Do you eat your extra workout calories, and why or why not?

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Replies

  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
    My calorie goal is sedentary TDEE-20%, so eat back every exercise calorie that I want. I have a HRM, so I figure my exercise calories are accurate. If it wasn't for exercise calories, I wouldn't be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods. If I'm not hungry and I have exercise calories left, I don't eat; eating when I'm not hungry is what got me fat in the first place.

    My weight is coming off much faster and I see my body changing in front of my eyes.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    I am currently at goal and just doing maintenance. Right now, I'll eat more on days when I exercise, but I won't necessarily eat all the exercise calories back if I am not hungry (no point in eating for the sake of eating).

    When I was actively losing weight, I ate them back since I was already at a deficit (and would generally be hungry enough to eat them - and more if I wasn't careful - as well).
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    If you have it set to lose 2 pounds a week, it already has the 1,000 calorie defecit counted. I try to eat back most of the extra calories.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I eat 1625 daily, with an extra 250 on weight days. I don't eat cardio calories back but that's because I'm using TDEE-20% at lightly active, so my workouts are already factored in.

    When I was letting MFP set my calories (at a mere 1400) I did eat my workout calories back because I was famished. I worked out, just so I could eat more.
  • Nano1360
    Nano1360 Posts: 101 Member
    It is a question of how much you are aiming to lose in a week? If it is set for 2 lbs and you are in your minimum calorie intake, you should probably eat atleat some of the extra calories!
    The other thing is every body lose the most at the beggining of their weight losing process, so if the process has been slowed it is completely normal! The more you have to lose the more you lost them until you near the normal weight scale! And that is when the losing become challenging!
    And one other thing unless you are in the 20% or less body fat domain plateau simply will not happen! what is happening is you have hit the stuborn fat or your body have accustomed to your dily routines, and you need to push yourself a little harder!!!!
  • heykatieben
    heykatieben Posts: 398 Member
    YES. I'm hungry on 1200 cals. I'd rather work out and eat them back than just be hungry. Besides, I seem to lose more when I work out + eat all the cals back, than when I do nothing - and getting to eat more is motivation to exercise. I don't know how that works, but that's what seems to happen.
  • 24redwine
    24redwine Posts: 43
    I eat them back and that's been working well for me for several months. If you work out hard, you should be hungy enough to eat the calories. Be sure to do a reality check on the calorie burn, but if you feel it's accurate, enjoy. Deprivation and hunger are not good, not sustainable.
  • GrammyNanner
    GrammyNanner Posts: 88 Member
    Most of the time, no. If I make a habit of it, I either gain or maintain. Weekdays I burn 700-1000+ caloriea on cardio machines at a local gym. Each of us has to find what works of us.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    I eat a few back. By a few I mean 100-300 out of up to 900 I burn exercising. I don't burn 900 calories everyday, and I don't eat back 300 everyday. But, I try to only eat back 25% or less than I burn with exercise. The reason I don't aim for all the calories I have a lot of reasons for this. First and foremost, the stats on calorie burns are an estimate. Secondly my TDEE is an estimate. Thirdly I have a lot of weight to lose, so it doesn't matter if I lose 2 or more pounds in a week, it isn't dangerous. If I weighed 150 already, then that would be a different story. Since, this is all an estimation game I am going to keep some of those estimated calories out of the game until I have played it long enough to have a better handle on what my TDEE really is and what I am in reality really burning. And I did the math, most days my intake is TDEE estimate - 20-30%.

    I think people that weigh less and people that aren't actually trying to lose weight i.e. people who are trying to change their body composition more than their weight definitely should eat back those calories, especially if they have a fitbit telling them how much they are burning in a day.
  • Sinarv
    Sinarv Posts: 7
    Hi

    This makes sense to me....we want to lose weight; we watch our caloric intake; mine at the moment is 1903 calaries per day; I work out and burn probably about 1000 per cardio workout....my doctor told me that I was burning too much because I want to 'lose' weight.....now she also told me when I lift weights....and I will lift for about 45 minutes......I have to put protien back into my muscles because I have just ripped them so they need the repair from something like red meat - 4oz - I don't use white meat because I believe that is more of a cardio burn replacement.....so here is my trick, the food I eat after my workouts is part of my daily plan....its one of my snacks that I allow myself in my plan.... when I lift weights; the red meat comes from my dinner or lunch so i end up with double the salad at dinner or lunch....I don't think you should add extra food to your daily plan because of your workouts....when you burn more than you eat, thats loosing 'good weight'; ie weight that is hard to take off will be hard to put back on....anyway, i hope you don't mind an opinion from a stranger...good luck :)

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