Eating Exercise Calories

missferoux
missferoux Posts: 118 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I rarely eat my exercise calories. I have already lost 1st2lb since starting the gym in September and looking to lose another stone. Excluding a two week period where I fell off the wagon, I am steadily losing 1-3lb per week, which I aim for a 2lb loss each week as that feels like a good steady amount.
I eat around 1200 calories per day (give or take) which is my allowance, but normally add 300-500 calories from exercise, which I don't eat. If i eat them, I don't lose at all. But people keep stressing how important it is to eat your exercise calories.

Should I just continue the way I am going (which I am more than happy too!) as it's working?

Or do I need to change something?

I would like to add I eat little and often during the day, with low calories, but have a nice big tea in the evening after the gym.

Thanks for reading x

Replies

  • aimiee88
    aimiee88 Posts: 47 Member
    Hey,

    I think you need to do whats best for you!

    Im the other way around, I am on 1200cals, and when I exercise NET about 800cals - I didnt eat my workout cals...I wasnt losing anything...
    I started to eat my workout cals, so Netting 1200cals and the weight coming off good and steady.

    I think its different to each and every boby, and you need to do what works best for you :flowerforyou:
  • Scott_Chaput
    Scott_Chaput Posts: 114
    I don't eat them back but if I do cut into them a tiny bit its to drink a protein shake after an intense workout.

    Generally though they all go unused and I have lost almost 14 lbs in the last 30 days.
  • missferoux
    missferoux Posts: 118 Member
    Thanks both. I'm glad to hear two sides and will continue for now :)
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    It's not a race. I've lost nearly 50 pounds in the last year, and I've done it while eating most of my exercise calories. Most people who restrict their diets to the point where they lose 2 or 4 pounds a week wind up gaining it all back fairly quickly. It's not sustainable. I'm perfectly willing to accept the possibility that you are one of the 1 out of 100 people who can lose 30 pounds in ten weeks and keep it off, but you're probably not (the odds aren't in your favor). By all means, continue to do what you think will work for you, but for most people a reasonable calorie deficit, loosing half a pound to a pound a week, and eat back most exercise calories is a long term sustainable program. Living on a net of 700 or 800 calories isn't. Plus your body is probably burning a lot more muscle than is healthy along with the fat.
  • rusta
    rusta Posts: 29 Member
    How about DRINKING your exercise calories?

    I have completely fallen off the wagon lately, but from today I am climbing back aboard!

    In the past my biggest weakness has been alcohol. I am ok to limit alcohol - but i cant cut it all together.

    If I only ever drink what equals my exercise calories, is that ok?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Hi all,

    I rarely eat my exercise calories. I have already lost 1st2lb since starting the gym in September and looking to lose another stone. Excluding a two week period where I fell off the wagon, I am steadily losing 1-3lb per week, which I aim for a 2lb loss each week as that feels like a good steady amount.
    I eat around 1200 calories per day (give or take) which is my allowance, but normally add 300-500 calories from exercise, which I don't eat. If i eat them, I don't lose at all. But people keep stressing how important it is to eat your exercise calories.

    Should I just continue the way I am going (which I am more than happy too!) as it's working?

    Or do I need to change something?

    I would like to add I eat little and often during the day, with low calories, but have a nice big tea in the evening after the gym.

    Thanks for reading x

    Wow, so already with exercise being done, you can't eat more than 1200 without gaining?

    What a sucky life having to eat so little to maintain weight.

    Actually, as weight is lost, you'll have to eat less and less.

    So congrats for suppressing your metabolism, either because your body needed to, or by burning away enough muscle that it really is lower just because of that.

    Just be aware, any binges, an splurges, any big meals, will always be surplus for you, and weight gain. How sad compared to a full burning metabolism where you could probably be eating 1600-1800 and losing fat weight only, knowing when you reach maintenance you'll actually have to increase calories to stop losing.

    Right now, I doubt you'll even slide into it.
    Here, read what this gal did - you are on the same trip, though perhaps a tad slower. But you'll get there the same as this gal and many many others have.

