WHY DO PEOPLE EAT BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALS?!

SovanJedi

Because I'm hungry, duh.

Sharyn913

This topic is still around? It was annoying a week ago and it's still annoying.

secretlobster

I am SO over this EAT MORE crap!

Eating more is what made us all fat in the first place!

The idea isn't to gorge yourself or eat as much as you did when you got fat, it's to get enough calories and nutrients for a high performing body. If you think the idea of "eating enough" is BS, check out the people who are doing it.

Congratulations on being in the negative calorie zone. You're not losing muscle yet because you have fat yet to lose. Sorry if that sounds harsh. It's a different game when you're going for performance rather than weight loss.

doonesbury

K I am hopping OUT of this discussion!

I am ashamed that I butted in, but do not know how to take my post OUT.

Its too subjective for me!!

Thus, I wont be checking to see who disagrees with me.

Because frankly, I dont give a damn!

God speed to ALL of you on your journeys!

Busymomshantell

Because I'm hungry, duh.

LOL

rebelq

Wow, appreciate the physiology graph. Now, that's incentive to keep going, that week after week the % of fat burning goes up. NICE!

kiachu

Person A. "Stop doing meth to Its bad for your body and for your health, you'll eventually lose your teeth and your hair will fall out"
Person B "Well its working for me, I lost of ton of weight and fit into my size 4 jeans, and I still have my teeth and hair so why would I stop?"

dixiewhiskey

Lock

jennaworksout

sorry, if im hungry i will eat some of my exercise cals

SerenityGelsinger

Because MFP, unlike most calorie counting websites, doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into your calorie goal. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to sit on your *kitten* 7 days a week, or run a marathon every day, MFP will give you the same base calories. Surely you understand that someone who exercises a lot needs more fuel than someone who doesn't?

When I just cut calories, when I believed that creating a large deficit was all it took to get the body I wanted, I lost weight, but too much of that weight was my lean body mass... my muscle. By "eating my exercise calories," I was able to maintain a moderate deficit, which allowed me to retain most of my lean mass and lose mostly body fat.

What that means in terms everyone can understand... The jeans on the bottom are the size 8 jeans I wore at 130 pounds about 5-6 years ago when I didn't eat enough, and the top pair is the size 5 jeans I'm wearing NOW, eating my exercise calories, at about 135-138 pounds. (Typically a 2 or 4 in misses.)



Here's me at about 130 pounds 5-6 years ago, and me at 133 pounds in February.



Then I still had a muffin top, back fat rolls, double chin, and cellulite out the wazzo. Now?



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

This is a great way to get your point across!

cruzcrzyMarie

I am in maintenance, and if I don't eat my exercise calories, my daily calories are 1520. That's not much, imo. Many days, I don't eat my exercise calories back, but, some days I do.

masarc

I thought that was weird too but I think that if you are hungry, eat a little more protein and veggies to fill you up but dont eat the extra calories just because "you can"

lizzybethclaire

because they are yummy?

PixEm

I have noticed if I do not eat them back I am stuck at a certain weight. I figured you need to at least net 1200 calories a day. You can track that on your main MFP page where it has your goals.

lizzybethclaire

Doesn't this end up being debated at least once a week on the forums?

DoubleE615312

So since my BMR is like 1700 cal and i want to burn 2lbs a week, i need a defecit of 7000 cals a week (-1000 a day).

So, MFP sets my food at 1200 (-500 so far) and then i need to burn 500 more a day to meet that -7000 cal a week.

So why would I eat it back?!?

If you look at your "Goals" tab MFP will tell you how many calories you should be burning a day.

For example this is mine:

Your diet Profile Target
Calories Burned
From Normal Daily Activity 2,170 calories/day
Net Calories Consumed*
Your Daily Goal 1,700 calories/ day
Daily Calorie Deficit 470 calories
Projected Weight Loss 0.9 lbs/ week

* Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned

anfmusicgrl

I didn't always eat them back when losing..but now at -108 lbs, obviously my calorie budget for a deficit is smaller than when I began.

I work out HARD, I put in everything, every single time, and I also lift hard. Some days I find myself sooo hungry, and I listen to my body. I eat back calories until my body feels satisfied. While this doesn't mean I always eat them all back, I definitely don't feel bad about eating any portion of them back. In fact, I see really good changes in my body when I do this more often. It allows my body to be fueled better for exercise, and weight training along with intense cardio, my fat melts off, while my muscles are preserved. Although, gaining muscles while in a calorie deficit is somewhat difficult, I most certainly have gained some muscle, and gained a LOT of strength.

Example: I have a friend that has lost weight that weights 35 lbs less than me....but because I'm a beast and lift heavy weights AND eat at least my BMR, and try to cycle my days with eating back calories, etc.... I was the same size as her 15 lbs ago... (When I weighed FIFTY 5-0 lbs more than her)

So while, yes, not eating them back might cause a quicker loss...eating them back sometimes, or eating some of them back will help your goals in the long run. Because your goals are in fact to lose weight for health, AND for looks right? You are always going to look better when you are healthy. Don't force your body to feed off your muscle...force it to melt off the fat! I am not the type to "cheat" but if I have a day where I have multiple plans with people, go to eat, have a cocktail, etc, my body gobbles up those splurged calories, and for a year now, I have yet to gain a pound from eating back calories or eating at maintenance or a tiny bit above occasionally.

For those like me who had or have a large amount to lose, it is sabotage to net the smallest amount of calories the entire time...because after a while our bodies will adapt and start trying to preserve the stored energy (fat). I can say with confidence that I can give credit to my consistent weight loss for an entire year to 2 main things: Consistency/dedication, AND the fact that I have been very careful to preserve my metabolism and keep it at an optimum level.

dcglobalgirl

Because I don't want my body to eat my muscles, so I feed it. Plus I like food, and I love eating more and weighing less.

This! Because a lot of us really like food and that is why we are here in the first place.

MoreBean13

Rollover!

Whoop Whoop.....Now I don't have to see this thread anymore!

AwesomelyAmber

Rock Star post!