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Do you eat your exercise calories?!?!?!?

24

Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Always ate them. Very happy with the results.
  • edieb63
    edieb63 Posts: 1
    Sometimes- if I'm really hungry.
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    I usualy do.
  • moonpieto
    moonpieto Posts: 76 Member
    Yes at least part of them that is what motivates me to exercise.
  • GFON
    GFON Posts: 8 Member
    I do but almost never all of them. If you exercise you are going to get hungry so you may need some of them back.
  • Eavie0513
    Eavie0513 Posts: 40 Member
    Not always, but unfortunatly tonight I drank my exercise calories and then some.
  • dan95130
    dan95130 Posts: 78 Member
    Yes I do. I have the rest of my life to reach my goal weight, so aside from a 500 calorie deficit, I eat the way I expect to eat the rest of my life.
    Do whatever works for you, what's right for me might not be right for you
  • Risser
    Risser Posts: 5 Member
    I may sometimes eat 1/2 of them, but I try not to. But some days you just do ????
  • tachyon_master
    tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
    It depends on how many exercise calories I've burned. I'm supposed to consume 1200 calories without exercise. On average, I'm burning about 700 a day from going to the gym. On those days, I wouldn't usually eat them back. But some days I'll burn 1500 at the gym. Those days, I'll eat some back.

    I very, very rarely eat them all back. But the way I see it, this way, it doesn't matter if once every couple of months I have an epic fail cheat day. At the end of the week, my calorie defecit is still going to be where it should be. It's what keeps me sane.
  • sarahg148
    sarahg148 Posts: 701 Member
    RIght now I'm trying not to eat them back...if so, it's only a couple hundred or so. I have about 20-30 lbs to lose...possibly. Once I hit 155 (18 lbs or so) I'll re-evaluate. My plan is to lose 1 lb/wk so any additional workouts should raise that to around 2 lbs/wk if I don't eat most of them back. Of course I do have days where I'll eat 2000-2200...but really trying to stay around 1600.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I don't, but my calorie goal is set to 1650 already. When I had it set to 1400 I was eating at least some of them.
  • adaisyifudo
    adaisyifudo Posts: 1
    Yes. They are part of the calorie deficit.
  • colleenrutledge
    colleenrutledge Posts: 19
    uum yes! all of them and sometimes other people's too.


    ^^ THIS!!
    made my day.
  • BakerRunnerBadass
    BakerRunnerBadass Posts: 1,359 Member
    About half of them lately....I have really increased my cardio and am hungry ALL the time...hoping that this will wear off and I can go back to not eating them and keeping on track to lose for my goal by Christmas.
  • Theresafinallygetsitright
    Theresafinallygetsitright Posts: 157
    I listen to my body. If I am starving, I try to stick with nutritious foods to eat back but if I am not hungry, I don't. I do find though that too many days in a row of a high deficit leaves me really hungry so I anticipate that and eat more earlier in the day of nutrient dense foods.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    I think you can eat all of them if you are primarily strength training and about half from primarily cardio. I do a combination of cardio and strength and eat about 50% back with good results.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    I eat them back most of the time. When I first started losing weight I didn't, then my weight loss slowed way down and I started eating them, the weight loss picked up again.
  • dany_m
    dany_m Posts: 74 Member
    Yes, I always eat them.
  • ksmiley412
    ksmiley412 Posts: 274 Member
    Only if I am really hungry.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Yes, why wouldn't I. The deficit I need to lose weight is already there.
  • guardian419
    guardian419 Posts: 391 Member
    as much as I can... 2300 BMR and a 1000 calorie burn makes it tough though
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    Yes. I eat at a deficit to lose weight. I exercise to get fit. Totally different things.
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
    Yes I do. If I didn't I wouldn't have enough energy to keep up the daily exercise. As others have said, deficit is already built in.
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    Nope I dont. And I have lost over 180 pounds by not eating them back but having a decent daily calorie range (1600 cals)
  • drhirams
    drhirams Posts: 11
    Yes I do! Great question!

    Sincerely,
    Dr. Hiram S
    http://drhirams.com/
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Absolutely. I like food. Knowing that exercise can get me a slightly bigger dinner, or maybe a vodka tonic, is a huge motivator. I don't always eat all of them -- I won't eat if I'm not hungry, and I won't obsess over making sure that I'm ending a day on a zero level. Some days I go over, some days I'm under; I look at the week as a whole. As long as I'm eating a balanced diet, I'm happy, and I'm under my average goal for the week, it's a good week.

    I figure the program is built so that exercise calories can be eaten. Why on earth wouldn't I eat what I'm allowed?

    FWIW, I've been eating exercise calories back since I started, six weeks ago. I'm down 5.5 pounds already, and increasing my fitness level. So I'm eating more than I was pre-MFP (former eating disorder patient, never thought I could eat more than 1,300 calories, discovered was undereating my BMR), finally losing weight, *and* more confident about my body? Yeah. I'll stick with what I'm doing.
  • LilacSnow
    LilacSnow Posts: 238 Member
    what do you guys mean a deficit is already built in? i thought that the 3500 calories you're supposed to eliminate every week was supposed to come from both a calorie deficit and exercise?
  • knrhardin
    knrhardin Posts: 30
    If you don't make sure to net at least 1200 cal but I always eat all my exercise calories. Hope this helps
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    I eat back half of mine if I was hungry....sometimes I didn't. I always used a HRM to keep track. I didn't want to over do it.
  • eileenchristine
    eileenchristine Posts: 228 Member
    I do eat some of mine. Depends upon the day. Sometimes I am just hungry! Hey if I worked 2 hours outside I can eat more. I figure as long as I stay under 2000 I will lose albeit very very slowly. Usually stay between 1200 - 1500. I am losing, feeling better. I want to make this a lifestyle, not be obsessed with it. Don't want to gain the weight back!
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