Food vs. exercise - your approach

SSSLLLX3

Hi,

I wondered what your approach was to food and exercise. What do you tend to do?

- keep the amount of calories you eat everyday the same regarless of exercising or not? (so that some days you may below and some days above your calorie allowance for weight loss)

- eat more as allowed if you've exercised more, and eat less if you've exercised less, on a day-to-day basis?

Do you think one is better than the other?

Thanks!

gpstrucker

I follow the MFP plan and try to maintain my net calories. Honestly there are days, like today, when I simply can't eat it all back and fall short, but I do try and keep it as close as I can. For me at least, it seems to work.

ChaseAlder

To be honest, I don't log my food. I run about 100 miles a month and I eat as clean as possible, so I always just feel really light and healthy and energized. I work weird hours (24 on, 48 off) so logging becomes difficult at times. I stopped when the logging became stressful, and I just make really good food choices and run a lot now. I log my exercise regularly but not every time. My weight is still coming off, just a little slower now since I'm only 5lbs overweight, not 37lbs overweight. I don't deprive myself of yummy things if I want them, and not denying myself actually keeps the food from becoming a novelty and I crave it less.

So, that's my approach. Eat clean, run hard, yummy things in moderation.

Shelgirl001

The general idea when you exercise, is to be sure to still eat the calories back, so that your body doesn't go into starvation mode and try to save all the calories, which will make it preserve the fat, also. It is important to give the body nutrition, including calories and fat so that it can function properly. Not eating back those exercise calories that are needed will rebound.

Drastiic

I prefer simplicity, so I eat the same amount everyday regardless of exercise. It's easier for me to gauge what is going on if at least one of those variables is constant. If fat loss is slowed, all I have to do is check to see if exercise has been consistent or if I've slacked off. If exercise is consistent, I can either increase the intensity or decrease calories. Simple as that really.

The better approach is the one that a person will consistently do.

Pebble321

Every calorie calculator I've ever seen suggests that if you are more active you need to eat more.
"Eating exercise calories" isn't a subversive MFP plot to keep the planet fat, it's just doing what every other calulator does but with a different approach.
OP. I'm sorry to rant at you but I see so many people get all upset about the idea of "eating exercise calories" - but with any other program they would be doing it anyway, they just don't see the calulations in front of their noses!

Right, now I"ll stop waffling and give you my standard answer:

I think it is smart to eat more to fuel your exercise. As long as you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

If you are using MFP to calculate your calorie goal you should eat extra when you exercise in order to reach the recommended amount to eat to stay healthy and lose weight.

It you are using another system to calculate your calories (ie. like fit2fatradio which lots of people suggest) then you don't need to eat any extra when you exercise because they have already included exercise in the recommended amount you need to eat to stay healthy and lose weight.

And in realily, it doesn't matter what system you use to work out the numbers, if you have the "must starve self to lose weight" mentality then you will probably under-eat anyway. I've done this lots of times in the past and I know other people have too. The problem I've had with this is that sticking to a low calorie amount isn't easy, so it's a common thing to give up and brand yourself a failure yet again. Without making behavioural changes that lead to eating better and eating less for the long term, nothing changes and the weight comes back.

RealHealthQuest

I eat about the same every day unless I have a really hard workout one day and burn more than normal calories. Typically on those days I am more hungry anyway so it is easy to add an extra portion of something at dinner or another small snack after my work out. If I am not hungry I don't worry about it. I do try to stay around my net calorie goal as much as possible and I know that it will all average out over time.

steflbrown

I always try to eat to my calorie limit daily - including the increased calories for exercise. I actually was eating less for a month and the scale did not move at all. The second I started eating a little more, the weight started coming back off. So days I'm more active, I eat more - but a HEALTHY more.

matchbox_girl

I rarely work out anymore because as a Phlebetomist I'm on my feet all day long running back and forth and packing and unpacking supplies. But I keep my calories the same without documenting my job as "working out." It has worked so far because I'm still losing weight.

Also, I still eat whatever I want because I don't have the self control to deprive me of things. BUT, if I do eat fast food for dinner, then I keep it very very light during the day so i won't exceed calories. I loving having that power and not feeling like I can't eat my favorite foods again. It kind of just turns into the question of: will I be able to hold off on eating a lot until I get to this high calorie food?

kbd388

After not having lost a pound in almost a month (well I did gain a pound, lose a pound, here and there) it seemed to me as though I was maintaining. I was eating 2,000 calories (including eating my exercise calories). I have now changed to using MFP's calculation and am not eating back my exercise (eating 1,270 per day) and I'm losing weight again. Maybe I just needed that kick? Who knows, but it is working for me right now, so that's what I'm doing.

