Do I have to eat my extra calories?

kdeaux1959

Just for the record... I never eat 1200 calories a day. I put that in there because I was trying to avoid people telling me that eating under 1200 is unhealthy. I guess I wasn't very clear.

What normally happens is I'll eat like... 1600. Then I'll exercise and burn about 350 (according to this site). Then I'll have like 100 or so left over. I was just wondering if it's bad to always leave them or if I should eat them in the same day, or if I should try to make them up in a certain amount of time.

Oh, 100 calories is pretty much a break even point... i would not worry about that at all... that is within the margin of error...

texastango

I always eat at least 1200 calories a day but sometimes when I get done with my workout I have extra calories and nothing to snack on to make them up. Is it okay not to eat them? Or maybe to "save" them for a big meal or dessert later in the week?

Okay, let's get some science here instead of personal experience....and then I'll add my experience. First off the recommendation is not to go under 1200 for WOMEN and 1500 for MEN (See SCAN WEBSITE - Sports Cardiovascular Wellness and Nutrition) because of loss of quality nutrients your body needs to maintain healthy lean muscle mass while losing fat.

Does this mean you can't go under? NO. Of course not. Does it mean you shouldn't routinely go under ....yes....not if you want to be "healthy" in the long run. Many of us go under...and often....and we don't die!

The starvation mode - ie you won't burn calories as fast so eat more - is more myth than real. Ask any licensed professional. You stop eating you lose weight...till your body shuts down. Eating more burns slightly more calories...but not as many as you are eating. You gain weight if you eat more. Did you ever see someone starve to death eating more? I haven't.

NOW, to your point - Should you eat back (wish I had a buck for every time this is asked). Just realize that your BMR - base metabolic rate - is slowed by the brain as you try and take off weight. What that means is that if you had a brother your identical weight right now....and he ate the cals to maintain his weight....he'd stay his weight. You, on the other hand, would likely gain weight eating the same cals. Why? Because as you lose weight your body/brain is not happy...it trys to return you to your prior set point like a thermostat (research out of Columbia University - Look it up). Your brain secrets protein and hormones that make you hungry and slow your metabolic rate. How much slower than the formulars used here - like "Martin - St. Jeor" predict? You'd have to get a "metabolic cart" which measures your real BMR to know.

That said....you'll find...that I routinely do NOT eat back my calories from exercise and I'm even under on a daily basis so that my weight is maintained. In 8 months I've gained 8 lbs of muscle...and lost two inches in my waist. Always eating under and sometimes...like today, by thousands. You'll know what your number should be by personal experience. Want science. Get your percent body fat measured by Emersion ...and a metabolic cart. Need help? references? Hollar at me with a PM. Be glad to help.






Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods