do I have to eat my calories gained by exercise?

00babyk00

should I? goes against my thinking, less in, more out, ya know! some days I have trouble eating them all because Im not hungry.

jshinoff

Yes if you're very accurate with your intake and exercise measurement.

TinaS88

as long as you are eating at least 1200 NET. MFP already has you at a deficit. You don't want to go to low, it won't do you any good.

Pepper2185

MFP is designed so that you eat them back.

Healthy weight loss isn't about creating a huge (less in more out) deficit.

That being said - everyone has their own opinion and many people adjust the MFP settings to work in their favor.

If you have your weight loss goal set to lose more than a pound per week, I'd be eating them back.

hesn92

I think as long as you don't net under your BMR you should be fine.

For me, personally, I always ate them back. I already had the 500 cal deficit in place per my diary settings so as long as I had that 500 calorie deficit I was going to eat as much as I could. I love to eat.

MCproptart

While I agree that, in theory, you need to give yourself the fuel you need to exercise, and your base calories per day should take care of the weight loss on its own without any substantial work outs. In practice, if I burn 800 or 1000 in exercise, I only eat back 400 or 500 of those calories--with as much protein as I can--plus lots and lots of water. It's been working on the days I've stuck to it.

veganbaum

MFP already has the "less in, more out" as you say - the deficit is already there. When you exercise, the deficit is bigger, which can be potentially too big (and at some point actually stall weight loss). Try eating 50-75% of them to account for inaccuracies. Spreading them out over the day should help you so you don't feel like you're stuffing yourself since you say you're not feeling hungry.

ronnio_ron

Above all comments are well defined already. Try eating atleast 70% when you already are on MFP cal deficit....more healthy, long lasting and definitely better suited for me....

but i will pt. to one more thing to notice is drinking water, more importantly timing of it, you may want to check if you are drinking "too much" water before food time, which may kill your appetite for a while atleast.

Drinking 10 glasses is real good, but spacing them out is recommended.

Try breaking down food eating sessions in 4-5 meals if possible...maybe that can help add more and push for more fresh foods...i wud say

00babyk00

Thanks for all your help. Im drinking 10 glasses of water spread over the day. Previously I wasnt drinking much at all I was only drinking about 2 a day and lots of cups of tea. Naughty aye. So have cut out the teas and a water bottle is my companion. I was also snacking lots before but now Im not.

nickyrobinson

I find it easier to log 2/3 of my exercise time, then eat all the calories. If I exercise late in the day, I usually log the exercise on the next day, making it easier to balance things out.

Pebble321

You don't HAVE to do anything... but if you are using MFP to calculate your calorie intake you need to be aware that it is assumed that you will eat extra calories when you exercise in order to reach a recommended daily total to keep you healthy while losing weight.

If you choose not to eat them, you are just creating a larger calorie deficit. That might work out very well for you (especially if you have more weight to lose) or it may mean your body doesn't get enough nutrition to stay healthy. It's different for everyone.

www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

nataliexxxx

I don't eat mine back usually if I do I only eat about half back

vtachycardia

This is my opinion/theory

The MFP calculation for daily requirement is not just about calories it is about macronutrients. Everday you have essential requirements for fat and protein and therefore you should ensure that you are getting your essentials from the food you consume that day.

For someone who is very overweight or obese and you are starting to exercise then you are finally getting your body to burn the fat that has accumulated over months, years, decades. So, I say ignore the net because your body will be burning the fat (converting fat back to sugars) that has been stored. This is the point of fat, to support your body during the lean, famine times.

So, eat well.
Count the exercise as extra fat burning.
Look at your monthly deficit or weekly deficit and have a treat.

Move more. all additional movements mount up.

Or think of it this way, a person has 3% body fat, they want to increase to 8% (25lb) and create more muscle. Their BMR is 1800 but through work and exercise they have a TDEE of 4500 calories - what calories do they need to eat to gain 25lb in 2 months.