Eating back your burned calories??

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Replies

  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    And I would never eat if I waited for hunger signals.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    Seriously, you are *always* hungry? That must really suck, I think. :ohwell:

    So maybe "never stop eating" was a bit of an overstatement... but I'd easily be double or maybe triple my daily calorie goal if I ate when I was hungry and didn't eat when I wasn't hungry. I can put away a TON of food before my brain tells me to stop.

    That makes a little more sense. Yes, I would eat more as well. In fact, I have found that it can take 15-20 minutes before my brain figures out that I've eaten and stops sending hunger signals. It seems faster for high carb stuff and slower for fats/proteins. Maybe that's a blood sugar thing. This is where MFP is my saving grace. Pre-logging my food and planning my meals is the way I avoid hunger in a calorie deficit. I hate being hungry. :smokin:
  • amymichelle1226
    amymichelle1226 Posts: 150 Member
    My goal is also 1200 and I used to eat every single calorie back when I worked out but now I just do it only if I'm hungry. Sometimes I am hungry, sometimes I'm not. It was just ridiculous to me to try and eat just to eat all of my calories back when I wasn't even hungry. I used to just randomly have a soda with my dinner if I still had lots of calories left and I realized that doesn't make any sense.

    On the other hand though, I know about how much I'm going to burn now...so when I go to Zumba every Wednesday night I'll eat more during the day so I don't end up with a ton of calories left.
  • lemartin84
    lemartin84 Posts: 1 Member
    Don't stop working out! It does not matter so much how many calories you eat or burn as long as you understand your body and maintain a deficit from calories consumed vs. burned each day. You need to have a net deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. 1200 calories a day is NOT a required number for everyone just a reminder that falling below 1200 calories a day may rob you of needed nutrients. You will not lose those consumed nutrients simply by going to the gym though.
  • TheCurvyGamble
    TheCurvyGamble Posts: 42 Member
    What i do and it works for me is log in all my food and eat as close to the calorie goal as i can and then once all the food is logged and i stick to it i then log in all the exercise i did to see what i burned off.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    And I would never eat if I waited for hunger signals.

    Exactly... the other end of the spectrum.
  • akhilton
    akhilton Posts: 57
    I find this hard also.

    Some days I burn 1000+ calories if I do a long run, that would mean I should eat 2100 calories - but I just don't feel like I could.

    Do people think it's OK to average some of that out? so use the long run calories burnt to absorb any days where you go over by a few?
  • green022
    green022 Posts: 115
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    And I would never eat if I waited for hunger signals.

    Exactly... the other end of the spectrum.

    I'm setting in between the two now. I eat but after lunch time I don't feel the need to eat anything else I guess you could say I forget about food after I get home and start doing things.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I find this hard also.

    Some days I burn 1000+ calories if I do a long run, that would mean I should eat 2100 calories - but I just don't feel like I could.

    Do people think it's OK to average some of that out? so use the long run calories burnt to absorb any days where you go over by a few?

    Yea, that's generally fine. Our bodies are pretty adaptive and you won't see any meaningful changes on a day-to-day basis. Looking at things weekly is a far better approach.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    And I would never eat if I waited for hunger signals.

    Exactly... the other end of the spectrum.

    I'm setting in between the two now. I eat but after lunch time I don't feel the need to eat anything else I guess you could say I forget about food after I get home and start doing things.

    And that's fine. But if you are doing that and still only hitting 800 or so cals, make sure that when you eat you are eating as many cals as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean a large volume of food (2 tablespoons of peanut butter have more cals than a big chicken breast does), so don't feel like you have to eat piles of food. Just get the most out of the food you are eating.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    Thank you for all the advice guys! And used to it would have been horrible because I was always hungry BUT now I eat normally around 800 calories and then work out in the mornin and at night. I'm full and satisfied throughout the day so I'm a little confused about what to do.