Pebble321

After not having lost a pound in almost a month (well I did gain a pound, lose a pound, here and there) it seemed to me as though I was maintaining. I was eating 2,000 calories (including eating my exercise calories). I have now changed to using MFP's calculation and am not eating back my exercise (eating 1,270 per day) and I'm losing weight again. Maybe I just needed that kick? Who knows, but it is working for me right now, so that's what I'm doing.

If you're eating 1270 a day and not eating back exercise cals then you aren't using MFP calculations. MFP calculations assume you will eat extra when you exercise.
But hey, if it's working for you and you can stick to it - go for it!

redcat17

I eat most of my exercise calories back on days that I weight train. I'm trying to maintain as much LBM as possible while I'm losing weight. If I do a light cardio day or just walk or something, I usually don't eat them all back unless I'm hungry. I'm losing about a pound per week which is exactly what I want to do at this point.

littlelily613

I eat more when I exercise more. I lose easily when I do this, so I have had no reason to not eat my exercise calories back (or some of them anyway, I rarely ever eat EVERY allotted calorie).

ShannonMpls

- keep the amount of calories you eat everyday the same regarless of exercising or not? (so that some days you may below and some days above your calorie allowance for weight loss)

This is how I've operated since about January. I currently eat at (well, a little above) the sedentary TDEE level to maintain my weight. It's about 20% above my BMR. For me that's around 2,000 calories a day. I still lose weight, though, because I exercise and do not eat more to compensate.

I don't know which is better overall, but this method is better for me. I don't starve on days I don't exercise. I don't consider the gym a way to "earn" more food - it's more an investment in my overall physical and mental health.

mlewon

I usually eat back some, but not all.. I just can't some days.

kbd388

If you're eating 1270 a day and not eating back exercise cals then you aren't using MFP calculations. MFP calculations assume you will eat extra when you exercise.
But hey, if it's working for you and you can stick to it - go for it!

Hmm...maybe you are right, it is very confusing to me, but I am just eating what MFP calculated as my goal which is 1270. Maybe I should add my exercise calories as 1, I ignore them on my daily diary.

bm4321

I try to burn at least half of my calories called for every day, I get hungry so it doesn't always work so sometimes a fall back to just a quater

Lolli1986

I eat roughly the same amount every day and exercise roughly the same amount every week. However, it is much easier to just follow the MFP calculations unless you exercise a lot. When you start burning 400+ cals in one session you suddenly need to eat a whole extra meal on that day. It is just uncomfortable for me to change how much I eat by a factor of 400+ calories from one day to the next.

Pebble321

If you're eating 1270 a day and not eating back exercise cals then you aren't using MFP calculations. MFP calculations assume you will eat extra when you exercise.
But hey, if it's working for you and you can stick to it - go for it!

Hmm...maybe you are right, it is very confusing to me, but I am just eating what MFP calculated as my goal which is 1270. Maybe I should add my exercise calories as 1, I ignore them on my daily diary.

To be honest I was being a bit pedantic.... but when MFP works out how many calories you should eat each day to stay healthy and lose weight, it assumes that you will add extra when you exercise. 1270 is a very low amount for almost all adults - and I tend to think that eating such a low amount just isn't sustainable and is setting yourself up to give up and feel bad for "failing" again. (That's not a reflection on you, it's from my personal experience!) And I think with such a low intake you run the risk of not getting enough good nutrition to keep your body healthy.

If you have been eating all the recommended calories plus exercise but are still gaining weight -then either your logging isn't accurate or the numbers aren't right for you. Check your food and exercise numbers to make sure they are accurate - many people eat only 1/2 or 3/4 of the exercise cals because they aren't confident that they are accurate enough.

I know it's hard to work out what is right for your body, because we are all different. Good luck!

somedaysoon84

If you're eating 1270 a day and not eating back exercise cals then you aren't using MFP calculations. MFP calculations assume you will eat extra when you exercise.
But hey, if it's working for you and you can stick to it - go for it!

Hmm...maybe you are right, it is very confusing to me, but I am just eating what MFP calculated as my goal which is 1270. Maybe I should add my exercise calories as 1, I ignore them on my daily diary.

before i started using MFP i was trying to eat 1200, and NOT eating back excercise calories. some days i may finish at 6-700 cals which made me feel like crap. i love that MFP logs my workout cals, and i can eat about 300 cals a day more. i usually try to leave 50-100 left er everyday, just because i feel better about that. i feel better, eat more, and don't feel like crap!!

toysbigkid

bumping, very interesting!