Do you eat your "exercise" calories?

kpeytonpgh
kpeytonpgh Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm new to the program (joined last year, but never did anything) ... as a former WW'er I'm wondering ... do you eat the calories you earn for exercise?

TIA :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • gingerygal
    gingerygal Posts: 59 Member
    I do. Most of the time I won't use all of the calories I burn during a workout, but I definitely use some of them. I would be too hungry at the end of the day if I didn't!
  • loudgls89
    loudgls89 Posts: 87 Member
    I don't, but that's because I'm never sure how accurate my exercise calories are. The app I use reckons I burn over 1000 calories in my 90 minute workout, but I could never eat that much more food in a day. I tend to ignore my exercise calories, but not worry too much if I go slightly over.
  • abluesguy
    abluesguy Posts: 13
    I sort of do and don't. I aim to hit somewhere around what I should be eating for the day, but a little under. If I'm really hungry I'll "eat into" that exercise number. If not, I'll stay under for the day.
    I do find that the more I exercise, the less hungry I feel, at least for a couple of hours.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    I have the same goal every day regardless of exercise, it is just easier for me this way.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833500-what-do-i-do-common-sense-cliff-notes
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/840082-a-sad-realization?hl=sad
  • pineygirl
    pineygirl Posts: 322 Member
    Not really....I aim to eat about 1700-1800 calories/day regardless if I work out or not, This keeps me at a 250-500 calorie deficit on days I do work out and a lesser deficit or no deficit on days I don't (only 1-2 days/week).
  • Gerhild
    Gerhild Posts: 2
    Sometimes I do, depending on how hungry I am or not, but try not to eat them as this is a plus for losing more.
  • LisaMia66
    LisaMia66 Posts: 45
    I sort of do and don't. I aim to hit somewhere around what I should be eating for the day, but a little under. If I'm really hungry I'll "eat into" that exercise number. If not, I'll stay under for the day.
    I do find that the more I exercise, the less hungry I feel, at least for a couple of hours.
    Pretty much this for me too. And if I think I'm going to eat out or splurge, then I'll exercise a little more to get my "cheater" calories increased so I don't terribly regret eating dessert or having a drink out with friends.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I eat every yummy one of them - just maybe not on the day I actually "earned" them. I generally burn about 3000-3500 cal/week through exercise. If I don't eat those calories, I'm way too tired, hungry, cranky, lethargic and miserable. Plus, I enjoy naughty food every so often-and I generally "need" the exercise calories in order to fit the naughty food into my diet.
  • saralayne42
    saralayne42 Posts: 27 Member
    Hello fellow former WWer! It depends on my workout. If I've earned my (AP's in our old world) by a good walk with the dog I don't eat those. But if I've gone jogging or let Bob Harper kick me around via DVD, I do eat some or all of those.
    This program is like WW in that you will have to let your body and weight loss be your guide.
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    Do I have an extra something just because I worked out? No. If my feet are killing me after working out for an hour, that cheeseburger that I'm craving is not worth it. I used to do that, and after I ate, I felt like I wasted my time working out bc I was just going to have to start all over again just to burn off those calories. That is such a letdown to have to start from square one all over again. Not worth it.
  • jennschimmer
    jennschimmer Posts: 1
    Yes - you should come pretty close to your calorie goal it lists on here (after exercise!). If you get too far under (for example my daily goal is 1200 calories) your body becomes deprived and will begin to store fat instead of burn it. The idea here is to drop weight in a safe, healthful way that will help you change your eating and exercise habits without being a "crash" course and drop a bunch of weight at one time that you have no hope of keeping off.
  • rob1976
    rob1976 Posts: 1,328 Member
    NOT THIS AGAIN
    reaction_notagain.gif
    A simple search would have resulted in thousands of forum threads answering this very same question.
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Depends on the day, but generally only about 25%. That is what works for me
  • Yeller_Sensation
    Yeller_Sensation Posts: 373 Member
    I'm new to the program (joined last year, but never did anything) ... as a former WW'er I'm wondering ... do you eat the calories you earn for exercise?