    And if not realized and correctly, you'll yo-yo diet most your life away.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/796244-weight-gain-not-stopping-even-on-1200cals
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    OP: You do what's been working for you! :drinker:

    Personally, I allow myself to eat up to 50% of them, but I don't deliberately make the effort to do it. Today for example, I couldn't if I tried. I 'earned" 900 cals from cardio, but even without it I would've been below my 'sedentary' target. #FirstWorldProblems On top of that I had to eat 3/4 lb of lean beef and chicken and a double protein shake an hour ago to BARELY reach my protein target. I have no room for a 30 cal popsicle, let alone 1000 cals of anything!:sick:

    Disclaimer: Although it's normal for me to struggle to reach my protein target daily, this much of a cal deficit is NOT my usual experience.
  • missferoux
    missferoux Posts: 118 Member
    "Wow, so already with exercise being done, you can't eat more than 1200 without gaining?

    What a sucky life having to eat so little to maintain weight."



    It's not that I gain if I eat more than 1200 calories - sorry if I didn't explain that correctly. If I exercise, I can eat what I want and not gain. I just don't lose!!! If I stop exercising, I can probably eat more and not gain either, but that will be ok when I am at my target weight. It's the losing that seems to be temperamental... :ohwell:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I usually eat mine because it makes me feel better. It doesn't hamper my loss at all.
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    "Wow, so already with exercise being done, you can't eat more than 1200 without gaining?

    What a sucky life having to eat so little to maintain weight."



    It's not that I gain if I eat more than 1200 calories - sorry if I didn't explain that correctly. If I exercise, I can eat what I want and not gain. I just don't lose!!! If I stop exercising, I can probably eat more and not gain either, but that will be ok when I am at my target weight. It's the losing that seems to be temperamental... :ohwell:

    I think your goals are unreasonable is the problem. Standard medical advice is to lose an average of half a pound a week. You seem to averaging two pounds a week. I'm willing to bet that if you start eating your exercise calories you're probably still losing, just not as fast. This isn't a bad thing. There's no hurry here, you have the rest of your life. It's not like you're 200 pounds overweight or something. It's supposed to be harder to lose the last 15-20 pounds, and starving yourself is not the solution. I would be very unsurprised to find that you're losing a lot more muscle than you should be along with the fat. Weight is not the enemy, fat is the enemy. My original goal was to go from 260 down to 185, currently I'm at 205. After talking to people at my gym and looking in the mirror we've readjusted my goal. I now only want to lose 5 more pounds (which sounds easy), while moving my body fat percentage to around 13-15% from 23-25% (which isn't at all easy).
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You can't let the number on the scale affect you that much... it's not a matter of gaining or not losing when you eat a little more, it's just fluctuations. Fluctuation is normal and temporary. Go from eating 1200 all the time and eat a little more, and you're body is going to retain a little fluid and energy stores because it's going "YIPPEEEEEE! She's finally giving us what we need! Better hold on to this!" Give your body what it needs on a regular basis, and that won't happen.

    With the amount of weight you have left to lose, a half pound would be the ideal weekly goal.

    I did it both ways. I lost weight eating under 1200 and got to my goal weight, and this time around, lost weight eating 1700-2000+ and got to that same goal weight.

    The difference is that last time, at my goal weight I still had back fat rolls, double chins, muffin top, big thighs, etc. This time, I'm about two sizes smaller at the same weight, because I fueled my body properly.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

    Also, last time, I gained the weight back within about 6 months. This time, I've been maintaining for a year and a half.
  • bekinator
    bekinator Posts: 103
    You can't let the number on the scale affect you that much... it's not a matter of gaining or not losing when you eat a little more, it's just fluctuations. Fluctuation is normal and temporary. Go from eating 1200 all the time and eat a little more, and you're body is going to retain a little fluid and energy stores because it's going "YIPPEEEEEE! She's finally giving us what we need! Better hold on to this!" Give your body what it needs on a regular basis, and that won't happen.

    With the amount of weight you have left to lose, a half pound would be the ideal weekly goal.

    I did it both ways. I lost weight eating under 1200 and got to my goal weight, and this time around, lost weight eating 1700-2000+ and got to that same goal weight.

