Eating calories earned through exercise???

blurts80
blurts80 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is anyone eating calories earned by exercise and still losing weight? I have been trying to avoid using mine, but was curious for if I ever needed to use them!

Replies

  • snowbike
    snowbike Posts: 153 Member
    Yes you will still lose if you have a overall deficit.
    I ate some of my calories back when losing weight. I ate all to maintain and overate to gain.

    It really is just a balance of calories burned to calories eaten.

    Just be careful with MFP exercise calorie estimates they can be a bit high for some people.
    Best thing is to get a heart rate monitor and accurately measure your calories during exercise.
  • raeganjayne15
    raeganjayne15 Posts: 55
    My theory is if your hungry you have those few extra to snack with, if your not hungry then thats ok too :)
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    If you log your food on MFP - Yes, you should defenetely eat back your exercise calories.
    MFP already creates a decent deficit for you when you enter your information (pounds desired to lose per week, ...). So the calories MFP tells you to eat are your NET calories. If you don't eat them back you might create a deficit that's too big to lose the weight the healthy way, or you won't even lose hardly anything.
  • sarski77
    sarski77 Posts: 79
    If you're sticking to the calories that MFP set you, then yes - like others said, not just for the sake of it but definitely plan more food throughout the day on the days when you know you'll be exercising.
    Also, keep in mind that if you don't have a heart rate monitor and record your exercise calories using the MFP database they might be slightly off so perhaps don't eat back every single one of them.

    If you're using the TDEE method then no, you don't need to eat them back as they're already factored in.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    If you log your food on MFP - Yes, you should defenetely eat back your exercise calories.
    MFP already creates a decent deficit for you when you enter your information (pounds desired to lose per week, ...). So the calories MFP tells you to eat are your NET calories. If you don't eat them back you might create a deficit that's too big to lose the weight the healthy way, or you won't even lose hardly anything.

    This is good advice, I'd take it.
  • IndigoFlowers
    IndigoFlowers Posts: 221 Member
    I eat almost all of mine back!! I love them :love:
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    yes! eat all of them...unless you notice you hit a serious plateau. Then only eat 80% of them until you hit another plateau...then go back to eating all of them.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    Yup i try and eat as many as i possibly can :) i sometimes (like today) misjudge how much i need to eat through out the day i eat mostly vegan and i wont always be able to eat enough
  • blurts80
    blurts80 Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks all!! Xxx
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    Yes, I eat all of them as my maintenance calories is 1400 so... I exercise so I can eat!!!
  • skidoo1122
    skidoo1122 Posts: 55
    I started almost 3 months ago and have yet to eat any of my exercise calories. I have lost every week. I am sure once I get down to my goal or comfortable weight I might start but right now I need to get there. Maintaining this lose with be another chapter but for now not eating them back is working for me. Good luck!!

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