TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT?! HELP

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When you workout do you guys eat your calories back? If so then whats the point of working out, forgive me if i sound noobish, im really wondering if im doing everything right! thank you (:

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  • captainsgirl88
    captainsgirl88 Posts: 4 Member
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    as long as u burn 500 calories more then you take in perday you can lose a pound a week. im not saying i follow this. cus my fitness pal keeps yelling at me saying im not eating enough to begin with but if im not hungry im not gonna eat. thats why i need to lose weight, eatting when i wasnt hungry, also just fun fact 3500 calories in one pound of fat.
  • RedneckMomma77
    RedneckMomma77 Posts: 85 Member
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    The theory behind eating the extra calories that you work off via a workout, is that your BMR is set to what your body requires calorie wise to do nothing other than live. So let's say that your BMR is 1,500 calories a day. You exercise daily, and burn 500 calories each day. So you're body is only getting 1,000 calories a day, which is not enough to maintain regular system functions. Your body takes it as you are starving and starts packing those calories away as fat the instant it gets them. You will actually gain weight. Why do you think that when you see pictures or videos of the starving children of where ever, they look fat around the mid section. What limited calories they do get, is stored for days when they get nothing. Understand?
  • mmmcap
    mmmcap Posts: 13 Member
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    okay i get it so i exercise for more calories to eat and for a toned look, right? (:
  • bluebear_74
    bluebear_74 Posts: 179
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    do you think that when you see pictures or videos of the starving children of where ever, they look fat around the mid section. What limited calories they do get, is stored for days when they get nothing. Understand?
    LOL. No.

    "the disease these children are suffering from is called Kwashiorkor, a form of malnutrition due to an extreme lack of protein. The large belly is an inflammation - an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin and their stomachs are the antithesis of full."

    Via http://borgenproject.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/what-causes-starving-children-to-have.html
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I am always in the "to eat" category. I believe in fuelling your body.

    MFP has set you at a deficit already. It does not account for exercise. So if you do nothing and eat what it recommends, you will lose weight. When you add exercise on top of that, you create a larger deficit. For many reasons, many people suggest maintaining a modest deficit.

    I realize that estimating exercise calories is not perfect, even with a HRM. But I strongly believe in eating at least some of them back. Then again, I've done the whole huge calorie deficit, tons of exercise bit and suffered for it.

    Many people will say that their nutritionist/dietician or trainer told them not to "eat back" their calories. But, if you look at how most of these calculate their calorie goals, they use the TDEE method which account for BMR (basal metabolic rate - the amount your body needs just to survive laying in bed all day), daily activity AND anticipated exercise. They already account for it. MFP doesn't.

    So yes, if you use MFP, I believe "to eat". IF you use TDEE, they are already built in there, so no.
    This topic covers a lot of the stuff I talked about. It recommends using a different way than MFP is set up. I've done both, and have found if you use the right numbers, you end up pretty much in the same place.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12