Exercise Calories

AmberBarrios
AmberBarrios Posts: 394 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious as to where everyone else is at. How much of your exercise calories do you usually eat on a normal day?
I try really hard but always seem to never get anywhere close, usually between 400 -600 under my calorie goal.

Replies

  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I aim for 50-75% of my exercise calories and lose weight steadily. (Some days I eat closer to 100% of them!) The only reason I leave some calories at the end of the day is because it's very easy to overestimate calories burned or underestimate what we eat, not because I *can't* eat 100% of them.
  • willimh
    willimh Posts: 227 Member
    I try to eat maybe 50% of my exercise calories.
  • starkiss100
    starkiss100 Posts: 235 Member
    I usually eat 80-100% of mine.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
    I agree with accountant_boi. I try to eat at least 50% of mine, although I'm sure I'd fare better by consuming nearly all of them. I have messed up my metabolism before. It's hard because I keep thinking, how can a person lose weight by eating 1700 calories a day! (I'm very short, lol) ..but when you're working out a lot and burning 600-700 calories a day, you have to fuel your body so that it doesn't preserve your fat for starvation mode. :)
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
    You know what I did to make it easy on myself? I stopped logging my workouts, and I increased my caloris by 100 each day, so I should be losing half a lb a wk, but that is without workouts. I do notice my clothes are a lil loser, so its working for me! This way, my workouts are exytra calories burned, not ones I eat, and IF I go over a lil on a day I work out, no big deal!:smile: AND less time logging, because after you are on this site for awhile, you get a lil tired of logging every single thing u do! lol good luck
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
    I normaly eat all of mine
  • 1fitmama
    1fitmama Posts: 207 Member
    I've been eating most of mine.
  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
    i eat 80 to 100% of mine.
  • atynk
    atynk Posts: 400 Member
    I eat all mine, and then usually over by a bit.. I found eatingthem all I lost more weight than trying to stay under
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    I wasn't losing anything for months until I started eating my exercise calories. I ate more last week than I can remember eating in years, (I'm not kidding) and I saw my biggest loss yet.
  • clipsychic
    clipsychic Posts: 99
    I'm still working on overcoming this mental hurdle that I need to eat half to all my exercise cals. Still working on it though. I think I'm making some head-way.
  • goola
    goola Posts: 6 Member
    ugh. mental hurdle indeed!!! I cannot get it through my thick skull that i need to eat more to lose weight. Unfortunately, my mental block/hurdle is based on real life experience, because in the past, the only times i've gotten down to my goal weight 135 (i'm 5'7") is when i was in a major crisis and not eating, or when I was very sick (several bouts of tonsillitis within a 2 month period). i looked HOT.. for about six months or a year... and then I started eating normally again. and back up to 152 i go.....

    I've been working out religiously for several months now, running at least 10-15 miles a week (which is increasing as I train for 1/2 marathon and recover from recent injury) and eating very clean foods. I keep thinking if I can just eat less, i'd start losing. Maybe I need to be eating more...... or just get used to 150. gah!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    ugh. mental hurdle indeed!!! I cannot get it through my thick skull that i need to eat more to lose weight. Unfortunately, my mental block/hurdle is based on real life experience, because in the past, the only times i've gotten down to my goal weight 135 (i'm 5'7") is when i was in a major crisis and not eating, or when I was very sick (several bouts of tonsillitis within a 2 month period). i looked HOT.. for about six months or a year... and then I started eating normally again. and back up to 152 i go.....

    I've been working out religiously for several months now, running at least 10-15 miles a week (which is increasing as I train for 1/2 marathon and recover from recent injury) and eating very clean foods. I keep thinking if I can just eat less, i'd start losing. Maybe I need to be eating more...... or just get used to 150. gah!

    Don't know how much you're eating, but if you're exercising that much, you definitely need to be eating at least *some* of your exercise calories. Not only will it likely help you lose weight easier, but it will improve your running performance, if your body is fueled properly! :flowerforyou:
  • AmberBarrios
    AmberBarrios Posts: 394 Member
    I agree with those that have the mental hurdle, I can't seem to convince myself that eating more I will lose more. I workout 7 days a week for atleast 30 mintues to an hour on most days. I haven't been eating any of my exercise cal's. I am definately going to start today!!! Thanks everyone for your input!!
  • goola
    goola Posts: 6 Member
    ugh. mental hurdle indeed!!! I cannot get it through my thick skull that i need to eat more to lose weight. Unfortunately, my mental block/hurdle is based on real life experience, because in the past, the only times i've gotten down to my goal weight 135 (i'm 5'7") is when i was in a major crisis and not eating, or when I was very sick (several bouts of tonsillitis within a 2 month period). i looked HOT.. for about six months or a year... and then I started eating normally again. and back up to 152 i go.....

    I've been working out religiously for several months now, running at least 10-15 miles a week (which is increasing as I train for 1/2 marathon and recover from recent injury) and eating very clean foods. I keep thinking if I can just eat less, i'd start losing. Maybe I need to be eating more...... or just get used to 150. gah!

