Do you eat all your calories??

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Army_Love89
Army_Love89 Posts: 30
in Food and Nutrition
Alright so I'm curious do you all eat your earned calories? I've planned my daily meals around my 1200 daily amt & after I log my food it goes down to 200 but when I log my exercise it jumps up to 1200-1600 depending on the day/workout. Do you have to eat your workout calories back? I'm sure I read somewhere that your body will think it's starving itself if you don't but I'm thinking that's not true.
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  • c_smith_0789
    c_smith_0789 Posts: 35
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    I dont eat mine back... As long as im getting 1200 cal a day and take my vitamin i feel fine!
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    On average I do. I tend to overeat on days I don't work out and go under on days I do, but it usually balances out by the end of the week.
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
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    I do.
    I eat around 2000 calories a day on average.
    I love food. A lot.


    I'm the type that thinks if the calories are there for me to use, hell yeah I'm going to use them. If not, that'd be like someone offering me a 100,000 a year salary and then my saying, " no thanks I'm good with 50,000".
  • NatashaB8
    NatashaB8 Posts: 202
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    I find it difficult to eat all my calories back. I don't have any appetite when I wake up and go to work as I sometimes work really early. And even struggle to eat a lot at lunch. I eat normally at dinner and have a few snacks so I try and aim for 1200 (My limit is 1600). A few times a week I go for a 4 mile run and do exercise classes and have a high energy job (which is already taken into consideration) but when it jumps up to over 2000 calories I just can't eat that much. Unless I can eat chocolate but then my fat intake will go through the roof haha.

    Anyone else have this problem too? I don't want my body to think its starving and hold onto the weight :/

    Funny I can't eat as much now, as I could certainly eat for Britain a few months ago!!
  • Zombielicious
    Zombielicious Posts: 246 Member
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    I do. Based on my TDEE I should be consuming 1732 calories a day, so I just subtracted 500 to lose a pound a week. On non-workout days I try to eat 1232 and on workout days I eat back whatever I have burned. I get to eat more and should still lose about a pound a week.

    If you need to add more calories eat avocados or almonds...maybe use olive oil. Those are all healthy fats with a substantial amount of calories per serving.
  • Rach_Gem_n_Disguise
    Rach_Gem_n_Disguise Posts: 140 Member
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    No, I never eat back my exercise calories....at least not all of them. As long as my food consumption is what my "daily" intake is supposed to be, I don't pay attention to the "net". I've done this since I started in January and have reached my goal weight. I've completed Insanity....gained muscle I have never thought I'd have and feel great!!!

    However, I really think you have to do what works best for you. What works for one might not work for everyone. :wink:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I eat ALL my exercise calories back because I want to lose fat and NOT muscle. As a previous poster stated ... she takes a multivitamin ... that won't help you keep existing muscle mass when your body needs fuel.

    Be careful - I use a heart rate monitor to calculate calorie burns ... other sources of info can be exaggerated. This is why many people eat only a portion of their calories back.

    Also, I set my activity level to sedentary. This is really a range .... if your activity level is too high ... and you eat your exercise calories ... this can be too much.
  • NatashaB8
    NatashaB8 Posts: 202
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    If you need to add more calories eat avocados or almonds...maybe use olive oil. Those are all healthy fats with a substantial amount of calories per serving.

    Thanks, I shall try that :D
  • birdieaz
    birdieaz Posts: 448 Member
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    I do.
    I eat around 2000 calories a day on average.
    I love food. A lot.


    I'm the type that thinks if the calories are there for me to use, hell yeah I'm going to use them. If not, that'd be like someone offering me a 100,000 a year salary and then my saying, " no thanks I'm good with 50,000".

    Sums it up perfectly. Can not understand why anyone would not do it. I'm around 1950 with exercise.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    I do.
    I eat around 2000 calories a day on average.
    I love food. A lot.


    I'm the type that thinks if the calories are there for me to use, hell yeah I'm going to use them. If not, that'd be like someone offering me a 100,000 a year salary and then my saying, " no thanks I'm good with 50,000".

    ^This, except I'm at 3250 - 3350 daily. Yay food and exercise!
  • takumaku
    takumaku Posts: 352 Member
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    Everyone's situation is different. What works for me may not work for you. For me, I am eating back more than my calories I earned exercising. However, I am monitoring my weight with weekly weigh in. If I notice after fours weeks, my weight hasn't increase, I increase my calorie content by 100 calories more. If it has increased, I decrease my calories by 50. I am doing this because I am in maintenance mode and I am trying to find my sweet spot.

    My settings:
    -- lifestyle: sedentary (software engineer)
    -- exercise:
    (morning) 1 mile walk + 2 mile jog
    (evening) 3 mile walk or jog + pushups, situps, pullups

    My suggestion, find what works for you. If not eating back your calories works for you, then that is all that matters.
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
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    Yep. I eat them. And enjoy them. And have lost the weight I've wanted. And feel super fit. I know everyone has a different approach of what works for them, but for me -- no downside at all to eating all my calories.

    BTW, I started this journey by not eating all of them back. By the end of month two -- with a ton of really hard working out and lots of intense cardio -- I felt like crap. And the weight loss turned into a crawl. Upped my calories to 1300-1400 (from 1200), ate them all back (and probably then some), started losing weight more quickly, and felt much much better.
  • socalgirl68
    socalgirl68 Posts: 85
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    I add them do eat more than usual, but since I burn 300-600 from exercise, i typically don't eat it all back. I leave 100-200 calories just in case I ate more than I thought I did or something. I always eat 2000+
  • faithchange
    faithchange Posts: 311 Member
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    I eat my calories. When on another weight loss site, it was supposed to be around 1200-1500 and I felt starved. When I found this site, I supposed to eat between 2200-2300 based on my workouts and I'm having more success with it...losing inches and weight. Don't understand how anyone can eat just 1200 calories?
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I do.
    I eat around 2000 calories a day on average.
    I love food. A lot.


    I'm the type that thinks if the calories are there for me to use, hell yeah I'm going to use them. If not, that'd be like someone offering me a 100,000 a year salary and then my saying, " no thanks I'm good with 50,000".

    Sums it up perfectly. Can not understand why anyone would not do it. I'm around 1950 with exercise.

    Same here. Between 1800-2200 most days. Sometimes lower. Sometimes higher.
  • Ali155
    Ali155 Posts: 30
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    As a rule, I try not to touch them. On the occasion that I do, it's typically a small percentage of them. Although if you're hungry you may need them.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Depends on the day! I go up and down and I am having success. I listen to my body. I have hungry days and I have days that I am not and struggle to get in 900.
  • Yasmine91
    Yasmine91 Posts: 599 Member
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    I tend to eat under my calories, I never eat my excersise calories unless I feel I really have to. Which is hardly ever :P
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522
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    Depends on the day.
  • mcouturezz
    mcouturezz Posts: 145
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    I do eat them back.. I realized that if I dont my body gets pissed !!!
    i tried not eating them back and stopped losing weight, that was my bodys way of saying : hey I need more because you make me sweat and do cardio and weights !!!
    this way you are sure your body's properly fueled :)

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