Eating your exercise points?

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lisacsmith16
lisacsmith16 Posts: 63 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Ok folks need some answers...

I am eating 1200 cals per day... added exercise for the first time yesterday.... Weigh in this morning I am down 1.6 pounds since my last weigh in....(Yeah Me)! BUT...............................
A little confused... when I logged in my exercise it added those cals to my daily goal... Do I have to eat those?? I have a hard enough time eating my 1200 cals and staying in the fat, sugar, salt ect.....
If I don't eat the exercise points will my weight loss stop?
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Replies

  • PrimroseFlower
    PrimroseFlower Posts: 110 Member
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    I usually eat mine....
  • CMay16
    CMay16 Posts: 144 Member
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    I'm on 1,200/day too (which is SO hard) and I try not to eat the extra calories "earned" by exercising, but if it happens I don't beat myself up over it.
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
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    You can eat back all of those calories and you would still be in a calorie deficit, so you can/will still lose weight. You have to play with them for a few weeks to find the right balance for your body, macro nutrient needs, and lifestyle.
  • lisacsmith16
    lisacsmith16 Posts: 63 Member
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    And are you losing weight?
  • artistryrose
    artistryrose Posts: 84 Member
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    No, you don't have to eat those. You just have to eat at least 1200 cals/day. The bigger the deficit, the more calories burned and the more fat you'll burn! Definitely don't eat over your cals and the added exercise cals, I would only eat up to that point! After a good workout, your body burns fat for up to 48 hours. If you are working muscles too, it should burn fat naturally even when you're not working out! Good luck :)
  • barryarnold18
    barryarnold18 Posts: 9
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    1200 calories sounds very low. I would not eat my exercise points necessarily.
  • artistryrose
    artistryrose Posts: 84 Member
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    Think of it this way... If you want that 400 calorie piece of cake after dinner, make sure you burn at least 400 calories In your workout! At least you won't gain weight from it!
  • fougamou
    fougamou Posts: 200 Member
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    I eat them. Maybe not all, but most. Almost three months in, I have found eating back exercise calories to be key to making this sustainable.
  • 7opoundsin16weeks
    7opoundsin16weeks Posts: 211 Member
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    No, you don't have to eat those. You just have to eat at least 1200 cals/day. The bigger the deficit, the more calories burned and the more fat you'll burn! Definitely don't eat over your cals and the added exercise cals, I would only eat up to that point! After a good workout, your body burns fat for up to 48 hours. If you are working muscles too, it should burn fat naturally even when you're not working out! Good luck :)

    that
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
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    I eat most of them.
  • rfjohnson69
    rfjohnson69 Posts: 1 Member
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    You don't HAVE to eat them, but if you do you will still lose weight at the rate calculated by the website/app.

    One note though, if you do plan on taking advantage of those calories, make sure you have a decent heart rate monitor/calorie counter device to accurate measure how many calories you burned.

    The numbers on exercise machines are often inflated, sometime by as much as 50%.
  • Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door
    Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door Posts: 735 Member
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    what I usually do for me is Ieat 20% at my Tdee since work calories are included in scoobys calculation I maunally add my work outs and put I bunr 1 calorie. that way it's easier to do the math and it keeps me from eating when not hungry and packing on the extra food.
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
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    I always eat into my exercise calories and I have been steadily losing weight. You need to eat enough there is plenty of advice on here and there is a thread called "In Place of a Road Map" which gives really good advice
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
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    1200 calories is low as it is (for most people), let alone if you are exercising and not eating your calories back. You should eat at least 50%-75% of your calories back or you can go into "starvation mode" (I use that term loosely). I suggest only up to 75% of your calories back unless you are using a heart rate monitor and weighing all your food (as in are super accurate on your calorie logging) because if you are not doing those 2 things the extra 25% you do not eat back will cover any inaccuracies in your logging.
  • tgmoore34
    tgmoore34 Posts: 18
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    I had that same question a few months ago and the majority of the response was that you can/should eat them, especially if your burning alot. Most days I find myself hungry after a good work out so I just play with them. I don't always eat all fo them but on most days I do use them. I am still losing weight and inches. After awhile you will figure out the range thats best for you.
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
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    No, you don't have to eat those. You just have to eat at least 1200 cals/day. The bigger the deficit, the more calories burned and the more fat you'll burn! Definitely don't eat over your cals and the added exercise cals, I would only eat up to that point! After a good workout, your body burns fat for up to 48 hours. If you are working muscles too, it should burn fat naturally even when you're not working out! Good luck :)

    I disagree. A huge deficit doesn't necessarily mean you are burning fat.

    The larger your deficit the larger the risk of losing lean muscle if you aren't resistance training. If you don't know your BMR and are consistently eating 1200/day continuously without high calorie or cheat days, you will hit a wall eventually. I'm a diabetic and my Doctor won't even put put on a 1200/day diet because the average human can't sustain that.

    As long as you can stay at a 1000 calorie/day deficit you will lose 2lbs/week. That's the safest pace unless you are extremely obese and under a doctor's care.
  • chercee
    chercee Posts: 120 Member
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    I don't eat back all of mine every day (I don't think I've ever eaten all of them, unless my burn that day was low) but I do dip into them. If I stick to just the 1200 cals PLUS try to exercise and don't add any more fuel, I'm sick as a dog. In fact, I'm suffering that right now - I'm not eating enough and I'm pushing too hard, and I feel like garbage. And yes, I'm still losing weight. Exercise, eat enough to keep you healthy and active, and don't eat back the calories in bad foods. Healthy snacks aren't going to do the damage a piece of cake will.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If I don't eat the exercise points will my weight loss stop?

    No it won't - MFP is designed for you to eat them back to stick to the deficit you selected.
    Don't rush at it. Eat for nutrition, exercise for health.

    If you selected "lose 2lbs a week" I strongly urge you change it to the recommended 1lb a week loss. You don't have to overly restrict and be miserable to lose weight in a healthy way.
  • socomary
    socomary Posts: 52
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    If I don't eat the exercise points will my weight loss stop?

    No it won't - MFP is designed for you to eat them back to stick to the deficit you selected.
    Don't rush at it. Eat for nutrition, exercise for health.

    I usually eat those calories back. I also am at 1200 calories per day. And before everyone gets judgmental about it, I'm at the lower end of my target weight, I'm 5'1", and am targeted at 0.4 lb weight loss per week (read: four-tenths) - there's no way I should (or can safely) go lower on the calories.

    I do find that at 1200 calories plus exercise calories, I don't necessarily have to eat all the exercise calories back. However, if I have expended a lot of calories because of some extended or vigorous exercise, and don't eat them back within reason, I do get the warning that I am not eating enough.

    I agree with sijomial - be smart and safe and proactive about it all!
  • Rpeat1
    Rpeat1 Posts: 49 Member
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    As long as you can stay at a 1000 calorie/day deficit you will lose 2lbs/week. That's the safest pace unless you are extremely obese and under a doctor's care.

    I'd agree with this. The 1200 a day is probably based on having a deficit of around 1000 kcals. If you burn another 400 in exercise AND eat those you'll still have a 1000 deficit.

    Personally I'd eat them. Not always same day but balance it out over the course of the week.

    Your allowance of carbs, protein, fats etc changes in line with the rise in daily allowance from exercise - they're just proportions.

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