Hello to you and to you and also to you...

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I am wondering if I do not utilize the required amount of calories on one day, should I carry the remaining amount to the next days total? Last night after working out, I still had over 700 calories remaining. Thanks

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  • BrattyLori
    BrattyLori Posts: 101 Member
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    I can see why that seems tempting - but really, the idea is to burn more calories than you eat. It's counter productive to eat calories that you earn. Burn, baby, burn!
  • spiralgirl71
    spiralgirl71 Posts: 374 Member
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    I wouldn't. However if you go over but a bit today, I wouldn't worry about it...I just wouldn't go over by 700 calories. It sounds like you were busy exercising yesterday. I think it's important though to net at least 1200 calories a day otherwise you might slow your system down.
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    I can see why that seems tempting - but really, the idea is to burn more calories than you eat. It's counter productive to eat calories that you earn. Burn, baby, burn!
    Actually, you want to eat your exercise calories to provide your body fuel. MFP already sets you up with a daily calorie deficit; not eating your exercise calories increases this deficit and if you're not careful you'll actually hurt your weight loss progress instead of helping it.

    For example, for maintenance you're allotted 1800 calories per day. You want to lose 1 lb per week so since 1 lb = 3500, divide by 7 days so that's 500 calories a day that MFP subtracts from your 1800, giving you only 1300 to eat. Now, say you workout and burn 500 additional calories, that puts you now at a 1000 calorie deficit. If you want to stay at 500 calorie deficit you'll want to eat that 500 or most of it. Otherwise, if you only eat the 1300 MFP gave you and not the exercise calories, that's saying you only ate 800. If you do this on a continual basis, your body will go into starvation mode and slow your metabolism down and start to store fat instead of burning it because it's not getting enough to function. That's because 1200 is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to burn every day to function properly. So those 500 calories you burn, you need to eat at least 400 back to stay at the 1200 level.

    Hope the example makes sense.

    In your case, if it's only one day and you're not hungry enough to eat all 700 left over calories, then don't. But don't roll them over either. Each day is a new day, to be taken one at a time.
  • msjnjames
    msjnjames Posts: 3
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    Hello to you as well.. .. ..

    Judging from your picture. . . .You have NOTHING to lose!! LOL. :wink:

    In regards to your question for carrying over calories, the answer is NO…..

    Stick to the allotted amount per day. When you exercise and burn calories you are using what you have eaten as fuel. You don’t want to add those calories to the next day. You will only have to work twice as hard to burn more.
  • rltgroup
    rltgroup Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you all for your comments. I am continuing to stick to my allotted calories for the day which is 1280 and will be back in the gym this evening. I welcome any feed back or questions anyone may have.