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Sierrasmommy
Sierrasmommy Posts: 90
in Health and Weight Loss
Out of curiosity, how many of you actually eat your exercise calories? I havent done so on a daily basis, i utilize them as a safety net, incase I go over. My personal goal as of right now is between 1200-1300 daily. MFP gives me a 1750 calorie goal, and this is prior to entering exercise. So I'm curious to know if anyone sets out to eat those exercise calories, and if so, do you feel that it helps you to lose the weight at all?

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  • KarenECunningham
    KarenECunningham Posts: 419 Member
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    I eat some of the them most of the time. I have on occasion eaten all of them. If I don't eat some of them when :drinker: I work out really hard I find that I get very hungry by evening or the next day.
  • skygoddess86
    skygoddess86 Posts: 487 Member
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    I usually eat most of them and sometimess its alot.
  • aionsnow
    aionsnow Posts: 36 Member
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    It depends if I am hungry or not... If I am, I do. If not, I don't.
  • ksills05
    ksills05 Posts: 11
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    I'm really confused on these exercise calories- why do they say you should eat your exercise calories? Wouldn't you lose weight faster if you didn't eat those? Honestly, I always eat my exercise calories, but don't know why it says we should eat them?
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
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    I almost always eat some of them. I never eat them all.
  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
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    I eat them, but I am hungry!!
  • kholloman
    kholloman Posts: 10 Member
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    This is only my second week but this is what I learned last week>>>My daily calorie goal is 1395. I earned between 400-500 from exercise. I didn't eat my calories earned and felt hungry and sick every day. The site kept warning me that I wasn't eating enough but i ignored it. To top it off I only lost 1/2 a pound! I was doing better than that on my own so this week I am eating at least half the calories I earn depending on how I hungry I am.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I burn 1,000 cals 3 days a week. I eat 500 of them, but leave the other. I'm trying to create a deficit without starving my body. It seems to be working.
  • Sierrasmommy
    Sierrasmommy Posts: 90
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    Ok so does it help any of you? I feel like it would benefit me more to not eat unless Im hungry. So half the time i dont get to the pouint where I eat those earned calories.
  • jjstokes
    jjstokes Posts: 47 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

    Follow this link (above). Someone else may have already steered you in this direction...but it explains the "eat your exercise calories" very well. I printed it out and keep it handy. I need a refresher once in awhile. :flowerforyou:
  • fitandhealthy
    fitandhealthy Posts: 82 Member
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    I'm really confused on these exercise calories- why do they say you should eat your exercise calories? Wouldn't you lose weight faster if you didn't eat those? Honestly, I always eat my exercise calories, but don't know why it says we should eat them?

    Just as a car runs on fuel, your body works the same. You need fuel to exert yourself. I do eat my exercise calories, but usually save 100 or 200 for marginal error. I work out 5 or 6 times a week, eat my exercise calories, and am consistently losing weight. Hope this helps? :)
  • studentRN
    studentRN Posts: 440 Member
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    No, I don't. I have found in the past that it hinders my desired weight loss. Here's why. MFP puts me at needing 1990 cals everyday just to survive and do my normal activities. The lowest caloric intake it will allow me is 1200 cals. So this is roughly an 800 cal deficit every day. We multiply this times 7 days in the week.. and we get a 5600 calorie deficit. I need 7000 (to lose 2lb per week) so I obtain the extra deficit from exercise, which my 3 days a week I workout I burn somewhere between 450-500 cals. There's my 7000 calorie deficit for the week. I'm not starving and some days I find myself at the end of the day with 200+cals to go and looking for something to eat so that I at least eat 1200 everyday. If I ate back all of my exercise calories... I'd be right back at only my 800 calorie a day deficit.

    I also do better if I don't graze all day long like most people here. I have breakfast, lunch, perhaps a small afternoon snack and then my dinner. If I throw in a morning snack as well as the afternoon one... my loss comes to a halt. Just my body I suppose.

    YMMV.
  • mrayniak
    mrayniak Posts: 38
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    No - my MFP goal is 1450 calories - 1 get 60 min of cardio 6 days of the week and 20 minutes strength about 4 days a week, I have never eaten anything extra, and i'm not hungry and I have consistently lost 2 lbs a week for the last 4 months... what works for some may not work for others...
  • mom2treynsage
    mom2treynsage Posts: 2
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    I find myself not eating them because I feel like I am going to go over. But then I am always hungry. I am buying more snacks that are more healthier so I can just grab those.

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