Anyone else not eating their exercise calories

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mdawson2112
mdawson2112 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I added my exercise calories for one week and was under all week and gained 2 pounds. I have set myself on a goal of 2000 cal a day and only report 1 cal for my cardo so I don't get the exercise cals. Anyone else do this?
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Replies

  • mew623
    mew623 Posts: 3 Member
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    my group does not eat the extra calores awarded for exercise. We ignore them, i like you ate the extra calories and gained a few lbs, nevver again.
    Stick to your normal calories and you will be all good.
    Me:drinker:
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
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    I do not. I wouldn't eat all of the exercise calories back if I did, maybe just half. Too much room for error to risk eating all 100%.
  • kathyc609
    kathyc609 Posts: 258 Member
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    I never eat them back. I actually don't even record them - I know what I have done And consistentlpy lose weight so I don't bother.
  • Mommyofseven
    Mommyofseven Posts: 64
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    I do not eat the extra calories awarded for exercise. I figured, what would be the point of exercising at all...just to eat more? The point of exercising is to burn the calories I eat, not let me eat more.
    I think that anyone eating the extra Cal's awarded would put on weight or just not lose any.
    Good luck in your quest.
  • knelson422
    knelson422 Posts: 308
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    I don't bc I don't think the calorie count for the workout is accurate, has been off for some people by over 200 calories. Also, on biggest loser, those people work out ALL DAY LONG and eat about 1800 calories, so why should I eat more than that? I know there are people who do, and it works for them. It doesn't work for this body, so I don't.
  • Anathama
    Anathama Posts: 82 Member
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    Nope. I exercise to burn calories.

    It seems people do this because they are afraid of losing muscle mass. However, I'm going from 363 and my goal is 223, so I expect that I will lose muscle mass in my legs no matter what, just because they will be carrying 140 lbs less!
  • bbbgamer
    bbbgamer Posts: 582 Member
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    I wouldnt point the finger at any calorie in particular, be it an "exercise" calorie or just a "regular meal" calorie. You may just consider cutting your total calorie intake back a little. Also the calories burned tends to be great over estimated. Its not obvious not working for you, just dial the calories back a little and you will do fine. Good luck!

    And yes, keep exercising. exercising generally means healthier. People at an ideal weight who are maintaining that exercise will typically be healthier than those that dont. They aren't exercising to lose......
  • godricshollow
    godricshollow Posts: 274 Member
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    I do not eat the extra calories awarded for exercise. I figured, what would be the point of exercising at all...just to eat more? The point of exercising is to burn the calories I eat, not let me eat more.
    I think that anyone eating the extra Cal's awarded would put on weight or just not lose any.
    Good luck in your quest.

    I exercise for health primarily, not so much to lose weight. I eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories, mostly because MFP has me eating 1360 calories a day so if I didn't eat them back, I'd be living on 860 calories a day, which isn't healthy at all :( I never let myself get below 1200 but that is just a personal preference.
  • KelliW_runner
    KelliW_runner Posts: 150 Member
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    I sync with fitbit and most days I will eat my exercise calories earned. I have been consistently losing weight. Mainly I listen to my body cues. If I am very hungry I will eat the calories. If I am not, I don't.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    I only eat about a third of mine. I don't trust how accurate I am at counting my calories and how accurate the machine is at calculating that. So far I've been losing 2 pounds a week. I also have a few slip ups on the weekends occasionally which may be attributing to my weight loss.

    It is all about knowing what is best for your body.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    sometimes I'll eat a snack if I get really hungry at the end of the day, but for the most part, no I don't eat mine.
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
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    I *allow* myself to eat up to half, if I feel like it. Mine are from a HRM though, not from the MFP estimates.
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    I record my workouts, but I stick to 1400 calories consumed, regardless. (I burn between 300 and 500 calories, depending on the day and the workout).

    This helps me on my weekends, when I don't exercise. When I was eating back my calories (my base intake was set at 1200 at the time), it was really hard to cut back on those days! And then I found myself eating an extra thing here and there because I knew I could just hop on the stepping machine and compensate. It got to be a bad pattern with me, where I wasn't truly trying to be healthy.

    There will be a ton of people that tell you they eat their calories back and it works for them. And I don't disagree with them -- I just know what works for me!
  • ATK57
    ATK57 Posts: 302 Member
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    I always eat most them back... Maybe that's why I haven't been losing weight as fast as I want to...
  • ChanyRae
    ChanyRae Posts: 112
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    Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It depends on how hungry I am that day. I'm in maintenance mode and already am allowed 1750 a day....if I have a really hard burn its hard for me to eat 2000+ calories a day without eating pure junk!
  • porcupinegirl32
    porcupinegirl32 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them. I don't eat them and I usually lose 1 pound a week. I've recently cut out potatoes, bread and pasta and I've actually lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I've been eating brown rice, gluten free pasta and just last night I baked a loaf of gluten free bread, I find it hard to have choices in meals by cutting out the bread or pasta so I decided to eat gluten free.

    Also I understand that if you are trying to build muscle then you would eat back your excersice calories. With my personal trainer I have been building muscle, toning and losing.....1 pound at a time mind you, but they say it's better for it to come off slowly. So I have finally gotten my mind to focus on the overall weight that I've lost (which I am a 1/2 pound away from my half way point) rather than a substantial amount in a short peroid of time. Now that I'm almost half way there I'm excited to lose the second half and reach my goal.
  • byrnet18
    byrnet18 Posts: 230 Member
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    I do not eat my calories back. I also wear a HRM so I log those calories instead of what a machine says I burn. I try to eat about 1300 calories a day and I continue to build muscle and lose fat. It works for me.
  • Mommyofseven
    Mommyofseven Posts: 64
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    Definately a hot topic! I agree with everyone who says to listen to your body. Everyone is different. For me, the "extra" calories were a mistake. Obviously not for others.
  • Celiamariec
    Celiamariec Posts: 93
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    I eat a portion of my exercise calories back, maybe half or a little over. I'm far from a professional in health and fitness, but from what I have read on many sites it's best to eat back a portion so that your deficit isn't too much and slowing down your metabolism. From trying this out the last week, I've lost a couple pounds. I eat right to lose weight, do cardio to improve my heart rate, strength to tone/condition and help raise my metabolism. Food fuels your body, when you workout you need extra fuel. If you are hungry after a workout, don't deprive yourself. Our bodies are different, so whatever works for you is awesome and stick to it. Good luck on your journey! :smile:
  • Mommyofseven
    Mommyofseven Posts: 64
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    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them. I don't eat them and I usually lose 1 pound a week. I've recently cut out potatoes, bread and pasta and I've actually lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I've been eating brown rice, gluten free pasta and just last night I baked a loaf of gluten free bread, I find it hard to have choices in meals by cutting out the bread or pasta so I decided to eat gluten free.

    Also I understand that if you are trying to build muscle then you would eat back your excersice calories. With my personal trainer I have been building muscle, toning and losing.....1 pound at a time mind you, but they say it's better for it to come off slowly. So I have finally gotten my mind to focus on the overall weight that I've lost (which I am a 1/2 pound away from my half way point) rather than a substantial amount in a short peroid of time. Now that I'm almost half way there I'm excited to lose the second half and reach my goal.


    Congrats to you! Very sensible advice.

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