Eating Exercise Calories

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tkroeker
tkroeker Posts: 19
in Food and Nutrition
I've been flip flopping back and forth over one topic: eating back your exercise calories! I feel like I keep reading on here that I should eat back my exercise calories - but what's the point then? Don't I exercise more to get ahead of the game instead of equalling it out with food! I'd personally rather stay on my couch nice and comfy rather than working up a sweat if I'm not losing calories. Since my total weight loss goal is 67 lbs., I want to work off as much as possible without eating it back. Any insight?

Replies

  • cfregon
    cfregon Posts: 147
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    I don't usually eat mine back at all, but if I do, I never eat more than half of them. It's been working out pretty well for me.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    save ya some time

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • amk73
    amk73 Posts: 16
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    I sometimes eat mine back, but never all of them. Usually no more than half. Most of the time I try to plan not having to eat the calories. Like you it seems silly to eat them back when I'm trying to lose.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    MFP already calculates a calorie deficit based on the amount of weight you select to lose. When you exercise you burn extra calories on top of the ones you're already not eating. Depending on what your calorie goal is and how many calories you burn through exercise, you don't necessarily have to eat your earned exercise calories. But, there is a point where you'll be eating too little and over time your body will start storing the calories you eat as fat instead burning the fat you have. Most people need to eat at least 1200 net calories (calories consumed minus calories burned) in order to avoid going into starvation mode. I've found that in order to lose 1-1.5 pounds a week I need to eat at least 1400 net calories. Since I burn 500-600 calories 5 days a week that means I have to eat a lot of food. It seems counterintuitive, but you really do need to eat in order to lose weight!
  • JosephTucker
    JosephTucker Posts: 65
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    Well, I don't eat mine and already shedding 89 pounds and my wife has shedding 133 pounds. I figure I worked so hard to burn the calories, I don't see the point in eating them.. Just my opinion.
    Thanks
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
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    I just started yesterday on MFP and I was confused why it was rewarding me for all my workouts. So I use the NOTES section at the bottom of my homepage to keep track of what I have left on my original calories.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    The real question is : Can you trust the exercise counter to give you an accurate account of the calories you have burned? I say NO. The machine I workout on says one thing, the FOUR different sites I frequent inputting the SAME info says FOUR DIFFERENT things, and THIS site says one thing. Eat as much of it or all of it at YOUR own risk. I believe just having a sound eating and exercise plan and sticking to it works. I'm into keeping it simple...too much "science" of wt loss muddies the water and can cause loss of focus and motivation.

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