    The difference is that last time, at my goal weight I still had back fat rolls, double chins, muffin top, big thighs, etc. This time, I'm about two sizes smaller at the same weight, because I fueled my body properly.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

    Also, last time, I gained the weight back within about 6 months. This time, I've been maintaining for a year and a half.

    Great advice... I am totally in your (the poster's) boat & I definitely needed to get this!
  • missferoux
    missferoux Posts: 118 Member
    Thank you so much for your advice. I think I need to readjust my goals. I think my problem is that all diet groups advise 2lb a week as a good loss....
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
    What you can do is test it out, I would suggest eating half of your exercise calories back, but like I said test it out and give it a week or two to see what happens
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    as long as you're hitting your goals, who cares? do what works.
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo

    Great post showing what several of us are saying. Certainly when you weight 300 pounds, the goal is to lose weight, but after a point the scale is just one tool for measuring fitness, and not always the best one.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Thank you so much for your advice. I think I need to readjust my goals. I think my problem is that all diet groups advise 2lb a week as a good loss....
    They're talking about people like me who are very heavy. Once you get close to your goal weight, which you are, it's more like a half-pound to a pound per week. That's why the last 5-10 pounds feel like they take forever.

    Cheers. :flowerforyou:
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
    I'm actually new to this whole exercise and watching calories etc. So when you guys say "eat back your exercise calories" what does that mean really? Because I thought the idea was to burn off the calories that you do not use through out the day, if you go back and eat them? Then I guess what is the purpose?

    If I eat 1300 calories and burn 700 calories, should i eat back those 700 cals?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I'm actually new to this whole exercise and watching calories etc. So when you guys say "eat back your exercise calories" what does that mean really? Because I thought the idea was to burn off the calories that you do not use through out the day, if you go back and eat them? Then I guess what is the purpose?

    If I eat 1300 calories and burn 700 calories, should i eat back those 700 cals?

    You must eat less than you burn in total for the day.

    Now, is it easier to workout and burn 500 calories, or more reliable to just trim 500 out of your diet?

    Do both, and you could have a deficit that is now unreasonable, will cause stress to your body (diet is already, frequent intense exercise is too), and causes hormone problems that actually fight against weight loss, or worse, fat loss, and you burn muscle.

    Is your 1300 calories already with a deficit to what you could eat daily with no weight gain or loss?

    The way MFP works, that 1300 has no exercise known or planned, and already has a 250, 500, 750, or 1000 calorie deficit to it - whether you exercise or not.

    To keep the deficit at a reasonable level so as not to cause yourself problems down the road, if you exercise now and actually burn more, you need to eat more, to keep the deficit.

    Think about it this way too. You eat 1300. Your exercise takes 700 calories off the top just to move you. Your body is left with 600 calories to take care of ALL other energy needs. Does that even sound scary?

    What would your body like to spend if it was deep sleeping all day? MFP - Tools - BMR tool

    Think it is going to find 600 calories stressful to work with day after day? Ya.

    Eat back your exercise calories. Hopefully the exercise days will help balance out the non-exercise days where the goal is probably too low.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    Like everyone else says do what is best for you and you did not gain it overnight but you will loose it quicker than you gained it at least I sure did took me 40 years to gain it and about 6 months or less to loose it.
  • numsquat
    numsquat Posts: 133
    Actually most plans that talk about 2lbs actually talk about 0.5-2.0lbs/week, usually an average of around 1lb/week over time, not averaging 2lbs/week. You can also go by a max loss of 1% of body weight per week as a healthy rate.

    I do tend to eat 70-100% of my exercise calories, based on hunger. I also focus the additional food on high protein/low fat additions to my menus Eating your exercise calories with junk food doesn't work long term (not saying you're doing this, just explaining my example). There is no scientific evidence of the "eating to loose weight/starvation mode" myths that are out there so loosing more by eating more isn't true (if that was the case, we wouldn't be at a place like myfitnesspal because I would have been the skinniest person in the world instead of 400lbs). You will loose slower eating them than not but you will be healthier eating them and still be able to loose weight, which is a long term win-win.

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