Do you eat your exercise calories?

cherryblossombabe
cherryblossombabe Posts: 113 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hey fellow MFP peeps!

Looking for some advice here.. I am currently eating 1,200 calories per day. I have just bought a treadmill and plan to start using this 3 days a week, 1 hour each time. Sooo when you guys exercise and log what you have done exercise wise, do you eat the calories that creates or do you just stick with your given amount? My diary is open too if you want to have a nosey.. Thanks :)
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Replies

  • Marchese346
    Marchese346 Posts: 2 Member
    I try not to eat them. My girlfriend who is also on this website told me not to eat them to lose more weight. Before when I was eating them my scale only budged by fractions, when I didn't eat them I went down over a pound. While that doesn't sound like a lot keep in mind I am a 55 year old woman whose metabolism has come to a snails crawl.
  • leodru
    leodru Posts: 321 Member
    I tend not to eat them during the week - sometimes i will exercise more on the weekends if in know i am going to end up eating more - its always a crap shoot with burned estimations.
  • therocpile
    therocpile Posts: 54 Member
    Yes I eat mine back, and at 1200 calories (which is far too low to live on) you should DEFINITELY eat yours back. I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor, though not 100% accurate they will provide the best estimate on what you have burned. Don't starve yourself.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I say eat them. The more I exercise the more I can eat and the more I burn. Its a win win. When I say exercise I don't count general activity but refer to running several miles or weight lifting. I really became conscious of what I was eating when I saw how many miles I had to run to burn 1000 calories (about 7 miles).
  • no_russian
    no_russian Posts: 893 Member
    I don't. My calorie goal has my activity level factored in.
  • Early_Riser
    Early_Riser Posts: 127 Member
    I don't, usually. Sometimes I do.
  • Discoqueen77
    Discoqueen77 Posts: 61 Member
    I think it might depend on your metabolism. When I do not eat them, the scale actually moves. Sometimes on weekend, I 'dip' into the exercise calories, but not by much!
  • lizzybathory
    lizzybathory Posts: 229
    At 1200 calories, I would definitely eat them back. When you chose your calorie goal, you planned your caloric deficit. Now when you exercise, you're increasing that deficit, probably to an unsafe level.

    When you're losing weight through caloric deficit, you should decide what your daily deficit is, and meet that deficit through either dieting, exercising, or a little bit of both; but don't try to double down to double the deficit you already planned.

    If you create too much of a deficit on a daily basis, your body will fight back. You'll get tired all the time, your body won't fully recover from your exercise, and you'll be much more prone to binging or falling off the wagon.

    I always eat my exercise cals back. I already planned my deficit, and accounted for it in my diet; so when I add on top of that deficit with exercise, I get to eat more. I look at exercise as a way to increase my fitness and earn more food, to keep myself fuller and happier.
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
    Yes, but I try very hard not to over-estimate how much I burn through exercise.
    For example, accounting for walking breaks during a long run, or accounting for the minute rest between sets of weight lifting, Or, if you go to a fitness class recognize that there's a 10-minute warmup, water breaks, and a 10-minute cool-down.
    If I get too lazy for all that, then I just eat back half the calories.
  • cherryblossombabe
    cherryblossombabe Posts: 113 Member
    Thank you so much for all your feedback, I really appreciate it guys!

    You see I was diagnosed with a brain condition called IIH and the doctor advised me to lose around 4 stone in total. (Apparently weight loss can help ease symptoms off IIH). It can be difficult doing exercise as IIH affects the fluid pressure within my skull so exerting myself can cause pressure to raise in my brain fluid and that would mean I would need a spinal tap (lumbar puncture), so yeah I need to be careful with exercise, this is why my daily calorie intake is low at 1,200. Trying to focus on losing most of the weight on diet.

    I am going to try walking on the treadmill and after reading all your comments I think it will be best for me to eat my exercise calories back. If I don't I will be basically doubling up my calorie deficit in one week.

    Thanks again! :)
  • JustAnotherGirlSuzanne
    JustAnotherGirlSuzanne Posts: 932 Member
    If you're only eating 1200 calories, then yes, eat back your exercise calories. You need to net at least 1200.

