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Exercise Calories

cstripp
cstripp Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep seeing people post "make sure you eat your exercise calories". Is this always a necessity? I find it some days difficult to eat the 1270 calories I'm allowed and I can't even fathom upping that to 1800-1900 when I go to the gym. Why is it important to eat them back, isn't it being in a calorie deficit that enables you to lose weight?

Replies

  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
    Wow...you are going to hear a lot on this one. Just my opinion...eat ENOUGH. That is different for different people. If you are getting the nutrition you need at 1400 calories, eat 1400 calories. If you are hungry, eat more...just make it eating intelligently. I log calories just to keep myself from eating a bag of chips instead of a serving of chips. I wouldn't get too worked up over the numbers. Just my opinion.
  • jofiestyone
    jofiestyone Posts: 11 Member
    I can only go from experience but my weight loss stopped when I was NOT eating back my exercise calories, even when Im not that hungry I have nuts, peanut butter to bump up my calorie intake.

    Also, your toning, and strengthening your muscles which will help you lose inches, which I think is a better tool and gage to go off than weight sometimes.
  • sunnybears
    sunnybears Posts: 7
    I keep my exercise calories for treats at the weekend. Kinda following the 80/20 rule but I have banked calories to cover it. I can have my pizza and choc on Saturday and not go over.

    Also, everyone is different so do what works for you. Like the lady jofiestyone said. You might find you stall your weight loss not eating them back as your body goes into stave mode.
  • leahshepherd
    leahshepherd Posts: 29 Member
    I asked my friend about this who has a degree in sport and nutrition science and apparently if you dont eat them back you are going to do damage. You will loose weight fast, but put the pounds back on when you stop. A calorie deficit is how you loose weight... but it needs to be a sustainable healthy difference. I.e. 1500 is a deficit.

    Ideally, you should adjust your calories so that on average you eat them back... i.e. eat 1500 instead of 1200 for a 300 calorie a day difference.

    Eating what you feel is how you got on MFP in the first place. Train yourself to eat more.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    I keep seeing people post "make sure you eat your exercise calories". Is this always a necessity? I find it some days difficult to eat the 1270 calories I'm allowed and I can't even fathom upping that to 1800-1900 when I go to the gym. Why is it important to eat them back, isn't it being in a calorie deficit that enables you to lose weight?

    Being in a calorie deficit enables you to lose weight. But when you exercise, you deplete your muscles' energy stores (glycogen). It is important to replace the glycogen you use so that you can do an effective work-out next time. You also stress your muscles and need to feed your body to repair them.

    Being at too large of a calorie deficit robs your exercises of vigor and makes them less effective. At too large of a deficit, your body will catabolize your muscles. This means lower lean body mass, higher body fat %, and lower resting metabolic rate. This will cause you to burn less calories in your resting AND active states.

    Your body is a living breathing organism and so much more than a simple math equation. In order to have your body flourish, you must nourish it.
  • fat2strongbeth
    fat2strongbeth Posts: 735 Member
    Try eating half of your exercise calories. I try for closer to 1300 on days I don't workout and 1500 on days I do exercise.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    Eat the food!
  • HotrodsGirl0107
    HotrodsGirl0107 Posts: 243 Member
    I keep seeing people post "make sure you eat your exercise calories". Is this always a necessity? I find it some days difficult to eat the 1270 calories I'm allowed and I can't even fathom upping that to 1800-1900 when I go to the gym. Why is it important to eat them back, isn't it being in a calorie deficit that enables you to lose weight?


    Yes being in a deficit inables you to lose weight, but if 1270 is what MFP told you when you set up your goals IS ALREADY AT A DEFICIT TO LOSE. If you eat 1270 calories and then burned 670 calories your body only 600 calories to put towards functioning. Eating your exercise calories gets you back to the original healthy deficit MFP has already set up for you. If you can't fuel your body you are only hurting yourself. At this point going to the gym and burning a large number of calories would be counter productive if you can't fuel your work outs.
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    I will NEVER understand it being difficult to reach 1200 something calories.

    You need to eat the exercise calories back...keep fueling your body and your body will thank you for it.
  • FlowersInTheDirt
    FlowersInTheDirt Posts: 124 Member
    I would try and eat back at least 1/3 of your exercise calories. That way you still have a deficit. Add in a glass of milk, it's full of almost everything you need after exercise :flowerforyou:
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I keep seeing people post "make sure you eat your exercise calories". Is this always a necessity? I find it some days difficult to eat the 1270 calories I'm allowed and I can't even fathom upping that to 1800-1900 when I go to the gym. Why is it important to eat them back, isn't it being in a calorie deficit that enables you to lose weight?

