"Extra calories" earned from exercise

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ajbeans
ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is probably a stupid question, but I've never counted calories before, so I don't quite understand it all. My daily goal is 1200 calories. Today I shoveled the sidewalk, burning 145 calories, and my food diary says I've earned 145 extra calories because of it. Now, does that mean I *should* eat 145 extra calories, or just that I *can* if I want to? I know that you shouldn't eat fewer than 1200 calories in a day because your body goes into starvation mode, so I'm wondering if I need to eat that extra 145 calories to keep my body going, or if I can just eat like I've normally been and enjoy extra weight loss?

Sorry if I haven't phrased this question right. Any input would be appreciated. :)

Replies

  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
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    I would say you *can* if you want to. Probably a good idea to leave a little padding just in case the amount of calories it credits you isn't quite accurate. I eat them if I'm hungry or want a snack at night.

    If you aren't hungry, don't eat them and they'll be extra toward your daily calorie deficit. If you have extra consistently, you could lose more than the pounds per week goal you've set
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Everyone goes a different route with this and both sides have success if your losing on your current plan I wouldnt change it unless your Dr advises differently...The site is based on the fact you "eat" those extra calories and still are able to lose weight. I dont eat them BUT I do add extra calories onto my 1200-1400 per day if Im hungry usually only in 100 calorie increments...good luck in 2011
  • clb51
    clb51 Posts: 23 Member
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    I just joined 2 weeks ago and have the same question. I haven't been eating my exercise calories and I have not lost a pound. After reading some of the older posts, it sounds like I am in starvation mode. I started yesterday with trying to eat all of the calories allowed. I guess I will have to be patient and see if it works. It's hard because I am so fearful of gaining more weight.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    It means you should eat them. You don't want to go below 1200 net calories (calories consumed minus calories burned). If you want more of a buffer so that you don't have to eat all the exercise calories, increase your daily calorie goal.

    I've consistently lost 1 pound a week, my desired weight loss, and I always eat all my exercise calories. I also have two days off where I don't exercise or stay strict to my calorie goal.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Yeah, I just started so I don't know yet if I'm losing. I don't want to be too hard on my body -- the whole reason I'm doing this is so I can feel healthier! :) Thanks for the input guys. I'll go ahead and eat the extra calories. Yay! :-P hahaha
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
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    I always eat the vast majority of mine, and I've been losing consistently. (I should probably also say that I get 1,700 right from the start, and usually eat over 2,000 on days when I exercise. Last week I lost 4 pounds, so there you go! Haha!) You will get people telling you different things on this though, so you will probably need to do some trial and error and figure out what works best for you.

    But here is my input, from what you said - You get 1,200 calories a day. If you eat those 1,200 calories, but NOT your 145 from exercise - your daily Net calories will be 1,055. Your Net calories every day should really not be below 1,200 if you can help it. In my experience, I have had much greater successes when I eat my calories that I earned from exercising.

    Just my two cents. =) Best of luck!
  • swiftgirls2
    swiftgirls2 Posts: 59
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    When I exercise I do not add those extra calories to my menu to eat more. I stick to around 800 calories a day and do not eat more if I exercise.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Well 800 calories doesn't sound healthy to me. I think I would pass out! But to each their own. :)

    I've been having a hard time sticking to 1200 calories myself. It's the goal the site gave me, so I just went with it to start with to see what happens. I'm thinking I'll have to get off my lazy butt and start getting more exercise so I can increase my calorie goal. But with all this snow we've been getting, it shouldn't be too hard to get moving. We have a loooooot of sidewalk to shovel. hahaha
  • 2hdesign
    2hdesign Posts: 153
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    My cousin is a registered dietician and has recommended I aim for 1650 calories a day (based on my personal factors, so it would be different for you). When I asked her the same question about 'eating my exercise calories,' this is what she said (and as a RD she is in the professional field):

    "I think the site looks pretty cool....but it's telling you that you earned extra calories??? OOOOHHHHHHhhhhhh....I would be careful with that. Since you are still mentally in the mode of wanting to LOSE weight, I would caution increasing your kcals to more than 1800 on days when you exercise. At least for now. It might put you in the mindset that it is "ok" to eat more on those days...and that can really set you back in your weight loss goals. "

    FYI - kcal = calories

    Just thought it might help. So I use these guidelines and ignore when my exercise says I can eat 2000 cal...
  • Sassy_Cass
    Sassy_Cass Posts: 408 Member
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    Hey,

    You are going to get a lot of different advice on this site and I would like to start by saying, take everything witha grain of salt - even the recommendations of the program. I started with the programs 1200 calorie limit, after meeting with a trainer quickly I raised my intake to 1500 based on my standing heart rate etc (to balance my actual needs with my metabolism). From there I eat almost all of my burned calories - the minimum is based on losing without "effort", once you add effort into the mix you are going to start starving your body of the nutrients you need. Eat sensibly the additional calories you earn and you will see results (trust me - I was down 7 before a passing in the family and the holidays mix added back 3).

    Listen to your body and "average" out the posts from users, leaving "outliers" completly out of the mix (800 calories is usually WAY too low and would not let you get a good burn on when exercising... it may actually lead to some serious health risks if not carefully monitored).

    Cas
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Hey,

    You are going to get a lot of different advice on this site and I would like to start by saying, take everything witha grain of salt - even the recommendations of the program. I started with the programs 1200 calorie limit, after meeting with a trainer quickly I raised my intake to 1500 based on my standing heart rate etc (to balance my actual needs with my metabolism). From there I eat almost all of my burned calories - the minimum is based on losing without "effort", once you add effort into the mix you are going to start starving your body of the nutrients you need. Eat sensibly the additional calories you earn and you will see results (trust me - I was down 7 before a passing in the family and the holidays mix added back 3).

