Exercise calories?

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00Angela00
00Angela00 Posts: 1,077 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have heard several people say that it's important to eat your exercise calories. I'm confused with how it works. If my body needs 1200 calories to function in a day and if the whole idea of exercising is to burn calories, than why do you want to match the calories you burn with the calories you consume? It seems to me like that would hinder your weight loss. Can someone explain this better? I'm pretty new to this concept. Thanks.

Replies

  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    Here are the links that explain why MFP works the way it does. Good luck.

    The technical explanation can be found here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    and a worst-case scenario example here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • molsongirl
    molsongirl Posts: 1,373 Member
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    You need to find a balance that works for you. When I eat back my exercise calories, I actually gain freaking weight, so I don't eat them. I stay inthe 1300-1350 range even on days when I burn 800+ calories, if i'm hungry I eat, but I don't get frekaed out when I see I have 200-500 calories left "from exercise" or if I go over 100-200 calories, at the end of the week it washes itself out...just my 2 cents.
  • beckyi88
    beckyi88 Posts: 604
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    I truly believe you have to find what works best for you. My first 3 weeks i had an *instant* 8 pounds drop after an 8 month plateau. The past 2 weeks ~ nada,zilch, nothing.
    Yesterday, I went back through the past 5 weeks' logs and noticed that during those successful weeks I only ate approx. 1800 calories a day, give or take a few. My MFP recommendation is 1200 calories per day but I do quite a bit of exercise so I often earn 1000-1200 extra calories a day. The past 2 weeks I've eaten many, if not all of my daily exercise calories and stopped losing. So, for me, it seems that 1800 calories is my magic number regardless if MFP says I can eat 2500 calories after exercise.
    Just my opinion on what works for me!

    Becky
  • molsongirl
    molsongirl Posts: 1,373 Member
    Options
    I truly believe you have to find what works best for you. My first 3 weeks i had an *instant* 8 pounds drop after an 8 month plateau. The past 2 weeks ~ nada,zilch, nothing.
    Yesterday, I went back through the past 5 weeks' logs and noticed that during those successful weeks I only ate approx. 1800 calories a day, give or take a few. My MFP recommendation is 1200 calories per day but I do quite a bit of exercise so I often earn 1000-1200 extra calories a day. The past 2 weeks I've eaten many, if not all of my daily exercise calories and stopped losing. So, for me, it seems that 1800 calories is my magic number regardless if MFP says I can eat 2500 calories after exercise.
    Just my opinion on what works for me!

    Becky

    I totally agree with you, everyone's body is soooo different, and different combinations work for different people.

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