Do you eat your calories you earn from exercising?

taradee03
taradee03 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I get 1,200 calories a day and usually eat right at 1,200 but I burn around 400 calories at the gym. For weight loss do I need to eat those 400 calories I burnt or will my weight loss be greater if I dont?
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Replies

  • Sandylovesm
    Sandylovesm Posts: 242 Member
    Yes! 1200 is the minimum for your body to function so you needto eat your cals burnt from exercise at such a low calorie intake.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Your weight loss will be greater if you don't, but be careful not to eat too FEW calories or you could risk the dreaded "starvation mode" (search the boards for "starvation mode" for more on that topic than you care to read.

    As a matter of practice, I usually eat about 1/3 to 1/2 of my exercise calories back.
  • southpaw211
    southpaw211 Posts: 385 Member
    I do. I have my MFP food diary calories set low so that when I add in exercise calories earned, I know the correct amount to eat for the day. Including exercise cals, I shoot to eat around 1600.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Considering that 1200 calories is not enough for any adult human being, I say yes - eat them back plus another 400.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I get 1,200 calories a day and usually eat right at 1,200 but I burn around 400 calories at the gym. For weight loss do I need to eat those 400 calories I burnt or will my weight loss be greater if I dont?

    Your weight loss will be greater if you don't .......MUSCLE LOSS

    I eat my exercise calories back because I am more concerned about fat loss .... but that's just me
  • jen2shoes
    jen2shoes Posts: 1 Member
    I find that if I don't replenish some of those calories i've burnt at the gym, then I get super hungry the next day and start snacking too much, which leads to going over my calorie intake for that day.
  • 22minimia22
    22minimia22 Posts: 3
    My calorie allowance is also 1200 and I usually earn between 400 - 500 cals from exercise. I used to eat my extra calories but found it really slowed down my weightloss. Now I just stick to my 1200 and try not to go over but I don't worry over by about 100 or so calories.
  • PaulVanda
    PaulVanda Posts: 21 Member
    If you do not eat the calories you burn from exercise then you will lose weight faster. But if you meet your net target you will still lose weight - just a bit slower. As a general rule it is a simple equation of calories in less calories used. You do need to be careful though that you are not going too far under your daily needs.

    I am roughly on the same regime as you. My daily target is 1250 but I do generally use a minimum of 400 with a short run each day. Most days I am coming in at around the 400 -500 calories below my Net target. On a long run day I can easily burn off 1000 - 1500 calories on a Sunday run. I find that I just don't want to eat as much as I could using the net target and my weight is coming down pretty fast at the moment. I am a great believer in listening to your body. If you feel OK you probably are OK but just don't be too obsessive about being under your target. If you run at too much of a daily deficit you will probably find that you can't train at the intensity you want to and start getting tired and ill so just be careful and be aware of the signs of losing too fast. If you have earned it through the exercise then use it if you want to. Better to lose it a bit more slowly and still have some fun with food.
  • IMD918
    IMD918 Posts: 49
    My daily calories is 1530 not including cardio exercise. I try to stay under that whether I do cardio or not. I log all my food into MFP so that I can see the 'if every day were like today' thing. It always tells me if I haven't eaten enough, in which case, I just eat more. I don't know why more people seem to use the site but not the calorie calculator that is the center of the app/site, or ignore when it tells you that you're starving yourself.
  • catmaranwar
    catmaranwar Posts: 4 Member
    I also have a 1200 cal limit, but even when I exercise I still stick to my same diet, but do try to take in more water so I am not dehydrated. If I eat an extra hundred or so calories a day I don't worry about it. I just make sure I track everything I eat...and I mean EVERYTHING!!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    MFP is set up with a deficit built into your daily goal before exercise - meaning you could eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'd lose weight. That's why they add your exercise burn back into your daily goal - not eating them back creates a HUGE deficit rather than a reasonable one, and that's not good. As someone else mentioned, you risk losing muscle rather than fat, adn if/when you do hit your goal weight, you find that you're just a slimmer version of your former self, but still all soft and squishy.

    Reasonable deficit is the way to go - eat well, fuel that body, move, do some exercise, preferably with some form of resistance training/weights, get good rest, and it will happen. Eat too little for too long and you're just giving your body a reason to store fat rather than burn it.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Your weight loss will be greater if you don't .......MUSCLE LOSS

    ^This. Also bone density. Great job for exercising, but do eat those calories back!
  • missymakayla
    missymakayla Posts: 309 Member
    I think it depends on the person. I too have 1200 cal a day, but I find if I eat back my exercise cal, I don't lose weight. You have to find out what works for you....
  • marcvandenberg
    marcvandenberg Posts: 190 Member
    maybee the logging of your exercise is not acurate.


