Exercise Calories - do you eat them?

amyshiel

I've been on weight watchers for almost a year and while I have lost weight I have been on a plateau for AGES. I started MFP and while WW says I have eaten my fill, MFP says I am not eating enough.

I workout regularly, I would say 5 times a week. I run 5 to 10km about 3 times a week, I ride my horse and do strength. Putting these into MFP I see a huge deficit between my calories in and my calories burnt.

Do you eat ALL of your calories burnt during exercise? Or Some of them? For example I have burnt 900 cals today running and riding and Not sure how to eat an extra 900 calories! Added to my daily allowance, that almost doubles my daily intake!

Thanks!

yensidtoon

900 is almost double your daily intake? You are not eating enough. 1200 calories is what it takes to sustain life in a woman. Eating 500 calories a day you will lose weight, but you will gain it all back when you eat normally.

Chieflrg

I usually try to eat close to half. On the days I burn 2000+ calories in exercise, I leave it alone.

amyshiel

900 is almost double your daily intake? You are not eating enough. 1200 calories is what it takes to sustain life in a woman. Eating 500 calories a day you will lose weight, but you will gain it all back when you eat normally.

Double as in it almost doubles my intake. MFP has me set to eat 1200 cals a day so 900 on top almost doubles it

yensidtoon

900 is almost double your daily intake? You are not eating enough. 1200 calories is what it takes to sustain life in a woman. Eating 500 calories a day you will lose weight, but you will gain it all back when you eat normally.

Double as in it almost doubles my intake. MFP has me set to eat 1200 cals a day so 900 on top almost doubles it

I never was any good at math . Okay I also eat back my exercise calories.

cwolfman13

When I was using the MFP method I always ate back about 80% of my calorie burn from exercise to fuel that activity. MFP doesn't include exercise in your daily expenditure...it's extra and you're supposed to eat them back. If 900 calories is almost double your daily intake, you're definitely not eating nearly enough regardless of whether you are exercising or not...that means you're consuming like 400-500 calories per day which is waaayyyyy below your BMR I would suspect. Really, 1,200 net is bare bones...what you're doing isn't healthy at all.

Quick question...are you not logging or counting fruit and veg...I know WW considers them free...but when you're calorie counting, you need to count all of the calories

Edit: just saw your 1,200...ok...then just eat back exercise calories. That's some pretty intense training and it needs to be fueled.

tlmclennan

I think as long as you are eating your 1200 cal/day, then you have the choice of eating your excercise calories or leaving them in order to lose weight faster. Sometimes you can even save them up for the weekend. As long as you are burning more than you are eating you will lose weight.

christiandjoel

I try to eat all my calories....even the exercise ones cuz i get to eat more! In order to lose, u must eat the food by giving ur body something to do. Just like a car...cant drive on "empty" for very long....gotta add gas (food) to keep it burning.

vzryder

900 is almost double your daily intake? You are not eating enough. 1200 calories is what it takes to sustain life in a woman. Eating 500 calories a day you will lose weight, but you will gain it all back when you eat normally.

Double as in it almost doubles my intake. MFP has me set to eat 1200 cals a day so 900 on top almost doubles it

I never was any good at math . Okay I also eat back my exercise calories.

You are definitely not eating enough, eating back 1/2 your exercise calories is a great place to begin!

smittieaj

I always eat my exercise calories, because they are the most delicious!

cwolfman13

I think as long as you are eating your 1200 cal/day, then you have the choice of eating your excercise calories or leaving them in order to lose weight faster. Sometimes you can even save them up for the weekend. As long as you are burning more than you are eating you will lose weight.

No, No, No...just no...



fast, faster, quickly, etc should never be used in the same sentence as the words weight & loss...

wolfelements

I pretty much don't worry about them. If I eat a few of them then okay, if I don't I don't fret.

jenilla1

I think as long as you are eating your 1200 cal/day, then you have the choice of eating your excercise calories or leaving them in order to lose weight faster. Sometimes you can even save them up for the weekend. As long as you are burning more than you are eating you will lose weight.

