Working off calories/eating calories

iCupCakeNZ

Hey, this may be a really stupid question but if my limit of calories a day is 1650 does that mean if I exercise and burn more calories I can eat more? or does it mean something entirely different

PShep17

That's right, you can eat back your exercise cals. Personally I don't unless I'm particularly hungry, but that's just me!

DaleArden

On a very simple level, yes. On a day like today, I'll probably workout and add an extra 1,500-2,000 calories. I'm about to go to the gym where I will interval run for 30 minutes, workout on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and on the stationary bike for 45 minutes, and later today I'll swim for an hour, so we're talking about a lot of cardio for a lot of extra calories.Some days I eat more of those extra calories than others, but the advice that I usually see here is that you should eat back at least some of those exercise calories otherwise your body isn't getting enough fuel for the work it's doing.

(I'm sure, by the way, that I'm doing too much cardio and I need to switch in some strength training. I'm still living in fear of the weights floor though, I have no idea what I'm doing down there and it's full of very muscly, intimidating men. I'll get over it at some point, just not today.)

spinedocmfp

If you have set a target loss per week, then you are given your calories with a deficit already added. That means you can eat back the exercise calories you burn and still have that deficit. If you don't eat them back you create a larger deficit, which can have some negative effects.

grumpy2day

I eat back some or all only if I am hungry or feeling like I over did the exercising. since my deficit is figuredin to my basic calorie allotment.