Do I HAVE to eat my exercise calories??

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Replies

  • Tifftiff321
    Tifftiff321 Posts: 61
    Sometimes I eat mine if I'm hungry but if your not hungry don't eat
  • Love62
    Love62 Posts: 18
    I never eat my exercise calories unless I'm celebrating a special holiday or my birthday. I am at 1420 calories a day and I'm very satisfied even after burning up calories. I think everyone is different. I remember when I did Weight Watchers and they too were telling us to eat our exercise points and I just couldn't, I was and still am full by all the food I eat now.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    1200 is what MFP tells you when you go so aggressive in your requested pounds lost per week that MFP bottoms out (it refuses to go below 1200 as it considers below 1200 to be unsafe for pretty much anyone). Truth is though 1200 is pretty unsafe/unsustainable for most people and unless you are a 70 year old 4 foot tall sedentary woman 1200 calories is likely not enough for you, 1460 sounded much more reasonable as an amount to NET (meaning after you eat back calories burned from exercise).
  • NaturallyandProperly
    NaturallyandProperly Posts: 138 Member
    Oh boy. I forgot to change my activity level when I went casual from FT at my nursing job! That changes everything! Now I am super excited to have those extra exercise cals b/c I'm now supposed to be at 1200 and not 1460 anymore. Whoopsie ;) thanks again for all the advice. It's great to ask a question and responses so quickly!

    1200 will be too low. :) Stick to 1460 for a while and see how you do. I don't know how tall you are or what you weigh though.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    you could be creating too large of a calorie deficiency which is not good because your body will not have enough calories/fuel to burn away the fat/pounds.

    Err...well no. Its bad because your body needs a certain number of calories to function healthily. You need nutrition and you need a certain amount of macros and your calorie goal reflects that. If you exercise you need to eat those calories back to ensure your deficit isn't too great. If your deficit it too great you will lose weight faster, meaning you will lose fat...and muscle...and bone density and your fitness level and strength.

    There isn't some deficit point at which if you eat less you stop losing fat though.

    For me, I don't lose if I don't eat enough calories. I am not a special snowflake but it's the way my body works.
  • remg81
    remg81 Posts: 8 Member
    I have not been eating my exercise calories and haven't lost in over a week! I stupidly thought that if I eat less and workout more, I would just lose but that's not the case. I am changing strategy this week and eating my exercise calories!
  • Chezzie84
    Chezzie84 Posts: 873 Member
    I am a special snowflake, my mommy says so!!
  • marialynn2014
    marialynn2014 Posts: 89 Member
    Oh boy. I forgot to change my activity level when I went casual from FT at my nursing job! That changes everything! Now I am super excited to have those extra exercise cals b/c I'm now supposed to be at 1200 and not 1460 anymore. Whoopsie ;) thanks again for all the advice. It's great to ask a question and responses so quickly!

    1200 will be too low. :) Stick to 1460 for a while and see how you do. I don't know how tall you are or what you weigh though.

    Currently 226 at 5'6ish
  • NaturallyandProperly
    NaturallyandProperly Posts: 138 Member
    To give you an idea, I started at 208, am 5'4" tall and my calorie goal started around 1900 a day and I eat back my exercise calories. I've lost 17 pounds since January and my current calorie goal is 1690 and I eat back my exercise calories. So, I think you should eat more. :D
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    To be totally fair, you dont need to eat them all back all the time.

    Try to stay over 1200 net, sure, but on odd days it wont matter. Also, i personally like to stay a little under my goal, in order to act as a "buffer" for things i may not have accounted for. The milk in my coffees, etc.
  • 04ward
    04ward Posts: 196 Member
    bump for later
  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
    1200 is what MFP tells you when you go so aggressive in your requested pounds lost per week that MFP bottoms out (it refuses to go below 1200 as it considers below 1200 to be unsafe for pretty much anyone). Truth is though 1200 is pretty unsafe/unsustainable for most people and unless you are a 70 year old 4 foot tall sedentary woman 1200 calories is likely not enough for you, 1460 sounded much more reasonable as an amount to NET (meaning after you eat back calories burned from exercise).

    While it is true that 1200 isn't enough for some people, it is enough for other people that I do know, including myself. And no, I'm not a 70 year old 4 foot tall sedentary woman. I'm a 5'3'' 25 year old woman with an office job who exercises about 4 times a week.

    I'm not saying that 1200 what my goal is - my goal right now is to maintain at about 1760 per day, however, I have protein in every meal and that keeps me full. I have days where I only hit about 1200 and I'm still full. I don't want to just eat when I'm full because then I feel sick.

    Everyone's different. Just saying.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    A lot of good advice here, I eat half of mine back approx..(unless I'm not hungry)
    since I worked out my BMR and my TDEE (and have a Fitbit) I know what I can safely eat at to maintain (1900) and to lose (1500)
    (I'm 5ft 2"/136lbs and very active)
    Its about finding that number you can eat at and still lose :)
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
    A goal is a goal, its what you should be trying to hit. If your goal is 1460 calories that means you should NET 1460 calories every day that you can. If you eat 1460 and then burn 300 you net 1160 and therefore you are missing your goal. Undershooting your goal is not additional success, it is failing to meet your goal.

    We should get this put in big bold letters at the top of the MFP page. It's the most common mistake people make here.
    Exactly.
  • lavendah
    lavendah Posts: 126 Member
    I don't think it's MANDATORY to do that,but I feel that anything below 1300 is too low of a net caloric intake (1200 feels almost chronically low to me).I'd say maintain a net of 1300 or 1200 atleast.Also,do pay attention to macros,especially proteins.

    Moreover,going a little slower will ensure that negative impacts of weight loss,such as muscle loss,metabolic slowdown etc are minimized - so I'd suggest add a little of something nutritious like maybe nuts to your diet.
  • Lexluthor
    Lexluthor Posts: 2 Member
    What a fabulous question. I never thought about. I am frequently surprised by how little I know but I'm learning! Thank you everyone!
  • DeliriumCanBeFun
    DeliriumCanBeFun Posts: 313 Member
    I'm 5'3" and currently 144. My goal is 1400 and I eat ALL my exercise calories back, except sometimes when I burn over 2,000 because I just don't want to eat any more. I have consistently lost 1lb/week average since the end of last year. I have a desk job but am very active (not counting exercise) when I'm off, but my goals are also custom set. Your BMR has got to be much higher than mine though, just based on height and weight. There is absolutely no reason to eat so little (unless your current weight is causing medical emergencies). You will cause yourself to lose even more good, fat burning muscle, and you will be much more likely to not stick with it.
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
    I have not been eating my exercise calories and haven't lost in over a week! I stupidly thought that if I eat less and workout more, I would just lose but that's not the case. I am changing strategy this week and eating my exercise calories!


    Have you tried weighing your food?
  • DeliriumCanBeFun
    DeliriumCanBeFun Posts: 313 Member
    Exactly. When you don't accurately log or even log at all, you are only hurting yourself. Weighing high calorie things like peanut butter and granola is crucial if you want accuracy, but even things like fruit will be way off if you log it as one piece or one cup instead of by its weigh. It all adds up.