Do you eat your exercise calories earned?

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  • WhatHayleyEats
    WhatHayleyEats Posts: 42
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    I actually don't! In my PERSONAL opinion (no attacks please) I don't see the point in working hard to burn off what you've eaten, only to eat it all back again. I want to lose weight healthily, yes, but also quickly. I don't want to be even-stevens about it.

    It's not even-stevens though, because by coming on here and having a set calorie goal to lose weight, even if you add exercise and eat those calories back, your net calories are still at the level for weight loss.

    I appreciate your opinion, but like I said, the way I have been eating and exercising has been working VERY well for me.
  • WhatHayleyEats
    WhatHayleyEats Posts: 42
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    I actually don't! In my PERSONAL opinion (no attacks please) I don't see the point in working hard to burn off what you've eaten, only to eat it all back again. I want to lose weight healthily, yes, but also quickly. I don't want to be even-stevens about it.

    Quickly is usually not healthy (large loss of lean muscle alone with fat)

    I am losing between 1 and 2 pounds a week. For me this is quick and I am very happy with my progress. I am MUCH fitter than I used to be and much healthier. I can do things I never could before, I am sleeping better, it takes much more effort to get me out of breath, my calf muscles and upper arm muscles are rock hard, my waist is becoming more defined. I am very happy with the way I am dieting and exercising.
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 637 Member
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    I eat some back, the rest I bank for weekend binging. This works because I don't gain weight from the weekends.
  • thegreatest99
    thegreatest99 Posts: 6
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    well i tried not to for 3 weeks and i have gained weight since then so im eating 2/3 of it and leaving the 1/3 if i have made a mistake in calorie counting bc i cook for the whole family and that means estimating calorie intake.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
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    I worked out my RMR, BMR and TDEE and I try and eat back enough of my exercise/FitBit adjusted cals to hit a 15-20% deficit of my TDEE.
    As an absolute minimum I am always looking to make sure I have eaten at least my BMR ideally.

    I find it tends to even itself out.
    I've lost half a stone, since I started ... So whilst progress has been slow, it has made a marked difference already with people noticing I have lost weight - so ... win!
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    My trainer says not to eat them unless I'm hungry. So, 99 percent of the time I don't. Every now and then I just got to eat more that day.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If your activity is set to sedentary then you SHOULD log and eat back your exercise calories.
    It is the net calories per day that is the key to weight loss/maintenance/gain.

    My calories burnt various enormously from day to day so would make no sense to eat the same amout each day.

    Whatever you do, be consistent and re-assess after a period like a month and adjust to get the desired results.
  • Sick_Beard
    Sick_Beard Posts: 407 Member
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    <---- The proof is in the pudding....I eat every single calorie
  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
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    I eat about 1/2 and stick them in a saving account for Sunday;-) I have been eating at maintenance for over a year.

    I love your picture, made me smile! :bigsmile:
  • sueb12345678
    sueb12345678 Posts: 41 Member
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    I try not to as i feel i have work't really hard for them calories..
    On the days i lift i eat back half my exercise calories....
  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
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    I try to stick to 1500 cals no matter what Im doing I try to burn 500 cals from exercise every day ,dosnt always happen,lol but I spread it out over 6 small meals Ive lost 26lbs since April so Im happy with that,if Im really hungry I eat!:happy:
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    I don't - I just eat a reasonable amount to try to ensure an overall deficit for a grown man.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    Either use the search function before posting this question or http://www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/index1.html END OF DISCUSSION
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I am eating at my BMR (1550) so I do eat all of my exercise calories back. On the other hand, I have myself at sedentary, and I do some walking at work (and sometimes pushups on the bathroom sinks but we won't talk about that), so I count that as my buffer toward underestimation of food and overestimation of exercise. It has worked perfectly for me. A pound a week without issues which I find rather miraculous with how close I am to my goal.
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
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    Yes, but I don't stress if it doesn't happen. I just look at my net remaining calories including exercise.

    The problem is that it's hard to be 100% accurate with exercise calories... some days I think I have burned more, some days less then what is in the system... but my target is at 1840 calories, so with some exercise my target is fairly comfortable unless I'm not eating well. In the end even with estimates it works out if I am generally eating well with enough protein and exercising.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I actually don't! In my PERSONAL opinion (no attacks please) I don't see the point in working hard to burn off what you've eaten, only to eat it all back again. I want to lose weight healthily, yes, but also quickly. I don't want to be even-stevens about it.

    That said, however, if I'm really hungry after a day of hard exercise then I do eat something. But this is rare for me because I make sure I get plenty of stomach-filling protein into my meals. And doing this, I lost 9lbs in 3 weeks and half a dress size!

    It is completely up to you, though. You do what feels right for your body. Above all, don't let yourself starve.
    The more you exert yourself, the more fuel you need.

    It's that simple.
  • xxmishellyxx
    xxmishellyxx Posts: 27
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    I don't eat back my calories. I go by how my body feels. My body will let me know if I need food. Otherwise I find it is too easy to think we have burned more than we actually have and therefor end up over eating back and staying the same weight or gaining

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