feel stupid..but why eat your workout calories?

2

Replies

  • lindas2008try
    lindas2008try Posts: 13 Member
    I'm new here but not new to dieting. I just started posting here a few days ago. I need to lose about 10 pounds to get back to my maintenance weight and was surprised to see the calories added in when I exercised the other day. I imagine when you're at goal weight (not in weight loss mode) you can eat back your calories to maintain. Right now I'm just trying to get a deficit and not be hungry.
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    It actually is not included. Only your non-exercise activity level is baked in.

    you said baked.


    now i want cake.

    and pie.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back
    Hang on, guys, I got this. Just give me a minute.

    ovaltine4.jpg

    here, borrow mine

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtEoQ1iHNdlON7DC2b1yFOTEwrYH4uVBj-yaWRg6itLslUqDoebQ
  • ajp913
    ajp913 Posts: 100 Member
    I have five minutes... so I'm going to type rapid fire and hope it makes sense... ready?

    Some people change their daily calorie goal to something that best fits them, some people use MFP's recommended daily alotment.

    Regardless, your goal should be to NET a certain number of calories daily. that figure means calories consumed minus calories burned...

    That's all it is, hit your net calorie goal. Some days you'll be below it because you worked out harder and need to eat some back, some days you'll hit it perfect and won't need to eat any calories back. Focus on your net goal. That's all. If your net goal is 1500, and you're sitting at a net 1200 for the day, you should probably eat those back. If your net goal is 1500 and you've worked out an hour and you're sitting at 1500 perfect, don't eat your calories back because you need those burnt calories to hit your goal. Focus on the net goal... focus... on... the... cheesecake...
    Net goal.
    I mean net goal.
  • when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    It actually is not included. Only your non-exercise activity level is baked in.

    you said baked.


    now i want cake.

    and pie.
    No. "Baked" triggers a craving for a doober.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    It actually is not included. Only your non-exercise activity level is baked in.

    this
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Because you're already in a deficit without exercise. That's the way MFP works. I swear I don't understand how people sign up to use this site and don't educate themselves on the simple way it works.
  • Beastette
    Beastette Posts: 1,497 Member
    Because those calories are the most delicious. Sometimes, I like to drink them back to surprise my metabolism into getting drunk.
  • monkey_la_femme
    monkey_la_femme Posts: 20 Member
    I eat my workout calories because I get hungry! On days when I walk up to an hour I am hungrier when I get home and when I workout before breakfast I come back *starving*.

    I think if you are hungrier on workout days then you should cut yourself some slack and eat a few calories back. That being said, I am not a nutritionist; just a hungry girl who still loses weight when she has a second round of toast after boxing.
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    I don't. Like you said, it just gives me a greater deficit. Maybe ill eat a few back if I'm having a hungry day but never half or more.

    I try for between 1000-1300/day (usually its 1200-1300) and I don't believe in starvation mode so..
  • luera
    luera Posts: 2 Member
    If you dont eat the right amount of calories like your workout ones you will not have eaten enough to keep fit. Also if you dont enough calories you will lose muscle instead of fat, if you lose to quickly.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    I don't. Like you said, it just gives me a greater deficit.

    Why even eat at all?
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
    hahadebate.jpg
  • luera
    luera Posts: 2 Member
    If you dont eat the right amount of calories like your workout ones you will not have eaten enough to keep fit. Also if you dont enough calories you will lose muscle instead of fat, if you lose to quickly.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    MFP automatically figures your calorie deficit in before you exercise, I think. So, add a few hundred calories lost due to exercise on top of that and you could be sitting at an unhealthy deficit for long-term weight loss.

    This..exactly!
  • I don't eat my exercise calories back everyday but on days that I feel extra hungry & I know that I burned lots of calories I don't think twice about it I just get a healthy snack! :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Because those calories are the most delicious. Sometimes, I like to drink them back to surprise my metabolism into getting drunk.

    I like the way you think beer-chugger.gif
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
    BECAUSE MYFITNESSPAL TELLS US TO.



    Lol
  • merkuri22
    merkuri22 Posts: 13 Member
    Losing weight and being healthy are two different things. You can eat nothing but M&Ms all day and lose weight. Or you can eat nothing but organic fruits and veggies and gain.

    You should exercise to be healthy, not just to lose weight.

    I eat back my calories because otherwise I get hungry. It also motivates me to exercise more. I can either sit on my butt and watch TV, eating nothing, or walk on my treadmill for an hour and watch TV and have a snack later, or a larger dinner.

    It's working for me. I've lost over 10 lbs in less than two months and am continuing to lose. If I let myself feel hungry by not eating back my exercise calories then I wouldn't have kept up with it for this long.
  • maqsmj
    maqsmj Posts: 697
    I may be the minority here...but my advice is to not eat exercise calories back until you have a 100% understanding of energy balance.

    Many folks here undersestimate calories in and overestimate calories out. When you do that....you get stuck...then if you "Eat your Exercise Calories Back"...you gain weight.

