eating back exercise cals: yay or nay?

finding_sammi
finding_sammi Posts: 207
in Health and Weight Loss
just wondered what other people thought about this and which way is healthier for weightloss
«134

Replies

  • OregonsBiggestLoser
    OregonsBiggestLoser Posts: 50
    some days i eat a few of them back, but havnt ever eaten them all back.. would be wayyy to much food for me...
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Nay, for me atleast...but if you're still hungry, go for it.
  • brendasteve
    brendasteve Posts: 23 Member
    I would like feed back on the same question!! Today I ate all my calories during the early day, I work afternoon shift, and earned exercise calories, but am so leary on eating any of them ugh.... what to do?
  • NoahandPresleysMom
    NoahandPresleysMom Posts: 763 Member
    i never do. my nutritionist says nay.
  • finding_sammi
    finding_sammi Posts: 207
    Nay, for me atleast...but if you're still hungry, go for it.

    this is a really dumb question, but is it bout listening to our own body then du think? Trusting if we know if we are hungry or not?
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    nay if you are trying to lose weight.. just track intake.
  • mirtle_turtle
    mirtle_turtle Posts: 4 Member
    If at the end of the day you haven't, but you are legitimately hungry (not just mindless eating), then I say yes - because clearly you need them. If you aren't hungry then dont eat them.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Nay, for me atleast...but if you're still hungry, go for it.

    this is a really dumb question, but is it bout listening to our own body then du think? Trusting if we know if we are hungry or not?

    Absolutely
  • Cyndieann
    Cyndieann Posts: 152 Member
    I bank mine during the week so I can go out for dinner and party with my friends on the weekend. Works for me.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Yay (also yea). MFP sets your calorie goal based on a deficit calculated before exercise. If you exercise and burn more and don't eat more, you've just increased your deficit. In most cases this is not a good thing. A moderate deficit is better than a large deficit in most cases.
  • MrDelts
    MrDelts Posts: 209 Member
    YAY... I love eating back my calories.. Plus, calorie cycling is a really good way to shock you body's metabolism.. Essentially you'll be eating less calories on non workout days and more calories on workout days. It actually helps your metabolism. The best way to do this is to keep your carbs lower on non workout days, and then eat extra carbs to fill those extra calories on workout days. Carb cycling is one of the best ways to lose body fat.
  • adam1885282
    adam1885282 Posts: 135 Member
    Officially, yes, eat them. The weight loss goal does not account for exercise calories. If you're not eating back exercise calories you could end up way below your daily calorie requirement. Also, search "exercise calories" in this forum and stand back, this is widely discussed and debated.

    Personally, I always eat back at least half, and I'll eat them all back if I'm hungry. The result is that I lose weight faster than my goal. But, do whatever you want, keep good track, and see if you're losing at the rate you'd like.

    Also open for debate is how accurate MFP's exercise calculator is. By other measures (runkeeper, for example) MFP gives me too many calories. I always use the lower number between MPF and whatever other measure I have available.
  • lesliemojo
    lesliemojo Posts: 6
    I never do, I am suppose to eat 1,200 a day & can't even seem to do that. When I excerise it tells me I've earned even more, I can't eat that much food in one day. The only time I consume a lot of calories is when I go out to eat, had a Chilli's Chicken Quesadilla & freaked out because it was 1,200 calories! I think the experts will tell ya to eat the extra food when you excerise. I just can't do it though. Too many years of either starving or going on binge eating marathons. I"m just happy I am no longer binging and eating around 1,000 Good luck to ya. ~Peace&Mojo~Leslie
  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
    I friend told me I should so one day I tried. I felt so nauseous I almost through up.
  • cathmcq
    cathmcq Posts: 6 Member
    I think the MFP site is overly generous with exercise calories to begin with so I never, ever eat back all the exercise calories and only rarely do I ever eat any of them, especially if I am not hungry.
  • bradwwood
    bradwwood Posts: 371 Member
    Yay (also yea). MFP sets your calorie goal based on a deficit calculated before exercise. If you exercise and burn more and don't eat more, you've just increased your deficit. In most cases this is not a good thing. A moderate deficit is better than a large deficit in most cases.

