Do I eat the extra calories?

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nicolehuman89
nicolehuman89 Posts: 14
in Health and Weight Loss
My daily intake on MFP is set at 1220 calories a day. I usually have aerobic exercise equally 300-350. Am i supposed to eat these extra calories MFP gives me? It seems that for max results I would want to eat the 1220 and exercise without added the extra calories. Any help? Or anyone else struggling with this?

Replies

  • ekz13
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
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    there are several varying opinions to this.. probably best to do a search and read the pro's vs con's threads out there and then pick one that works best for you

    for me.. i do not though. My thought is i'm just eating back all the hard work I just did, but that's just my messed up thought process :smile:
  • nicolehuman89
    nicolehuman89 Posts: 14
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    Thats how i feel if I get the urge to eat them! Just wanted to make sure eating under 1000 calories would not put my body in starvation mode! Thanks for the advice :)
  • runtoslim
    runtoslim Posts: 2
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    I do, but I run, so running 3-6 miles (100-ish calories/mile) on days during the week is very difficult if I don't eat enough. I run 12-13 miles in one go every Saturday, so I eat most of them or I wouldn't finish a run.

    Burning 300-400 calories wouldn't be as bad, just make sure you are getting enough and don't feel lousy trying to workout because you haven't eaten enough.
  • runtoslim
    runtoslim Posts: 2
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    Thats how i feel if I get the urge to eat them! Just wanted to make sure eating under 1000 calories would not put my body in starvation mode! Thanks for the advice :)

    If MFP sets your cals at 1220 and you workout and burn 300+ (but don't eat them), I would NOT eat under 1,000 calories. I wouldn't eat under 1200, since that is what you are set at.
  • Rosannajo88
    Rosannajo88 Posts: 212 Member
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    I nearly always eat mine back and have lost consistently x
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    The MFP method expects you to eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
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    I make sure to always reach at least my sedentary goal and if I workout, then the other calories are like a prize! So if I'm hungry late at night or I want a big cookie, I can have a bit extra on active days.

    Sometimes knowing I can come home and attack some chocolate ice cream is the best motivation to hit the gym!
  • blably
    blably Posts: 490 Member
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    The MFP method expects you to eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.


    this.

    what you are doing is eating below 1200 kcal and thats just not ok.
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
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    I'm also at 1200 calories a day and I eat back half of exercise calories (walking at about 3.5-4 MPH). I find that the calories burned estimates on MFP tend to be high based on other calculators available online. I figure eating half still keeps me well above the net 1000 calorie mark, but also doesn't potentially undo my hard work.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    The MFP method expects you to eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.

    Eat them, because that's how MFP works. They wouldn't give you those calories back if it wasn't part of the plan.
  • thatdude3
    thatdude3 Posts: 33
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    I go to the gym 5 days a week and burn about 900 or so calories with each visit, I almost never eat them back. I have my MFP Settings for sedentary which gives me about 1500 calories a day. Sometimes on the weekend I will eat a portion of my exercise calories back but I do not make a habit of it.
  • SlinkyAndHerAmazingBunsOfSteel
    SlinkyAndHerAmazingBunsOfSteel Posts: 434 Member
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    The MFP method expects you to eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.
    Eat at least some of them. It would be hard trying to only eat 1200 calories for a long period of time. You (possibly) couldn't stick to it. Even eating an extra 200 calories a day could make all the difference. :)
  • TheBunnyStrange
    TheBunnyStrange Posts: 20 Member
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    I have attempted both options. When i was eating back my workout calories, I didnt loose anytthing. I had to stop eating them all back before I started to see any results. I am still trying to eat back about 1/3 of what I burn since I started Insanity and need the fuel.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I eat half mine back and consistantly lose.. I would eat them all back only I don't trust the MFP calorie burn for activities - I have a Fitbit on my Christmas list :-D
  • pauldix
    pauldix Posts: 35 Member
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    I understood that the whole point of mfp was to help with finding the balance between intake of calories and burning them off.

    I have a calorie target to hit for every day. Mine happens to be 500 calories under my recomended intake so I can see a loss of one pound per week.

    If I exercise (and burn off x calories) it helps me get to my calorie target while allowing me to eat a little more that day.

    If I were be under my calorie target - taking exercise into consideration - I eat more.

    Is this not what we all doing? Not sure what the point of mfp is otherwise.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    The MFP method expects you to eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them.

    Eat them, because that's how MFP works. They wouldn't give you those calories back if it wasn't part of the plan.
    This exactly.

    The daily goal MFP gives you already has a deficit built in - meaning you could eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. Burning more cals through exercise creates a much larger deficit, too large, which can cause you problems in the long run. This is why the exercise cals are added back into your daily goal - you are supposed to eat them back, bringing your daily NET cals at or near goal.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 672 Member
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    The way MFP is designed your calorie goal is NET calories. If you eat 1200 and burn 300 you are netting 900. This is too low. Your body needs the fuel for the workout and regular daily function. If you NET too low you will do more harm than good. Get an accurate HRM that will tell you how much you actually burn (as opposed to the overestimated MFP stats) and eat the amount back that NETs you 1200 (of course I believe you should be able to eat more than 1200 and lose - but that is another battle all together)

    The net is NET at least 1200.. :)

    @Amy beat me to it... :)
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Yes... that is how this is set up. If you are not eating back your exercise calories and only eating 1200ish daily, then you will be netting an amount that is not considered "healthy". You should be NETTING that 1200 calories minimum.

    On top of that, very VERY few people actually need to only eat 1200 calories. This has you eating below your BMR for most people which is the amount of calories your body burns in a coma. That is simple minimum survival calories. For example, my BMR is around 1690. My TDEE (the amount I burn with a sedentary lifestyle) is 2036 which is also my maintenance calories. A 15% reduction from TDEE puts me at 1730 and I will lose a bit over .5 lbs a day.

    However, I have found that since I have switched to the TDEE method that I am losing at a better rate then when I was under eating for my BMR. I also have more energy, I sleep better, and my depression and anxiety is under better control. I am HEALTHIER eating more.
  • Samantbr
    Samantbr Posts: 4
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    It depends, I try to burn 1,000 calories when I work out & I use some of them, because well there are some nights I get a craving or want take out & it's a nice way to give yourself a cushion. I don't splurge everyday & use the extra calories, but it's nice to know that they are there if I want them.

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