    Its called Measurment Systems Analysis....how accurate and precise are your calories in and calories out?? Thats why on "The Biggest Looser" everyone wears a Body Bugg on there arm...they don't estimate calories out...they MEASURE it.

    For instance...In summer I bike to work....at my current body weight and pace(14.5 MPH) it estimates my calorie burn at 1800 cals/day. Measured Calorie Burn usingt a heart rate monitor is closer to 800 cals/day. HUGE ERROR

    Same witn calories out....unless yoiur eating boring/simple foods...its very difficult to get the calorie count for complex recipies. So if you are say making turkey meatloaf...well unless you sit down and do the math...you may not get realistic numbers from using"Turkey Meatloaf, Generic" listed on this site.

    Folks that want to be very lean will generally practice what I call Front Loading...rather than eating something and logging it in...they will create menu's that stay within there daily calorie and macronutrient balance, then they will eat those meals/menus.

    Once you determine that your measurement system is sound...then eating exercise calories has merit.

    Totally agree

    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    you do not eat your calories back if they are lifting weight, im not sure about cardio but i guess it is better to keep them where they are
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I may be the minority here...but my advice is to not eat exercise calories back until you have a 100% understanding of energy balance.

    Many folks here undersestimate calories in and overestimate calories out. When you do that....you get stuck...then if you "Eat your Exercise Calories Back"...you gain weight.

    Its called Measurment Systems Analysis....how accurate and precise are your calories in and calories out?? Thats why on "The Biggest Looser" everyone wears a Body Bugg on there arm...they don't estimate calories out...they MEASURE it.

    For instance...In summer I bike to work....at my current body weight and pace(14.5 MPH) it estimates my calorie burn at 1800 cals/day. Measured Calorie Burn usingt a heart rate monitor is closer to 800 cals/day. HUGE ERROR

    Same witn calories out....unless yoiur eating boring/simple foods...its very difficult to get the calorie count for complex recipies. So if you are say making turkey meatloaf...well unless you sit down and do the math...you may not get realistic numbers from using"Turkey Meatloaf, Generic" listed on this site.

    Folks that want to be very lean will generally practice what I call Front Loading...rather than eating something and logging it in...they will create menu's that stay within there daily calorie and macronutrient balance, then they will eat those meals/menus.

    Once you determine that your measurement system is sound...then eating exercise calories has merit.

    Totally agree

    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    you do not eat your calories back if they are lifting weight, im not sure about cardio but i guess it is better to keep them where they are

    You already said that and I already explained why it was wrong.
  • ohheyy125
    ohheyy125 Posts: 295 Member
    I don't. Like you said, it just gives me a greater deficit.

    Why even eat at all?

    Well, because I enjoy food and eating, but never feel the need to eat the exercise ones back. I don't want to eat them back just because I'm "supposed" to. If I don't feel hungry for them, I'd rather have the greater deficit. (an extra 1200-1500 calories/week deficit!)
  • m0ll3pprz
    m0ll3pprz Posts: 193 Member
    Because you're already in a deficit without exercise. That's the way MFP works. I swear I don't understand how people sign up to use this site and don't educate themselves on the simple way it works.

    That's what the forum is for :-) If we knew the answers we would all be thin and healthy and have no use for MFP! Most of us want to learn from each other without being made to feel "uneducated." That why she mentioned she was embarrassed to ask~
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    No it isn't. MFP will give you the same calories no matter what you put. Tri it. I did.
  • maqsmj
    maqsmj Posts: 697
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back
    Hang on, guys, I got this. Just give me a minute.

    ovaltine4.jpg

    sure i did dude xD
  • maqsmj
    maqsmj Posts: 697
    when you calculate your calouries and u oputed in there 3 times a week it is calculated in your calorie intake , then u do not eat them back

    No it isn't. MFP will give you the same calories no matter what you put. Tri it. I did.

    thats why i didnt use mfp to calculate my calories as it has 1 major thing missing which is BF% ( Body fat % ) and without it you cant have a proper look into your calorie needs :) so i used another source to do so
  • lrob100
    lrob100 Posts: 122 Member
    I NEVER eat back my exercise calories --- EVER. Except on Thanksgiving or Christmas maybe. I tried eating them back, and all weight loss stopped. I think they are grossly overestimated on MFP. I've lost 80 lbs in 5 1/2 months diet of 1200 calories per day and intense exercise. I do not buy into starvation mode at ALL.
  • sixpackdream
    sixpackdream Posts: 55 Member
    I agree with Irob100, I think the exercise calories are very overestimated. I did MFP a few years ago and experienced the exact same stop in weight loss whenever I included the exercise calories. I completely ignore it now.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Many folks here undersestimate calories in and overestimate calories out. When you do that....you get stuck...then if you "Eat your Exercise Calories Back"...you gain weight.

    Once you determine that your measurement system is sound...then eating exercise calories has merit.

    Great point.
  • chocl8girl
    chocl8girl Posts: 1,968 Member
    strawberry-cheesecake.jpg