should i eat the calories i burned from working out???

lashleyrivera
lashleyrivera Posts: 165
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so i am set for 1200 calories a day..mfp says if i burn anything while i workout i can eat those..i hear different things from different people, some say you should eat them and some say no if you want to lose weight.. I do want to lose weight but also dont want to go into starvation mode, so idk if i should eat them or not?? please help

Replies

  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
    if 1200 is what your BMi tells you then yes, you need to eat them, or at least 50%. Not knowing your weight, it hard to say for sure.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    This is the eternal debate around here.

    So, I'll just give you my experience. I eat them, and I lose weight when I do, and I feel neither hungry nor deprived.

    MFP's system is set up so that you eat them.
  • rpbabs
    rpbabs Posts: 16
    Eat them or your body will go into starvation mode. Here is an excerpt from WebMd:

    "Minimum calorie levels are closer to 1200-1500 daily to satisfy hunger, fuel daily activities, and provide all the nutrients you need for good health each day.When calories consumed are so low or close to starvation level, your body not only burns fat, but also muscle mass can be used for fuel. The last thing any dieter needs is to lose precious muscle mass, because that is what keeps your metabolism at its best. Not only will you lose fat and muscle, odds are the weight lost will return and when it does, it usually returns as all fat."

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-hcg-for-weight-loss?page=2
  • Ckonner
    Ckonner Posts: 101 Member
    Read the attachments at the top of General Diet and Weight Loss Help. They might help to answer your question.
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
    I personally can't eat mine if I want to lose weight. Try both ways and do what works best for you!
  • mcjabber
    mcjabber Posts: 374 Member
    Listen to your body! Some days you'll probably be hungrier than others, on those days eat them.
  • danmullen
    danmullen Posts: 94
    You should definitely eat them. I joined my local gym recently and had a consultation with their nutrition expert. He explained that it's important to replace the calories you're burning by eating more, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode.
  • ghettoracer
    ghettoracer Posts: 1
    I have to eat at least 3500 calories per day and I cant keep up, and with all the exercise it adds to the calorie intake cause it will take off when you burn it so yeah.
  • abtropix
    abtropix Posts: 133 Member
    Go to message board, facts/nutrition - there's a great comment about calorie deficit! Very interesting!!! I usually try not to eat when I'm not hungry, but maybe with the amount of activity I have, I should eat more. Maybe this is what's keeping me stuck in a plateau... I guess the thing is to avoid sweets, anything fried, junk and grab an apple instead!
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
    Eat them! Playing around with the MFP goals setting is an easy way to see why you should eat your exercise calories, or at least around 75% of them. For example, I told MFP I wanted to lose a pound per week. That puts me at 1880 calories. Forget exercise for a moment. If I go in and say that I want to just maintain my weight, it's comes out as 2380, a full 500 calories. 7 days times 500 is 3500 calories which is the deficit you need to lose 1 pound per week. Now, add 500-1000 calories to that for exercise, and you still don't want to eat your exercise calories!?!? That would just be crazy. I like to leave about 200 calories of my exercise calories on the table just in case I make a mistake, but playing with the MFP guide settings it's easy to see that the deficit is already there for you, provided you put in it that you wanted to lose weight. Not sure why this is debated so much it's all laid out in the config.
  • queenofdisney
    queenofdisney Posts: 65
    For me, it depends on the day. Some days I eat every single calorie it tells me I am allowed. Other days, like today, I don't plan on eating close to all of the calories. I had a filling dinner and I can tell I ate too many roasted potatoes and I am listening to my body and not allowing myself to have anything else.
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