Does eating exercise calories help to lose weight?

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tkroeker
tkroeker Posts: 19
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to drop my last 10 pounds and I'm just wondering if eating exercise calories can help with weight loss?
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Replies

  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    Good question. I'm working on my last couple pounds and I'm stuck.
  • rodegghero
    rodegghero Posts: 212 Member
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    You are gonna get answers both ways here. My advice is to do what works for you. When you are hungry, eat them and ee what happens. I know for me if I don't eat mine my loss stalls. But I am a bf mom
  • MaryDreamer
    MaryDreamer Posts: 439
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    Yes it does, I've only been here 35 days and all the advice I've received from successful MFPers has been to do so and you'll find many articles on here about it.
  • carrieberrie
    carrieberrie Posts: 356 Member
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    If I eat them I dont lose. But thats me and everyone is different. I agree do what works for you.
  • TheNewJessieMae
    TheNewJessieMae Posts: 767
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    eat if you are hungry
  • CaraRadz
    CaraRadz Posts: 169 Member
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    I've read a lot of the threads on this topic, and the consensus seems to be that it really varies by person.

    Personally, I excercise 5-6 days a week and burn an average of 600-800 calories per workout day. I generally eat back at least half of my workout calories so that I have a net calorie intake of 1,000 to 1,200 each day. Doing this, I have lost 26 pounds in about two months.

    Some people swear by eating all of their exercise calories. Others say that eating none of them is the way to go. If you haven't been eating your exercise calories and your weight loss has stalled, you may want to try eating some of them back. It will be a matter of figuring out how your body reacts to the calories.

    Sorry that wasn't a definitive answer, but I really think it depends on the person.
  • Suzannabanana
    Suzannabanana Posts: 12
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    I have been on working on my weight for a couple of months and have going up and down in the same four pounds. I was eating most of my exercise points. I have since stopped eating them and have upped my water intake and have lost 2 pounds in 1 week. I exercise 20 to 45 min. a day and am feeling better and my pants are looser. For me, I can't eat those exercise points or I just maintain my weight. It may be the same for you. Try not eating the extra points for 2 weeks and see what happens. Everone is different. Good luck.
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
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    Absolutely, I just started using this site not even a week ago and I already have lost 4lbs. I was stuck for a good month with no change trying to "diet" before. It's especially good if you're eating clean, natural foods. You can even eat more calories as long as it's clean.
  • ErinFaithSnively
    ErinFaithSnively Posts: 2
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    YES YES YES! 10/10 people will hit a plateau at some point but don't give up! I have read in a couple health and fitness magz that if you work out first thing in the morning or in the evening and haven't eaten in a while (bottom line empty stomach) you end up burning fat (which is what we want!). There are different answers to this but either eat protein within 1/2 an hour or an hour after your workout. Get protein in you asap after your work out is the bottom line! your muscles or expanding and growing and strengthening and you want them to have fuel! so a protein shake is usually best because you can get really good stuff in there, hemp seeds, almond breeze (soy milk is apparently a weight gain) blueberries etc. Good Luck!
  • allisonmvieira
    allisonmvieira Posts: 10
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    I don't mean to sound dumb...but...what are exercise points?
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    Eating the calories you burned during exercise. So when yo exercise, you burn calories, which then become extra ones. If your calories are set at 1400 a day, and you work out and burn 300, those 300 calories you can now eat or not eat.
    (Eating them is what works for me).

    I don't mean to sound dumb...but...what are exercise points?
  • Africankitten
    Africankitten Posts: 1
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    Exercise points are the extra calories you can allow youreself to eat given your workouts and how much you would burn doing specific workouts.
  • MrsSanthoff
    MrsSanthoff Posts: 272 Member
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    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    MFP already sets a deficit in your daily calories.
    If you have 1400 a day, burn 500 during a work out, you are now only netting 900 calories. Which is low.
    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?

    There are a lot of reasons to work out, even if you eat back your calories. Exercises gets your heart pumping which helps with cardiovascular issues. It releases endorphines which makes people happy. It speeds up your metabolism so you're burning more calories during the day. It builds beautiful lean muscles so when you get down to near your goal weight, you're not still all puffy looking with no definition and it gives extra available calories so you not deprieved foods that you love, making it more likely that you'll cheat or fall completely off the wagon.

    And some of us just plum enjoy it.
  • MistyMtnMan
    MistyMtnMan Posts: 527 Member
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    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?

    The point of working out like @scagneti is saying is that exercise increases metabolism which burns fat. It also builds muscle which also burns fat. By adding just 10 pounds of muscle to your body, it will burn off 62 pounds of fat over the next year! That figure is more for men but the point is if you don't exercise, you will only lose so much fat and kind of just taper off. You will never burn as much as you want if you don't exercise.
  • Theresamillikan
    Theresamillikan Posts: 2
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    I have found that eating some of the exercise calories works for me. I don't eat them all but like up to half is ok. I have just started using this program about a week ago but have lost over 1.5 lbs in one week. And I have been stuck at my weight for a couple of months before starting this program. I hope this helps you.:flowerforyou:
  • MrsSanthoff
    MrsSanthoff Posts: 272 Member
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    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?

    There are a lot of reasons to work out, even if you eat back your calories. Exercises gets your heart pumping which helps with cardiovascular issues. It releases endorphines which makes people happy. It speeds up your metabolism so you're burning more calories during the day. It builds beautiful lean muscles so when you get down to near your goal weight, you're not still all puffy looking with no definition and it gives extra available calories so you not deprieved foods that you love, making it more likely that you'll cheat or fall completely off the wagon.

    And some of us just plum enjoy it.

    Awsome! I am keeping this to remind me everyday! Thank you!!
  • MrsSanthoff
    MrsSanthoff Posts: 272 Member
    Options
    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?

    The point of working out like @scagneti is saying is that exercise increases metabolism which burns fat. It also builds muscle which also burns fat. By adding just 10 pounds of muscle to your body, it will burn off 62 pounds of fat over the next year! That figure is more for men but the point is if you don't exercise, you will only lose so much fat and kind of just taper off. You will never burn as much as you want if you don't exercise.

    Thank you.....I guess I needed to read it in black and white!
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    So, whats the point of working out if you just eat them all back? Wouldnt you lose the same if you didnt work out at all?

    There are a lot of reasons to work out, even if you eat back your calories. Exercises gets your heart pumping which helps with cardiovascular issues. It releases endorphines which makes people happy. It speeds up your metabolism so you're burning more calories during the day. It builds beautiful lean muscles so when you get down to near your goal weight, you're not still all puffy looking with no definition and it gives extra available calories so you not deprieved foods that you love, making it more likely that you'll cheat or fall completely off the wagon.

    And some of us just plum enjoy it.

    Awsome! I am keeping this to remind me everyday! Thank you!!

    Glad I can help! I have to tell myself that some mornings at 5:45 am when I could get another 90 minutes of sleep if I didn't work out! I really do enjoy it though -- AFTER I start. Before I start, some mornings, not so much :laugh:

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