Eat calories you burn?

pammybrochu
pammybrochu Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
It's my 3rd day at mfp and I have a question... When we log activity it gives you the calories you burned into calories still to use... Are we supposed to eat extra now???

Replies

  • skinnyfithealthyme
    skinnyfithealthyme Posts: 213
    Eat when you're hungry. Don't automatically eat calories because they're there, that's a poor habit. But basically mfp is allowing you extra calories because of the activity you did you will still be losing weight even if you ate those calories. You still have a deficit(depending on your goal) no matter what those calories are. If you don't eat them you'd be losing weight that much faster. I'd only suggest eating them if you did something really strenuous or if you're trying to build muscle. Still, listen to your body and only eat when you really must.
  • jlmoses91
    jlmoses91 Posts: 87 Member
    you don't have to eat extr unless you want too. I usually eat the extra with a protein shake, because i'm hungrier on days I work out. But if you dont want to eat them you dont have too. Just dont let yourself go hungry all the time!
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    Also its easy to over-estimate calories burned. Some don't eat them back, others just a portion of it.
  • d4rkn3ss06
    d4rkn3ss06 Posts: 57
    Its basic math if you eat 1,300 calories a day and you burn 500 calories you subtract 1,300-500 that leaves your body with 800 calories which is not good!!! MFP puts you at a deficit (usually around a 500 calorie deficit) so the calories it allows you to eat with out exercise is the amount of calories you can eat and still lose weight with out exercise! When you add exercise your body needs more fuel and energy to keep up with the exercise and still do all its daily functions. You dont lose weight faster by not eating them!! -__-
  • skinnyfithealthyme
    skinnyfithealthyme Posts: 213
    Not noticeably faster but if you burn an extra 500 calories a day (for every day let's say) and don't eat them back...you may lose 2 pounds a week instead of 1. Lol. Obviously not advised unless you have a lot to lose.
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
    You can, but you don't have to. If you're eating on a serious deficit (~1200 or less, unless you're under 5 feet tall), you'll probably need to eat back your exercise calories just to get through the day feeling OK, if not throughout your journey then at least at the start because you're not used to restricting yourself that much. Not everyone experiences it, but some people do begin to feel sick if they've gone too long without food (hypoglycemia). You don't have to be diabetic, have a history, or even have struggled with your weight to experience this. I start to feel bad if I don't eat breakfast or go more than about 7 hours without anything to eat at a stretch, but I've been fat all my life and have PCOS and a family history of diabetes. Meanwhile, my bf's mom has never had to struggle with her weight, nor is she diabetic, and she's the same way.

    As others have said, not eating your exercise calories will just make the weight come off slightly faster, and you're not trying to set a speed record here. Think of it like balancing a checkbook. You "spend" calories on food and "earn" them back through exercise. You can either "save" all of those calories (not eat them back and let them contribute toward your total deficit at the end of the week), or "spend" the ones you "earn" and eat them back, in whole or in part. Some people here will "save" their exercise calories and "spend" them on a cheat meal at the end of the week, or will "save" them in anticipation of a special event (dinner out with their SO, a family gathering with plentiful food, a holiday party, etc). Whatever works for you; as long as, at the end of the week, you have between 1250-7000 calories of your TWEE (total weekly energy expenditure) unaccounted for by food, your body will have had to burn those from your fat stores, and you will lose weight.

    EDIT: math.
  • BigRich822
    BigRich822 Posts: 681
    I dont ever eat them back!
  • pammybrochu
    pammybrochu Posts: 8
    Thanks everyone! I wasn't sure. I appreciate the clarification!
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I never eat them back either.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    If you are using MFP to calculate your daily calorie allowance, then yes, the idea is that when you exercise you eat more. The base calorie allowance plus the cals you burn exercising each day add up to make the total daily recommended calories to keep you healthy while you lose weight.

    If you are using another calorie calculator they almost always include more calories if you are more active so you are effectively "eating calories back" you just don't see them separated out.

    Www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
  • Celliott411
    Celliott411 Posts: 49 Member
    A lot of people don't eat them back, but if you have MFP set up so that you're on a 1200 cal a day diet, you should just to make sure you're not going under 1200 net cals. At that point it's not healthy. Just make sure you're eating more than that and you're good!
  • ikillem
    ikillem Posts: 8 Member
    i normally dont eat them back for one reason, if i do eat my cals i burned off then typically it takes me over my carbs or fat or sodium.
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    http://www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    The deficit is already built into your calorie goal.
  • Bdh2775
    Bdh2775 Posts: 14
    what i have been doing is eating them if im hungry or if im below 1200 ...also i like to barterthem lol if i want to eat a ice cream cone withmy kids i will take a extra walk or sumthing to add to my alotted calories

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