Should you really use the extra calories from exercise?

ralandgraf

I eat them.....always have and it's served me well. I love food and if I "earn" the right to eat more and still lose weight, why wouldn't I.

I Agree.

misskerouac

www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

ccckwalk

If I have a big workout day I try to eat some back. If I have a light workout I don't eat them back. I am set at 1560 in the summer because I am very active burning a lot to 1420 in the winter cause I am more a lazy bum then ~ Do what works for you! !Corina

marc8686

Your net caloric goal for the day is based on a total deficit deemed appropriate for your body. if you are supposed to have a 1,000 calorie deficit for the day and 1,500 calories gives you that deficit, you need to think of it as a calorie ledger just like finances. think of exercise you do as a deposit into the calorie bank and food you eat is a withdrawal from the calorie bank. you start each day at 0 and you want your calorie bank balance to be 1,500 by the end of the day. See the following example

[Example of eating back calories: body gets 1500 calories for the day]
Wake up: 0 calories
Breakfast: +600 calories
Exercise: -200 calories
Snack: +200 calories
Lunch: +800 calories
Snack: +200 calories
Exercise: -500 calories
Dinner: +400 calories
Total Net calories for the day: 1,500 calories

[Example of not eating back exercise calories]
Breakfast: +500 calories
Exercise -200 calories
Snack: +50 calories
Lunch: +500 calories
Exercise: -500 Calories
Dinner : +450 calories
Total Net calories for the day: 800 calories

Your lifestyle burns 2500 calories a day, so a 1000 calorie deficit is your 2lbs/week weight loss deficit so you need to net 1500 calories a day.......but if you arent "eating back" your exercise calories you arent considering the full picture. you are adding all the exercise you do each day to your pre-planned 1,000 calorie/day deficit. your day to day deficit is completely unpredictable because it depends on your exercise. if you dont exercise your deficit is 1,000.......if you do a 1,000 calorie burn workout your deficit is 2,000. this is not right.

* this uses the example of a person with a 1500 caloric daily goal.....im not saying EVERYBODY has this goal, lol*

debs6

I have eaten most of mine back and clearly this has not had a negative impact on my weight loss

Kim_Cat

I'm new at this, and have only lost 7lbs... but I am doing this weight loss plan with a nutritionist who watches every calorie I take in, and she told me because of my sedintary lifestyle, I should NOT eat those extra calories if I exercise. Hope this helps.