Extreme exercise day - do you eat back the calories

megandyan83

So I have been on here just long enough to realize that the controversy of "eating back your exercise calories" creates heated debate on MFP. This routine debate is not what I'm after.

However, one of my main goals is not to send my body into starvation mode. I pretty regularly eat 1600-1800 calories as a result, and have been seeing steady loss. Yesterday while wearing my HRM, I ended up burning ~1700 calories playing volleyball/soccer with friends. I usually eat back some/all of my exercise calories, but obviously I'm not going to eat an additional ~1700 calories. Do any of you nutrition experts out there have any advice? My net calories for the day were pretty much zero.

Is this unsafe? I still ate my normal amount of food...

DeadMarsha

I am no expert, but I usually eat back most of my calories on regular workout days, and if I go all out and burn more than a couple hundred, I take advantage and eat BBQ ribs or something. Alternatively, it's always nice to have a big fat green number on your diary at the end of the day, and it really can't hurt your efforts. But, if you are not hungry, you don't need to eat them back!

judith3horns

I do not have an answer, but as a competition dancer I am really struggling with the same problem! Even when I eat above average for myself, I often do not eat back the calories on a competition day because it would require consuming mass amounts of food!

47Jacqueline

My advice would be not to stress yourself out about the extreme exercise day. You probably don't do that every day so just eat what you want and don't be a slave to the numbers. The point of eating back your calories is to keep you on an even keel so you don't plateau from starving yourself. That's not going to happen if you occasionally (I would say even weekly) do a day of extreme effort.

That's my opinion.

Quilla_Baby

I try not to eat back my calories unless I burn more than a couple hundred. And i usually only do that if I'm really hungry. So here's my advice : if you worked out and you're hungry afterwards EAT, you earned those calories, its kind of like reward. Just don't over do it

LorinaLynn

Do you do extreme harm to your body if you get the stomach flu and are unable to keep any food down for 24 hours? Nope. So one day of excessive exercise isn't going to hurt you, either.

Personally, I'm never all that hungry on the day I exercise a lot, so if I can't eat all my calories, I don't stress about it. The NEXT day, I have a bottomless stomach, though. :laugh:

cbevan1229

I don't think you need to feel pressured to eat that many calories back. You're not maintaining that level of deficit every day.

If I did that much physical activity, though, I would be STARVING, and glad to have at least some of those extra cals to play with.

HorseWithNoName27

Only eat some of them back if you need them...if you are hungry, that is.

In the past, I lost weight successfully without eating back the exercise calories. Consequently, I know people whose weight lose stalled because they were eating too little and not eating exercise calories back.

There are no solid-gold answers...only what works for you.

Good luck!

tobielauren

There are times when I do double or triple workouts because of my job and my athletic lifestyle...There is no way I can eat back all of those calories in one day...and the next day I am normally craving a bit more so have no regrets eating a bit more than usual.

It's whatever works best for the person

RiannonC

I run a lot of half marathons, and on half marathon day, I eat pretty much like normal but I usually end up taking a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. I think my body recharges better with extra sleep than with extra food. If I ate all the calories the charts say I burn running (truthfully I think the numbers are very inflated for how much I personally burn running) I would feel uncomfortably stuffed and sluggish. It's all about the post exercise nap!

RobynMWilson

It's unsafe if your net calories are zero everyday...if this isn't your normal day then I wouldn't worry about it. I try as best I can to eat back my calories since I'm maintaining and building lean muscle mass...

MissFit0101

I can't say what's safe and what's not but I know when I have long runs and I burn over 1000 calories, I usually end up eating back about 50-75% of them on that day, and the rest I will eat the day after. I usually feel ravenous the day after an intense workout. If I weren't hungry though I probably wouldn't be force feeding them to myself.

rachelilb

I burn about 1200 calories 5 days a week and do not eat back the calories. Everyone says I will send my body into "starvation mode" but I have been doing it for 4 months now and have successfully lost weight. If I am hungry I eat. If im not then I don't eat. I wouldn't worry about it.

montana_girl

I believe everyone is different and you need to find what works for you. That being said, over the years I've come to learn that I needed to eat back ALL my exercise calories in order to lose weight. Same goes for maintenance. The more active I am the more I get to (have to) eat. But that's what works for me.

elleish8705

I'm not much for extreme exercise (600 calories on the elliptical is as extreme as I get) but I generally try to eat a little bit less so I have some green to make up for the days when I overeat. I would judge how you feel - if you're light headed or dizzy, definitely eat what you need to feel better; if you have lots of energy and feel great and not hungry, don't feel compelled to max it out (imo).

jadedzen

I've experienced this in the past as a competitive dancer, i'd be running a huge calorie deficit because i'd burn so many calories over the day, but i also didn't worry much about eating too much, i just ate until i wasn't hungry anymore.i would however bring protein bars and stuff with me if i started to get less energy later in the day.

caraiselite

if i'm hungry, yes.

i don't force myself to eat if i'm not hungry.

jasonpclement

Heres a tip..and i haven't read all the responses so maybe someone said this...I use cardio to create a calorie deficit so I can eat more...Heres the kicker...I never log my weight training ever. So even if I eat at my sedentary or cardio maintenance...I should still be at a deficit...lifting will burn a few calories, and over the long term, very many.

