calories added to daily allowance after working out

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Nikki830
Nikki830 Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
Sorry if this isn't the right place for this question. After logging my exercise for the day the calories I burned are added to my calorie allowance. Do I HAVE to eat those additional calories? Say I've already eaten my 1200 calories for the day and then I excercise and burn 260 calories. When I finish my entry for the day without consuming those additional calories it gives the same warning that I'm under my target calorie consumption and that I may be putting my body into starvation mode. I just feel it defeats the purpose to eat the calories that I've burned. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!

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  • jessababy22
    jessababy22 Posts: 68
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    everyone has different philosophies. i feel like you shouldn't eat back ALL your calories, but i try not to go over eating half of the calories i got back of exercise. i heard at some points when you start plateauing that you may need to eat them back in order to give your body more energy.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Here's the theory behind the site, and why those calories are added back.

    The site has already set you up with a deficit that will, if followed, allow you to lose weight at a healthy and realistic pace. Dropping below the recommended calorie intake means you may not be feeding your body enough to maintain your metabolism, which means your body will not be able to sustain excellent workouts and you may suffer other problems.

    The theory works well for me. I eat back my exercise calories, or at least most of them, and I've been losing weight. Not fast, but at a pace I'm happy with.

    Having said that, MFP frequently overestimates calories burned for a lot of exercises, so unless you're pretty sure of the ACTUAL calories you are burning, it's probably worth eating back between half and three-quarters of the calories MFP estimates, or verify the calorie burn using a heart rate monitor or decent equipment.

    There's also a theory that not eating them back will accelerate your weight loss. With a small number of calories, that might work for some people. It just leaves me feeling hungry and tired and unable to support really intense workouts. I also tend not to lose weight (after a very brief period of accelerated weight loss).

    You'll have to learn what works for you. I'd start by eating them back, because it gives you more incentive to get established with a good workout program.
  • Nikki830
    Nikki830 Posts: 6
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    Thanks guys, what you both said makes sense! I always adjust the calories MFP says I've burned to what I know I've actually burned and I try eating back some of my exercise calories, but not all of them. I'll see how it goes and adjust accordingly.

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