Eating exercise calories

missyjake
missyjake Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All, can anyone tell me if there is a way to change your setting so that any exercise you log doesn't show as additional 'eating calories'? I don't want to eat my exercise and I know I can just subtract it off my remaining total for the day but its a bit of a head game and temptation to keep seeing them there as being available for the day. Thanks heaps :wink:

Replies

  • msprouse8
    msprouse8 Posts: 85 Member
    I have no idea, just don't log your exercise and you definitely won't know they are there.
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    I would like that too...
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
    I log my workouts in a status message. A few of my friends log theirs, but change the calories burned to 1 or 2.
  • rgrange
    rgrange Posts: 236 Member
    *waits for argument about eating exercise calories*
  • JenPeerless
    JenPeerless Posts: 3
    Your daily calorie goal is already based on being in a deficit, so it you burn 400 calories working out, you do need to replenish those calories, right? Food is fuel. So on days you work out hard, you do get to eat more (I just have to remind myself to choose my calories wisely!) I can understand head games though....
  • hippietofugirl
    hippietofugirl Posts: 430
    *waits for argument about eating exercise calories*

    Lol.


    WHAT? YOU DON'T EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES?!?! You do know you're going to die right?
  • 6packsomewhere
    6packsomewhere Posts: 5 Member
    JenPeerles is absolutely correct. You should be re-fueling your body. You will plateau more easily or see a stall in weightloss if you do not eat all of your calories. - Your body senses what's going on and will go into starvation mode. Keep it running efficiently. Your metabolism stays revved that way too. Just make wise choices with your exercise calories. - Just a word to the wise.
  • BethlovesRene
    BethlovesRene Posts: 85 Member
    I just wait to post them until the end of the day; I like to do this so I can pull a fitness report at the end of week or two and look at how many calories burned...screws up my "net calories though" but thats okay as long as I know I am eating consistently
  • BethlovesRene
    BethlovesRene Posts: 85 Member
    I just wait to post them until the end of the day; I like to do this so I can pull a fitness report at the end of week or two and look at how many calories burned...screws up my "net calories though" but thats okay as long as I know I am eating consistently

    ** I also eat at 15% TDEE though rather than the stock 1200/day
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
    You could manually change the calories to 1, or you could put them in at the end of the day after you're done logging all food. You could even log it in your food or exercise notes. It's your call, really.

    But if you want to eat them, you know, it won't sabotage your weight loss efforts. If you eat 1700 calories in a day and burn off 500 with exercise, it's the same as if you'd sat on your *kitten* and eaten 1200. I don't wanna say you have to eat them every day all the time even if you're not hungry, but it's not gonna hurt you.
  • bcw095
    bcw095 Posts: 7
    I burned over 1,000 calories today while exercising. If I didn't eat at least half of my exercise calories, I would've been a hungry maniac.
  • JenPeerless
    JenPeerless Posts: 3
    ** I also eat at 15% TDEE though rather than the stock 1200/day
    [/quote]

    What's TDEE?
  • shawaniea
    shawaniea Posts: 25 Member
    i thought you weren't suppose to eat exercise calories... :O
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
    If you eat 1700 calories in a day and burn off 500 with exercise, it's the same as if you'd sat on your *kitten* and eaten 1200.

    Actually, I'd say it's still better, because even though you still had the net 1200 calories, your body reaped the benefits of the exercise :-)
  • annecolorgreen
    annecolorgreen Posts: 116 Member
    from my own experience (and everyone is different), I did NOT eat my exercise calories and GAINED weight training for my last half marathon. Crazy, right? This go around, I'm going to eat some of them--about half--but with healthy food, not junk. FWIW
  • missyjake
    missyjake Posts: 2
    Wow thanks everyone, more responses than I expected. Some days I do eat my exercise cals some days I don't just depends on how I'm feeling. Its nice to know they're there but mentally I like to separate it form my daily allowance - I just find it easier that my body is used to eating about 1400 a day to do that consistently as I don't exercise every day (prob 4 x week) that if I have a night out with friends or just a day where I'm more hungry theres some up my sleeve so I don't have to feel guilty about it.

    Its all about balance I suppose at the end of the day :)
  • deverno
    deverno Posts: 14 Member
    oh i dont eat mine. I preferr to drink them. *pours a glass of red*
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    oh i dont eat mine. I preferr to drink them. *pours a glass of red*

    An eight mile run means beer goes from "empty calories" to "necessary fuel". I love distance running, I eat normally, have a drink or two most nights, and I'm still losing weight.
  • SweetLillyM
    SweetLillyM Posts: 58
    I know this is an old thread but it was interesting to read. I don't eat my exercise calories and I have lost barely any weight lately. Maybe that is my problem! There are so many conflicting opinions on if you should/shouldn't eat the exercise calories. I'll just have to try eating more calories and see what happens...

    It's so frustrating to diet/exercise and gain/not lose weight. *ugh*
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    There is a way to do it. I haven't done it but I used to wait until I was done with calories for the day and then enter my exercise just to keep the exercise log accurate, mainly for time spent. I even put my weight lifting in the cardio section. I only care about time spent.

    But now I know that I pretty much want to keep my calories around my RMR so I just ignore the calorie goals and know what my actual should be for total calories and making sure I get enough protein.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I know this is an old thread but it was interesting to read. I don't eat my exercise calories and I have lost barely any weight lately. Maybe that is my problem! There are so many conflicting opinions on if you should/shouldn't eat the exercise calories. I'll just have to try eating more calories and see what happens...

    It's so frustrating to diet/exercise and gain/not lose weight. *ugh*



    We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

    In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
    per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
    the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
    that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
    calculators and text books say otherwise.

    This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
    was just a bit off.
  • NearlyJen
    NearlyJen Posts: 104 Member
    I burned over 1,000 calories today while exercising. If I didn't eat at least half of my exercise calories, I would've been a hungry maniac.

    This.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    There is no setting to change that I know of I would suggest just stop logging your exercise here on MFP perhaps use another site for logging that
  • birdieaz
    birdieaz Posts: 448 Member
    I've manually set my cal to TDEE -15% and don't log exercise, then use the notes section to keep a track of any workouts. Some people also log exercise as 1 or 2 cal.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Set custom goals and delete the workout info on the right side of the window to 0 (Zero).
    Dont log exercise.
    Or
    www.fitocracy.com and level that **** up!
  • mocha76
    mocha76 Posts: 184 Member
    I've manually set my cal to TDEE -15% and don't log exercise, then use the notes section to keep a track of any workouts. Some people also log exercise as 1 or 2 cal.

    I am doing the same thing. Works for me!
  • jesslaur75
    jesslaur75 Posts: 75 Member
    I was just paying attention to what I had left and knowing what I had burned when I worked out and I was satisfied. Then I started realizing I was tired all the time and I went back and looked at how many calories I was actually eating, not the amount of calories I had at the end of the night. Turned out I was only consuming 1100-1200 calories per day rather than the 1500 that I'm supposed to be doing. At that point I stopped worrying about those exercise calories.
    Like others have said, you need to fuel your body. If you're hungry and you have calories left, then eat. You know how you should eat and you know you shouldn't eat right before bed. Just be sensible instead of overthinking it.

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