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Healthyby30
Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am curious to know who eats back their exercise calories and who doesn't? If you do, do you just eat enough to get the minimum net calories (1200 for women, 1500 for men) or do you eat them all, etc. Also, please state why you do what you do!

I'll go first, since I asked the question. Up until this point I have not eaten back my exercise calories, but that's changing as of yesterday lol. I just find myself dragging *kitten* lots of times, not being able to push myself during workouts, no energy, tired all the time, etc. I figure it might be due to a month and a half of only having a net calorie total of 400 to 600. I've lost 28 lbs doing that, but if I don't feel good what's the point? So, now I'm going to try eating my exercise calories back to give me a net of 1200 calories and see how it goes for a month or so. I'd rather lose the weight slower and feel better then lose it fast, feel like crap and possibly gain it all back!
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Replies

  • Caffeinewitch
    Caffeinewitch Posts: 110 Member
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    Yes yes yes! Eat exercise calories until you're at 1200!
    I was going under for only a couple of weeks and I was dragging my feet to get up to my office. I'm back up to 1200 a day (net) and I sleep like a baby, wake up feeling ready, and heck have the energy AFTER a workout to do laundry, and tidy my house! After work!
  • shellydd
    shellydd Posts: 156 Member
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    i eat my exercise calories too. actually i've been alittle under a couple of times but i'm never "hungry". when it's time to eat, i'm ready but i'm not starved and obsessed with food. Also i get the "incentive" to exercise from the "need" to burn off some of what i've eaten. i'd be happy to see the weight fly off by not eating back my exercise calories but i know without even trying it....i'd fail
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
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    I exercise so I can eat more! LOL! I don't eat them all of course, but I eat until I am full. If I need an extra snack and I have extra calories from exercise, I will eat something. I notice on the days that I work out I am hungrier so I figure it's my body telling me to give it a little more.
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    Thanks for the responses. At first I thought because I had so much to lose that not eating them back would be ok, but wow I just feel like complete crap!
  • missmiller1
    missmiller1 Posts: 131 Member
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    I only eat my exercise calories if I'm really hungry after a workout.

    I usually eat dinner, wait an hour or so, then circuit train and/or go for a run at night and then hit the hay less than a hour afterwards and I don't want to eat right before I go to sleep.

    So far it's worked for me.
  • rescuepete
    rescuepete Posts: 58 Member
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    This seems to be the most consistently discussed topic on the forums, whereas I am anything but consistent with eating back my exercise calories. Some days I feel like I need the extra fuel, sometimes i don't. I really do consider all intake of calories as fuel for my internal fire, and I let a combination of my brain, general fatigue level, and hunger be my fuel gauge.

    I also use a HRM to track my cardio, and I read regularly to not completely trust the device. It's accurate to about 80%, and it's best to only eat back 1/2 those calories.

    So, if you eat a minimum of 1200 a day, exercise 400, then eat back another 200, you're still taking in a total of 1400, and netting 1000. That doesn't seem too far fetched or off-target for me. I think it's when you only eat a 1000 for a day, exercise say 400 again, then eat nothing back, you're netting 600. I think my fuel gauges would be screaming.
  • TaneeisFitforLife
    TaneeisFitforLife Posts: 433
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    If I eat them it's no more than half of them...it really depends on how much real hunger I have. :)

    Why are you eating only 1200 at your current weight? You aren't eating enough if you are feeling like you are. (I'm in the school of eating the most calories you can & still lose weight...at your weight I was eating about 1500-1600 & still losing at least 2 pounds a week)
  • just4peachy
    just4peachy Posts: 594 Member
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    I'm not consistent with my eating/not eating exercise calories. If I'm hungry or honestly feel like I need them then I do but if I still feel good/satisfied I don't bother.
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    Why are you eating only 1200 at your current weight? You aren't eating enough if you are feeling like you are. (I'm in the school of eating the most calories you can & still lose weight...at your weight I was eating about 1500-1600 & still losing at least 2 pounds a week)

    The honest answer? Lol, I really am not that hungry but I get obsessive about things and I'm very competitive. Trying to get out of that mindset now though..I would think I have to lose the most weight possible each week or I was failing, while this isn't true, I know I need to be consistent and do it healthy and not just be obsessive and unrealistic about it.
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I eat a lot but I exercise a lot so I can't really eat all my exercise calories. Fortunately, I'm not hungry even if I've 500 exercise calories left to eat.But its nice to know they are there if I need them.
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
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    I eat most of mine back. I never leave more than a 100-200 cals left at the end of the day (after the exercise cals are factored in). Frankly I don't burn enough exercising to cause too big of a deficit.
  • Evermyre
    Evermyre Posts: 43
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    It all dependson how many calories I've earned. I try to not be more than 500 calories below what my net should be on any given day. I'm also not on nearly as restrictive a calorie intake though. My goal is only to loose 1 pound a week so I figure if I'm below by another 500 that puts me in the 2 pound range and I'm okay with that. Usually I'll eat back at least some though.
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    That seems to be the general consensus. The reason I posted this topic is b/c I'm always browsing through people's diaries, and have asked people who have lost a lot of weight and it seems like they are way undereating, but I guess different things also work for different people, just gotta figure out what works best for me.
  • Aimee_PD
    Aimee_PD Posts: 177 Member
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    I'm still trying to figure out my numbers too. I started with sparkpeople and lost 40 lbs then switched over here where my calorie allowance is about 350 cals lower than SP... i've never eaten my exercise calories but always felt like you do...tired. some days pushing through the exercise and was losing weight but staying tired...worth it? not sure! so I will adjust my profile accordingly to what SP was giving me plus eating maybe half my exercise calories... but I dont eat until I'm hungry so maybe i need to snack in between regardless? i dont know!
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I don't generally worry about it..I work out at night so sometimes i'm over my calories by the time i start working out so i'll work myself into a deficit, or sometimes i'll work out just enough to balance them out. most of the time i'm under, but it's never by the same amount.
  • dkrioux
    dkrioux Posts: 144
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    Where does it tell you your net?? I am confused!:)
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    When you click on My Home, it says how many calories you have remaining well if you look at the end it says calories eaten - exercise calories = net calories (might not be exact wording but you get the idea.

    Basically its just the calories you've eaten, minus the calories you've burned. So if you eat 1500 calories, then burn off 500 during your workout, your net calories is only 1000.
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
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    I do not eat my exercise calories. I try not even to punch in my exercise until the end of the day so I don't get confused with my "extra" calories.........but if I'm going out to eat or want to have a few drinks I make sure my exercising will cover those calories instead of going over all together. Want to have a cookie? I Go exercise those calories FIRST instead of promising to do it later.
  • dageeus
    dageeus Posts: 4
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    I have never known what net means... I guess i'd better learn
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    Put me in the "eat every single extra calorie I'm allowed" category. I'm not sure why someone wouldn't. Food is good, why not eat it?

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