    1270 calories is difficult? I'll help you...

    Breakfast: 2 eggs (160), 1 oz cheese (80), and 1 slice ezekiel toast (80) with 1 tbsp pb (90) = 410 calories

    Snack: 2 oz nuts = 320

    Lunch: salad (30) topped with 1/2 cup beans (110) 1/2 an avocado (150) and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar mixed with 2 tsp olive oil (75) = 365 calories

    Snack: full fat yogurt (160)

    Dinner: 1 serving pasta (180) with 3-4oz lean protein (120) and 1/2 cup pasta sauce (60) = 360 calories

    Dessert: 1 mini bag of popcorn mixed with 1 tbsp chocolate chips = 170 calories

    = 1785 calories total

    This is NOT a lot of food...and it's nutritious without being overly restrictive.

    Let's recap...

    eggs w/ 1 slice of toast
    nuts
    salad
    1 yogurt
    small bowl of pasta
    popcorn
  • dfonte
    dfonte Posts: 263 Member
    It's all broscience. Go with what gives you the energy needed to be active (and full) while losing fat.

    Set MFP to maintenance. If you count your deficit only from exercise it will make things easier.
  • HotrodsGirl0107
    HotrodsGirl0107 Posts: 243 Member
    I would try and eat back at least 1/3 of your exercise calories. That way you still have a deficit. Add in a glass of milk, it's full of almost everything you need after exercise :flowerforyou:


    She is at a deficit from the begining. MFP gave her 1270 calories which already includes the deficit to lose. Eating back all the exercise calories would still leave her at the same deficit. This is how MFP works and is set up.

    Why is it so hard to understand. When you log your exercises your goal for the day goes up and you have a new goal to eat so that you maintain a steady deficit.
  • cstripp
    cstripp Posts: 7
    Yes being in a deficit inables you to lose weight, but if 1270 is what MFP told you when you set up your goals IS ALREADY AT A DEFICIT TO LOSE. If you eat 1270 calories and then burned 670 calories your body only 600 calories to put towards functioning. Eating your exercise calories gets you back to the original healthy deficit MFP has already set up for you. If you can't fuel your body you are only hurting yourself. At this point going to the gym and burning a large number of calories would be counter productive if you can't fuel your work outs.

    Thank you all for the responses (I was away from any computer until now). This was easily the most helpful. I definitely understand!
  • cstripp
    cstripp Posts: 7
    I asked my friend about this who has a degree in sport and nutrition science and apparently if you dont eat them back you are going to do damage. You will loose weight fast, but put the pounds back on when you stop. A calorie deficit is how you loose weight... but it needs to be a sustainable healthy difference. I.e. 1500 is a deficit.

    Ideally, you should adjust your calories so that on average you eat them back... i.e. eat 1500 instead of 1200 for a 300 calorie a day difference.

    Eating what you feel is how you got on MFP in the first place. Train yourself to eat more.

    Yeah, I like the idea of adjusting so that it spreads out my average exercise calories burned over the whole week. Thanks a lot!
  • laurelboynton
    laurelboynton Posts: 104 Member
    I keep my exercise calories for treats at the weekend. Kinda following the 80/20 rule but I have banked calories to cover it. I can have my pizza and choc on Saturday and not go over.

    Also, everyone is different so do what works for you. Like the lady jofiestyone said. You might find you stall your weight loss not eating them back as your body goes into stave mode.

    I do this... I like to have an extra 1000 calories for the weekend. I can easily use these with a few glasses of wine, a hangover lunch and some chocolate.
    :)
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    I just ate half of your calorie allowance for breakfast. Let's be honest here. When i started, i was at 195lbs. So i knew how to eat above my maintenace, if i didn't, then i never would have been able to get up to 195lbs. Anybody that wants to lose weight has ate above maintenace for a significant amount of time. How can you not "fathom" eating more than 1270? If you feel like you are eating such an abundance of food and there is no way that you could possible eat anymore, then instead of drinking skim milk, drink full fat (it's delicious), add olive oil to your salad or use it when you are cooking, avocado, almonds, nut butter. There are so many ways to tweak what you are eating now to add the calories you need.
  • NikNakNoNo
    NikNakNoNo Posts: 13
    yipppeee! I can bank my exercise calories! I have been wondering about this - MFP calculates day by day, so thought I had to balance it all out on that very day. But logically, you are right.
  • NikNakNoNo
    NikNakNoNo Posts: 13
    With you. I hate having 200 calories left come 11am. I dont have much to lose, but finding the 1200 mark extremely difficult.
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    AbyXtremE Posts: 3
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