Do I eat my workout calories?

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jvonrohr214
jvonrohr214 Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone, I'm new here and new to counting calories. I need a little guidance regarding my caloric intake. If I'm supposed to eat 1300 a day, but I workout and burn 400, do I actually have to eat 1700 calories for that day? Do I eat back the calories I burned?

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  • amyrc12
    amyrc12 Posts: 183 Member
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    search the message boards - there are a lot of discussion out there about eating your workout calories!
    Hope this helps!
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
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    If you are using the MFP profile and following it daily calorie guidelines based on your settings then I would say yes you should eat most of them back.

    I am no expert. I have read this here and elsewhere on the web. And it really does work (for me).


    Happy journey!
  • heperry42
    heperry42 Posts: 1
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    I personally try not to, as it means I have more chance of losing weight, but it's like a buffer, I would assume you can eat them, but it defeats the object of excersizing
  • ChelDM
    ChelDM Posts: 145
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    I don't EVER eat my workout calories and have been losing each week so my body isnt in starvation mode...Keep in mind 1pound=3500 calorie deficit...
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    Read this post:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

    The general summary is: yes, eat your exercise cals.

    BUT keep in mind that MFP usually overestimates the amount you burn during exercise, and humans have a tendency to underestimate how much we ate. I usually like to leave 100 or so cals of leeway (on my good days).
  • MelHoneyRocks
    MelHoneyRocks Posts: 223
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    I always eat mine and I have doubled my goal of what I would like to lose.
    I recommend it, but you can do what works for you best.
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
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    There is a lot of talk about this topic but honestly i'm not a believer in eating back all your workout calories. It's ok from time to time if you're going out with friends or just had a "hungry" day but I would just eat your allocated amount of calories a day if you want to challenge your body.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Here are some great threads that discuss this. MUST READS! Good luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • MommyRobot
    MommyRobot Posts: 268 Member
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    I don't, and i'm losing. Some people swear by it though. Trial and error. Everyone's body is different. :)
  • hedleyrocks247
    hedleyrocks247 Posts: 185 Member
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    Yes you are to eat your excersise calrories back....at least as close as possible! MFP sets your calories to eat for weight loss before added excersise. If you are only eating the 1300 + working out and burning the 400 but not eating those calories back you will be well below 1200 calories a day. Which is not recommended and putting your body into starvation mode....which isn't a good thing for weight loss! There are plenty of topics on this if you browse the message boards I'm sure you'll find a more scientific answer then what I've given you here!!
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
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    I don't EVER eat my workout calories and have been losing each week so my body isnt in starvation mode...Keep in mind 1pound=3500 calorie deficit...

    totally with you on this....
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Try to eat some of your exercise calories. 1200 is the general baseline for Starvation Mode. Some might be more and some might be less but it's a good number to go by (my "lying in bed" BMR is 1188 - I'm 5'2" and 123lbs - I treat that as my bottom number). So at least try to keep your NET calories at or above 1200. If you find your weight loss stalls then bump up the calories a bit.

    If you are under 1200 for too long, eventually weight loss will slow and your metabolism will slow. This is a biological response and no one is exempt from this. When you are eating under 1200 for more than a few days (you can get possibly go a little longer) and still losing - you are most likely losing muscle mass, not fat because when in Starvation Mode your body will not burn fat. We lose both fat and muscle mass during diet and cardio exercise. Make sure to incorporate some strength training and get plenty of protein. This will help combat any loss of muscle mass.

    Please read the post in my signature: "Links in MFP you want to read...". there are numerous links in there that explain it all. Actually go ahead and read them all. It's great information.

