Confused... Should I eat my exercise calories or bank them f

GlamourBean
GlamourBean Posts: 18 Member
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I always thought that I should eat a certain amount of calories per day and then exercise would be extra calories burned toward a loss. I've seen people talking about eating those exercise calories. Any explanation/advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    ooooooo i've been posting that question all over the place...and what i've learned, is NEVER go below 1200 calories (after workout)...take me for example...i have a 1620 calorie budget...i burn roughly 300 at the gym = 1320. i get another 70 calories out of the protein smoothy i drink after my work out = 1390...and i leave it at that...i'm not hungry, and my body doesn't hate me right now...but i still take my multivitamin (woman's formula with iron, the cheap no-name brand). As long as you aren't seriously deficient in your nutrients and vitamins, and don't fall below 1200 calories after work out, you'll be fine...your body might hate you for a bit until it gets use to the calorie budget and @ss whoopin' your doing at the gym...apparently...this is only what i've been told lol...and i still feel pretty good.
  • Sharonbed4d
    Sharonbed4d Posts: 163
    Banking those calories won't necessarily reap more weight loss. I would suggest if you aren't hungry and you are losing weight then you are getting enough calories but if your calories are low and you aren't making any progress, your body might need more calories. Everyone is different but most days I eat my "exercise" calories and I'm losing my 1 lb weekly goal.
  • karlowe
    karlowe Posts: 92 Member
    eat your exercise calories or at least as many as you can. If you dont then your body will go into starvation mode.
  • mrsdero
    mrsdero Posts: 18
    When I have a harder workout day I allow myself to eat more. You need to fuel your body in order for you to be able to benefit from your workouts. For example if you eat a combo of Protein and Carbs before you run your body is fueled and you can perform better and burn calories longer. Getting better results from your workout.
  • sjoy711
    sjoy711 Posts: 40 Member
    You can bank them until you reach your healthy BMI. Once you get there, you should probably eat them so that you don't start burning muscle at the gym.
  • jewell80
    jewell80 Posts: 20
    Good question! I've been wondering the same thing. However, I noticed when I did eat my excerise calories I didn't lose any weight. Since I have stop eating them, I have lost at least a 1b a week. GO ME! Good Luck
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Like others said you should have a minimum of 1200 net calories so if your MFP goal caloric intake is 1400/day and you burn 400 calories through exercise it would be as if you only ate 1000 (1400-400) so you would have to eat a minimum of 200 of those calories. That being said to maintain your weekly goal you and not lose more you would have to eat 100% of your exercise calories. the example above, eating 200 of the 400, in theory would have you lose an extra pound every 18 days.

    Also be sure you are calculating your calories burned correctly if you are going to eat all of them. This would have to be done with a heat rate monitor, and you would have to back out the calories you would have burned at rest if you didn't exercise as MFP already accounts for those in your daily goal.
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    I don't bank all of them, but I try to bank some. When I would bank ALL of them, I stopped losing. When I eat all of them, I stop losing. I try not to let my 'net calories' fall under 1200, so I eat the ones that put me under. And sometimes I go over my daily calories by 50 or so, so then I *have* to count my exercise (or exercise just to make up for it! :laugh: )
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Eat them, or at least part of them.
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
    Eat them. MFP tells you to for a reason. Even after you eat them, MFP has figured out a deficit for you. For instance, I burn 1700 calories per day, just resting. MFP has given me a deficit of 500 calories per day, which means I can eat 1200 calories, and I will still burn 500 calories per day, because I am eating less than I am burning. If I burn 200 cals in exercise, I can eat 200 more calories, because I will still be at a deficit of 500 calories. Go to the My Home tab and then click GOALS. It will break it all down for you and you will see what your deficit is. So many people ask this question. I don't know why really. Its pretty straightforward. Just do what it says :smile:
  • gussmi
    gussmi Posts: 13 Member
    Bank the calories if you can. It will leadl into even more weight loss. Only eat when you are hungry.
  • gussmi
    gussmi Posts: 13 Member
    You can bank them until you reach your healthy BMI. Once you get there, you should probably eat them so that you don't start burning muscle at the gym.

    Sjoy has the best answer.
  • pmaglio
    pmaglio Posts: 3
    Weight loss is Calories in versus calories burned. Eating to replace your excersize calories will cause you to lose weight at a slower pace. This is most likely (I'm no Dr.) the healthiest way to do it. I did it the other way. I lost about 35 pounds in about 60 days without replacing the excersize cals. There were days I'd lose 3 lbs and days I'd lose nothing.
  • clothes_of_sand
    clothes_of_sand Posts: 59
    I think that partially depends on how many calories you're burning. If you're burning 1000 calories a day, it's not necessary to eat them all back. However, if you consistently eat too few calories, the body thinks "Oh no, I'm in a situation where enough food isn't available" and goes into "starvation mode", where it stores as much fat as it can.

