Exercise Cals

heidimaggott78
heidimaggott78 Posts: 203
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Now I know I should eat them back. Its just that with bigger burns (500 plus) I am usually not that hungry on the day, but I am very hungry the following day.

Would it be okay to eat normally (1400) on the day I do the exercise and eat back the exercise cals the following day?

Would that work?

Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    This is the biggest reason I switched from MFP style (base + exercise calories) to eating a percentage below TDEE every day.

    If I go for a very long run, it suppresses my appetite and I'm not hungry that day, but I might be famished the next. Similarly, strength training does have a huge calorie burn, but I'm often ravenous after. So instead of bouncing between a total of 1800 and 2400 calories, I'm eating about 2100 every day. So much easier.

    I used numbers based on Dan's In Place of a Road Map group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    I'm more or less maintaining now, but eating 10% below TDEE Monday through Friday to give myself wiggle room on weekends when I don't log.

    That all said... what you suggested would work. Some folk add their calories to the NEXT day if they exercise late or have a hard time eating them all on the day they exercise. Your body doesn't reset at midnight, and the weekly deficit is more important than the daily one.
  • shmoony
    shmoony Posts: 237 Member
    LorinaLynn is right. Our bodies don't segment days into a 24 hour period. Metabolism is continuous, and its not just weekly, it's monthly, yearly, etc. Look at your weekly cals and base it on that. I know it's easier for us to define our success or failure on a daily basis, but it just doesn't work that way.
  • heidimaggott78
    heidimaggott78 Posts: 203
    Thank you both so much. I had thought as much but needed confirmation!
  • TheTrimTim
    TheTrimTim Posts: 220 Member
    Some folk add their calories to the NEXT day if they exercise late or have a hard time eating them all on the day they exercise. Your body doesn't reset at midnight, and the weekly deficit is more important than the daily one.
    I hadn't thought about this before but it's a bit obvious now I've read it.
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