Exercise and Calories??

mleparton

MFP recommends that I take in 1330 calories per day....If I reach that amount and then burn off say 200 calories with exercise that day, do I eat back that 200? Or do I stay at 1130 calories for the day?? Sorry this might be a dumb question but for some reason I'm not sure. Thanks!

BeccaCares

Your body needs that 1330 calories for it to function properly for daily needs. If you are not letting your body use that fuel (calories), then it will start to go into starvation mode. You don't want that!

mleparton

My body has been in starvation mode along time! lol.....I never ate breakfast and barely every ate lunch, would drink maybe one full glass of something per day, I mainly only ate dinner! Now things ARE going to change!! I just started this about a week ago and have been eating 3 balanced meals per day + healthy snacks and drinking my water! I can FEEL the difference!

So you recommend that I eat back the calories that I burned off during exercise...that way I'm still hitting the 1330?

leeanneowens

Different people will probably tell you different things but personally, I eat back exercise calories. I'm happier eating them back and I still lose weight.

karennh65

I try not to eat back my exercise calories and it's working for me.

happythermia

I eat back my exercise calories if I'm hungry. If not, I don't usually.

LordBear

if u r trying to lose ur weight..then u dont eat back calories.. you body is still getting what it needs from what u r eating.. plus any fat burn is also used ..so u r fine.

neverstray

There are 5 camps:
1. Eat them all back
2. Eat half back
3. Eat some back
4. Don't eat them back
5. Only eat them back if you're hungry, otherwise don't.

You pick. do what works. I'd default to eating them all back at first and see if that works. If you don't seem to be losing any weight after a few weeks, try eating half. And so on.

Mokey41

You need to lose 80 lbs because you haven't been eating? Anyway, no you don't need to eat back exercise calories unless you're a professional athlete working out for hours every day.

MsJayeKaye

Some days I eat back my exercise calories and some days I don't. I'm also at 1330 calories a day. The days I don't eat that many I try not to go below 1200.

AliciaStaton

Hi i only eat back calories when I am hungry, but I try not to do it

Wilson336

Think of it this way....either way you are going to lose weight if you are following the calorie count, so do what you can do comfortably for you. That may involve eating back the calories some days because you fell hungry, and not eating them back on another night.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

That your BMR or BMR with weight loss goal calculated? You need to define this.

as for whether or not to eat the extra...try it both ways for an extended period...2-3 weeks, and change. Do what gives the better result

sarahg148

I think it also depends upon HOW much you exercise. I use a heart rate monitor and can burn anywhere from 500-1500 cal during a workout or tennis. Because of this I'll eat back maybe half of what I burn...so I don't get too hungry. I have my settings for me to lose .5lb/wk so I'm eating 1880 cal/day. If I get a bit hungrier I'll eat maybe 300-400 more...depending upon if I've earned the exercise calories that day. Today I couldn't make it to the gym due to the hurricane, so I made my daily calories just under that 1880. The difficult part for me will be NOT to eat later tonight out of boredom. That's my downfall. I do have my snack for later. So in a couple of hours I'll have my popcorn and call it a night. You really just have to see what you can do for yourself in order to lose weight and yet still be satisfied so you don't yo yo up and down. I'm still trying to find out exactly what works best for me. I think losing 1/2 lb/wk will be my success. I'll just have to be patient.:ohwell:

jeme3

In eat most of my exercise calories back.

It's good motivation to exercise!

And I'm losing steadily, at a faster rate than I thought.

mleparton

Thank you all for the advice! For some reason that was really confusing me but you all cleared it right up! I'm pretty new to MFP and you all have been amazing, thanks for the help!

gramacanada

General consensus is. Eat All MFP allots you. Always. Exercise calories are eaten if you're hungry.
Or feel it's necessary. You are still eating your 1330. The other is personal, you do whatever works for you.

atxdee

its fine to eat them back or some of them..

max6769

dont eat them back. by eating them back you risk going over. you dont burn as many calories as you think while exercising, it hard to tell how many you did burn. the number tredmills and ellipitcal say you burn is usually inaccurate because your weight, age, sex, and fitness all play into how many calories you really burn.

adbmama

Try to net 1200 at a minimum - I have experienced this recently and while everyone's body is a bit different, make sure you aren't over-estimating the calories burned and documenting what you've eaten accurately. I started incorporating more cardio along with my strength training which brought my net calories down to 900-1100 and I stalled for 3 weeks. I had been losing an average of 2 lbs/wk and only lost 1.4 lbs in 23 days until I figured out what was happening. I do NOT try to eat back all of my calories, only to 1200 at minimum but usually around 1300 give or take. My daily goal is set to 1500 or less.

soehlerking

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

The "creators" of MFP post a lot of answers to these big, common questions--personally I like to at least read what they write, since it explains a bit about how the website is designed. From there you can take it or leave it. Good luck!