if you exercise...

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MissyFit08
MissyFit08 Posts: 274 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If you exercise and put in the time/what you did on the exercise tab. I noticed It gives you more calories to eat on the food chart. I want to lose weight (duh). If you eat the extra calories won't it be harder to lose weight? or should I just stick to my 1200 a day and pay no mind to the extra calories??

Replies

  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    It's okay to skip eating your exercise calories once in a while but at your weight, you should be eating most of them, most of the time.

    This may help enlighten you as to why: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainerRobin/view/myth-or-fact-calories-in-versus-calories-out-3500-calories-one-pound-and-should-i-eat-my-exercise-calories-62012

    Good luck. Hope that helps! :)
  • MissyFit08
    MissyFit08 Posts: 274 Member
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    Thank you so much!! I was a bit confused on that part. I'll gladly eat my extra calories if I must :laugh: Most of the time anyway. Thanks for the article. I'll go read it right now!
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    That is always the debate everyone has their own theory to eat or not to eat exercise calories. I myself workout everyday and my calories are set to 1200 per day without exercising. I do not eat my exercise calories unless i am really hungry that day. If I am then I might eat 100-200 of my exercise calories. I am still losing weight.

    So I would say do what works for you. Try doing it both ways and see if you lose or not.
  • lizfran
    lizfran Posts: 11
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    Man, this topic is driving me nuts LOL. Just when I think i have it figured it I don't. To eat or not to eat, that is the question? I have been at a plateau for months and just started using MFP. I have always counted calories though. i am not sure now if I should eat them or not. Maybe middle of the road and eat half? Argghhh! LOL
  • mckval
    mckval Posts: 64 Member
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    I work out so that I CAN eat that little bit more. Mixing it up has worked for me...sometimes going over the "net" calories by a bit, sometimes making sure I stay right around my 1200 net (actually, I go a bit more nowadays because I am working out so much, my body seems to need the fuel).

    It is something you'll just need to have the patience to try, experiment, see what's going on with your own body.

    Best to you!
  • MissyFit08
    MissyFit08 Posts: 274 Member
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    I guess I will try eating most of my extra calories because with exercising every day pretty much makes me hungry. If I don't start losing weight or inches then I will mosdef decrease my calorie intake. I guess it's different for everyone. Usually when I can't get the weight off, I just cut carbs for a few days. But I'm trying to learn how to exercise and eat properly without having to cut all my beloved carbs. hahha.
  • mckval
    mckval Posts: 64 Member
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    I guess I will try eating most of my extra calories because with exercising every day pretty much makes me hungry. If I don't start losing weight or inches then I will mosdef decrease my calorie intake. I guess it's different for everyone. Usually when I can't get the weight off, I just cut carbs for a few days. But I'm trying to learn how to exercise and eat properly without having to cut all my beloved carbs. hahha.

    The thing I've learn the most from this site, is balance. And while I don't always fall within the parameters set for carbs/sugar/protein, etc., it has caused me to really pay attention to it all and not neglect one food type. The last thing I need to feel in this process is that I am depriving myself. I try to make sure that I eat my heavier meals/foods earlier in the day so I have time to burn it off (and make it 5 smaller meals, too), don't eat three hours before bed, and water, water, water.
  • katbass
    katbass Posts: 351 Member
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    Im just copying and pasting from someone who just asked almost the exact same question. This is likely THE MOST asked question on this site. If you use the search tool, you will find great debate and some enlightenment. These are the best links for the topic, and my two cents at the bottom, based on my experiences so far.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

    Its probably the most common question asked on the forums :)

    Short answer: Try Searching this topic, as it has been discussed ad nausea here on the site. Others have said this much better than I can. I am not a doctor or a nutirtionist or a fitness expert. I am just seeing success in my own life using the following insights.

    Longer (but not nearly long enough) answer:
    Your body requires a certain number of calories in order for you to simply exist. In order for you eyes to blink, your heart to keep beating, your hair to keep growing, your organs to keep functioning, you have to feed it a certain number of calories. This number is called your BMR. (Use the tool on this site to check your BMR...) For example, my BMR is about 1490 calories. So say I lay in bed allllll day, motionless. I would require 1490 calories just to keep my body alive in a coma-like state.
    The second I get out of bed, walk across the room, open the door to the bathroom, brush my teeth, pee, weigh myself, turn on the hot water,and hop in the shower...I have burned calories. Minimal...but still enough to start cutting into the 1490 my body needs in order to fuel its most basic functions.

    So if I eat my BMR of 1490 a day, I am only giving my body enough to do its basic functions.

    MFP gave me 1200 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. At my height and current weight, losing 2 lbs per week is not reasonable, but I wanted to lose FAST. And the lowest MFP will set someone's calories is 1200 (For many good reasons). 1200 is sort of an arbitrary number at this point but no one should really eat LESS than 1200, and there are likely very few people who could eat 1200 calories for the rest of their lives and maintain weight or stay satisfied. (opinion...sorry) I lost 20+ lbs eating 1200 cals a day. Wahoo! Yeah me!! Right? WRONG. The second I started eating "normal" again, I gained all 20+ lbs back, PLUS MORE. It might "work" in the short term, but for many here, 1200 calories isnt the lifestyle change needed to STAY healthy and thin.

    OK, back to the exercise thing. If I eat my 1500 (1490) cals today, my body will already be at a deficit for weight loss since I got out of bed, functioned, walked, lifted my toddler countless times, etc. So if I were to workout and burn 500 calories this afternoon, my body would be at an even greater deficit, and risk pushing my body to panic. Once your body panics and your metabolism worries that you are not feeding it enough, you will start to store fat at a faster rate. Your body and metabolism will try to hang onto any extra store of fat in preparation for an upcoming "famine".

    Another way to look at it: If you eat 1200 calories and then exercise 500 calories away, you are only holding onto 700 calories for your body to draw from for energy, organ function, eye blinking, etc etc. Its just not enough for your body to exist on without causing longterm troubles.

    It took me a looooong time to "get" this. I still have to consciously remind myself to eat my calories in order to lose weight. It seems counter-intuitive...but it WORKS. When I eat my BMR and at LEAST half my exercise calories, I lose weight. When I only eat 1200 calories, I am miserable, hungry, and i might lose some weight initially...but i gain it alllll back with a few extra for fluffiness.

    Bottom line: eat more, keep moving, lose more, keep it off
    BMR + exercise calories = longterm success



    Hope that helped!

    Also, if you put your goal as "lose 2 lbs per week" then MFP will set your calorie goal accordingly. That is why it gave you 1200 cals rather than your BMR. Its fruatrating to repeatedly see people say "eat 1200 if youre a girl and 1500 if youre a guy" because every body is sooo different. Dont take that 1200 "golden" number and assume you will lose weight. You might initially, but youll likely stall if your frame/height/etc arent getting enough calories to exist on.
  • necki696
    necki696 Posts: 30
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    You want to eat your exercise cal. You need to refuel your body after workout outs. The more you work out the more you should eat
  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
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    My body's pretty happy with a net calories of 1200 - 1500. I guess it depends on what works for you. If you're hungry, you need to eat. If you're not hungry, drink some water and don't eat. Too many times I've reached for snacks when really I just needed a big glass of water. Your net calories shouldn't be anything lower than 1200, that just isn't healthy! If you decide to eat more than that, it's up to you. Play around with it and see how your weight reacts.

    Definitely search the forums and have a good read. There's lots of info on here about this :)

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