WHY DO PEOPLE EAT BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALS?!

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  • trybefan
    trybefan Posts: 488 Member
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    Because they are hungry/want to/can/lose weight
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
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    I don't eat back my exercise calories.

    I set my calories at the maintenance level and everything that I do and eat (or don't eat) let's me see the deficit.
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
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    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    WTF? Obese people lol.

    LOL right? I eat every single calorie back. "obese" at 118 pounds?

    Holy wow, you look great, for being obese and all :)
  • angelalf1979
    angelalf1979 Posts: 244 Member
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    Because there should already be a calorie deficit with your food intake! Deficit=loss anyway. Don't eat back your calories=BIGGER deficit which could be too low. Eat back your calories or your metabolism could slow down.
  • onikonor
    onikonor Posts: 473 Member
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    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)

    Sedentary (no exercise) maintenance calories per day ~ 1900X7days = 13,300/week
    Eating 1,200X7=8,400 calories/week
    Deficit -4,900 calories/week = 1.5 lb lost

    If you do exercise as you say for an hour several times a week and burn 10cal /min which is considered HEAVY exercise, I can guarantee you and you will be exhausted and won't have energy. So if you eat back all your exercise calories + 1200 calories per day you will lose 1.5 lb a week. You body will also look a lot better if you exercise and eat properly.

    Hope this helps.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    Well, the deficit is already programmed in to your calorie goal. I'll exercise so I can eat past that. Then I can eat more how I want. Like having a healthy snack at night or whatever. Just helps me feel less deprived.

    I'm still losing weight, and to be honest, it's not worth it to me not to eat back those cals to lose it a little faster. I just feel better when I fuel my body. And I exercise more for endorphins and muscle development than to lose weight anyway.
  • missallenxox
    missallenxox Posts: 175 Member
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    Because when I workout, im hurting, and i know my muscles need atleast a little more protein and calories to recovery. But I eat good lean foods, not a bag of chips
  • chrisyoung0422
    chrisyoung0422 Posts: 426 Member
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    I forgot to mention how flammable a topic like this can be. With so many people on both sides the mutha funkin' trolls will come out! :explode:
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
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    i never ate back any excercise calories....everytime i tried it i wouldnt lose


    aaronbefore123.jpg
    aaronafter3.jpg
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I eat mine back because food is good and it's FUEL for my workouts! And because I don't want to net below my BMR. Not sure if this link has been posted, but I did see that Dan posted in here - but go read his topic: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Great info - read it, wrap your head around it, and enjoy healthy fat loss without stressing your body or going hungry! :smile: I net around 1800 calories a day and I'm losing the fat and feeling great!
  • Jbarbo01
    Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
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    If you think losing weight is really all about calorie deficit, why are you exercising? Just eat 1200 a day, why put yourself through exercise? Weight loss is about creating a healthy and beautiful body, its about feeding it the right amount of fuel and using fitness to sculpt a healthy and fit physique. If you think weight loss is literally calories in, calories out and not about lifestyle and balancing your bodies hormonal and metabolic processes you are seriously misinformed my dear.
  • ball858
    ball858 Posts: 395 Member
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    I eat back some these days because I feel like I am starving. I am still losing.

    Do whatever you want and I will do whatever I want. I don't eat all my exercise calories back, but that's neither here nor there.

    Ive noticed lot of people do either or.. i was just wondering why the people who do eat them back do it to begin with! I just dont get it!
    The only way i can understand them doing this is if they went WAY over their calories to begin with and needed to work them off. Then technically they "ate" their exercise cals

    I eat most of my exercise calories back - but not because I ate them already!

    I burn most of my calories before dinner so usually i am going into evening meal in deficit. I eat them back because I do alot of strength training and I need the calories, I eat them back because I am hungry otherwise. I eat healthily and still lose up to 2 lb a week and inches whilst eating my exercise calories.

    Each person is different (just don't tar us all with the same brush)
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    I eat mine back because I lose weight more quickly that way. I've been doing some pretty intense workouts lately (well at least for me they are), and now I'm CONSTANTLY hungry. P90X and Insanity. I finally read the nutrition guide that came with both those programs, did the equation that calculates how many calories I'm supposed to be eating per day and it told me I should be eating WAY more than I was. So I upped my calorie intake and had a lot of success. During the first week or two of Insanity, I didn't really lose any weight, now that I've upped my calorie intake I've lost over 2 pounds per week! Eating more is awesome lol because I have a huge appetite. But it's not just about eating more it's about eating more HEALTHY foods.
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
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    Um, because I am freaking starving...

    This is why I eat mine back. ALSO- I'm TOTALLY obese. Still eat them. Won't even consider doing anything that means I have to maintain a ridiculously low calorie intake. Ridiculously low is subjective; to me it means less than 1500 calories a day.
  • skintimate32
    skintimate32 Posts: 28
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    I eat back some these days because I feel like I am starving. I am still losing.

    Do whatever you want and I will do whatever I want. I don't eat all my exercise calories back, but that's neither here nor there.

    Ive noticed lot of people do either or.. i was just wondering why the people who do eat them back do it to begin with! I just dont get it!
    The only way i can understand them doing this is if they went WAY over their calories to begin with and needed to work them off. Then technically they "ate" their exercise cals

    Just my personal experience, but if I do eat a little of my exercise calories back, I lose more *shrug*

    Same here. When I burn more AND eat more (healthfully), I lose more than just working out and eating less.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    I was not eating my calories and only netting like 800 a day, I felt grumpy and eventually tired all the time. Then I started making sure I ate back up to 1200 and since then I have been losing 1.5 to 2.0lbs a week and feeling more energized. So it works for me.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I am starving after I work out and burn 600 calories. MFP builds in a deficit for you and you do not want to eat too few calories because it will hinder your efforts to not feed yourself enough.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I drink mine in a long stemmed glass. :drinker:

    I do it because I prefer to exercise and have wine than to not exercise and not have wine.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    Short answer: Because it is healthy.
  • somesuchsayer
    somesuchsayer Posts: 20
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    If you think losing weight is really all about calorie deficit, why are you exercising? Just eat 1200 a day, why put yourself through exercise? Weight loss is about creating a healthy and beautiful body, its about feeding it the right amount of fuel and using fitness to sculpt a healthy and fit physique. If you think weight loss is literally calories in, calories out and not about lifestyle and balancing your bodies hormonal and metabolic processes you are seriously misinformed my dear.

    ^This

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