    Don't know how much you're eating, but if you're exercising that much, you definitely need to be eating at least *some* of your exercise calories. Not only will it likely help you lose weight easier, but it will improve your running performance, if your body is fueled properly! :flowerforyou:

    yes. this i know. I try to eat at least some of my exercise calories, but it's a challenge for me mentally. Plus, i'm an overworked lawyer and rarely make the time to make good choices re: food. For example, i went for my run yesterday at 6 pm and realized, quickly, that I had been so busy all day that all i had eaten was a can of soup and two stale cookes. Needless to say, my 4 mile run was not pretty. The disturbing part, was the fact that there was a big part of me that was pleased that that's all I had eaten. Wrong.. I know.... so wrong.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
    I eat most of mine. Not because I feel like because the website tells me to I should... but more because if I don't I would be INSANE hungry after workouts. If I'm not hungry for them, or if I had a low-burn workout, I don't usually bother eating them. But if I put in an hour+ at the gym, or if I work out with my personal trainer, I find that I NEED to eat them... which I am totally okay with. =)

    I've only been here at little over a week, and have lost 7 pounds so far. I know that seems like a lot, but I'm thinking that my losses will even out now that my first week eating right and exercising is over. But, at least that proves that eating exercise calories means you can still lose weight!
  • runrgrrl
    runrgrrl Posts: 37 Member
    I usually am under, some days 200-300 calories. I wonder though...does everyone log EVERYTHING...and when i say EVERYTHING, i mean the butter you put on your bread, mayonaisse, ketchup, cream in your coffee.

    I used to be a personal trainer and work with clients that would present to me their weekly food journal but some of them thought they didnt need to count their condiments. These perceivably LITTLE EXTRAS were why they were not losing weight.

    Also, alot of times clients wouldnt count the ONE CANDY or tHE ONE COOKIE, or the ONE ANYTHING....everything you put in your mouth must be counted!!!
  • runcdizzy
    runcdizzy Posts: 16
    I've noticed that i eat most of my exercise calories. I get so hungry especially of strength training.
  • beethedreamer
    beethedreamer Posts: 465 Member
    I usually am under, some days 200-300 calories. I wonder though...does everyone log EVERYTHING...and when i say EVERYTHING, i mean the butter you put on your bread, mayonaisse, ketchup, cream in your coffee.

    I used to be a personal trainer and work with clients that would present to me their weekly food journal but some of them thought they didnt need to count their condiments. These perceivably LITTLE EXTRAS were why they were not losing weight.

    Also, alot of times clients wouldnt count the ONE CANDY or tHE ONE COOKIE, or the ONE ANYTHING....everything you put in your mouth must be counted!!!

    i log everything i eat, whether it has calories or not. it helps me to know what ive consumed and its not like im trying to impress anyone with my food log. it is a tool for myself, and if i cant be honest with myself, then im not going to succeed.
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
    I usually am under, some days 200-300 calories. I wonder though...does everyone log EVERYTHING...and when i say EVERYTHING, i mean the butter you put on your bread, mayonaisse, ketchup, cream in your coffee.

    I used to be a personal trainer and work with clients that would present to me their weekly food journal but some of them thought they didnt need to count their condiments. These perceivably LITTLE EXTRAS were why they were not losing weight.

    Also, alot of times clients wouldnt count the ONE CANDY or tHE ONE COOKIE, or the ONE ANYTHING....everything you put in your mouth must be counted!!!

    I am glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this way! I was wondering if I was going overboard by logging absolutely EVERYTHING I put in my mouth. I log any condiments I use, or the tsp of honey in my coffee, or the handful of whatever. Anything that isn't water, I log it! I was begining to feel as though I was alone in this thinking....thanks for your post, I feel so relieved!

    And to answer the original post...I TRY to eat about half of my exercise calories, although, I usually find myself under anywhere from 200-800 calories. It all depends on how much exercise I've done.....BUT....I am never hungry and I eat lots of snacks throughout the day & LOTS of water!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I usually am under, some days 200-300 calories. I wonder though...does everyone log EVERYTHING...and when i say EVERYTHING, i mean the butter you put on your bread, mayonaisse, ketchup, cream in your coffee.

    I used to be a personal trainer and work with clients that would present to me their weekly food journal but some of them thought they didnt need to count their condiments. These perceivably LITTLE EXTRAS were why they were not losing weight.

    Also, alot of times clients wouldnt count the ONE CANDY or tHE ONE COOKIE, or the ONE ANYTHING....everything you put in your mouth must be counted!!!

    Yup! I log everything. People probably think I don't, but I don't really use sauces/condiments/etc. much anymore.

    Edited to add - the only thing I don't log is things like a dash of black pepper or dried basil or spices like that. I do log spices when I put more than a shake or two, though. (Like in the smoothies I make, I add a Tbsp of cocoa powder and a tsp of cinnamon - adds about 20 calories between the two.)
  • lfafnis
    lfafnis Posts: 35 Member
    I had not been eating mine or at least not many of them. Then last week I was not allowed to exercise due to having eye surgery, and I ate about the same amount of calories as usual. Low and behold I lost a pound more than my usual 1.5 lbs. What I figured out from that is that I should eat at least some of them. So this week I am trying to eat at least half of my exercise calories and want to see what my weight loss is. I'm hoping I will see great results again!!! I'll let you know how it works out! :happy:
  • runrgrrl
    runrgrrl Posts: 37 Member
    CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU!! Its funny how when i was training people they wouldnt log their butter, ketchup, SALAD DRESSING...lol. As Brittney8 said...its not to impress anyone, we only cheat ourselves when we dont count everything.

    I wish they made diet ketchup though cuz i love it!!!!
  • AllisonMO
    AllisonMO Posts: 68 Member
    I try to log everything to be more accountable to myself, and I eat all my exercise calories, as my weight loss has remained consistent in my doing so...I will go about two weeks at the same weight and then drop about a pound and a half to two pounds. And psychologically, I don't want to feel deprived or as though I am on a diet and CAN"T eat them. Having that extra ounce of almonds makes a difference to me.
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