Does everyone eat their exercise calories?

adream213

I know that u should eat those calories. I just wondered if many of u do? thanks!

rockstarginaa

Eat them!

IveLanded

No.

You will hear different opinions on this but IMHO you should probably do something similar to people similar to you. A 20-something body builder dude is going to tell you something that works for him but it might not work for you.

Since you are at the beginning, I would tell you to NOT eat them ALL back. When I started, I started with having a 3-500 calorie deficit each day. That was the only thing I focused on or knew about. I started at over 200lbs and it really helped me get that initial fat.

If you really stick with it and start working out regularly and start seeing changes in your body....your body will tell you that you need to eat back more calories and/or change your calorie intake.

majope

I've always eaten most of mine. Not 20, not a body-builder, not a dude. And I've always lost steadily, with a daily net goal of about 1600-1800 and actual calories eaten often upwards of 2000.

micheleb15

I would say it depends on how you came up with your calorie intake. I use TDEE-20% and include my activity into this calculation so I don't eat back calories, but if you are using what MFP gave you, I would definitaly eat back my burned calories.

jzammetti

I eat part of my exercise calories back - just enough to net a couple hundred over my BMR

norcal_yogi

what IveLanded said....^

LorinaLynn

40 years old (38 when I started here), and I always ate most of mine back when I was using MFP numbers. So it was typically 1350-1700 plus exercise calories, or 1800-2000+ total.

Currently, I'm maintaining my weight, and have my calories set for my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) of 2300. During the week, I typically stay a little below that so I can eat a little more on the weekend when I don't log.

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

i haven't been, but i'm going to try

jendatcoach

I do eat them back, but I also wear a heart rate monitor when I work out so I have a more accurate count of the calories I have burned. I have found that the MFP calculator overestimates my calories burned by ALOT!

Cheval13

I do eat most of them back, usually net less than 1200, but don't lose any weight. Sometimes, I gain weight. I only lose weight by exercising, eating around 1400, and not eating the exercise calories back.
Everyone is different.

Weekenjetsetter

if you want to lose weight its good not to eat alot of your workout calories, i burn 1,000 calories a day on the treadmill and i dont eat them, but you do have to check to see how many calories to have to take in daily, for example i should be eating about 3300 calories a day but to continue my weight lose i eat about 2800 plus a 1000 lost at the gym daily its working alomst 100 bs lost in a year just started myfitness pal about a week ago but i have pics with before and after weight loss on my profile

Weekenjetsetter

25 lbs keep up the good work

redraider08

Nope. Whether it's MFP or the elliptical at the gym, the numbers shown for calories burned are only estimates not not very good ones at that. I don't use MFP's calorie suggestions any more so I'm consistent and don't use calories burned either.

I set my own calorie goal and simply enter food. There's also the fact that many food labels are not 100% accurate in the total calories actually in the food. I've heard this can be up to 10-15% in some cases. Of course, if you're eating natural whole foods this doesn't matter as much.

gfedex

I don't eat all of them, but I'll eat extra when I'm hungry or know I've got a hard workout coming. I also don't have my settings at sedentary.

royvee

I leave some exercise calories for a margin of error with food I can't get an accurate total for, such as mom and pop restaurants that don't have calorie counts for their food. Of course, you can use the old standby deck-of-cards measure and get fairly close for a serving, but if you leave that margin, you'll generally eat less than your allotted calories, and that translates into more weight lost.

LorinaLynn

When I did the exercise calorie thing, I used MFP's numbers, or the numbers from the treadmill, or the numbers from Runkeeper, and it worked out fine for me. I never saw a point in getting a HRM since my results were right where I wanted them to be.

adream213

I have a heart rate monitor that tracks my calories burned for me. I'll try both ways, on Weight Watchers I usually ate my exercise calories and did well. We'll see! Thanks everyone!

arlenem1974

I'f i'm hungery I do. The nurse who does checks my sugar and blood pressure says untless your hungery you don' have to.

bgelliott

nope...I want quick results so I maintain the greatest deficit possible

Synapze

Used to, but I don't even log it any more.

I burn well over 1000cal most days...probably more, but just stick to my allocated diet ( try to ) and I'm losing more than i was when i was logging it.

Thats me though, different for everyone.

aj445

Yes I do. This last week I ended up eating a touch more than my allotment as I had it calculated low. I lost 3 lbs in one week. Over last few weeks I've been steadily losing - 1lb a week - but 3 in one was pretty sweet

should add I'm not the best logger as some things I don't log. I eat to my hunger. I enjoy food way too much to go hungry!

JewelSmith

I listen to my body. If I maybe did P90X, in the morning and after drinking plenty of water and I am still feeling a bit hungry in the early evening, I will eat. I do try not to eat them all and make the healthiest options possible, especially if it is after 7:00 pm. However, I say over/under if you feel you need to eat something and this is after you have had a glass of water...eat something.

carolyn000000

Eat them. Otherwise you lose muscle instead of fat. Just don't over estimate them.

Sabine_Stroehm

I don't, but mainly because I don't have MFP set up that way. I use TDEE-20%. I eat a consistent 1700ish calories a day, regardless of whether I work out or not. And actually, these days I'm logging my workouts as 1 calorie so MFP doesn't mess with my macros.

funhouse77

Yes I do, and I've lost 50lbs to date. I don't necessarily eat them all, especially on days like today, I am on 1200 calories, have burned 825 and eaten back 550. I think both MFP and the machines at the gym may overestimate the calorie burn, so I always err on the side of caution. But I tend to end at least 50% percent of them back.

Firekeeper66

I don't eat back my exercise calories during the week but I do eat them back on the weekend. I figure that's a little treat for myself.

Eileen889

Once in a while I might eat a few back, butt most of the time I don't feel that it's necessary for me.

merflan

I was. Didn't lose a thing for weeks. Stopped eating them back, and started losing. I think everyone is different. I have a lot to lose though, and I imagine as I get closer to goal, I'll increase my cals.

Francl27

I don't. My goal is 1500 anyway and I haven't been weighing things so I'm sure I'm underestimating some stuff. It's not like I exercise a lot either, and I don't think I burn much more than 200 calories a day (I do 'walk away the pounds' and 'slim in 6' mainly so far.

But this way I don't sweat it if I get a little bit over my goal, and I don't have to worry about overestimating my exercise calories either (I've spent too much on fitness stuff in the last 6 weeks to justify a $65 heart monitor).

MikeCzarbary

as much as I hate to admit it,sometimes I eat those calories back :-\