Eating your burn calories

SuzeQ
SuzeQ Posts: 2
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have seen this term used a lot on this site and I just need it clarified....do you eat , for instance, 1200 the computer says is your goal( what ever it says in the morning before you start logging your food and workouts) PLUS whatever I burned today?

Replies

  • latinapride389
    latinapride389 Posts: 17
    I was told you are supposed to eat back what you burn so you aren't starving your body and to help the muscles build back.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    In short, yes.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
    No.
  • lisalynn35
    lisalynn35 Posts: 250 Member
    I was told you are supposed to eat back what you burn so you aren't starving your body and to help the muscles build back.

    That's how I understand it.
  • Chelsinicole63
    Chelsinicole63 Posts: 62 Member
    In my opinion no. It doesnt make sense to even workout if youre just going to eat back the calories. I dont do it, and im losing weight... So i guess it just depends on how you look at it.
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    That is the suggestion from MFP.....that you should eat back your workout calories...so you can refuel your body from all the workout


    I try to keep my body guessing......some days I eat half my workout calories...some days I eat none and then sometimes I eat all my workout calories

    Goodluck
  • funnygrrl
    funnygrrl Posts: 170 Member
    so if i have 1200 calories to use, then i work out and burn another 200 calories, i should burn 1400 or 1200? is it bad for me to leave some calories unburned?
  • cheri03
    cheri03 Posts: 172 Member
    This is the healthiest post I have seen on MFP. Exactly what to do!! Good job.
  • funnygrrl
    funnygrrl Posts: 170 Member
    so if i have 1200 calories to use, then i work out and burn another 200 calories, i should burn 1400 or 1200? is it bad for me to leave some calories unburned?
  • RWilliams_Fit
    RWilliams_Fit Posts: 81 Member
    they are taking into consideration what ur activity level is daily without exercise....so if your VERY active, u are allowed more calories to begin with.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    My opinion is yes most definitely eat back your exercise calories. MFP already has you at a deficit, you are just creating a higher one by exercising. If I don't eat mine back, I get very weak & feel horrible.

    However it appears that some people never eat them back and seem to do fine. I don't understand it, but it must work for them. My girlfriend fits that. She either eats none or just some back & she's been doing great & feeling fine.
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    I try to make sure that I eat my daily calories. If I exercise I'll allow myself more, but I don't eat all of them. I don't know that I would be able to!
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
    You should eat the calories your burn. The formula: Base calories + exercise calories = calories you eat for the day (net calories).

    Trust me, you don't want to go many days without eating back most of what you burn. You will exhaust yourself and your body will go into starvation mode. In short, you won't lose any weight.
    If you want something much simplier then don't exercise and only eat 1200 calories a day.
    A liquid diet might be a better solution since it is alot easier to understand. I used a liquid diet to lose my first 30 lbs.
  • fishlover888
    fishlover888 Posts: 132
    yes-eat your exercise calories! mfp should automatically recalculate your caloric goal if you enter your exercise.

    so yes, if your normal goal is 1200 and you exercise off 200 calories your goal is 1400.


    Your body requires a certain amount of caloric intake to do all of your normal life activities-when you enter your goal loss of lbs/week, mfp already drops your caloric goal below what your body requires, which is why you lose weight. when you exercise and don't eat your calories, your body is so far below it's needed caloric intake that it essentially stores everything it can for the future. (This can be less important for thinner people or people trying to maintain weight. if you are just doing weight maintenance, it isn't a huge deal because you won't be at a total deficit that is that great, just a little from the exercise.)

    However, in the grand scheme of things, your body doesn't actually function on a day to day basis, it's more of a proccess... The goal of exercising is to boost your overall metabolism, which drops really low when you don't eat enough. personally, i'm always more hungry the day after i exercise, so sometimes i eat my exercise calories later-it works for me and it's what my body wants, but i can't really say if it would work for anyone else.

    Besides, for most of us, I think half the point of exercising is to tone up, not just lose pounds, and your body can't build muscle without nutrition! =)
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