calories gained & consumption

justesje

got a quick question. the calories gained from exercising, why do you need to consume those as well? is that to avoid the dreaded starvation mode?

aippolito1

Fuel, baby!!! :happy: Just try it out for a couple weeks, if you don't lose weight, don't do it. Just make sure you eat if you're hungry & have the extra calories.

rnroadrunner

the answer could be yes. you need to use the report for net calorie consumed and make sure you don't go below 1200 or risk the starvation mode. the important thing to remember is a lifestyle change not a diet. it is better to lose weight slowly and keep it off than to lose rapidly and rebound. good luck.

jmmsunshine

Thanks - I was curious about this too and concerned that if I wasn't loosing weight just eating at the calorie level, adding in exercise and eating those calories would put me in reverse too!

crystal_sapphire

the short answer is yes. and even though i say this everyday, I don't eat all my exercise calories back. Why? I don't have a heart monitor that gives me an accurate account of how many calories I burned. I also feel majority of websites and the gym machines (those for sure do!) overestimate how much you burn when exercising.

what you could always try is eating the exercise calories and tailor down if necessary (and I mean give it a week to adjust). I eat approx 50% of my exercise calories, but some days I eat more and some days I eat less. It really just depends

This is a very heated topic for some people. Or at least it used to be back in 2008 when I first joined.

justesje

Thanks guys. I am eating the calories gained through exercise and following MFP as closely as possible. I never quite use up all of them 'cause with the water intake and planning my meals so rigorously, I tend to have enough food in my belly by bedtime. I like the site so far. I think it is working. Even if the pounds don't go, I feel a lot more energetic and fitter. I am certainly not trying to diet as that just has no longevity and I pile on the pounds soon enough. I'm ready to make this a lifestyle change.