    If you are at 1300 and you burn 400 during exercise, then you are really only at 900 - the weight loss deficit is already there.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    I personally try not to, as it means I have more chance of losing weight, but it's like a buffer, I would assume you can eat them, but it defeats the object of excersizing

    No offense, but this is completely inaccurate. MFP is designed differently than most weight loss sites. MFP includes a built in cal deficit, based on your chosen loss per week goal, regardless of exercise. (As opposed to most sites, which include intended exercise in cal goals for a static daily cal goal). If you do not replace those cals added for exercise, you are increasing that deficit, which is usually unhealthy and unsustainable (especially if you have less than 50 lbs to lose). The idea of "if a small deficit is good, a large deficit is better" does not take into account how the body reacts to large deficits and how different body fat percentages effect the body.
  • bobball
    bobball Posts: 57
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    Everyone is different and the guidlines here are just that. You may burn more, or less than it actually says so you have to experiment. You should only undercut your calories by 200 or so. So if it says 1400 for the day, then you burn 400 (again an guesstimate) then you should eat around 1600 to 1800.

    If you maintain your weight and don't lose, then you know to adjust it, but only adjust a little, not a lot. If you are losing, then you are hitting the right target. You should lose 1 to 3 pounds a week, more if you are severely overweight.

    The most common mistake is that people eat too little and their body metabolism slows down and they stop losing. It takes a while to figure it out, then when you gain muscle and lose weight the amount changes too, so it is a constant adjustment period.

    I'm 47 and have been working out all my life. At age 32 my metabolism changed and I got fat. Since then I've tried lots of things to lose weight and only one thing really works. Counting calories. The only reason that Jenny Craig and those type of diets work is because it gives you the right amount of calories and forces you to eat the right kinds of food.

    Welcome!
  • bobball
    bobball Posts: 57
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    Oh and once a week eat your max calories and splurge a little. It keeps your metabolism from thinking you are starving it. But don't go crazy of course! :-)
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Oh and once a week eat your max calories and splurge a little. It keeps your metabolism from thinking you are starving it. But don't go crazy of course! :-)

    I agree. Don't deprive yourself. You can have a slice of cake or a few cookies on occasion. Heck I put away a pint of Ben&Jerry in a day and I didn't gain weight from it. I went right back to watching and eating healthy the next day.

    Drink lots and lots of water and keep an eye on sodium. That WILL show up on the scale.

    (I have been losing in .2-.4 increments. About 2 weeks ago I went from 1250 calories up to my Maintenance of 1480 calories. I dropped another 1 1/2 pounds since then.)
  • Lilbundle
    Lilbundle Posts: 7 Member
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    Do any of you eat under the recommended calories MFP says. I eat about 300 to 400 calories under what is recommended before I exercise...am i putting my body in starvation mode? I don't feel like i'm starving and am still slowly loosing.
  • tjsusong
    tjsusong Posts: 195 Member
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    When I first started doing this I did not and it worked very well. BUT I hit a plateau that I couldnt move off of for 3 weeks. After all that time and trying a few different things, I decided to add in more calories to try to meet at least 1200 a day. (Just started this in the last few days). So far, the scale is starting to move and that makes me HAPPY! I would say its not necessary, but I WOULD try to eat some of them back. You're body still needs something more to burn:)
  • MJ5898
    MJ5898 Posts: 1,549 Member
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    Do any of you eat under the recommended calories MFP says. I eat about calories under what is recommended before I exercise...am i putting my body in starvation mode? I don't feel like i'm starving and am still slowly loosing.

    MFP calculates my calorie need at around 1900 per day. However, I know my body well enough to know that without exercise, that is too many calories for me to eat and lose if not exercising So, I have been following a 1700 calorie plan since joining in early December. Including the few weeks I was counting with another site, I have lost 38.5# - close to 2# per week average. I just started consistently exercising and burning about 400 additional calories each day during the last week, so as soon as I plateau, I will start eating those exercise calories if not before.
  • Secret_Agent_007
    Secret_Agent_007 Posts: 1,082
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    I never eat burnt calories. Why would you, they're burnt! Ha ha, pathetic, I know.

    But seriously, how else are you supposed to lose weight? Think Biggest Loser and 40lbs lost in week one. I know, week one but still.

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