Do you eat your extra calories from working out?

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  • swati37
    swati37 Posts: 145 Member
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    thats a big question in everyone's mind who is set to loose weight..

    in the last 4 months i realized u should eat your earned calories it makes you loose easily and makes sure you dont hit a plateau..
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I do - because MFP has already created a calorie deficit from my food, I don't need to make it larger by exercising.

    People will always disagree on this one - but I think the main thing is that you understand what happens when you don't eat those calories. In a nutshell - it means you are creating a larger calorie deficit every day.
    For some people that will mean that you lose weight faster, for others it means that your body doesn't get enough nutrition and your weight loss might slow down or stall.
    Or it might mean that your overall calories are very low and you can't stick with such a restricitve diet for long.

    It's your choice, just make sure you understand what you are doing and the possible consquences.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    My goal on here is set to 1,480 calories (plus whatever I earn from working out) to lose 1 pound a week. I don't usually eat back my exercise calories unless I did a really long or tough workout or I'm hungry. I think it's pretty much just personal preference combined with listening to and knowing your body.
  • PhatAv8r
    PhatAv8r Posts: 153 Member
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    Days where I pound out 900-1000 calories in exercise, I am finding it really hard to eat them all. But in reality, the week I lost 4 pounds, I did very well with coming close.

    I don't think you need to eat them everyday, but in reality, your exercise calories should be REPLACED in some respects.. There's someone on MFP here that has a couple sites where he posts and shows that by RELOADING after workouts, you help your body replace the glycogen quickly for your muscles, so it pulls from fat stores for the rest of your energy requirements... good reading..

    Also about fasting, which people say leads to starvation, but he also points out that the body has to go through nearly 84 hours without ANY food to begin acting like it's starving. And that by adding some limited fasting can help with plateaus if not completely prevent them.
  • trinitrate
    trinitrate Posts: 219 Member
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    I'm sure everyone is different. In my case, MFP wants me on around 1800 cal and I normally stop around 1500 - 1600 and am very full and satisfied for the day. If I workout, I will eat back only about 20% of those. I do this not to starve, but to make sure I'm not over-estimating my portions. If I'm hungry, I eat something.

    A lot of people on here say that is bad. I really think your body can tell you these things if you pay attention. When I started this I saw that I was a lot weaker / more winded on cardio than I had previously been. Instead of simply bumping my calories by 500 a day, I adjusted when and what I ate.

    Before I workout cardio, I have a portion of carbs ~100 - 200 cal (a banana works great here). This helps boost my workout and keeps me from getting too tired. When I return, I try to eat -some- protein (shakes work great here since I'm not in the mood for a steak after a long bike ride!).

    This intake of calories right around my workout keeps me going well, and I still don't get hungry during the rest of the day. If you're results don't agree with this, do something different ;)
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
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    Moved to food an nutrition
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    I don't, ever. I'm on 3500 cals per day as I cut and its the same regardless of me training or not.
  • brendasnz1
    brendasnz1 Posts: 11 Member
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    I do. It's my motivation to exercise!!!! ;)
  • killerkat89
    killerkat89 Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes, you need to eat the extra caloires you burn from working out, or you will send your body in to starvation mode after a while. I have tried both ways. And in the begining not eatting them will dorp lbs, but after awhile your body starts storing extra "crap" from the food you do eat. So in the long run its better to eat the calories you earn form working out!
  • Kerchinga
    Kerchinga Posts: 25 Member
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    I eat them if I'm hungry or to have a treat..otherwise no! :)
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    I eat back SOME of them... exercising increases my deficit, but I do eat back a portion of the calories, usually depending on how much exercise I do. I usually try and take in 1700-1800 calories a day with 0 exercise... then when I add exercise I eat back a portion. Essentially what I'm doing is not eating back the calories, but instead giving myself extra fuel for the workouts I'm doing before I actually go and do the exercise.

    I do find though that if I do 1000 calories in exercise, and only eat 1700 for the day, doesn't work for me, I gotta have the extra fuel/eat back some of them.

    Even with a 2 pound a week deficit... if I did one of my 1000 calorie days, I think I'd get sick if I had to eat 2800+ calories.

    I'll throw in a full disclaimer though... I have almost 100 pounds to lose... I know my mom who only has 10 pounds to lose eats back her calories, and exercises mainly so she can have more food in a day... so it probably varies a bit based on how much you have to lose or how much exercise we're talking about.
    i started out with over 100 lbs to lose and ive eaten back my exercise calories with no problems. when my goal was 2 lbs per week, thats what i lost. when i upped my cals to my bmr, i still lost a pound a week eating up to 2500 calories on workout days, 1845 on rest days. most of the days in feb i was over calories, i think i only have one week where i didnt go over my weekly goal, and i still lost.
  • JonoK
    JonoK Posts: 147 Member
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    Always.
  • LauraCR1990
    LauraCR1990 Posts: 21 Member
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    Nope i don't! never have, and never want to. :smile:
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Yes, you need to eat the extra caloires you burn from working out, or you will send your body in to starvation mode after a while. I have tried both ways. And in the begining not eatting them will dorp lbs, but after awhile your body starts storing extra "crap" from the food you do eat. So in the long run its better to eat the calories you earn form working out!

    No it won't. This mode does not exist.
  • olong
    olong Posts: 255 Member
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    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.

    Me, too. Though, sometimes, I'm simply not hungry enough to eat them all. Which may balance out those non-exercise days when I find it difficult to stay in my calories.
  • Gargoyle69
    Gargoyle69 Posts: 87 Member
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    You made a goal to lose a specific amount of weight per week, by virtue of your cals burned to cals eaten per day. So just meet that every day as calculated by MFP.
  • CatSummer
    CatSummer Posts: 36 Member
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    I don't eat mine, unless I worked out intensely and I am feeling weak. By creating a bigger daily calorie deficit you will lose more weight. A few years ago I lost 70 pounds, and I never ate the "extra calories".

    Each to his own though... It all depends on how quickly you want to lose weight, and how hungry you are getting.

    Good Luck! :)
  • chicklidell
    chicklidell Posts: 275
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    I don't, ever. I'm on 3500 cals per day as I cut and its the same regardless of me training or not.


    Couldn't agree more and you look amazing!
  • Siena_Risley_13
    Siena_Risley_13 Posts: 201
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    well im on a 1200 so when i have extra i eat the extra!!
  • gurganuss
    gurganuss Posts: 78 Member
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    I personally do not eat my calories back from exercise. I usually burn an extra 1200 calories a week doing exercise but to me if you eat them back you are defeating the purpose of working out. Some people work out as an excuse to eat more, eating less is what is helping me to lose weight.

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