    I net around 1500-1800 calories and I eat back my exercise calories (or at least a portion of them) because I'd go crazy if I didn't. I like food.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Yes I eat mine back, and at 1200 calories (which is far too low to live on) you should DEFINITELY eat yours back. I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor, though not 100% accurate they will provide the best estimate on what you have burned. Don't starve yourself.

    far too low to live on? Is a ridiculous statement. Depending on someone's weight, height, and BMR 1200 calories CAN be sustainable.

    OP-I don't eat mine back but I also use the TDEE-20% method. So my exercise is factored into my daily allowance.
    I do agree with the HR suggestion, its a much more accurate way to gage your calorie burn.
  • jessiruthica
    jessiruthica Posts: 412 Member
    I do eat most of my exercise calories back and I've lost an average of 2 lbs per week doing it. I don't log exercise per se but instead link up to my FitBit Flex, which I wear 24/7.

    When you have a lot to lose (I've got 65lbs - about 4.5 stone), I think it's generally easier to lose weight if you're making the right changes. My lifestyle is SIGNIFICANTLY different from before I started on MFP. Before, I was eating way too much, snacking all the time, and barely moving off my work chair or home sofa. Now I'm at the gym most days (alternating cardio and strength training, such as it is) and carefully logging everything I eat.

    You can do it!
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
    I do, and always eat at least half if not all. I don't think I could deal with the lower calories if I didn't get to eat a bit extra that I'm given from exercise. :3
  • Katy009
    Katy009 Posts: 579 Member
    I eat about half of them back, unless I feel really hungry that day, then I eat most of them back. I couldn't survive on 1200 calories....it seems very low and then to add exercise to it......you'll have to see how you feel.
  • _Tink_
    _Tink_ Posts: 3,845 Member
    Sometimes I do, but I never eat back all of them. I typically burn 1100-1300 calories in a workout; there's no way I can eat all of that on top of my normal calorie goal.
  • mswanger09
    mswanger09 Posts: 863 Member
    It depends. There are days that I eat them back and other days, I don't get close. If works like this for me, if I am hungry I will eat them back if not, I don't.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Usually, yes.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    if you are only doing the tread mill then dont eat it back, that is a waste of your time imo
    I used to eat mine back everyday, it took me 5 months to lose 24lbs my husband didnt eat his and lost 24lbs a litle less than 2 months.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Most or all of them, yes.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    I eat some back, not all. Understanding that the calories burned is not an exact science, I prefer to have a bit of a buffer.
  • DerekVTX
    DerekVTX Posts: 287 Member
    I eat them back for cardio but not for the weights. I am already at a 1000 calorie a day defecit for a 2lb weight loss per week. I exercise to buiild my cardiovascular health. Its not a race and I dont want to lose more than 2 lbs per week as I want to lose fat and not muscle.
  • golfgirl15
    golfgirl15 Posts: 12 Member
    Don't!
  • snoringcat
    snoringcat Posts: 131 Member
    I eat some back, not all. Understanding that the calories burned is not an exact science, I prefer to have a bit of a buffer.

    Same here.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Don't!
    Do!

    (Love a good debate!)
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    Yes I eat mine back, and at 1200 calories (which is far too low to live on) you should DEFINITELY eat yours back. I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor, though not 100% accurate they will provide the best estimate on what you have burned. Don't starve yourself.

    This.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    its the only reason i run
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    I actually changed my diary and set it to maintenance... and try to shoot for a 400-500 deficit from Maintenance plus exercise calories (from fitbit). Somehow just seeing that number "you have 500 calories left" is much easier/much more motivating than worrying about that "net" number... esp since they changed the new app and it doesn't show the net figure anymore. As long as my "calories left" number is somewhere around 400-500 I'm happy.
  • Adubmarie87
    Adubmarie87 Posts: 41 Member
    No, I tend not to eat them. As long as you eat 1200 a day it shouldn't matter. Any lower and your metabolism will come to a screeching halt. I eat about 1500 a day and my workouts I input stays around 200-300 calories lost making it seem like I only eat 1200 a day if that makes sense.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Yep I eat mine back.... Got fuel up from the workouts I demand of my body to do.... If your using the MFP approach then yes you need to eat them back because your deficit is already built in. If you are use the TDEE approach then no you won't eat them back........ best of Luck

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