    TIA :flowerforyou:

    Most of the time.
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
    Yes.
    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/index2.html
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    No. I don't even track exercise here (I do strength training 3x a week and cardio 3x a week) .. I just consider them bonus deficit.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Yes - you should come pretty close to your calorie goal it lists on here (after exercise!). If you get too far under (for example my daily goal is 1200 calories) your body becomes deprived and will begin to store fat instead of burn it. The idea here is to drop weight in a safe, healthful way that will help you change your eating and exercise habits without being a "crash" course and drop a bunch of weight at one time that you have no hope of keeping off.

    nonsense.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Ok, here's the deal. When you set your goals in MFP you select an activity level that does NOT include exercise and then select to lose how many ever pounds per week is your goal. MFP then gives you a net calorie goal that includes a caloric deficit to match your weight loss goals based on whatever it is that you input. The key here is that MFP gives you a NET goal...because exercise is NOT included in your activity selected, you are expected to eat your exercise calories back to net to your caloric goal. This is why, when you log exercise, MFP will up your calorie goal. It's a goal...it's something to be met, not something to shoot under or over.

    Depending on what you selected as your weight loss goal and how much exercise you do, eating back your exercise calories may or may not be a big deal. If you selected to lose .5 - 1 Lb per week and don't do that much exercise...and only burn maybe 200-300 calories, it's probably not a big deal as you won't likely be netting below your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). If you've selected 2Lb per week loss and exercise with frequency/intensity, this could be a huge issue. If you're on the 1,200 calorie deal and don't eat your exercise calories this IS a VERY, VERY bad thing. This is because, on average a 2Lb per wk loss and/or the 1,200 calorie goal is already somewhat below your BMR and has roughly 800-1,000 calorie deficit from maintenance calories already in it. Now you go exercise and burn another 300 or 400 or whatever...now you don't eat those back and your deficit is massive and unsustainable for your body. Your body is smart...in an effort to defend itself and ward off starvation, it will shut down "non-essential" functions and slow metabolism and instead of losing 1Lb per week or 2Lb per week, the scale doesn't budge and sometimes weight gain occurs.

    Bare minimum is 1,200 calories NET OF EXERCISE for your body to maintain proper organ function. Netting below that number with frequency and over a long period of time will ultimately result in all kinds of issues, the least of which will be metabolic stall. Very overweight and obese individuals can do this for longer than people needing to lose 50 Lbs or less because they simply have such a large surplus of fat to unload...less than 50 Lbs to lose and you're really doing yourself a disservice going this route...if you have less than 30Lbs to lose, you should most definitely not be selecting an aggressive weight loss approach as you will plateau in very short order.

    The difficulty in eating your exercise calories back comes by way of estimating these calories. Many data bases are overstated...machines are somewhat more accurate, and HRMs are fairly accurate, but not perfect. When I was following the MFP method, I ate back between 50-80% of my exercise calories to account for margin of estimation error. I now use the TDEE method, so it's not an issue.
  • pinky_pinkster
    pinky_pinkster Posts: 56 Member
    I usually eat about half of them.... or it balances out after i've eaten too many calories :blushing:
  • Shanan06
    Shanan06 Posts: 2
    Normally I don't. I will eat the reccommended amount of calories which is 1540 for me. I will use the exercise calories if I am hungry or we are going to go out for dinner. Keep up the good work. Hope this info helps!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    If you are using MFP as it is intended, then exercise calories should be eaten. Many people will eat 50-75% to account for inaccuracies in estimations, while others have success with eating 100%.

    If you are exercising, your body needs to be properly fueled. Other weight loss calculators will *include your exercise in initial daily calorie estimations* (when people talk about TDEE, that already includes exercise calories), while MFP adds them in afterwards. Because MFP adds them in after, some people can be confused and think they are eliminating the good they did exercising by eating those calories. That is simply not true and, if one exercises rigorously, can actually cause damage in the long run. In the end, for *weight loss* purposes (not fat loss purposes) it is about calories in and calories out. Eating exercise calories does not interfere with your weekly weight loss goal, but actually maintains that goal. If you are set to lose 1 pound per week, when you eat back your exercise calories, you are still at that goal of 1 pound per week. And while exercising can create a larger deficit, larger is not always better.

