Do you eat the calories you burn?

letsdothis84
letsdothis84 Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have follwed ww before and it was known as " activity points" and we were told to eat them or not bother so im not sure what to do. Im aiming to follow 1200 calories a day and would usually burn between 250-500 calories per gym session and prob go to the gym 3 -4 times a week or at least ill aim to! Just wondering how it works with the net value etc...? xx
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Replies

  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
    I eat the calories I burn and then some.
  • AtomicAardvark
    AtomicAardvark Posts: 1
    It's really up to you. If you don't eat the calories you burn, you're likely to loose weight a little quicker. For the net value, think of those calories you worked off as negative calories for the day. If you eat the 250-500 calories you burned, you're back to your goal of 1200 calories per day. And if you don't, you're effectively at 700-950 net calories for the day.

    I tend to eat ~1/2 the calories I burn (or, ususally, drink in the form of rum or beer) as a reward.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Yep. Always did. Always will.
  • Lindsay_Kay
    Lindsay_Kay Posts: 11 Member
    Great question, I've been wondering the same thing!
  • embercakez
    embercakez Posts: 141
    sometimes I eat them all and sometimes I don't even touch em.
  • adam1885282
    adam1885282 Posts: 135 Member
    I eat up to half or so, if I'm hungry.
  • WilmaDennis91
    WilmaDennis91 Posts: 433 Member
    Yes, cuz I get really hungry haha. But depends how much though.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Nope
  • Bronx_Montgomery
    Bronx_Montgomery Posts: 2,284 Member
    Nope! I stick with my calorie intake no matter how many calories I burn
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    yes. I'm trying to gain weight.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    It depends for me. I generally eat about 2/3 of them - if I'm hungry I eat them all, if I fall asleep earlier I don't end up eating them. IMO not eating them back consistently wastes the workout - if you keep doing that and refusing to fuel your body eventually your performance is going to suffer.


    Then again, I don't workout to lose weight - my weightloss is fueled by my dietary deficit; I workout to get in shape. It's far easier to lose weight via diet than exercise and while they are compatible goals they are not interchangeable in my opinion.


    It's really up to you. If you don't eat the calories you burn, you're likely to loose weight a little quicker.



    This is not necessarily true, that depends on how high your deficit already is. Some people find this is true, some people find that creating a deficit that is too extreme impedes weightloss. Everyone is different, and there are no Truths with a capital T in this. I realize you said "likely" and not "will" so am just providing the counterpoint for the OP.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Unpossible. Once those calories are burned they're gone. They can't be re-eaten.
  • AnnMombourquette
    AnnMombourquette Posts: 66
    I sometimes eat into them if I have a busy day and am hungry but most times I try and save them. It`s just a personal preference!
  • stang_girl88
    stang_girl88 Posts: 234 Member
    I dont because I gain. Unless I am super hungry then I will have an apple or something. I do gain weight ridiculously easy though :angry:
  • allnaday
    allnaday Posts: 54 Member
    i eat 'em!:embarassed:
  • dash108
    dash108 Posts: 21 Member
    I burn the calories I eat, then usually burn about 300 more on top of it ;)

    (editing again because I am talking about the calories I go over on my daily allowance according to MFP!)
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    Unpossible. Once those calories are burned they're gone. They can't be re-eaten.


    this made me giggle.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Nope.

    No matter how many calories I 'burn' with my exercise I stick to the calorie goal I have set for myself.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    That's why I exercise mostly......
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    Yep all the time, I set up my day over calories and then burn enough calories to be as close to my net goal as possible. It's workd so far!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    No because all of the factors are too iffy. I enter my food assuming I measured correctly and that the calorie counts are right. I exercise with a HRM and assume that it's giving me the right readings. If I were a pro athlete or running marathons I might consider eating some back but if you're hungry (really hungry not just craving junk) then you should probably be looking at your food budget and tweaking there.
  • guardian419
    guardian419 Posts: 391 Member
    absolutely, depending on the day. Thursdays are often a 1000 calorie burn, so no way am I eating 3200 calories, but lifting days are 250cals, so I try to get most of those eaten, as protein if possible.
  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
    I have to. With running about 30 miles per week, strength training 2-3 times per week and general other activities with the kids, I'd be in a serious deficit if I didn't. So much so that I 1) would be hungry all the time 2) wouldn't have energy to do my workouts and 3) would likely see poor results as body would go into starvation mode.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    Eating back some calories is generally why I exercise :)
  • bellydancer124
    bellydancer124 Posts: 248
    I never do. I don't own an HRM, so I never have an accurate reading of calories burned. I would rather not risk eating too much. I don't even log my exercise because of that.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I have follwed ww before and it was known as " activity points" and we were told to eat them or not bother so im not sure what to do. Im aiming to follow 1200 calories a day and would usually burn between 250-500 calories per gym session and prob go to the gym 3 -4 times a week or at least ill aim to! Just wondering how it works with the net value etc...? xx

    ALWAYS ....every single one*

    The way MFP is designed .... the calorie deficit is built in BEFORE exercise .... when you exercise you increase the deficit. When the calorie deficit it too big you will lose fat AND muscle.

    I eat my calories back* because I want HEALTHY weight loss (just the fat please) ... and not weight loss at all cost

    * .... the asterisk is because I use a heart rate monitor to calculate calorie burns .... If you are using MFP calories ... you are using estimates which may be inflated .... some people use MFP calculations and just eat a % of calories back.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    If I were planning to follow 1200 calories a day, I would try to NET that many calories, so any exercise calories I burned that took me below that would need to be eaten back.

    I couldn't do 1200 calories. I'm doing about 1450-1500 a day, losing weight slowly but surely.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I never do. I don't own an HRM, so I never have an accurate reading of calories burned. I would rather not risk eating too much. I don't even log my exercise because of that.

    Wow ....... so you think zero is a closer number? Why not eat at least 1/2 back .... much less risk at losing muscle mass. Besides, too few calories ....plateaus ... too frustrating for me.
  • PinkHurricane88
    PinkHurricane88 Posts: 156 Member
    Not always. Sometimes I will eat half of it back, sometimes I allow myself to have a mixed drink which equals about half those calories. But it just depends on what my body is telling me. If it's hungry, it obviously needs fuel. If I am satisfied, I don't bother with it. It just depends on the day, the workout, the intensity, how much moving I am doing during my day, etc. It tends to be a hot topic on these boards so it's all about what works for you.
  • tjmist
    tjmist Posts: 45 Member
    During the week I try to net 600 calories total. I'll eat about 1000-1200 and then burn 600+ so I end up netting between 400 and 600. I swear I eat every meal and even snack, but once you find out which foods to eat and get into a pattern it makes it almost impossible to eat more than 1200 calories unless I drink alcohol or eat pizza (which I try to save for the weekends)

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