    Weight loss is generally said to work like this:

    calories in (the food you eat) - calories out (all calories your body burns, whether through workout or just living) = weight loss/gain
    Basically, if you take in more calories than you burn, then you gain weight. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight. (Of course, there are always complications, but this is the basic principle and usually works fairly well).

    Myfitnesspal already builds a calorie deficit into your goal. Most people are supposed to consume 1700-2000 calories a day (roughly; the exact amount depends on the individual) to maintain weight. When MFP sets you at 1200, it is already building in a calorie deficit of around 500 cals. 1200 is usually cited as the minimum amount of calories a person can eat and not hit starvation mode.

    Imagine the calories you eat are in a calorie bank. The 1200 you eat goes in the bank. Any calories you burn through exercise, however, are considered a "withdrawal". You should try to keep at least 1200 calories in the bank, because you burn that 1200 just by living. Your body needs that 1200 to survive. So if you eat 1200 calories a day, but burn 700, your "account" is down to 500 calories. Your body doesn't like to consistently survive on 500 calories. It thinks that hard times are coming and it needs to save as much fat as it can. This can slow down your weight loss and throw you into "starvation mode".

    As long as you make sure you're keeping around 1200-1400 calories in your "calorie bank", you should be fine. Of course, you should also listen to your body. If you know you're already full, don't keep stuffing yourself just to reach your calories. Your body should know when it needs food and when it doesn't. Just make sure that you're actually hungry and not bored or thirsty. The best thing is just to keep in mind that you may have to tailor your eating and working out to what works for you, because the same things don't always work the same way for everyone. Experiment with eating the exercise cals for a few weeks or not eating them for a few weeks. Observe your body and see how you lose weight best. Good luck!
  • jaded_rose
    jaded_rose Posts: 298 Member
    That really depends on the person. Some have said to add them some say don't add them. Personally I add mine in because my work is physically demanding and eating under 1200 calories just isn't enough. I have been trying to seriously lose weight for 6 weeks and have lost 8 pounds.

    I've changed what I eat and try to keep within the 1200 calories (+ exercise calories). I've been working out.

    Remember that your body will get use to the exercise so it's a good idea to change your routine every 6 weeks or so.
  • willimh
    willimh Posts: 227 Member
    I try to eat 1/2 of my exercise calories back.
  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
    You can bank them until you reach your healthy BMI. Once you get there, you should probably eat them so that you don't start burning muscle at the gym.

    I like this review too b/c so far it's the only one that supports what I've been doing!
  • blumuse
    blumuse Posts: 52 Member
    I hit a wall a few weeks ago and my personal trainer actually told me I wasn't eating enough for the amount of exercising I was doing. Believe it or not, you can eat TOO LITTLE and your body will go into starvation mode and will hold onto the weight. I think the correct thing to do - that many have already mentioned above - is to make sure you don't go under 1200 taking your exercise into account. Now I DO eat my exercise calories to maintain about 1200 net and I'm losing weight faster than I did before.
  • Somenameioi
    Somenameioi Posts: 43 Member
    I think that partially depends on how many calories you're burning. If you're burning 1000 calories a day, it's not necessary to eat them all back. However, if you consistently eat too few calories, the body thinks "Oh no, I'm in a situation where enough food isn't available" and goes into "starvation mode", where it stores as much fat as it can.

    Weight loss is generally said to work like this:

    calories in (the food you eat) - calories out (all calories your body burns, whether through workout or just living) = weight loss/gain
    Basically, if you take in more calories than you burn, then you gain weight. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight. (Of course, there are always complications, but this is the basic principle and usually works fairly well).

    Myfitnesspal already builds a calorie deficit into your goal. Most people are supposed to consume 1700-2000 calories a day (roughly; the exact amount depends on the individual) to maintain weight. When MFP sets you at 1200, it is already building in a calorie deficit of around 500 cals. 1200 is usually cited as the minimum amount of calories a person can eat and not hit starvation mode.

    Imagine the calories you eat are in a calorie bank. The 1200 you eat goes in the bank. Any calories you burn through exercise, however, are considered a "withdrawal". You should try to keep at least 1200 calories in the bank, because you burn that 1200 just by living. Your body needs that 1200 to survive. So if you eat 1200 calories a day, but burn 700, your "account" is down to 500 calories. Your body doesn't like to consistently survive on 500 calories. It thinks that hard times are coming and it needs to save as much fat as it can. This can slow down your weight loss and throw you into "starvation mode".

    As long as you make sure you're keeping around 1200-1400 calories in your "calorie bank", you should be fine. Of course, you should also listen to your body. If you know you're already full, don't keep stuffing yourself just to reach your calories. Your body should know when it needs food and when it doesn't. Just make sure that you're actually hungry and not bored or thirsty. The best thing is just to keep in mind that you may have to tailor your eating and working out to what works for you, because the same things don't always work the same way for everyone. Experiment with eating the exercise cals for a few weeks or not eating them for a few weeks. Observe your body and see how you lose weight best. Good luck!

    This is a great explanation!
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