Extra Calories From Exercise

bralansmom

How many of you really use the extra calories from exercising? Is it okay not to? Some days I need it, but others I don't. I'd like to hear other people's opinions.

Caseylowe2

I have the same concern...I ate like 965 calories today but burned 740 on the treadmill. So now I earned an extra 740 calories. I was hungry after my workout but not enough to eat those extra earned calories...But I don't want to go into starvation mode...

johnporcaro

EAT THEM! They're subtracted from your weekly total if you entered them into your goals (x workouts/week, x minutes/day). Don't starve yourself!

xxquzme

I eat most them back. That is just a good way to keep your body from starving. If you dont need them i guess i woudnt then, but if you feel that you do, then you really should.


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xTattooedDollx

I lose way more weight when I eat my exercise calories!

xonophone

I eat 'em with great joy! To me, they represent the glass of wine or the slice of homemade bread at a restaurant that I don't have to feel guilty about. And I have lost weight and reached my goal by doing so.

EKarma

I don't eat them on most days, but sometimes it's nice to have them there! I ate 150 of my exercise cals today and I don't feel bad about it. I just burned those calories off I don't want to eat them all back!

Caseylowe2

My problem is I work out at night-as i am not a morning person. So Even if I ate the 1200 cal a day but then burned off half, that night I don't wanna binge on the extra calories at one time. In other words by the time I figure out how many extra calories I earned ,it's late at night and there's no extra time to break those extra calories up for portion control.
So with that being said,this is my planned solution
Definitely get in my 1200 calories a day. Exercise as usual at night-if I am hungry afterward eat. But not necessarily all the calories I burned-because as I understand-as long as I eat at least the 1200 cal a day-my body will NOT go into starvation mode-is this correct? Because whose gonna burn 740 cal. late at night and then turn around and re-eat those cal. late that same night and then go to bed.Doesn't make since to me so any more input?

xonophone

My problem is I work out at night-as i am not a morning person. So Even if I ate the 1200 cal a day but then burned off half, that night I don't wanna binge on the extra calories at one time. In other words by the time I figure out how many extra calories I earned ,it's late at night and there's no extra time to break those extra calories up for portion control.
So with that being said,this is my planned solution
Definitely get in my 1200 calories a day. Exercise as usual at night-if I am hungry afterward eat. But not necessarily all the calories I burned-because as I understand-as long as I eat at least the 1200 cal a day-my body will NOT go into starvation mode-is this correct? Because whose gonna burn 740 cal. late at night and then turn around and re-eat those cal. late that same night and then go to bed.Doesn't make since to me so any more input?

That's a good point - I work out in the morning so I know exactly how many extra calories I'm entitled to. I don't know if you can add in some of the extras to your breakfast the following morning?

Caseylowe2

Hmmm. I will give that a try!

iguanaliz

I absolutely eat my exercise calories! I earned them.

In all seriousness, I started working out in November. I didn't start dieting until this week. So I worked my way up from no weights and 15 minutes on the treadmill to serious weights and 60 minutes on the evil, evil Cybex. (Still fat, but less jiggly) I ate anything I wanted.

Now, to lose weight, I'm down to 1200 calories a day, but I'm not changing my workout. So yeah, I'm eating every last calories. I work off most of my daily allotment in the gym, so I have to eat my exercise calories.

But today, I did the unthinkable and went in for an hour of cardio just so I could cheat tonight. Calories in. Calories out. But it's not a zero sum game.

ThumperWabbt

I feel a little stupid here, but can someone define "eating exercise calories?" The implication is that one can then consume the number of calories they burned off while exercising, but I may be wrong... It seems a little too good to be true that if I'm on a 1300 calorie a day eating plan and I burn off 600 calories doing cardio work, I could then consume 1900 calories that day...

xonophone

I feel a little stupid here, but can someone define "eating exercise calories?" The implication is that one can then consume the number of calories they burned off while exercising, but I may be wrong... It seems a little too good to be true that if I'm on a 1300 calorie a day eating plan and I burn off 600 calories doing cardio work, I could then consume 1900 calories that day...

Nope, this is probably the only time where when you hear something that is too good to be true.....it's still true! :bigsmile: Yes, you are entitled to those calories. Let's say you eat 1300 calories. Then you workout and burn 600 of them. 1300-600=600 calories left for your body to use to keep itself alive (what MFP calls "Net calories") There is a great post on this message board that explains everything:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

ThumperWabbt

Thank you...that was incredibly informative!

xonophone

Thank you...that was incredibly informative!

You bet! Now go and enjoy some exercise calories tonight - after all it IS Saturday night!

xonophone

My problem is I work out at night-as i am not a morning person. So Even if I ate the 1200 cal a day but then burned off half, that night I don't wanna binge on the extra calories at one time. In other words by the time I figure out how many extra calories I earned ,it's late at night and there's no extra time to break those extra calories up for portion control.
So with that being said,this is my planned solution
Definitely get in my 1200 calories a day. Exercise as usual at night-if I am hungry afterward eat. But not necessarily all the calories I burned-because as I understand-as long as I eat at least the 1200 cal a day-my body will NOT go into starvation mode-is this correct? Because whose gonna burn 740 cal. late at night and then turn around and re-eat those cal. late that same night and then go to bed.Doesn't make since to me so any more input?

That's a good point - I work out in the morning so I know exactly how many extra calories I'm entitled to. I don't know if you can add in some of the extras to your breakfast the following morning?

Casey, the other thing is, if you know your are definately going to work out that night, then make up the calories earlier in the day. That strategy is only for the truly well-disciplined though, and wouldn't work for me because by the end of the day I am so tired (I have a physical job) that even when I tell myself that I am absolutely going to make that 7:30pm Zumba class, by the time I get home I almost always talk myself out of it. So I go in the morning, as soon as I get out of bed because I'm too sleepy to come up with a good argument for not exercising!