Do you eat your extra calories from working out?

onequirkygirl

It just depends...on how much I've exercised, what kind of exercise it was, and where I'm at in my menstrual cycle (sorry--TMI).

If I did strength training and cardio....like today....I will probably eat a lot of them back and it will be lean protein. I wont eat them all back, because I have thyroid issues and a lower BMR yada yada...it's so indivualized to you and it really needs to be.


I lose best when I eat some of them back. You have to just play with it. Find yo special numba.

rj3136

I am new to this. However I don't eat mine.

addies_mom

I only eat them if I'm hungry, so about half the time. My usual workouts burn 300 calories, so not significant.

bdeese2001

yes we should eat those earned calories from working out. your baseline is what your body needs just to do normal functions. If you workout you put your body in a energy deficit and are missing out on vital nutrition your body needs just to function.

meg7399

You are suppose too...people who don't should. Your body needs fuel. You are still in calorie deficit so why wouldn't you. The calorie number MFP gives you is what your body needs to function AND lose weight before working out. If you burn more you will need to eat more. Basic science!

Hoover8it

98% of the time I eat them...........It makes me feel I have a little more room to play with when it comes to my food

ShawnaCurley

My calorie limit is set at 1740 a day. That always seems to be enough for me. So I don't eat back my exercise calories. I really don't want to workout just to eat more. haha But everybody is different.

bdeese2001

If I eat the extra calories, my new focus is to make them healthy calories and not empty calories.

amen to that!

Lisalovespies

i eat mine and am losing weight at a steady pace so must work. it also stops me feeling hungry and i don't feel deprived if i eat something that is a bit more calorific than normal.

bcattoes

Most days I drink them in a wine glass. :drinker: But on days I don't work out I eat (and drink) pretty much the same amount as on days I don't. If I go too many days without exercising I gain weight.

RachaelKelley

You should, you need the energy for the work out- without it you'll start burning- muscle that is...no bueno.

marycmeadows

Yes I do - YES you should - and YES it is bad not to.

Think about it - (there's a ton of threads/posts about this exact thing) - if you're on say 1300 calories a day per MFP goals - that is already a deficit of at least 500 if you want to lose 2lbs a week - THEN you add in exercise. Say you burn 500 calories in exercise today. and you eat 1300 calories? -- that's a 1000 calorie deficit for the day - AND you've only given your body 800 calories to run on -- that simply isn't enough. Women shouldn't eat any less than 1200 calories a day (i'm sure it's higher for men but i'm not sure the exact number) -- eating below this number causes your body functions to suffer (things you may not notice right now but they can have long term negative effects)...... You should try to eat back at least half if not all your exercise calories. There's an easy way to do this. Have a recovery shake after work out. Perfect time to eat, and because you still burn more calories after you work out, you'll burn those calories off, no problem. seriously, it works. EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT - FEED THE MACHINE!

SW 303.4 (1/1/11)
CW 198.4 (down 105lbs)
GW 160

709sherry

I haven't been eating the workout cals at 1400 cals but at 1200 cals I find that it is hard not to cut into the workout cals (not purposely). I guess I am consistently in the 1200-1400 cals a day range and that is fine for me. I used to eat almost double that so it works for me.

Dimplybutt

I do as well. I have found if I don't I dont have the energy for the workout AND I find myself starving!!!

This ^ ^

KnitChick89

Nope. That's why I put in my exercise info at the end of the day. After reading these posts, I think I'll start eating them back though

sdrawkcabynot

I have been trying more and more to eat my workout calories. My issue is once I get going - it's hard for me to stop. Yesterday I did two classes that had an hour long break in between so I worked out in the gym. I would have eaten 3600 calories to break even - I cannot fathom eating that many calories without going crazy at a buffet.

weightloss43154

I eat mine back too

kittyinaz

YES. Oh boy do I!
I wear a HRM so I get a realistic number and avoid overestimating the calories to eat back. I usually leave a small quantity, just for wiggle room.

^ This. I do the same.

madtownjeremy

Some days I eat some...other days I eat all of them...last night for example I did a 600 cal work out, which gave me a 700 cal deficit for the day. I ate a Clif bar afterwards, replacing 300 of them and that was it. I didn't feel the need to eat them all back but it wouldn't be a problem if I did.

sdrawkcabynot

I am an advocate of HRM's with a chest strap!

Sytera

I'm glad I found this thread. I've been eating back some of my calories but at the end of the day I often times end up with 200-400 calories left to go. I'm exclusively breastfeeding a 6 month old whom nurses a lot. I add those 500 calories in as a workout instead of food simply because it isn't food I'm eating but calories I'm burning. Then I try to workout at least 500 calories worth. So I'm giving myself a deficit of approx 1,000 calories. Will I really be ok eating all those back and finishing the day out closer to zero left instead 200+? I'm wanting to lose 8 lbs in about 7 weeks.

samalex01

I'm new to all this, what do you mean by eating your extra calories from working out?

madtownjeremy

Say you have a goal of eating cals in a day...then go workout and burn off 400 of them. Do you then take that as leave to eat an extra 400 calories that day to hit that 2000 calorie target.

In many cases, it's unhealthy not to.

tantalee

normally i try to let about 300-500 cal, but the average is to "not eat" around 300 cal of my exercise
actually i feel guilty if i ate all the cals from the exercise

TiredOfBeingFAT130

I would eat them as long as you have an HRM to tell you accurately how many calories you are burning!! MFP over-estimates my actual calorie burn by about 50%!! Since getting my HRM, I have had to double up on my workouts. I was eating back calories before I hadn't even earned... I just thought I had because the MFP database told me so.
So get an HRM & eat them back!! If not, I would only eat half back... just my personal opinion

Agefyter

My calorie limit is set at 1740 a day. That always seems to be enough for me. So I don't eat back my exercise calories. I really don't want to workout just to eat more. haha But everybody is different.

Same here! I only eat them if I'm hungry. Sometimes I have a hard time getting to 1200.

penrbrown

I don't but only because my calorie burn from exercise is maybe 100... 200 calories max and that just doesn't seem like enough to fuss about. Even with my calorie burn from exercise I'm still consuming 1200 cals (my daily intake is set to 1400) so I'm not concerned.

katiew00t

You betcha!

plt55

I have done it both ways ,and as dumb as it sounds sometimes makes no differance.If u are hungry eat them thats what they are for ,if not dont.

csc3197

It depends. If I feel hungry, I eat. If not, then I don't.