Sarena3

I had a "head slap" aha moment on this subject. I was filling in my daily in take on MFP. I entered the Hammer Nutrition bar I eat before my work out and the protein shake I drink right after and thought "wow it's a good thing I have my exercise calories or I wouldn't have enough calories left for supper and it hit me. Fuel up appropriately for the work out and have something for muscle recovery afterwards, viola, you've used your exercise calories...appropriately. My opinion. For what it's worth.

skywa

eat till your full xP

Cgirlish

I usually eat back about half my calroies on hard exercise day over 1000 I eat back about 500... usually satifies my hunger

Connie

Keiko385

I'm confused by all of this calories burned

case in point

Evening dog walk
1.8 miles
30 minute walk
10 minute cool down
HRM 303 calories burned
HR Avg 141 Max 173
Nike App sez 197 calories burned, MFP sez 198 ....106 calorie difference which one is right?

I would hate to eat back 300 calories if its in error

AngelikaLumiere

My experience is that on a normal day I try to get within 50 calories of my goal plus or minus but on days where I play in tournaments and my HRM says I have burned HUGE numbers of calories I eat back about half of my extreme calories. The few times I ate them all I wound up gaining and spending the next week loosing what I had already lost. Eating half of them doesn't seem to hurt me and satisfies my hunger.

Pimpmonkey

So I have been on here just long enough to realize that the controversy of "eating back your exercise calories" creates heated debate on MFP. This routine debate is not what I'm after.

However, one of my main goals is not to send my body into starvation mode. I pretty regularly eat 1600-1800 calories as a result, and have been seeing steady loss. Yesterday while wearing my HRM, I ended up burning ~1700 calories playing volleyball/soccer with friends. I usually eat back some/all of my exercise calories, but obviously I'm not going to eat an additional ~1700 calories. Do any of you nutrition experts out there have any advice? My net calories for the day were pretty much zero.

Is this unsafe? I still ate my normal amount of food...

I had a long pool day with company the other day, and I really tried hard to eat back some of mine because I had burned so many, but it about made me sick. I just ate as many as I could and said screw it.

gramacanada

If you eat back all your exercise calories you won't lose any weight ,you'll stay even. It's a matter of equalization. If you're hungry eat (within reason). I'd have more water. then see what your body says. i do have a Fitness and Nutrition educational background. but this is still only my opinion really.

Poorgirls_Diet

I eat half of my calories back as the estimates on this site are totally over and I don't know whether they are right or wrong so to keep myself right I do what I need to. You can pretty much judge this for yourself depending on your own body

SelkieDiver

I can't say what's safe and what's not but I know when I have long runs and I burn over 1000 calories, I usually end up eating back about 50-75% of them on that day, and the rest I will eat the day after. I usually feel ravenous the day after an intense workout. If I weren't hungry though I probably wouldn't be force feeding them to myself.

This! If i have a big brick workout (bike/run) I can (and have) burn over 2000 calories in one day. Can't eat more than half those back usually so if I go over by even 500 the following day its okay. What i've been doing lately is looking at the weekly net instead. It's clearest on the mobile app.

peterdt

I've had best results when I eat some of the calories back. I'm a big guy so I my goal is 2k calories per day. I exercise 800-900 calories 6-7 days a week. I find if I eat 2.5k calories even though I burn 800-900 that I have almost no weight loss. On paper I should be losing 1200 calories per day roughly and losing 2.3 pounds per week. But the reality is usually no loss on weeks like that. Our bodies want to stay at the same weight and resist change IMO. But reducing intake to 2k seems to be the magic number for me to start losing regardless on how much I exercise.

and some days do 2-4k hiking etc. Those days I'll eat 3k in calories and have a positive effect on weight loss.

I think our bodies always adjust to whatever we are doing and trying to stay at the same weight. That's one reason why most people gain back the weight the lose after a diet. Their body wants to go back.

ClarkeEJ

I have never eaten back my exercise calories but have recently been stuck for over a month at a plateau so have decided to eat back my exercise calories for the next few weeks to see if it kick starts my weight loss again. Fingers crossed it works.

jcmartin0313

According to MFP I burned 1500 or so calories cycling yesterday. There was no way I was going to eat that much back so I figure it goes to the weekly deficit. Otherwise, I do try to end each day at my goal.

heybales

I burned 4 lbs of weight away on a 3hr bike ride Sunday - 2000 calories.

Drank plenty of water and not really that hot, so hardly was all sweat.

What did I lose? Glucose stores, easily 2-3 lbs worth.

700 of those calories already handled by normal eating level and expected deficit, so 1300 was totally extra to eat back.

Do I want to go into my next workouts with depleted glucose stores? Not hardly, sure recipe for burning muscle as converted glucose to make up for it not being there.
Normal meal level wouldn't have begun to hit refilling half the tank.

Was I hungry? Once I got my appetite back.

Wasn't hard. 2 chocolate milks post ride recovery. 2 snack bars on the ride.
Slightly bigger lunch.
Bigger Snack with protein shake and 16 oz mixed fruit container.

Made it up in one day, of course rode in the morning too, so easier. Normally would have finished eating it the next day for the next workout.

Never go into next workout carb depleted - greatly increases chances you'll start burning muscle for glucose on these big exercise days.

You won't go into starvation mode. But your body is starving for carbs at that point, if you count those tanks being wiped out.