnt that way. Even then I don't think I will eat all the extra calories I'm given but I do use it to my advantage when I know I won't be able to control my calorific intake as much.

Forgot to mention, I do try and up my protein when working out, and my extra calories when I don't need them, well I usually have milk/soya milk.

Wow big difference...

I am 5`2 and I eat 1200cals...You're 5`10 and stick to only 1200? I find 1200 is too little for me somedays....

runninghome

i don't eat them.... I DRINK THEM!!! PROTEIN SHAKE!!! DISREGARD GLASSWARE!!!

lol, didn't your mother ever tell you not to drink straight from the blender? what if a blade came loose and you swallowed it?

WHAT? lol. beware of blender blades!

kryptonitekelly

If you don't want to eat back all of your calories, at least eat some of it back...
Have a chicken sandwich...protein shake...etc. High protein stuff will be best asit fills you for longer. Also it helps repair muscles and builds muscles...

also dont forget, when you build muscle, you weight heavier...

kryptonitekelly

If you don't want to eat back all of your calories, at least eat some of it back...
Have a chicken sandwich...protein shake...etc. High protein stuff will be best asit fills you for longer. Also it helps repair muscles and builds muscles...

also dont forget, when you build muscle, you weigh heavier...

Sugar not sure why I clicked quote to change a spelling mistake

kathleen2001

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I usually am workingout after I eat everything for the day so If I am over my 1200 cals I eat them if not......

erikblock

and it is hard to burn 600 ! for me anyways...1 hour at the gym and I only burn about 200...

Are you sure you're only burning 200 in an hour? That sounds fishy. Even a very thin person--like 100 pounds or so--walking at a slow pace (say 3 mph) will burn close to that in an hour. What kind of cardio are you doing?

runninghome

Wow, so many post, so much great information!!!! I feel success runnin' through me! This is what I think I will try. On days I don't exercise I will eat 1200 and on days I do I will eat 1500 to 1600. What thoughts would you guys have on that?

rbear713

All I can say is that for me, counting actual calories and staying under my own limit (right now its 1500) has worked - I exercise a TON, and its 80% cardio. Also, I cut 15 - 20% off mfp's burn amounts. Again, for me, sticking to about 10 cals a minute for my workouts seems to work, but I don't even consider eating them back - I dont need them, and every cal I don't put into my mouth = 1 more cal my body needs to burn from my fat...

Listen to your body (its not crap if you are truthful with yourself) and dont be afraid to try something different like eating your cals back - maybe it will work for you, maybe it wont - but as long as you are working towards your own goals, you cant go wrong - just remember to keep on pushing forward...and if/when you fail - pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and continue down the road...DON'T GIVE UP!!

KareninCanada

Wow, so many post, so much great information!!!! I feel success runnin' through me! This is what I think I will try. On days I don't exercise I will eat 1200 and on days I do I will eat 1500 to 1600. What thoughts would you guys have on that?

That's kind of what I do... except it's 1500-1700 on days I do nothing but crawl out of bed and sit at my desk all day, 1700-1800 on a normal day, and NET 1700 on days I work out hard.

CyberEd312

I would definitely invest in a HRM... I have a Polar FT60 and love it... It is all about intensity when it comes to how many calories you will burn during a workout. A HRM is not the end all be all but it is alot more accurate than relying on the gym machines or MFP... I am only speaking from experience but I think through my trials and tribulations I can tell you that eating back your exercise calories is a vital part of the process especially if you are using MFP the way it is intended to be used... My BMR is 2420 a day and that is with my 500 calorie deficit built in (set to lose 1 lb. a week). I exercise 6 days a week with 1 day off but split train most days. I am currently eating 3400 calories a day and am still losing at a rate of 1 lb. a week 32 months into my journey. You have to play around with your calories and bump them up in increments to find what works best for you but my rule of thumb is to eat back 85% of my exercise calories back leaving 15% for error in my logging and calories burned... I don't see how anyone can workout and not be hungry afterward and ready to eat... When I leave the gym I am starving and ready to get home to refuel my body.... Good luck to you on your journey.....

mixedfeelings

I'm experimenting at the moment. I've never been able to eat much without putting on weight. I'm 5'10", my calorie goal is 1420 but I stick to around 1200, when I exercise I eat a bit more but not the full amount as I'm not hundred percent sure I'm burning what the site says I am, next month I'm going to purchase a heart rate monitor to track calories burnt that way. Even then I don't think I will eat all the extra calories I'm given but I do use it to my advantage when I know I won't be able to control my calorific intake as much.

