extra calories earned for exercise

onlymtina
onlymtina Posts: 2
edited January 23 in Health and Weight Loss
If your burning extra calories above your allotted amount (like a lot more~about 1,000-2,000 more on some days) should you up your calorie consumption? Should you just eat what your baseline is? I'm not sure what to do here, although I do feel like I've lost some steam and therefore think I should probably eat at least a little more.

Replies

  • mammakat0830
    mammakat0830 Posts: 117 Member
    I try to eat them back... You have to fuel your body. Also, if you fall to far under, you may be under your BMR and that is not good for weight loss.
  • laurenmanderson1
    laurenmanderson1 Posts: 113 Member
    I always account for the activity I've done for the day and eat accordingly. Your body needs fuel! :happy:
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    MFP has already calculated a deficit for you. Any exercise you do just makes that deficit bigger. You need to eat back your exercise calories so you have enough energy to do your workouts and avoid metabolic damage long-term.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    yes, but...
    if you are using the MFP database to estimate your calorie burn from exercise be careful. they are notoriously inflated, sometimes by more than double! When I use MFPs numbers, I either put in less time than I actually worked, or I only eat back half of what i earned.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Eat your exercise calories! MFP is designed for you to lose weight based on diet alone. Your deficit is already built in which is why it adds exercise calories for you to eat. Not eating them back creates too large of a deficit which can harm your progress by your body not getting the fuel it needs and increasing the amount of muscle that is lost in the process (especially if you don't lift heavy).

    If you use MFPs calorie burn amounts, change the amount manually to half what it gives you or just eat back half of them. The calorie burns here are far too high. To get accurate burns you need a chest strap heart rate monitor.
  • onlymtina
    onlymtina Posts: 2
    Thanks for all of the replies!!!! :)
  • stagingfirstplace
    stagingfirstplace Posts: 49 Member
    if you are finding it hard to make up for the calories. set your calorie goal to maintenance and use your exercise as the deficit.

    regardless - you need to fuel that body :)
  • LilynEdensmom
    LilynEdensmom Posts: 612 Member
    If I'm hungry I eat them if not I don't...But usually on my weekend cheat day the extra calories from the week help pad that if I get alittle out of control
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