Eating back exercise calories...makes no sense to me...

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Replies

  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    My doctor (nutritionist) told me not to eat all of my exercise cals back. A lot of people on here tell u to but i think i will trust a doctor than someone that just reads up on something. If u really want to know how to do ur weight loss i would make a doctors appointment with a nutritionist if ur confused every one is different so i think that would be the best thing for u to do:)

    For anyone who can afford it/has health insurance, this is always a good idea.
  • arnfolly
    arnfolly Posts: 79 Member
    I have always eaten back my calories as to avoid thermogenesis (aka starvation mode). I found when I did this I did not plateu as often. That is the reason people encourage you to eat back your calories. Your body needs fuel to exercise and grow muscle also! Oh, I never made it a point to eat ALL my calories back, but if I am hungry, then I eat GOOD healthy choices to fill the void. If I eat them back, oh well, if I don't, I do not sweat it. :)
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    For me if I eat my exercise cals I don't lose at all, often gain; if I don't eat them I lose a little; if I hammer the exercise and don't eat my exercise cals I lose more and if I do that and don't eat 200 cals under my limit I lose even more.

    The science behind the calories intake set is fine but everyone has a different metabolism, amount of muscle and associated burn rate so my advice is to experiment and see what works best. Try eating your exercise cals for a few weeks and see what you lose (I would go under - in my experience the calculations are generous!) - if you don't then eat fewer of the exercise cals and so on ...

    its also easy to over or under estimate what your eating if not measuring weighting everything. not saying that is an issue for you, but for some it could be.
  • eliseofthejungle
    eliseofthejungle Posts: 113 Member
    My doctor (nutritionist) told me not to eat all of my exercise cals back. A lot of people on here tell u to but i think i will trust a doctor than someone that just reads up on something. If u really want to know how to do ur weight loss i would make a doctors appointment with a nutritionist if ur confused every one is different so i think that would be the best thing for u to do:)

    For anyone who can afford it/has health insurance, this is always a good idea.

    Just make sure they are certified/licensed in some way (RD, CNS, ect.). Not all states require a license or certification for someone to call themselves a "nutritionist" which means anyone who feels they know enough on the subject can legally use that title without any formal training or education.
  • kathyms13
    kathyms13 Posts: 497 Member
    JUST WONT TO SAY, I DONT EAT MINE BACK, IM HAPPY WITH MY WAY OF DOING THIS IT SUITS ME.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    If you include exercise calories in your TDEE instead of logging them, then you are eating back your exercise calories. It's the same thing.
  • rexy3033
    rexy3033 Posts: 20 Member
    I eat back my exercise calories. I work out about 6 days a week and am training for a half marathon. Some days I burn over 1200 calories and I need the extra energy from more food!! I started about 170 and now am at goal, about 137... and I have always ate back my calories:)

    That said, I eat if I am hungry... if I am not hungry I am not going to make myself eat 3600 calories on the days I go for a 12 mile run. It is hard to eat that much in a healthy manner.

    In regards to a previous post- I am a certified NP, however, I am speaking from experience. Listen to your body to know if you need those calories. If you set your goal calories at 1200 and you do a 600 calorie burning workout, you will likely feel the deficit and need to eat a little more!!
  • andreae13
    andreae13 Posts: 239 Member
    It really doesn't matter what advice people give you. You need to find what works best for your body. Try each way for a couple weeks and see which one gives you the best results. I have never eaten back my calories because I discovered that it did not work, not only did I not lose weight, but I gained it when I ate those extra calories. EVERYONE is different...there is no one sized fits all plan...only you know what works for you. The key is to find what works and be CONSISTENT, don't bounce back and forth cause then you'll just get frustrated. Good luck!

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