Can someone help me understand this?

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alyssa83202
alyssa83202 Posts: 334
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't understand the point of eating back exercise calories. What is the point in exercising if you are supposed to eat back those calories anyway? I'd like to lose 10 lbs a month but my calorie deficit is only enough for me to lose 1.4 a week according to the website! Is it better for you to exercise still even though you're supposed to make up the calories? And is it really that bad to be under your calorie goal if you're not hungry? Thanks!

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  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    You were on the other thread where people explained pretty explicitly and clearly, WHY. Go back and read those.
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    You were on the other thread where people explained pretty explicitly and clearly, WHY. Go back and read those.
    Which one was that? I usually don't keep up with most threads after I post in them.
  • rstarks54
    rstarks54 Posts: 163
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    Through excercise, you speed up your metabolism, burning more calories, not only when you excercise, but for a substantial amount of time afterwards. You actually burn about 4 calories a minute even while sleeping!! Your body wants to conserve calories, saving them for a period when you may need them. By consuming your excercise calories, you convince your body that there is an abundance of food available, tricking into not saving them. It actually works...if you consume those extra calories, it's hard to believe, but you do loose weight faster!! Every 5-6 days, I have a treat day...one in which I don't watch calories at all (within reason, I don't go hog wild) and go easy on the excercise. I may be heavier the next day, but a couple of days later, I usually have a big drop in pounds ( 2-3). I hope this helps Best of luck to you!!!!
  • chocolatnoir
    chocolatnoir Posts: 182 Member
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    You were on the other thread where people explained pretty explicitly and clearly, WHY. Go back and read those.

    That was a little rude, yikes.

    To the original poster there is a great thread for newbies in the message center somewhere- I think it is in the general weight loss help section or in the food/nutrition area. That should explain things for you.

    Good luck!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Here's the link:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/148841-i-ask-a-lot-of-questions-but-i-need-to-know-if-i-am-eating

    Also in the future if you click "my topics" you will be able to see all the recent topics you've posted on.

    ~Meg
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
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    Think of exercise as a route to a better body, higher energy levels, and a longer life, while calorie deficits are the route to weight loss. When you choose a loss rate/calorie level, the site is set to keep you at that net calorie level. When you exercise, that puts you at a negative balance, so the site adds calories to your daily intake to keep you at the loss level you set it to. If you want to lose more than that, change your profile goals, then the calories will set to that new loss rate. As long as you aren't over-estimating your calorie burn, you should eat back most of those calories. You never want your net intake to go below about 1200 calories a day unless ordered by and closely monitored by your doctor. It is very difficult to get the needed nutrients with less than 1200 calories a day, and since exercise requires nutrients and amino acids for recovery of the muscles, you need to get those in.
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    Through excercise, you speed up your metabolism, burning more calories, not only when you excercise, but for a substantial amount of time afterwards. You actually burn about 4 calories a minute even while sleeping!! Your body wants to conserve calories, saving them for a period when you may need them. By consuming your excercise calories, you convince your body that there is an abundance of food available, tricking into not saving them. It actually works...if you consume those extra calories, it's hard to believe, but you do loose weight faster!! Every 5-6 days, I have a treat day...one in which I don't watch calories at all (within reason, I don't go hog wild) and go easy on the excercise. I may be heavier the next day, but a couple of days later, I usually have a big drop in pounds ( 2-3). I hope this helps Best of luck to you!!!!
    Thank you! That explains everything that I was unsure about! I'm about 600 calories under my goal today (which is a lot mote than usual) but I'm not hungry and I've already had dinner and a snack! Should I eat more anyways?!
  • bluebeta
    bluebeta Posts: 48
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    Sometimes the same thing happens to me. I've been reading previous posts and everyone says if your not hungry don't eat. Some people recommend drinking a smoothie or a protein shake, but I haven't done that yet.
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    Think of exercise as a route to a better body, higher energy levels, and a longer life, while calorie deficits are the route to weight loss. When you choose a loss rate/calorie level, the site is set to keep you at that net calorie level. When you exercise, that puts you at a negative balance, so the site adds calories to your daily intake to keep you at the loss level you set it to. If you want to lose more than that, change your profile goals, then the calories will set to that new loss rate. As long as you aren't over-estimating your calorie burn, you should eat back most of those calories. You never want your net intake to go below about 1200 calories a day unless ordered by and closely monitored by your doctor. It is very difficult to get the needed nutrients with less than 1200 calories a day, and since exercise requires nutrients and amino acids for recovery of the muscles, you need to get those in.
    OKay, thank you! I have my goal set to 2 lbs a week and my cal. goal is at 1200 but it says that it's only enough of a deficit to lose 1.4 lbs a week. Maybe 10 lbs a month is unrealistic?
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Maybe 10 lbs a month is unrealistic?

    Yea- typically 1-2 lbs a week is considered healthy.
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    Than for all of the responses! I'm sure it's annoying seeing this question over and over again (as I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't understand it at first), but now I understand why it's important to eat those calories back! Thanks for all the help!
  • bluebeta
    bluebeta Posts: 48
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    you don't have to apologize for asking questions
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    That's exactly the kind of answer I was looking for! Thanks. I've read before that eating enough calories can cause your body to hold onto calories, but that actually explained why it does that!
  • sanddollar
    sanddollar Posts: 192 Member
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    I had the same question, thanks for posting links to the answers people! :)

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