calorie intake goes up doing excersise, do you all use them?

Lovethynunn

Hello everyone,

I was wondering should I just try and stick to my 1200kcal a day or can I use the calories added when I go to the gym? I am just a little confused as I have just really started to commit to fitness pal so want to do things correctly. I cycle for 9 miles a day and have started going to the gym for 1 hour 5 times a week but in between I work in an office and I am sat on my but for 8 hours?

I would really appreciate your advice.

Thanks x

Cyndieann

Hi. I have a similar routine to yours. I stick to my 1200 cal. It's nice to have a little wiggle room with the extra I earn from exercise. I "bank" the extra & use them when I go out for lunch or drinks on the weekend. This way, I get to live a little with my freinds and still keep losing. Good luck! :drinker:

stuffinmuffin

On 1200 calories I would say you pretty much have the leeway to eat all of your exercise calories and still have a really successful weight loss.

Some people find that they get really hungry on their 'rest days' when they are on 1200 with no exercise calories to eat so maybe hold some back so you have a bit of give and take on days you're not working out.

Well done on your progress so far. x

firefly171717

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EAT BACK UR EXERCISE CALORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and 1200 is pretty low be careful and make sure you are eating very healthy it can be dangerous to eat that little

Koldnomore

MFP does not count for your exercise so you have to add it separately and eat back your calories (at least part of them) Under eating for long periods will cause your weight loss to stall and at 1200 calories 90% of people are NOT eating enough as it is.

anniebrox

I try to make sure that my NET calories still say at least 1200, that way my body doesn't go into starvation mode. And I choose healthy options for my "extra" calories so I'm not doing any damage.

vicki81868

I'm also on 1200 calories a day and do not eat back exercise calories. I use the increase on my macros though (protein, carbs, fats), but usually end up at 1250-ish for the day. Eating back the exercise calories is what I look forward to when I hit goal!

jonwv

I get 2680 calories a day but when i work out that shoots up to over 3000, i usually eat back some of my exercise calories and it seems to be working good.

nxd10

You need more calories when you exercise. I use them most of the time.

Rosebudevol

I find if I don't eat back those calories I either binge eat and go way over or my body tends to stall out on the weight loss since I am not fueling it enough. I may not eat back all the calories, but I eat most of them!

bonniegough

I tend to use my exercise calories as I find I am often hungry after exercise. Then again, my exercise is usually in the evening, so I suddenly get a boost of extra calories which means I can have an evening snack (or two).

What I do tend to do is underestimate my exercise a bit. So if I go for a medium-paced walk, I put it in as a slow walk, so as not to give myself too many extra calories. Same with swimming. If I swim putting in quite a bit of effort, instead I will put it in as a leisurely swim.

ktzmom

I tend to use my exercise calories. Some days I use more than others. It seems to work fine for me. :happy:

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bcattoes

Depending on how sure you are of your burned calories count, I would suggest following the plan and eating some or all of them back. If you find you are not losing at the rate you put in, eat a little less. If you are losing too fast or are hungry, eat more. The MFP defaults are averages and may need a little tweaking.

LorinaLynn

Yes. You're supposed to eat most of your exercise calories, providing you're confident they're fairly accurate. (Some of the entries in the database are pretty wonky.)

Here's how it works... Unlike most calorie counting sites, MFP doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into you daily goal. It only counts when you actually DO it.

So if I wanted to lose a half pound a week, MFP would tell me to eat about 1500 calories, then add on the calories I'd earn from exercising, which could be between 200-600 calories a day. Let's go for an average of 400, which would be 1900 calories a day.

If I use another site to calculate my caloric needs, it tells me my maintenance calories would be about 2300. To lose a half pound a week, I'd take 250 calories off that, so I'd eat 2050 calories a day. Which is pretty close to using MFP's numbers plus exercise calories. If I ONLY ate 1500 calories, I'd have an 800 calorie a day deficit. That would be way too large, and I wouldn't have the energy to exercise the way I like.

nellyett

Yes!! That's WHY I exercise so consistantly....so I can eat more!! :):)

svgarcia

I tend to use my exercise calories as I find I am often hungry after exercise. Then again, my exercise is usually in the evening, so I suddenly get a boost of extra calories which means I can have an evening snack (or two).

What I do tend to do is underestimate my exercise a bit. So if I go for a medium-paced walk, I put it in as a slow walk, so as not to give myself too many extra calories. Same with swimming. If I swim putting in quite a bit of effort, instead I will put it in as a leisurely swim.

Good idea