Extra calorie's from exercise

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CarolanneG
CarolanneG Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey.

I'm new to this site and was given a calorie goal of 1200 per day... What I didn't realise is when I log my exercise it then adds the calorie'sI've burned to my daily goal..

Thing is, even with exercising 1200 calorie's is enough for me..

Doe's anyone else have this problem?? Should I really be trying to use the extra calorie's??

Any help much appreciated..

Thank You. :happy:

Replies

  • tiffanydawnn
    tiffanydawnn Posts: 122 Member
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    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • PeaceLoveVeggies
    PeaceLoveVeggies Posts: 682 Member
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    I have the same daily calorie goal and I exercise 5 times a week. I try to burn more than 300+ calories and I always eat back at least 25% of my exercise cals. 1200 is never enough for me.
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
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    This is not a problem, and yes you should be using at least some of these calories to stay on track with your weight loss goal.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    It seems counter intuitive...but yes, eat those calories, or at least some of them. It helps keep your metabolism on track so you can burn calories efficiently without your body going into starvation mode and hanging on to bodymass. I eat most of mine...and its nice to have that leeway for those days when I'm just a bit hungrier!
  • bzmommy34
    bzmommy34 Posts: 229 Member
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    There are many many many :smile: boards regarding this. Do a search for eating exercise calories and you'll find tons of great information. Some don't eat them back, some do eat them back, some only eat half, etc. As for me - I have been at this 1.5 weeks and I eat mine and have had great success thus far. I am going to eat them back for another week, see if I still have a good loss and if I do I will continue on. If I don't I will cut back on eating them. Everyone is different. Trial and error... just never give up! BTW - welcome!

    ***And by success I not only mean weight loss but also with my overall well being. I feel great!
  • CCChaos625
    CCChaos625 Posts: 55 Member
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    If I do a big workout I usually only eat back 25-50% most. On lite days, I try not to to create a little more of a deficit. But if you are going hard core you need to fuel your muscles and cells so eatting a portion of it back is a good idea.

    Add me if you need some support and motivation.
  • lindamrose
    lindamrose Posts: 7
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    I try to eat at least the 1200 to keep my metabolism up. But I try not to eat the extra that I burn when I work out so I can lose weight faster. And apparently that method is working for me because I'm losing, slowly but surely. Also, I calculated my BMR, and it said I would burn 1200 (ish) calories a day if I stayed in bed all day so I know I am burning off ALL I have eaten in a day and then some. You can find the BMR calculator on this site under tools (I think).
  • gsettine
    gsettine Posts: 5 Member
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    I find myself in the same situations a lot. In the end, if you're hungry and you still have the calories left to use in the day go ahead. If you've earned an extra 300 calories from working out but feel full, that's fine too. Don't force feed yourself. I go mountain climbing on a regular basis and on those days I can't even come close to my net calorie limit.
  • sezziejm
    sezziejm Posts: 147 Member
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    It's very rare that i use all my extra calories....i see them as an extra snack if i fancy it.....feel free to add me
  • CAMette11
    CAMette11 Posts: 3
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    Hi,

    I struggle with this myself. The thought process is that your calorie goal is already set to help you lose weight, to keep your body from going into starvation mode you are allotted more calories when you exercise. Do you need to eat them all, no, but eating too little can hinder your process.

    I usually do tap into the extra calories that I have earned but also do not eat them all in case I need them for a treat later in the week.

    As I said, I struggle with this, I exercise a lot and saw a nutritionist, I find I hear a lot of conflicting advice on the topic. But in general if you are hungry, drink a full glass of water, if in 20 minutes you are still hungry, eat something.

    Also, it may help you to try to change some snacks/ meals that you eat to help keep you fuller longer, ex: eating more protein or veggies.

    I hope this helps :)
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    You'll find a lot of different opinions on whether or not you should eat back your exercise calories. Some people eat them all, some people choose not to eat any of them, and some choose a percentage of them to eat back. Others choose to listen to their bodies daily and only dip into them if they are hungry. I think your best bet is to listen to your body and only eat what you feel you need to, making sure that you have enough energy to continue working out while feeling good and losing weight steadily.

    If you do choose to eat most or all of them back, make sure that you are getting an accurate picture of your calorie burns (MFP often overestimates cardio calories burned). This will help you prevent accidentally overeating calories that were not actually burned.
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    EAT THEM! I used to net between [negatives] and a few hundred calories a day, and I thought I was awesome!! I lost weight and all... but then I stalled. Flat. No progress. For months. I finally decided maybe I did need to eat more. I upped my calories and started eating back about half (at the time) of my exercise calories. I lost for a while. Then stalled. Now I eat back 90% (or more) of my exercise calories, and I'm losing like crazy! I just weighed on Friday and had two relatively high calorie days (Friday and Saturday), and my weight still went down two pounds just over the weekend! Eating agrees with my body... When I give it what it needs, it is less afraid to let go of that extra fat, I guess...

    Good luck!!
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
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    Basically yes although you'll get a lot of opinions.

    You should aim to keep your net calories at 1200, if you burn extra then you should eat more healthy calories.

    I know how you feel though, at first 1200 felt enough but after a few weeks of exercise I started to feel hungrier. I generally don't eat them all but I've noticed it's been easier to lose weight since I've started eating more.
  • CarolanneG
    CarolanneG Posts: 11
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    Wow!! Thanks for all the replies and info..

    Much appreciated.. :happy:

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