calorie intake after excercise?

Springer007

There are BOAT LOADS of debates on this, and Im sure the answer has been covered a million times out here but I just cant find it. But Ihave a question on calorie intake.

I downloaded the App, Put in my age, weight, and all that stuff and it asked me my goal, so I said 2lbs a week. It set me up with a goal of 1250 calories a day. My question is this..... If I excercise off 500 bonus calories in a day, am I supposed to eat that 500 to get back up to my 1250 (which is now 1750)?

Everything I have read seems to say at least get the 1250 calories down (you know to avoid the "starvation mode") and then the rest is just bonus for more agressive weight loss. You can excercise your self down to a low number but You just should not starve yourself there. however it seems many people say if you work off 1000 calories, you need to eat 1000 more. Im lost. what would be the point in the extra excercise then?

Also, From what I am seeing from the community, there is a ton of bitterness towards people that the MFP program set up with a 1250 calorie daily goal. By that I mean their profiles say things like, "Dont even try to Friend me if you are doing 1250 calories a day" and stuff like that. Its the MFP program that sets me up with that goal, not me. Why are people so nasty about those of us with a low cal limit?

tmauck4472

Read up on Starvation Mode and not in this forum, people here are under the belief it is something that truly happens. I do eat back my calories but I'm so low anyways that I need to keep what calories I take in. When I move back up I won't eat back my exercise calories. This site thinks you should eat them back and some of the people here believe the same thing. You will have to see what works for you the best and just go with that and ignore what others might say about it. Maybe eat back half of them and see how that works for you and if it doesn't work then change it up.

shelbiejo

I didn't get it really either...I would get a bunch of calories back from exercise, but I wouldn't be hungry enough to eat them. I've only been losing weight when I do eat them back though. I have a lot more energy when I eat them back too. I do leave out 100-200 every day because MFP is not totally accurate with how how many calories you are burning during workouts. Since I'm never really hungry though I just eat higher calorie things. I add orange juice instead of just milk to my protein shakes and eat nuts that are high in calories for snacks. It is working for me.

Calories are like gas. Your body is like a car. You can fill it up in the morning but after driving around you are going to need to fill it up a little more for it to stay on a full tank(:

_stephanie0

BMR- basal metabolic rate... your body needs this to function properly if you lay in bed all day... never NET below this...
for example, my BMR is 1430.... lets say i burn 500 cals in a workout, i then have to eat 1930 to net my bmr.... i try to net 1500 and i usually burn about 350 in workouts so i eat around 1850-1900 per day

_stephanie0

also, as poster above me mentioned that MFP overestimates cals burned this is VERY true... wear a heart rate monitor!!! some people that do the exact same exercise as me can burn 600 and i can burn 300... i am not a big burner even when my heart rate is as high as 170

crystallambeth

well, my calorie goal is 1200. i work out 5 days/week burning at least 400 calories each day. according to bob harper (biggest loser) in a book he writes called, skinny rules i think he says do not eat your exercise calories. now..in my opinion the calories you choose to consume whether it be 1200 or 2000 should be good ones going into your body...i eat a LOT of protein, fruit & veggies every day. im trying to keep sodium real low & fats in moderation. HOWEVER, with all that said if i need those calories due to lack of energy or im just darn hungry..i eat them. its a personal choice, i think.. of course, i have cheat time on the weekends, but back to the grind the next day or next meal actually. im new to the forums..i have a lot to learn still too!

graelwyn

People seem to have more success eating back at least some of their exercise calories. The point of exercise isn't simply weight loss anyway, plenty of people lose weight perfectly well without it. It is also about cardiovascular health, body strength and just general fitness. It is simply a fact that is uses up extra energy and personally, if I do not eat a reasonable number of calories back, I find I cannot keep up with my daily activities, let alone further exercise. I cannot deny I enjoy the bonus of being able to eat more, and eat a few things that are perhaps higher in calories, but I am maintaining at 125/126 pounds eating back almost all of my exercise calories, and sometimes even going over. Today, I burnt over 1400 in exercise, bringing my calorie goal to over 3000. I probably wont make that, but I will certainly be getting to around 2500. Obviously if it was impacting my weight, I might think again.

I suppose it depends on your body and on whether you like eating and food and the level of hunger you experience. I, for one, tend to be famished after an hour or two of cycling and am quite glad of the extra allowance. I would say, you do need to net your bmr as someone else has said, so if you choose to go with the lowest possible daily intake, you will definitely be wanting to eat back your exercise calories, or you are more likely to get stuck further along the line. Besides the fact, this site is about a lifestyle change, not about eating the lowest you can get away with in hopes you will lose the weight faster, only to put it all back on again when the 'diet' is over.

Ayirela

After reading this I am even more confused....it put me in the high 1500 bracket today and I can't even break 1200 after exercise I'm 171 cal too low....Are you telling me I need to eat in my BMR and not the 1200 guideline set forth for other people? I'm so confused. This eating your burned calories gets more and more complicated. Just when I thought I had it figured out I got thrown off in left field. Stephanie, can you add me and look at my diaries and tell me what you think? I did everything I could to bump up my calories such as eating a handful of nuts, and putting cheese on my chicken I did in the oven. I am so early in the game I don't want to mess up, I'd like to get it right....

tmauck4472

After reading this I am even more confused....it put me in the high 1500 bracket today and I can't even break 1200 after exercise I'm 171 cal too low....Are you telling me I need to eat in my BMR and not the 1200 guideline set forth for other people? I'm so confused. This eating your burned calories gets more and more complicated. Just when I thought I had it figured out I got thrown off in left field. Stephanie, can you add me and look at my diaries and tell me what you think? I did everything I could to bump up my calories such as eating a handful of nuts, and putting cheese on my chicken I did in the oven. I am so early in the game I don't want to mess up, I'd like to get it right....

Really you have to find what works for you and it's by trail and error. Start out at the 1500 and if your not losing what you want then move it down till you find what works for you. You will have to give it a month or so to see how well it works so try not to get discouraged. I started out at 1000 and stalled out so I lowered it. I will start gradually raising it again soon cause I don't want to live on what I'm eating now for the rest of my life. If you are stalling now just change things up, change the food you eat, change the calories up one day down the next, change the type of exercise you do. Sometimes change is all you need. This is what I will be doing when I move back up to 1000 calories a day.