exercise calories

TTabour
TTabour Posts: 13
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I am getting between 300-500 calories from my walking routine. 4-6 times a week. My question is this. Does this addition to my daily calorie intake increase my food consumtion goal for the day or do I ignore it. These extra calories should have some impact on my wieght loss goals daily and long term. I would like some clarification on this issue.

Replies

  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    I've been wondering the same thing. I just ignore the extra calories and stick to my daily plan.
  • danazsweet
    danazsweet Posts: 52
    This is such a good question. I had the same question too. I always thought exercise was in addition to the calorie reduction, not part of it. Then I started looking at it from a different angle... as being rewarded for exercising each day! If I exercised I got to eat a little more that day... not a lot more... I "earned" a little more calories... it's motivating me to exercise! I've never been motivated to exercise in my life! So for me, it works... I get the health benefits and the food benefits of exercising and I still lose weight! (hopefully... I just started).
  • xtina11179
    xtina11179 Posts: 352
    I believe it really depends on your body and your personal preference; trial and error. Some people will say "no, don't eat them," while others (like myself) do eat them. The reason I do eat them is becasue I have my calorie intake set very low, 1280, so as you will hear most people say, you have to eat calories to burn them. It has worked for me in the past so that is what I am sticking with.

    I hope this helps, and good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • Louise12
    Louise12 Posts: 389 Member
    I thought it was the case that you could eat more.... because as you add your exercise your daily goal changes.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
    I think that since you are not burning more than 500 calories a day, you could really just have your 1200 calories and stick to the meal plan. I think its more important for someone to eat their workout calories when they are doing long and hard workouts like running for 45 minutes or step aerobics or water workouts. Walking doesn't really give your metabolism such a jolt, so to burn fat you really have to rely more on the diet plan itself. Also, you aren't burning enough calories to enter starvation mode, so 1200 calories should really be completely sufficient for your weight loss plan.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    You should be eating your exercise calories. MFP already builds in a calorie deficit so if you don't eat your exercise calories back, you may not get enough to eat and actually stay the same or gain weight. Even if you are no where near starvation mode, your body can still have negative results if it's not getting everything it needs. For example, a man getting 1500 calories a day is not close to the 1200 or less calories of starvation mode, but 1500 calories a day for a man is generally just not enough or healthy.
  • slcobb001
    slcobb001 Posts: 39 Member
    When you exercise you need to take in more calories. If you don't then your body will move into starvation mode and stop losing plus you just won't feel good or have the energy to continue the exercising. The goal is to properly track how many calories you use and bring the net figure back to the basic figure you set up to accomplish your weight loss.
  • cobygrey
    cobygrey Posts: 270 Member
    I'm no personal trainer or anything but this is what i have to be true for me.

    I am a 37 yr old female. I work out at least 4-5 times a week for 30-45 mins. I set MFP goals to lose 2 lbs a week. This gave me a total of 1200 calories per day. I started out only eating 1200 calories no matter what my exercise calories burned. My weight loss snailed along at 1 lb per week. I started eating a1/2 of my exercise calories and my weight loss increased by 1/2 lb.

    So you will still lose weight if you don't eat your exercise calories. But to sustain the exercise you should probably eat some of them back.

    Way to go with the walking.
  • TTabour
    TTabour Posts: 13
    Here is my dilemma. I gained 3 lbs while being under my daily calorie goal nearly every day, in he past 7 days, due to exercise calories. Some days I was under even without exercising (walking at a fast pace).
    The conundrum is this, if i eat the calories i gain through exercise what kind of foods should I be eating. Just more of the low fat foods on my diet or something else. I have been at this yo yo diet for most of my life. i am tryng to change my life style eating and am confused by all the data I read, as much of it conflicts with eachother.
    We all lnow metabolism is a real enemy to wieght loss and is no really understood well, by the science i read let alone us lay people.

    FYI
    1270 calories alowed daily for 2 lbs per week weight loss
    Walking at a fast pace daily 40-70 minutes =300-550 calories burned
    i have been using MFP since mid march and lost 26lbs then gained back 3 lbs last week Gined weight was not a result of increased food consumtpion, acutally the reverse is true.
  • TTabour
    TTabour Posts: 13
    It seems you and I are having the same problem. I eat less and exercise more with negitive results! It is maddening.
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