CONFUSED about earning calories through exercise

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cuddlegrl
cuddlegrl Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I currently do not log my exercise because then the calorie counter says I can eat that many more calories above my normal total. That confuses me because if I work so hard to lose those calories why would I turn around and put them back in my body? It would make sense to me if I was trying to maintain my weight but I am far from maintaining mode.

I usually try to hit the treadmill for an hour and I burn between 400-500 calories plus my gym workouts with a trainer and I have no clue how many calories I burn then. I know I sweat more with the trainer in 30 mintues then I do alternating running and walking on a treadmill!

Any help or suggestions are VERY welcome! :smile:

Replies

  • summerblunden
    summerblunden Posts: 184 Member
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    MFP wants you to eat your exercise calories. This is something, in GENERAL, I disagree with. If I burn 300 calories, I'm not going to eat those back. That being said, you burn 500 calories in cardio, then probably another 600-800 with your trainer, depending on how you long are with him/her. So, I would probably eat SOME of those back, because if you figure it out, and you're allowed, say, 1300 calories a day, you burn 500 on the treadmill and 800 with the trainer...you have now burned the 1300 calories you ate, so, essentially, your net calories is zero. And that is BAD. I believe that is why MFP says to eat your calories, for those of you crazy people burning over 1000 a day. So I would recommend not being afraid to eat some of them back. Listen to your body, if you are totally full, don't eat, if you are starving, eat. If you plateau, try and eat more of them. Try it out, see how it goes. Good Luck!!
  • blakejohn
    blakejohn Posts: 1,129 Member
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    got a keep the fuel for the fire
  • cuddlegrl
    cuddlegrl Posts: 101 Member
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    Thanks! That makes sense. It kinda stinks though because I have a hard time getting enough calories in just for my daily total. I am almost always under and my daily goal is only 1410. So now I have to eat MORE on the days I workout a lot- oh boy. LOL.

    For years I have ate less then 1000 calories a day on average. I am now learning about that starvation thing and figuring thats whats holding me back and causing the opposite from what I want. Its just hard, mentally, to eat more to lose weight.

    thanks for everyone here on this site! I am loving it! I love it as an app on my phone too but the community boards that are only online are great!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    MFP already has a deficit built in to your calorie goal. The idea of eating your exercise calories is to maintain that deficit exactly, not increase it to the point that you are nutritionally deprived. If you do deprive yourself of enough nutrition, you will feel crappy and your body will not let go of the fat stores as easily. In addition, it is very difficult to maintain an extremely high deficit (which is what you are creating when you do not eat your exercise calories back) so eventually...your cravings and hunger win out and you binge, effectively canceling all the torture you just put yourself through. And finally, unless you plan to yo-yo diet by going right back to the way you were eating when you gained the weight, this must be a lifestyle change. By eating enough and retraining your body to be accustomed to being fueled adequately, you can take the weight off and KEEP it off.

    Ps..depending on how much weight you have to lose and how long you've been overweight, if you lose it too fast, your skin might not keep up with the changes and shrink back, leaving you with unsightly excess skin. So take it at a healthy level.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    I don't like the use of the term "earned". It's like it's a reward for working out. IT ISN'T. The idea of this site is to maintain a calorie deficit. The suggested 1 lb. loss per week means a 500 calorie deficit every day. If you burn an extra 500 calories but don't eat more, you'll have a 1.000 calorie deficit. It's hard to stay active on that kind of deficit, and it's EXTREMELY hard to maintain muscle mass at that deficit. If your goal is a number on a scale, then burn away. When you're as weak and hungry as you started and still dread stairs not because you're over weight but because you have no energy, you'll know why.

    Everyone is different, but when I hear people saying they don't lose while eating exercise calories, I assume they aren't correctly recording their information for their food diary. I don't always make my calories, but sometimes I go over, even on days I exercise. In the end it evens out to be just below my suggested totals, and I've dropped just over 1 lb. per week since I started, exactly as expected.
  • cuddlegrl
    cuddlegrl Posts: 101 Member
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    I have learned to eat my excercise calories and once I did the weight really started to come off!

    I know this is the question for every (well almost) new member to MFP so this post is also serving as a bump since there was some really good explanations :smile:
  • MeyerGirl
    MeyerGirl Posts: 4 Member
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    I agree with what the previous posters have said. There is already a deficit worked into the calorie limit you're given. If you burn calories and don't eat them you could stall your weight loss because your body might go into starvation mode. EAT THOSE CALORIES!!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Everyone's given you lots of good explanations - just though I'd say that I'm an example that eating exercise calories works. Lost almost 30 lbs so far and I'm never hungry. I have a base of 1200 cals/day, but I usually eat 1300-1600 per day with 100-200 left to spare, due to all the exercise that I do. It REALLY helps me stick to my plan because I need to eat more when I exercise, and it doesn't feel like I'm depriving myself at all.

    One note - (sorry if someoen already said this) - but you probably don't want to eat ALL your exercise calories. MFP and gym machines tend to overestimate what you burn, so if you eat them all back, you could be slowing your weight loss. I aim for 50-75% of mine back to leave room for error, in case I've underestimated what I've eaten or overestimated my exercise calories.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    MFP wants you to eat your exercise calories. This is something, in GENERAL, I disagree with. If I burn 300 calories, I'm not going to eat those back. That being said, you burn 500 calories in cardio, then probably another 600-800 with your trainer, depending on how you long are with him/her. So, I would probably eat SOME of those back, because if you figure it out, and you're allowed, say, 1300 calories a day, you burn 500 on the treadmill and 800 with the trainer...you have now burned the 1300 calories you ate, so, essentially, your net calories is zero. And that is BAD. I believe that is why MFP says to eat your calories, for those of you crazy people burning over 1000 a day. So I would recommend not being afraid to eat some of them back. Listen to your body, if you are totally full, don't eat, if you are starving, eat. If you plateau, try and eat more of them. Try it out, see how it goes. Good Luck!!

    Since starting this diet I have lost 14-16lbs but I feel tired a lot and have to take a nap mid day. I am eating all my calories plus my exercise calories as well. I dont get much sleep a night due to school and work(5-7 hours a night.)

    Wondering if I should raise my calories up or leave them where they are at? I notice my body getting thinner but my gut hasnt budged a cm.

    Also why doesnt the Iphone app take into account calories burned while weight training? I am starting to weight train today as to avoid muscle loss but just don't feel very energized.

    Any help guys?

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