Forgot to mention, I do try and up my protein when working out, and my extra calories when I don't need them, well I usually have milk/soya milk.

Wow big difference...

I am 5`2 and I eat 1200cals...You're 5`10 and stick to only 1200? I find 1200 is too little for me somedays....

I was quite surprised how much I could eat for that amount and I add everything I use and drink, I've just swapped the oils I use in cooking, sugar, milk which has made a big difference. I've started weighing everything out though.I bulk out meals with veg though.

LorinaLynn

A lot of us who are adamant about eating them back are people who stalled out or messed up our metabolisms in the past by NOT eating them back. I stalled at about 20 lb lost and it took a couple months of gradually upping my calories until I started losing again. My athletic performance improved in leaps and bounds, too, because I was actually fueling my body. It took a long time for my metabolism to properly recover, though.

Then again, it probably depends just how much exercise you do. I do a lot, so I can't imagine getting by without eating those calories back!

Yep. In the past, I had no idea about exercise calories and just thought, "The less you eat, the more you'll lose." Then when I wasn't losing like I thought I should, I thought, "I guess I'll have to eat even LESS." I blamed myself and thought I had a crappy metabolism, or lacked discipline, or was just stuck at the weight/size I was.

Wow, was I wrong! This time around, eating exercise calories, I lost more weight than I did when I was eating half as much, and the majority of the weight I lost was from fat. When I was undereating, I was a size 8 with a muffintop and backfat rolls at 130#. With eating right (small calorie deficit + exercise calories) at a little over 130#, I'm a size 2 or 4 with a tiny waist and a smooth back.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/eat-more-why-very-low-calorie-sucks-201462

mamagooskie

If I am hungry I eat them if I am not hungry I dont eat them

Dumbell_Diva

I dont eat my exercise calories. I have a very slow metabolism and for my first 4 weeks on here I stayed the same, I then put on weight!!! The calorie allowance set doesnt take into account peoples metabolisms which may be faster if you are younger and fitter, and much much slower if, like me, you have a slower metabolism due to medical reasons or medication. I am very active, I dont drive and I walk everywhere. I eat clean, dont eat processed food. I have 3 children and spend all day on my feet, yet still my metabolism is very slow.

I also think that when I exercise and log it, sometimes the site gives more calories burned than Ive actually used. I dont own a HRM but Im sure I dont burn the amount it gives me. One day I could put my heart and soul into my workout and burn a huge amount and the next day I could do the same workout and not burn nearly as much.

My calories were set at 1,250 when I first joined and I try and stay as close to this as possible. Some days I eat slightly less and some days slightly more which usually balances itself out. With my metabolism, if I ate my exercise cals I would be putting on weight every week. And if I stopped exercising I would put on weight!! So I think this debate will rumble on as everybodies bodies are different and the rate at which we burn weight will always be different from one person to the next. Good luck everyone, do what works for you!!

christina0089

I would say eat about half if you are hungry mainly because MFP calories out is set a bit high for most excercises and you would not want to eat more than you burned on accident. If you are using a HRM you can assume its pretty accurate. But all in all your body will tell you what it needs if you need the 600 cal to sustain you then have at it. If not then eat only what you need. Good luck! :happy:

rayleansout

I say eat most of them back in the begining, as you stall or plateau this will give you some room to make a little change like only eating half back for first stall, then eating none back fro second stall, then eating all back for a week and repeat the process,. That is if you tend to Plateau.

simplyblessed5

I do not eat my exercise calories back and it seems to be working for me. I know eating them tends to work well for others. You just have to figure out what works best for you.