No, No, No...just no...



fast, faster, quickly, etc should never be used in the same sentence as the words weight & loss...

Agreed. This isn't a race. If you want to keep it up long-term then you need to do it slow, steady and healthily. I've been at maintenance for 2 years and I always eat my exercise calories back - ALL of them - if I don't I start losing again and I'm already at my perfect weight. When I was losing I tried to eat back as many as I could, and that was most of them. If you eat 1200 then burn off 900, that's like taking in a total of 300. Not good for long-term health and fitness. And with all the exercise you're doing, your body needs fuel for repair, etc. If you eat them back, you'll still be in a deficit. And if you think you've overestimated your burn, well then only eat half back.

Nimadi486

I usually eat most of them back, they are freaking delicious! And then I have more energy to workout the next day.

molls_123

Hi, no I wouldn't eat all of them! Because to me I worked out hard for no reason!

AmandaPandah

The only reason I exercise is so that I can eat more lol

missigus

I think your daily calories as someone else said, is too low. I have mine set at 1200 but typically consume closer to 1400/1500 especially if I exercise. So, on day i exercise I eat about 1/2 my burned cals back. Today I burned 660, but will eat back about 250 ish. I hope this helps. I would be soooo hungry if I didn't. I am a horsey girl too, a fun way to count some calories!

nkyjennifer

I eat my exercise calories if I'm still hungry at the end of the day. Which is what happens 99% of the time. I am training for a half-marathon right now and I will sometimes have 600+ calories from exercise. And that's when I get out the apples and cheese. :-)

OK, that's not the only time, but you get the idea. lol

jojorocksforeva

Nopeeeeeeeeeeeeeee i never will whats the point in exersizing if you just eat your calories back if your eating really low calories like 1000 to 1200 it may be fine, but even then its tricky, If your eating like 1500 -1600 u should deff not eat them backk!1

JenniTheVeggie

Are you hungry? If you are hungry eat some of them back. See what works for you. Listen to your body.

jbbrannon

I eat most of my calories earned from exercise, but I try not to eat some calories earned each day.

jessiswar

I eat some of mine back, but only until I feel full. I've found that if I don't eat some of them back it makes me feel faint and almost travel sick? So I eat enough to stop me feeling ill, but I won't try and force food down :-)

ubermensch13

I did, and got to goal weight, now I'm doing TDEE because it makes more sense.

smittieaj

The only reason I exercise is so that I can eat more lol

^^^^ this ^^^^

Seriously, every time I exercise, I'm dreaming about what I'll get to eat.

patentguru

That's the whole point of doing exercise- so you can go out to eat and drink!

nkyjennifer

Nopeeeeeeeeeeeeeee i never will whats the point in exersizing if you just eat your calories back if your eating really low calories like 1000 to 1200 it may be fine, but even then its tricky, If your eating like 1500 -1600 u should deff not eat them backk!1

Keep in mind that MFP has already calculated your deficit. The point in exercising is to keep your heart healthy and keep muscle mass while losing weight.

My daily calorie goal is 1800 and I eat back almost all of my exercise calories every day. It's not unusual for me to eat 2400 calories in a day.

cwolfman13

Hi, no I wouldn't eat all of them! Because to me I worked out hard for no reason!

'cept MFP has a huge calorie deficit in your goal for weight loss...no need to make it bigger...you don't actually have to exercise at all for weight loss with the MFP method.

Exercise for fitness; use your diet for weight control. Stop excising for the sole purpose of calorie burn and make fitness goals that are independent of your weight loss goals. You will thank yourself in the long run.

threesixten

I didn't, but now I do.. because I realized I was netting below my BMR.

quiksylver296

The only reason I exercise is so that I can eat more lol

Me, too!

HungryKoala

No. I dont.

theskinnylist

I don't eat all of my exercise calories back, although I do give myself the additional carb/fat allowance in my macros at times.