    Listen to your body and "average" out the posts from users, leaving "outliers" completly out of the mix (800 calories is usually WAY too low and would not let you get a good burn on when exercising... it may actually lead to some serious health risks if not carefully monitored).

    Cas

    Yeah, I figured I'd get a wide range of responses, so I'm just kind of taking the average. It seems like my first instinct was right, to not let my net intake drop below 1200. I'm figuring I'll have to adjust my goals at some point, but since I just joined a week ago, I haven't had an opportunity to do that. I think I'll probably end up having to adjust my goal to at least 1400, because I've not been able to stick to 1200 anyway -- I'm just too hungry. I just didn't understand what that "earning extra calories" thing meant. Right now I'm just tracking calories to see where I need to cut back (um, my chocolate intake is a huge problem!), and seeing how much exercise I need to do to make progress.
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
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    Hey,

    You are going to get a lot of different advice on this site and I would like to start by saying, take everything witha grain of salt - even the recommendations of the program. I started with the programs 1200 calorie limit, after meeting with a trainer quickly I raised my intake to 1500 based on my standing heart rate etc (to balance my actual needs with my metabolism). From there I eat almost all of my burned calories - the minimum is based on losing without "effort", once you add effort into the mix you are going to start starving your body of the nutrients you need. Eat sensibly the additional calories you earn and you will see results (trust me - I was down 7 before a passing in the family and the holidays mix added back 3).

    Listen to your body and "average" out the posts from users, leaving "outliers" completly out of the mix (800 calories is usually WAY too low and would not let you get a good burn on when exercising... it may actually lead to some serious health risks if not carefully monitored).

    Cas
    Good advice. I wouldn't go on just 1200 calories a day.. I'd shoot for 2000, matter of fact, I shoot every day for 2000 and come up short some days and go way over some days.. But when I get to the gym, I bust my butt and make sure when I leave, I feel like I've had a good burn. Good luck.
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
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    Yeah, I figured I'd get a wide range of responses, so I'm just kind of taking the average. It seems like my first instinct was right, to not let my net intake drop below 1200. I'm figuring I'll have to adjust my goals at some point, but since I just joined a week ago, I haven't had an opportunity to do that. I think I'll probably end up having to adjust my goal to at least 1400, because I've not been able to stick to 1200 anyway -- I'm just too hungry. I just didn't understand what that "earning extra calories" thing meant. Right now I'm just tracking calories to see where I need to cut back (um, my chocolate intake is a huge problem!), and seeing how much exercise I need to do to make progress.
    Don't use this site as your bible for weight loss. Use it as a tool to help track everything. There's exercises I do that's not listed on here so it don't really help, but it's a good tool when it comes to counting calories and carbs on things on the fly. Just don't put your body in survival mode, then you'll be more annoyed than anything.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Don't use this site as your bible for weight loss. Use it as a tool to help track everything. There's exercises I do that's not listed on here so it don't really help, but it's a good tool when it comes to counting calories and carbs on things on the fly. Just don't put your body in survival mode, then you'll be more annoyed than anything.

    Thanks! :) Like I said, right now I'm just trying to get a picture of how much I put into my body and how much I put out. And let me tell ya, I don't put out that much. ;) I'm using it more for tracking and accountability. I figure that if I get a realistic picture of what I'm eating, I'll be able to make positive changes. Like I didn't realize how little iron and potassium I eat each day, but now that I'm tracking those I realize that I really need to take my supplements since I'm having a really hard time getting enough from food. I know this site is just a tool. I've never had to think about calories and all that before, so I'm just here to help change my thinking. :)
  • gdunn55
    gdunn55 Posts: 363
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    Thanks! :) Like I said, right now I'm just trying to get a picture of how much I put into my body and how much I put out. And let me tell ya, I don't put out that much. ;) I'm using it more for tracking and accountability. I figure that if I get a realistic picture of what I'm eating, I'll be able to make positive changes. Like I didn't realize how little iron and potassium I eat each day, but now that I'm tracking those I realize that I really need to take my supplements since I'm having a really hard time getting enough from food. I know this site is just a tool. I've never had to think about calories and all that before, so I'm just here to help change my thinking. :)

    This is what I've done and how it's worked for me. I took a long look at what I was eating and decided to cut out my worst habit first, then weened myself off the rest.

    So in my case my worst habit was fast food. And I'm thinking I was eating FF on an average 2 meals a day, easy. So I cut out all FF.

    Then I started exercising. When the weight starting coming off slowly, I looked at what else I had going on and started weening myself and/or limiting myself to.

    Now 3 years later I'm re-evaluating my situation. I've gotten a healthy gym habit but my eating wasn't worth a flip. So I've changed it again. I try not to eat anything processed. If I can't raise it, pick it, dig it, or hunt it, I try not to eat it. In one week of eating foods of that nature and working out I dropped a few pounds.

    But because this works for me doesn't mean it'll work for you. My suggestion is take a day, eat what you've normally ate, track it here, go exercise, and then track it here. See what your difference was and what you can live without or limit yourself to. You may not have to cut out everything, but you definately need your calories. If you've ever watched the Biggest Loser, you've heard Bob and Jillian fuss at contestants because they didn't hit their caloric intake. Calories play a big role in the whole scheme of things.

    Good luck to you again.
  • mkspriggs
    mkspriggs Posts: 26 Member
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    yes you do want to eat them. when you set up the program it calculated everything for you, basically from what im told from friends at bodybuilding.com is if i get 1900 a day and i burn 900 basically i should replenish atleast 800 of what i burned. that way your body does not enter starvation mode. so you can judge for yourself either eat all you burn or just under but keep good energy

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