Do you eat your exercise calories?

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Ilovemy2gorgeousboys
Ilovemy2gorgeousboys Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I need to lose 4 stone and I'm on 1240 calories a day. But I get 200 cals for doing the school run. Should I be eating those too?
I haven't really lost that much but is that co I'm eating those 200 calories?

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Yes, if you use MFP as it was designed and set your profile up accurately, MFP expects you to eat your exercise calories.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    Absolutely. If I didn't eat back the calories I'm burning, I'd be starving be meal times (I start getting peckish an hour or two before as it is).
  • Puffingmuffin
    Puffingmuffin Posts: 76 Member
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    Nope. I usually run before dinner. I have a whey protein shake 5 mins before I have dinner. Whey fills and bloats my tummy. I eat 1200 calories regardless whether I exercise or not.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Different people do different things. I used to eat back my exercise calories, now I don't, but I tend to eat a bit more if I go to the gym that day. I mostly don't because of the difficulty of measuring calories burnt - everywhere seems to say that the machines overestimate, MFP overestimates, heart rate monitors overestimate, there seems to be no way of knowing how much you should eat back.

    The theory behind MFP is that you log and eat back your exercise calories - you're always meant to hit 0 calories at the end of the day after logging exercise and food. You have to find out what works for you. Just make sure you're not overworking yourself by not eating enough.
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
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    On 1240 daily, definitely eat back at least half of your exercise calories.
  • 2horsestoride
    2horsestoride Posts: 37 Member
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    I don't. I've been eating 1200 calories a day since September and have lost 56 pounds and never felt better. IMPO, exercise calories are often over-estimated and calories eaten are under-estimated so I believe it all evens out.

    But, you will need to find what works for YOU.
  • mlogantra76
    mlogantra76 Posts: 334 Member
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    Yes! I didn't at first as I actually didn't understand you were supposed to. I was eating 1200 calories and then burning 3-4 hundred and not eating them back. I was ravenous all the time. I did lose. However, it was not sustainable for me and so I started eating some of them back. Right now, I am eating 1200 plus 500 exercise calories back and am still losing. I might eat even more exercise calories back as I do a lot of exercise...
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    Nope. I usually run before dinner. I have a whey protein shake 5 mins before I have dinner. Whey fills and bloats my tummy. I eat 1200 calories regardless whether I exercise or not.

    Thats bright.
  • RobP1192
    RobP1192 Posts: 310 Member
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    I hardly ever eat back exercise calories. At least not during a "cut". I just responded to another thread on this. On MFP, i don't record my exercises. Actually, i play soccer once a week and record that, but i don't really eat what MFP allows after it gives me the 500 calorie credit to my budget. I just eat as much as i normally would, unless i really want the extra calories. But hey, that's just me and how i'm doing it.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    No, but I would if I were not overweight enough to have obvious amounts of fat to lose.
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
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    Bump
  • Shetchncn1
    Shetchncn1 Posts: 260 Member
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    Yes because 1250 is the least you can eat and keep your body functioning right. Other wise you need to calculate your TDEE etc. to see what you should be eating vs the amount of exercise you do.
    There are ALOT of sites like this one but take a look -

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • Firehawk734
    Firehawk734 Posts: 132 Member
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    I do not.
  • Firehawk734
    Firehawk734 Posts: 132 Member
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    I hardly ever eat back exercise calories. At least not during a "cut". I just responded to another thread on this. On MFP, i don't record my exercises. Actually, i play soccer once a week and record that, but i don't really eat what MFP allows after it gives me the 500 calorie credit to my budget. I just eat as much as i normally would, unless i really want the extra calories. But hey, that's just me and how i'm doing it.

    Rob, looking great brother
  • _mlee_
    _mlee_ Posts: 90
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    If I'm hungry then I eat them back if I'm not then I don't force myself to eat :) good luck
  • cassie4animals
    cassie4animals Posts: 23 Member
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    I don't usually eat my exercise calories. As I work out more, I plan to incorporate more veggie snacking throughout the day to keep the hunger pangs away.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    I personally dont and got ripped on the other day for saying it. When I exercise I take that as an added bonus on the calorie deficit game.
    Plus, how accurate do you believe you can estimate calories burnt?
    If you think ya burned 500 so you eat them back, but in reality you burned 250 then that gets you into a hole again.

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