Increasing calorie consumption after exercise??

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Natster_uk
Natster_uk Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys

I'm sure this has probably been covered before but just wondering what your thoughts are on on increasing your calorie consumption after a workout to make sure you're hitting your calorie goal.

My daily allowance is 1200 calories. I've just done a 30 minute workout on my Elliptical trainer and burned 253 calories. Obviously when I record that on MFP it increases my calorie allowance by 253 calories. This confuses me a little. I mean I know I'm not supposed to go below 1200 calories but I thought it was ok if my deficit is through exercise rather than reducing my calorie consumption.

I don't really like the idea of consuming these extra calories as I feel like my workout is a waste of time. What's the point of burning 253 cals if I'm just going to eat it back??

Any ideas?

Thanks :D

Replies

  • Natster_uk
    Natster_uk Posts: 13 Member
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    Anyone? :(
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Yes, you're supposed to eat those calories.

    Most calorie counting website add in the amount of exercise you say you're going to do when they calculate your calorie goal. MFP does not. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to run a marathon daily or do nothing every day, your calorie goal will be the same. It only adds those calories to your goal after you log them.

    The math all works out about the same. MFP just has a different way of reaching that number.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    As Lorina says, eat them back. Unless you're very very tiny, you might also want to look carefully at whether you really need to be restricting yourself to just 1200 cals. (Work out your TDEE.)

    When eating back cals, do try to ensure that your calorie burn estimate is as accurate as possible, though.
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
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    I agree on figuring out if you should really be at 1200. MFP said yes for me, pretty much everything else said I should be eating much higher. I'm doing a lot better with the higher numbers.

    I also agree on eating them back. Exercise is for fitness and for creating a deficit if you don't want to restrict your calorie intake. The 1200 MFP calculated for you is already a deficit...you don't want to add to it.

    With that said, many people only eat back some of the calories because MFP is notorious for saying you burned more calories than you did (as tested by people with heart rate monitors).
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
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    MFP already has a deficit built in so yes you should eat them back.

    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
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    I mean I know I'm not supposed to go below 1200 calories but I thought it was ok if my deficit is through exercise rather than reducing my calorie consumption.
    You already have a deficit at 1200 calories; you don't have to create anything else through exercise. 1200 IS reduced calorie consumption.
    I don't really like the idea of consuming these extra calories as I feel like my workout is a waste of time. What's the point of burning 253 cals if I'm just going to eat it back??
    Reduce calories to lose weight (see above). Exercise to look better and be healthier.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    Here is a way to look at it:

    Let's say that you need 2200 calories per day to maintain your weight. You tell MFP that you want to lose 2 pounds per week. Therefore, MFP gives you a calorie deficit of 1000 calories per day, leaving you with 1200 calories to eat each day.

    Now you workout and burn 250 calories. Your deficit is now 1250. That is more than you need to lose 2 pounds per week. Therefore, you get to eat back those 250 calories, thus leaving you more satisfied and still allowing you to lose 2 pounds per week.

    Now, this isn't a hard science. Some weeks you will lose, others you will gain, others you will maintain. But, in general, you lose approximately 2 pounds per week with the 1000 calorie deficit. There is no reason to have a deficit larger than this.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    MFP raises your calorie allowance when you exercise because you need to fuel the exercise. You will still have the same deficit as if you ate 1200 with no exercise. If you chose not to eat the extra calories you would probably lose faster, but if you habitually do that you'd run the risk of slowing your metabolism over time. Also, the risk of failure or binging is going to be greater if you are hungry all the time.

    But, there are people who don't eat them back or only eat a portion of them back and have success. Just weigh the risks and what you can realistically handle and find what will work for you.
  • Natster_uk
    Natster_uk Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks guys. I think I'm going to buy a heart rate monitor so I can accurately measure what I am burning. I like the idea of only eating some of the calories back, I might try that! :)

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