Eating exercise calories

jadeyq1
jadeyq1 Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

I'm a bit clueless when it comes to whether or not I'm supposed to eat my exercise calories. MFP suggests I eat 1200 cals a day. That's based on a sedentary exercise level and wanting to lose 2lbs per week. I tend to stick to my 1200 a day regardless of how many cals I earn through exercise but I see a lot of people writing about how you should eat all of the calories that are allotted to you.

Can someone explain the science behind this for me? I'm more than happy to do it, who doesn't love to eat more?! But I'd just like to be able to understand why I should do that because to somebody who isn't knowledgeable like me it would seem to me that if I don't eat my exercise cals then I'll lose more weight.

I'm not interested in people responding and making me feel stupid lol so please only respond if you have something helpful to say. I genuinely want to know the physical reasons behind it and am not an idiot.

Thanks!

Replies

  • Textmessage
    Textmessage Posts: 387 Member
    If you're following MFP's setup, it assumes that whatever you burn off you'd be eating back in order to reach the goal of X weight loss per week.
  • Apples38
    Apples38 Posts: 54
    Everyone is different so there is no right or wrong answer it is trial and error. I have been using MFP FOR NEARLY 4 weeks now and have lost 10lbs. I do not touch any of my exercise calories but make sure I eat my full 1200 x
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    This is debated CONSTANTLY on MFP. Have a browse using the "search" button if you've a few hours to spare.

    You'll have to try and see what works for you. If it was me, I'd make sure I ATE at least 1200 per day, to make sure my body gets enough nutrition, and then eat some extra if I felt my workout needed it (but without going down the road of - I've worked out for 10 minutes so I'm going to eat a bar of chocolate.)
  • suz155
    suz155 Posts: 326 Member
    Im fairly new here, but, from what I understand, that question is one of those "debated discussions" MFP is a great site and provides great guidelines and lots of knowledge. Key word is guidelines. In my opinion, I think everyone is different, no "body" is the same, thus, the varying differences of logic, medical studies and opinions. That being said, Im 57, so, what works for me is not eating back all my exercise calories. I eat about 1/2, most days, but, never all of them. I average between 1-1.5 lb weight loss a week, eating and average of 1500-1650 cals a day. That works for me, Ive got a lot of energy, I don't feel like Im being deprived and I feel good.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,658 Member
    OP forget what anybody else is doing, do only what works for you, if you feel fine and healthy without eating them back, do that, if you want to eat some, do that, if you want to eat them all back, do that. It all depends if you lose your weight as you have planned whether you are eating too much or is just right.

    Don't get too bogged down with all the calculations TDEE etc etc etc either, sometimes things can border on the OCD here with that, does my brain in.
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
    Eat them for 6 weeks then review your progress. Then don't eat them for 6 weeks and review your progress.

    Continue your journey with the option that gave you better progress and ignore everybody else.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    First thing to do would be find out your BMR and not eat below it. Whether you change your loss per week level or just manually adjust the calories or eat back some or all of your exercise to hit that level. Your BMR is the calories your body needs to survive if you were in a coma, to operate your vital organs. Unless you are very obese there are lots of online calculators that can give you that number.

    1200 calories is as low as MFP will assign for a budget because eating below that is considered dangerous for an adult. If it's given you 1200 as a budget you've probably chose too aggressive of a goal.

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