advice on eating back calories burnt!

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  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    Short answer: Eat your exercise calories. If you don't believe me, go look at my pictures.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    MFP already has a deficit built in so you should eat back your calories burnt
    /thread
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
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    Food is Fuel. You need it.

    But don't just eat the 800 because MFP says so. Search the boards for some posts about finding your BMR and TDEE, then figure out what your body needs.

    Here is a good one to start with: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    You should always net above your BMR (base metabolic rate), which is what your body needs to function if you were to do nothing but lay in bed. Again, net means calories consumed minus calories expended during exercise.

    Try this calculator to help you find your BMR: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    or search for others on google.
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
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    You are supposed to NET a minimum of 1200 calories so you should try to net as close to that as possible. Otherwise, it is counter productive because you are not fueling your body.

    *** Ha, exactly what the person said above me at the exact same time***
  • lowpro1983
    lowpro1983 Posts: 305 Member
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    I never eat my calories earned through workouts, because then there is no point in working out.

    See, I look at it differently. I work out so that I *can* eat.

    ^^this^^
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I think those who say it is counterproductive to eat back exercise calories need to rethink the purpose of exercise. It is primarily for fitness, and if you are using it purely to burn calories, well. what can one say? Weight loss is 80% dietary, exercise mostly helps maintain muscle mass and cardiovascular health.

    Aside from the fact, mfp already builds in your deficit, so it is preferable to eat at least some of the energy used in exercise, back, simply so you can continue to fuel your body for further exercise. Eating too low for your activity level will eventually lead to a burnout of some kind, of that I am fairly sure. It might not be this week, it might not be this month, but it will come.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Yes, you are supposed to eat them back. No, it is not counter-productive to do so because when you entered all your information into MFP and it calculates your calorie goal the proper calorie deficit is built into that number. If once in awhile you're not hungry enough to eat some or all of them it's fine. But overall MFP designed this program with the intention that you should eat those earned calories.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    You should eat a min. of 1,200 calories a day. As long as you eat that many you're body won't go into starvation mode. I never eat my calories earned through workouts, because then there is no point in working out.

    :noway: .......I work out for all the great health benefits, to be fit, strong, feel young, feel good in my clothes, to beat my personal best, because I like to feel the rush of a good sweat, I like to feel my heart pumping.......if a by product of that is extra food to fuel my body well that's a winning combination to me!
  • pronto9727
    pronto9727 Posts: 1
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    simply put, no you don't have to eat the extra calories you have gained through exercise you'll just loose weight faster and at the end of the day its not just about loosing weight but about changing the habits that got us fat in the first place :) so should you eat when your not hungry? Good luck with your challenge. I should of added that its okay if you do eat them back and if you are working out to a heavy program then you need to ensure you are getting enough calories to fuel it but that should have been allowed for in your profile and mfp would have taken it into account
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    IF MFP didn't want you to eat them back then they wouldn't put them in your daily goal to do so, so yes you should try to eat half of them back at least, you could eat nuts or peanut butter those things are high in calorie intake, you don't have to go eat a huge meal but eat some nutritious things.

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