    First, stop working out. Second, eat more calorie dense foods - full fat dairy, beef, nuts/seeds... cook with oil, etc.

    wait...did you just say stop working out? i wouldn't go that far :p

    You shouldn't be working out if you are eating 800 calories!
  • green022
    green022 Posts: 115
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    Thank you for all the advice guys! And used to it would have been horrible because I was always hungry BUT now I eat normally around 800 calories and then work out in the mornin and at night. I'm full and satisfied throughout the day so I'm a little confused about what to do.

    First, stop working out. Second, eat more calorie dense foods - full fat dairy, beef, nuts/seeds... cook with oil, etc.

    wait...did you just say stop working out? i wouldn't go that far :p

    You shouldn't be working out if you are eating 800 calories!


    It was ordered by my doctor to lose weight quickly, 800 cal is what I chose to do. I have been eating and losing weight with that while still being able to build muscle. I've gotten 20lbs off and I want to start doing this for the long haul now instead of fast and quick.
  • Colombianchick29
    Colombianchick29 Posts: 298 Member
    Probably.

    When you calculated your goal of 1200, did you factor in exercise into your activity setting? If so, you don't need to eat them back. If not, you should be eating them back. IMO, at 1200 per day, you should be eating them back regardless.

    And no... not everyone is different. We aren't all little snowflakes. Our bodies are remarkably similar. Give it a healthy deficit and you'll lose weight. Give it an unhealthy deficit and you may or may not lose weight, but given enough time, bad things will happen.

    Read these for more info...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained
    and
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    great advice-thanks!
  • akhilton
    akhilton Posts: 57
    Thats great thanks!

    I did a run today - Endo says its 1300+ calories, even if it has over estimated that is an awful lot to try and eat back in one day!
    I find this hard also.

    Some days I burn 1000+ calories if I do a long run, that would mean I should eat 2100 calories - but I just don't feel like I could.

    Do people think it's OK to average some of that out? so use the long run calories burnt to absorb any days where you go over by a few?

    Yea, that's generally fine. Our bodies are pretty adaptive and you won't see any meaningful changes on a day-to-day basis. Looking at things weekly is a far better approach.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Thats great thanks!

    I did a run today - Endo says its 1300+ calories, even if it has over estimated that is an awful lot to try and eat back in one day!
    I find this hard also.

    Some days I burn 1000+ calories if I do a long run, that would mean I should eat 2100 calories - but I just don't feel like I could.

    Do people think it's OK to average some of that out? so use the long run calories burnt to absorb any days where you go over by a few?

    Yea, that's generally fine. Our bodies are pretty adaptive and you won't see any meaningful changes on a day-to-day basis. Looking at things weekly is a far better approach.

    If you know you are going to have a big burn, then you work those cals into the entire day. If you try to eat them back only after the workout, you could have a hard time, especially if you workout later in the day. Also, don't forget about the bigger picture. If you don't get them all eaten in 1 day, eat them back over a couple of days. It's much more important to have your cals right over a week's time than it is over a day's time.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    If you feel hungry having the extra calories from the exercise will help. If you don't feel hungry don't use them.

    Unless you know the OP, this is bad advice. If I ate when I was hungry, and ate until I wasn't hungry... I'd never stop eating. Relying on hunger to determine if/when you should eat is fine for some, but terrible for others.

    Thank you for all the advice guys! And used to it would have been horrible because I was always hungry BUT now I eat normally around 800 calories and then work out in the mornin and at night. I'm full and satisfied throughout the day so I'm a little confused about what to do.

    First, stop working out. Second, eat more calorie dense foods - full fat dairy, beef, nuts/seeds... cook with oil, etc.

    wait...did you just say stop working out? i wouldn't go that far :p

    You shouldn't be working out if you are eating 800 calories!


    It was ordered by my doctor to lose weight quickly, 800 cal is what I chose to do. I have been eating and losing weight with that while still being able to build muscle. I've gotten 20lbs off and I want to start doing this for the long haul now instead of fast and quick.

    You've gained muscle eating 800 calories?

    What weights programme have you been following?

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