NOT eating exercise cals but still losing weight?

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ThatLadyBecky
ThatLadyBecky Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
I tend to not eat my exercise calories back due to the fact that I still feel full after my meals filled with protein.. I can't force myself to eat if i'm not hungry. It's hard for me to net 1,275 cals if i've burned 500-600 cals. Just wanted truthful answers from those who don't eat exercise cals but still has had success in losing weight..

Replies

  • Trutra
    Trutra Posts: 131 Member
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    I dont always eat mine back, it really just depends. I refuse to eat if I am not hungry, or eat very high calorie foods just to make up a number. If I feel like something I will have it, if I don't I dont, so some days I will almost make my goal, others I am under. I lost 27lbs in about 10 weeks. I have been told that as I lose more I may need to eat more of my calories back, well if it gets to that I will consider it then. For now, what I am doing is working for me, and I am not feeling hungry, so I will continue.
  • nelja
    nelja Posts: 282 Member
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    I also do not eat back my excersice.People say i can not live on the cals i am eating, eating between 700-900 a day.And excerising.But i feel fine,loosing about 100g a day,Lost 4.7kg in 12 weeks.Feel a bit hungry when i get home from work,but i take a little snack and it keeps in by 700-900.Ride my bathroom bicycle everyday and walking a lot also.
  • victorious27
    victorious27 Posts: 250 Member
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    In my opinion, if you're not hungry...don't eat. If you are, do eat it. It will eventually even itself out.
  • leslieirving1970
    leslieirving1970 Posts: 41 Member
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    Im on 1250 cals per day and I find eating my excercise calories dosent currently work for me. I have a Polar F4 hrm, so I have a good idea of my burn. I discovered that the week I am on my period, i dont excercise and I lose more on that week compared to the rest of the month, when I'm hitting the gym. Everyone is different but I think, in my case, its because Ive still got a lot of weight to lose, so I have still got plenty of fat reserves left! I dare say that will change over the next couple of months and I will be able to eat more of my excercise cals.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    The closer I got to goal, the more I made a point of doing it on a 1000 calorie deficit.
    If you're on a lower deficit, then you're effectively just putting yourself on a higher deficit.

    But, think it's now generally accepted that the more you've got to lose, the more fat you can lose per day.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    The reason for eating back your exercise calories isn't that if you don't, you won't lose weight. (However, you may be more likely to run into problems with plateaus if you have a larger calorie deficit). The reason is so that your body gets enough calories to function properly, you don't lose any more muscle mass than is absolutely necessary, and your body doesn't slow down your metabolism in response to not getting enough calories.

    If you have a small calorie deficit to start with, not eating back your calories might not be such a big deal. If you have a large calorie deficit to start with, and on top of that don't eat back your calories, you're not going to be doing yourself any favours in the long run. This is especially true the closer to a healthy weight you are.

    So, you may be very successful losing weight while eating as little as possible, but you may find that you have lost a higher percentage of muscle than you wanted to. You may also find that by the time you reach your goal weight, your metabolism has slowed more than it would have done and you can't eat as much to maintain in the future.

    And just to counter the "if you're not hungry, don't eat" argument; it's actually very common for people not to feel hungry when they are consistently under-eating. Hunger (or lack of it) shouldn't be taken as the only indication of whether or not your body needs more food. If your body keeps getting underfed, it will stop expecting food, and stop sending as many hunger signals to your brain. Not really an ideal situation.
  • marceguerrero
    marceguerrero Posts: 27
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    I change my meal plan to meet the needs of the day so I get closer to eating all my calories. For example, my cardio days I eat normal (1600) and I am usually short by maybe 200 calories. On strength + plus cardio days, my meals are much heavier to re-coup my strength and keep me from getting HUNGRY LATE AT NIGHT!!!

    Mind you, I am 51, with heart disease, so I can't "make-up" a lot of calories on a regular basis; so "heavier means" .... chicken instead of fish fillets...rice&beans....instead of just rice.

    However, JesterMFP, makes some good points! I am @ MFP, because I have a bad habit of NOT EATING!!!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    The reason for eating back your exercise calories isn't that if you don't, you won't lose weight. (However, you may be more likely to run into problems with plateaus if you have a larger calorie deficit). The reason is so that your body gets enough calories to function properly, you don't lose any more muscle mass than is absolutely necessary, and your body doesn't slow down your metabolism in response to not getting enough calories.

    If you have a small calorie deficit to start with, not eating back your calories might not be such a big deal. If you have a large calorie deficit to start with, and on top of that don't eat back your calories, you're not going to be doing yourself any favours in the long run. This is especially true the closer to a healthy weight you are.

    So, you may be very successful losing weight while eating as little as possible, but you may find that you have lost a higher percentage of muscle than you wanted to. You may also find that by the time you reach your goal weight, your metabolism has slowed more than it would have done and you can't eat as much to maintain in the future.

    And just to counter the "if you're not hungry, don't eat" argument; it's actually very common for people not to feel hungry when they are consistently under-eating. Hunger (or lack of it) shouldn't be taken as the only indication of whether or not your body needs more food. If your body keeps getting underfed, it will stop expecting food, and stop sending as many hunger signals to your brain. Not really an ideal situation.


    This -^^
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    just make sure ur net calories are enough to give u everything u need ... anything under 1200 NET is bad if u over 3 years old IMO
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    just make sure ur net calories are enough to give u everything u need ... anything under 1200 NET is bad if u over 3 years old IMO

    And this ^^

    I just upped my calories from 1200+ exercise cals..I felt ok but wasn't losing that last two pounds..so upped my calories to 1530 + exercise cals...and feeling much better. Only been doing it a short time but not put any weight on and feel great.

    My opinion is that you're not eating enough.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Should have mentioned a 1000 calorie deficit as opposed to higher.
    In reality, probably should have cut that back to a 500 calorie deficit. Might have meant less yo-yoing too, if I was happier at the correct pace, so may well have been quicker in the long run.

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