    ETA: all calorie calculations are estimations. That is why some people cannot eat 100% of exercise calories back. But just because 100% is not successful does not mean eating them back is not successful. Calculate the recommended number. Eat that for four-six weeks, if it's not working, adjust as necessary and give it another four-six weeks. Seems tedious and everyone wants progress now, but weight loss is not linear and it takes time to see the real results when adjusting calories. In the end it's about long term success and it may take time to find your sweet spot.
  • MrsBozz1
    MrsBozz1 Posts: 248 Member
    Rob1976 There is no reason to be a jerk! You don't have to reply! You are not helpful!!!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Normally I don't. I will eat the reccommended amount of calories which is 1540 for me. I will use the exercise calories if I am hungry or we are going to go out for dinner. Keep up the good work. Hope this info helps!

    If you're using MFP and not eating exercise calories, then you're not actually eating the recommended calories.
  • NicholeElizabeth92
    NicholeElizabeth92 Posts: 186 Member
    I'd listen to your body. If you're hungry and have calories from exercising go a head and eat. If you aren't hungry don't eat them. Just don't go over your calories. I tend to eat some of mine back if I workout or if I know im going out that night I'll workout more to counteract the damage I could do on a night out.
  • LGrill27
    LGrill27 Posts: 337 Member
    I eat my exercise calories about 50% of the time. If I dont I feel even happier at the end of the night.
  • CEHayes73
    CEHayes73 Posts: 221 Member
    I don't unless it's a really huge workout, and I'm actually experiencing true hunger pains. (ie. not just when I feel munchy, or like I deserve it, or that I really just want junk.) If I know I'm going to go over anyway (someone's birthday or something) then I'll eat into those calories. I never eat all those exercise calories, otherwise I might as well just stay on the couch.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Rob1976 There is no reason to be a jerk! You don't have to reply! You are not helpful!!!

    I thought his reply was one of the more polite variants on his point. It's very helpful. When you start a new thread that has been debated ad absurdum, you're calling the trolls. Reading the previously and thoroughly debated threads is far more productive than simply starting a new debate on the topic.
  • MrsBozz1
    MrsBozz1 Posts: 248 Member
    Rob1976 There is no reason to be a jerk! You don't have to reply! You are not helpful!!!

    I thought his reply was one of the more polite variants on his point. It's very helpful. When you start a new thread that has been debated ad absurdum, you're calling the trolls. Reading the previously and thoroughly debated threads is far more productive than simply starting a new debate on the topic.
    [/ Being new to a site maybe they don't know how to research old topics. Could have explained how to find things without being rude.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Rob1976 There is no reason to be a jerk! You don't have to reply! You are not helpful!!!

    I thought his reply was one of the more polite variants on his point. It's very helpful. When you start a new thread that has been debated ad absurdum, you're calling the trolls. Reading the previously and thoroughly debated threads is far more productive than simply starting a new debate on the topic.
    [/ Being new to a site maybe they don't know how to research old topics. Could have explained how to find things without being rude.

    Point conceded.
  • caitloraditch
    caitloraditch Posts: 1 Member
    I sort of do and don't. I aim to hit somewhere around what I should be eating for the day, but a little under. If I'm really hungry I'll "eat into" that exercise number. If not, I'll stay under for the day.
    I do find that the more I exercise, the less hungry I feel, at least for a couple of hours.


    I totally agree. I'm also a former WW diet-er and I used to exercise JUST so I could eat more. Now I decide if I really need to eat more or if I can stay a little under my calories for the day.

    Also, if I know I'm going out to eat with my friends, I do try to make sure I exercise so I don't go too much over my allotted amount.

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