extra calories from exercise

hamilton4beaumont

I work out (cardio) 4 times a week. Usually, 30-45 minutes depending on how much stress I've built up for the day, but I wasn't sure if I had to consume the extra calories from exercise. It seems like such a huge amount of calories to eat on top of the BMR number. I guess what I'm asking is...is it more harmful not to eat those extra calories or a perk?
I'm VERY structured! If someone says eat a cup of hay for every meal, then I'll do it and not cheat at all! So flexible with diet...I'm not! MANY people, mostly my husband, have been telling me to eat more for years. It just doesn't make sense to me! Thanks for any help.

hamilton4beaumont

I work out (cardio) 4 times a week. Usually, 30-45 minutes depending on how much stress I've built up for the day, but I wasn't sure if I had to consume the extra calories from exercise. It seems like such a huge amount of calories to eat on top of the BMR number. I guess what I'm asking is...is it more harmful not to eat those extra calories or a perk?
I'm VERY structured! If someone says eat a cup of hay for every meal, then I'll do it and not cheat at all! So flexible with diet...I'm not! MANY people, mostly my husband, have been telling me to eat more for years. It just doesn't make sense to me! Thanks for any help.

kerrilucko

Yes, you have to eat your excercise calories.... or at least as many of them as you can:drinker:

timisw

Concur...

You must eat what you exercise.

Otherwise, your body wont be able to recover (build muscle to burn more calories and raise your metabolism) and it will be confused as to whether you want it to burn fat or muscle.

If you are starving yourself, you will always start burning muscle cause it is FAR easier for your body to burn. Fat actually requires some energy to use.

edyta

What do you mean by "huge amount of calories"? I don't know how much you weight but you only want to lose 14lbs and I don't know how you measure calories burnt - I would be suspicious if it was more than 250-300 per 30minutes.
It's not so much!

I sometimes don't eat all my exercise calories but I try not to be more than 100-150cals under my goal.

timisw

Edyta, if I play beach volleyball for 3 hours (figuring I am playing competitively for 1 hour and 2 hours of slow walking), I burn close to a 1000 calories. I must make up those 1000 calories with food in the next 24 hours.

FletcherChic

i have this same question too! i wear a HRM while i workout so that i know how many calories i have actually burned and on some of my longer days, i burn up to 1000 calories....i wasn't sure if i had to use up these "credits" or if i could not use them up and speed up the losing process....seems very weird to workout for hours and hours burning up calories just to have to go and eat them afterwards...doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose????...my daily goal on here is 1200 cal per day ( to lose 2 lbs/week) which i try to stick to....how in the world am i supposed to eat an additional 1000 cals on top of that???? seems like it would be a lot of food!!! and it would seem like it would add pounds which i definitely do NOT want!!!! grrrrr

edyta

Edyta, if I play beach volleyball for 3 hours (figuring I am playing competitively for 1 hour and 2 hours of slow walking), I burn close to a 1000 calories. I must make up those 1000 calories with food in the next 24 hours.

Yes, you're right.

Calories burnt depend on your weight and effort and I just say I would be suspicious if any other device than my heart rate monitor tells me I burned >300cals in half an hour because I weight only 139lbs.

Actually I think these exercise calories should be consumed the same day, so if I exercise in the evening I try to eat more during the day.

I usually eat all my exercise calories, once in a while 100less but I ALWAYS make sure I don't go under 1200 cals net a day (my goal is 1380 at the moment).

timisw

It should be your (BRM + Calories your HRM says you burn) * .9 should be your calorie intake for the day. This will only be slightly less than what is on here which is BRM * .9 + Calories.

Remember that the calories on here include BRM plus the activity level you choose when you signed up.

kerrilucko

Nope, it doesn't defeat the purpose. The initial calorie setting MFP gives you is what your body NEEDS... just to breathe, think etc. When you excercise, you are using up those valuable calories. If you don't eat them you are essentially telling your body to go into starvation mode because its not being given enough calories to do basic functions. The exercise you're doing here... think of it for fitness purposes not so much for losing weight..... if that makes sense.

timisw

I like to think of it as a pitcher of water.

The more you exercise, the further you tip the pitcher (more out)

The more you eat is the more you fill it.

Even resting all day is going to tip it a little and let some out.

If you fill it more than you tip, you gain weight.

If you tip it much more than you fill it, your body goes into shock and tips MUCH less.