    I'm glad some folks started chiming in with this. As I was reading through folks saying "no", I was thinking "this is contrary to everything I've been learning over the past several months.

    I struggle to eat back all the calories, particularly now that I'm doing P90X. I just can't eat as much food as I'd need to get all those calories back, so I do end up increasing my deficit. But I try to get it as close as I can without stuffing myself and feeling uncomfortable.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
    Yes, If you burn extra calories why not eat them back, If your activity level is set right and you eat right then eating back your calories will not slow down weight loss goals
  • LCSoulkat
    LCSoulkat Posts: 89 Member
    A big NAY for me.....I count it as bonus loss ;)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I usually eat them. And sometimes I do extra exercise to eat more. It's working great so far.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
    type "eating back exercise cals" into search.

    You'll get about a years worth of reads.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    You do what you want, whatever works for you and makes you happy.

    But in answer to your question, I do not.
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
    It all depends what you're starting with... if you're eating the lowest possible calories to loose weight, then you need to eat those extra calories for fuel. If you've already factored them into your daily intake then you do not.

    If you don't know that answer to that, check this out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • ShiraDarling
    ShiraDarling Posts: 232 Member
    I don't see why you would, unless you were in maitenance mode. All of the calories that I burn at the gym, I don't want back! :)
  • Graceious1
    Graceious1 Posts: 716 Member
    I bank mine during the week so I can go out for dinner and party with my friends on the weekend. Works for me.

    This works for me too and I really appreciate food and don't feel bad for eating of drinking anything. I look forward to the weekends.
  • Carrievaught
    Carrievaught Posts: 25
    Exercising boosts your metabolism. The more you exercise the more calories your body needs. :) I eat some of them back, but not all of them. I don't eat all my daily calories anyway.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
    you can really go either way. I started out doing that and lost 19 lbs that way.

    I've moved to a set calorie diet. I increased my calories between what I need to live and what I need to maintain my weight, and work off what I work off.

    Be careful not to set the bar too low on your daily intake. For some people 1200 calories is far tool little. Calculate what your body needs to survive and try to stay right above it, or you'll get stuck in the dreaded "starvation mode". I found it really hard to stick to eating well when all I could think about was when I was eating next.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    Yes, If you burn extra calories why not eat them back,
    Because I'm already satisfied (or full) on my daily "allotment" of calories.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    nay if you are trying to lose weight.. just track intake.
    Makes no sense.

    You should be tracking your intake regardless.

    The question is HOW many calories are you consuming in the first place. If you're eating 1200 calories a day, doing Zumba x5 a week, and running 2 miles in the morning. You would be well advised to "Eat your calories back".

    The my fitness way of displaying calorie burn leads to confusion. What determine calorie intake on a guess of their activity rate. The only way for true calorie intake to be dialed in, is through trial and error, and note taking.

    That being said, to the OP. If you're consuming a reasonable amount of calories 1600-2000, I would eat them back. If you're in the 1200 calories range well....
  • animalcrackerz
    animalcrackerz Posts: 14
    Always. There are days I burn 1,000 calories and I would feel like poop if I didn't. I guess it depends on the person, their minimum calories they are consuming each day and if they are hungry/feeling weak/like they should eat.
  • BusyLizza
    BusyLizza Posts: 2
    I "eat back" a few of the exercise calories when I want a treat (say a glass of wine with dinner). That is my way of keeping on track. If I "EARN it and BURN it" I can have a little something that I enjoy without any guilt, and without sabotaging my program! I think this is a healthy attitude and habit to take me into the maintenance stage. Full disclosure: I burn a LOT of calories through exercise some days because I'm a fitness leader (could do 3 classes in a day, plus my own Karate workout) so I have a lot to play with and usually don't eat the entire deficit! I'm usually still ahead at the end of the day if I do a heavy exercise day! Great question!

Categories