    Eat back your exercise, or leave some for a rainy day...
  • anniecakez
    anniecakez Posts: 10
    I'm on 1200 calories a day and I DO eat back my exercise calories, it's necessary because I'd be so hungry and tired. Also eating a net of less than 1200 calories is not good, weight would come off quick but it'll mess up your metabolism and any "cheat" days you have, you'll gain the weight back again
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    Because I am a very obese person (but getting smaller!) I have an pretty high goal. So no, I usually do not eat back my exercise calories. I am careful to eat at least my BMR, but I am regularly short my goal 300-500 calories. If you don't need to lose 100+ pounds like me, this is not recommended as far as I can tell.

    I'd say with 1200 calories, yes, eat back your calories. You don't want to starve yourself.
  • xBethanyJadex
    xBethanyJadex Posts: 37
    My calories is set at 1400, it used to be 1200 but I upped it to include my 200 calorie protein shake. I stay at my 1200 limit for food and try to never eat into my exercise calories.
    I personally have lost quite a bit of weight doing this so I recommend not eating back your exercise calories. Unless you're hungry, in that case I see no harm in going into them abit.
    I hope this helps! :)
  • Annerk1
    Annerk1 Posts: 372 Member
    It depends. On a regular day when I burn about 700 with exercise, I won't unless I'm hungry and need a snack (drink a full glass of water and wait 10 minutes, if I'm still hungry, I eat lean protein.)

    On a day where I burn 1300 or more, I'll eat some of them back. I can't eat enough food (not good for me food anyhow) to eat back that many calories.

    I won't go hungry if I am actually hungry, but I don't purposely eat back my exercise.
  • shutterbug282
    shutterbug282 Posts: 588 Member
    If I'm hungry then I will, if not I'll try and eat to a minimum intake of 1200.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    You bet I eat those calories! A couple of days ago I ate them in ice cream...
  • xBethanyJadex
    xBethanyJadex Posts: 37
    Oh and I know other people are saying that you'll lose muscle if you don't eat back your calories, and I'm not denying that that's the truth, but this isn't the case for me. I've noticeably gained muscle in my biceps and calves. I guess it's whatever works for you. Maybe try it out both ways and see what's working out better for you. :)
  • bgardiner49
    bgardiner49 Posts: 86 Member
    Yes
  • Andreagay60
    Andreagay60 Posts: 50
    I definitely try to.....:flowerforyou:
  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
    I don't even have 1200 as my goal (goal is about 1600 net) , and yes, I eat back my calories.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Yes, I NET 1920 calories. I exercise so I can eat them!
  • kwilliams386
    kwilliams386 Posts: 156 Member
    my tdee-20 is 1350 calories. I cannot seem to eat only 1350 calories so I guess i pre-eat my exercise calories back. :/
  • jlfoster0427
    jlfoster0427 Posts: 86
    I do eat some of mine back. As you exercise more your body is going to need more nutrients to replenish what you worked off. If I didnt eat some of them back I would have no energy since MFP already has a calorie deficit built in to the program.
  • riccoismydog
    riccoismydog Posts: 319 Member
    Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. If I'm hungry I do, If I'm not I don't.

    You should subtract the calories you just used to stay alive, for me about fifty an hour from your exercise cals if you are going to eat them back.

    Otherwise, you are eating your RMR twice...and that will definitely stall your weight loss....especially if you are short. We shorties are pretty close to almost no deficit when we eat 1200 and sit around all day.... eat 100 of the 1200 twice plus some exercise calories and your going to have a bad time.

    In simpler words. Take your calculated from heart rate calories burned. Subtract your RMR/24 from your calories burned. Eat those.

    Or don't eat them. Do what makes you happy. You will not enter starvation mode from a well balanced low calorie diet while doing moderate exercise. Unless you are really close to having no body fat.

    How do I know this? Do you see body builders and competitors who are on a strict diet pre comp worrying about starvation mode? Have you ever actually gained weight by eating properly and exercising.

    On the other hand....if you are hungry. Listen to your body, don't worry about the calculators and eat something healthy.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Oh and I know other people are saying that you'll lose muscle if you don't eat back your calories, and I'm not denying that that's the truth, but this isn't the case for me. I've noticeably gained muscle in my biceps and calves. I guess it's whatever works for you. Maybe try it out both ways and see what's working out better for you. :)

    I think your muscles are more noticeable due to fat loss NOT muscle gain. I really don't think you are building noticeable muscle on 1400 calories (gross).
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
    I don't log my workouts, so I don't know how much it's calculating for eating-back calories. I already accounted for my activity when I did a BMR and activity calculation from the IPOARM formula.

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