confused - eating back exercise calories

Hi, newby here, and have read in a number of places where people eat back their calories. I have some questions about doing that; eating back some of the exercise calories, or eating to a zero net calories for the day. Here is some background:

1) I'm 42, 5'9", 248 and male, that puts my BMR to around +/- 2200. Maybe I read it wrong, but if I take my lifestyle without exercise which is mainly sedentary I can calculate my daily calorie need of 2640 to 3000. (I have some questions about that too, but for a different thread). So, on the days I mostly work, I shoot for 2500. For the days I do other activities, I can bump it up a bit. This is to maintain weight, to loose weight: I could shoot for a calorie intake between 1500 and 2000 without exercise.

2) So now I exercise too. I found my long lost love for riding a bike, and I've put some work, some friends, and some TV time to the wind. Going on a journey is something that crave for every day. My average bike ride went up from an hour, 45 minutes last month to 1hour 58 minutes this month, for an average calorie burn of 2410 each day. I ride my bike too and from work for the days I go into the office. And I ride my bike for play on the weekend. Additionally, I now run my dog along side my bike just for plain fun. She's a Jack Russell and she's so funny running down the street at a full sprint. She's working out for 35 minutes a day, but not always at a full sprint.

3) The confusing part ~ my net calories are 650 per day. Many days are zero net calories. My average calorie intake is 2560. Am I numerically starving myself? Is this a unhealthy approach to weight loss? I am 100% sure that I wouldn't be happy with myself if I eat back my exercise calories - that would be a 4900 calorie day - every day! Even if I eat some of my exercise calories back - say 3500 I wouldn't be too thrilled.

4) Personally what do I feel? When the weather is nice, I want to feel the wind and hear the whine of my bike tires. Sometimes, I feel hungry about an hour before I eat. I wait until lunch or dinner and continue to eat to hit my intake target. On the days there are consecutive zero net calories, I do start to get hungry earlier but I also bump up my calorie intake to ease the hungry calls. Its cyclical, but I feel pretty damn good. And when my wife slaps my *kitten* when I'm doing work around the house and there's a lot more firmness, I tell her "watch out it's like punching a brick wall."

Soooo, is this risky behavior? Should I eat to a 500-1000-1500 net calories. I'm not comfortable eating past 500, should I shelve my love for more dog walking outings so I don't burn so much? I'm confused. :happy: