Exercise Calories earned-eat or ignore

1julietax

At the end of the day I usually have anywhere from 400-800 calories left over from exercising. I don't eat them but just ignore them. For the last 3 weeks I've been at the same weight and I'm thinking maybe I'm not eating enough. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I am eating my required calories, just not all of the exercise earned calories. THANKS.

biknibody2013

I don't necessarily think exercise = calories earned ,but as far losing weight go's ,I know sometimes what works is if you up your calorie intake for a few day's then drop it back down that usually help you over the plateau and you should start losing weight again .Hope that helps :-)

cgray

I'm here to watch my saturated fats, so your goals may differ but I do not eat back my workout calories. I've maintained my weight for about 16 years so why mess with what works.

jaz050465

I think a lot also depends on how accurate you calculation if exercise caliries burnt is. From what I've read, if its cardio and you use a HRM then they are reasonably accurate but if you use MFP values they can Bevin the high side. In similar posts I've read that different people find different things work for them. Many people compromise and eat back half v

xxsandraxx1065

It could also be if your doing a lot of exercise you could be losing inches rather than pounds. Building your muscles x

DavPul

Perhaps you could tell us how many cals you do eat? And what exercises are you doing that leave you so many extra calories?

Lyssa62

I ignore them. I eat when I'm hungry and that's the only time I eat.

sweatybettyboop

Hello -

I am trying to follow the following re: those extra calories.

Hungry - eat

Special occasion - use for that

Not hungry - don't eat

geeniusatwurk

Are you eating low carb meals, like less than 100 grams per day? I get between 50 and 100 grams of carbs a day, and eventually plateaued for 5 weeks before I learned about carb refeeding. Now I'm losing again.

xilka

I do eat my exercise calories.
So, I'm set for 1370 cals x day, to lose half pound x week.
But I usually burn 300-500 exercise cals, so I eat around 1800 cals.
I've been losing more than my weekly goal, even though I'm set for 1/2 pound,
I've been losing a pound every week since I started.

BUT - I don't use MFP exercise burn info. I calculate it myself, and it's usually way under what MFP tells me.
Here's a site you can use to calculate calories burned based on heart rate - you just have to stop and take your pulse at different times during your workout and average your beats per minute (BPM)

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

So, I can see that if you were eating back the calories you burn exercising based on MFP info for that,
you could be gaining or maintaining weight, because those aren't actually accurate calculations for your NET calorie burn.

TeresaC79

eat.

your body needs fuel to function.

i lost 40 lbs in 6 months eating every single one of my exercise calories back.

Mokey41

It's an individual choice. I don't eat them back but if you're finding that you're hungry you might just want to take a second look at your budget in general. Most people aren't doing enough or the kind of exercise that requires refueling but if your budget is too low so that you are searching for more to eat and are genuninely hungry then you may be too aggressive with your goal.

jaz050465

I ignore them. I eat when I'm hungry and that's the only time I eat.

For most of us, if we could do that, we wouldn't be over weight in the first place!

TeresaC79

I ignore them. I eat when I'm hungry and that's the only time I eat.

For most of us, if we could do that, we wouldn't be over weight in the first place!

That isn't true. You may have trained your body to think hunger when really it was boredom, emotions, stress, etc.

skinnyforhi

I do eat my exercise calories.
So, I'm set for 1370 cals x day, to lose half pound x week.
But I usually burn 300-500 exercise cals, so I eat around 1800 cals.
I've been losing more than my weekly goal, even though I'm set for 1/2 pound,
I've been losing a pound every week since I started.

BUT - I don't use MFP exercise burn info. I calculate it myself, and it's usually way under what MFP tells me.
Here's a site you can use to calculate calories burned based on heart rate - you just have to stop and take your pulse at different times during your workout and average your beats per minute (BPM)

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

So, I can see that if you were eating back the calories you burn exercising based on MFP info for that,
you could be gaining or maintaining weight, because those aren't actually accurate calculations for your NET calorie burn.

This. Calculate your exercise calories yourself. I do it that way and burn between 300 and 400 a workout. Some of these calculations for 700 and 800 sound way too high for *most* people.

rubypoh

I realize I have not been on MFP very long, and I am no expert in weight loss but I can tell you this much. Just because MFP says it will work doesn't mean it is going to work for you. Just because everyone on MFP says their way will work doesn't mean it will work for you.

You need to tweek things here and there until you find what does work. And in three works if that stops working, believe it or not, you may have to tweek again. Because we can not see your food diary/goals we can not really give you specifics but there is a good possibility that you are just eating to little. Also like someone else said you may have inaccuarte calories burned.

I upped my calories in by almost 200 and I started losing again. I will eat back calories burned if I am really hungry, but I try not too.

Take all the opinions and weigh them to fit your life. You may find that you get some really helpful hints and some that are not going to work for you. But it sounds like you need to change some aspect of your life. Also, if you do the same exercise all the time your body may have conditioned itself. Try something else a day or two a week. Add weight training. Find what works and go for it.

GOod Luck!

bluemilan

I tend not to use all the extra exercise calories but will have to use 50-100 calories out for around 500-1000 calories gained. I am sure in the future I will have to redress this

heathersmilez

Honestly, it can be trial and error. I eat usually 1200-1500 and burn 500 and I'll lose or stay the same, then have a heavier eating day of 1700-2200 with or without working out that day and I am the same or up down 1/2 lb. Most people say eat back, what I know for sure is abs really aren’t made in the kitchen, working out it what keeps you able to eat almost entirely what you want and not gain. I've been on MFP for almost 3 years and this much is a fact - for me at least.

Game8

I set my daily calorie goal based on my general activity level and just go with that. I don't record everything I do then go eat whatever I burned. This sounds to me more like borderline eating disorder.

WendyTerry420

My activity level is calculated as sedentary, so my exercise burns are in addition to the deficit already created in my calorie goal. I usually eat mine back, unless I am too full at the end of the day.

poseyj88

I think it's a matter of what works for you. I really need the extra fuel in a day when I put in a good workout.

I eat 1500 cal/day (set to lose about .7-.8 lbs per week). I usually burn from 300-600 calories per workout and usually eat between 1700 and 1900 calories on work out days. I usually have a little left over. I use the ones I feel I need to, and let the rest alone.

But it works differently for everyone. If what you are doing now isn't working, change it up. If it is, keep at it.