eat eat eat

missbeezy
missbeezy Posts: 198
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
Is there anyone who faithfully eats back their exercise calories and actually loses weight at a steady pace?
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Replies

  • alphasigalum
    alphasigalum Posts: 86
    I don't eat all my calories that I earn from activity. I am curious as well!
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
    Yes. I'm down 60lbs since the start of November 2010, and I always eat my exercise calories.

    I have had a lose every single week, and typically loose 1.5-3 lbs a week.
  • uubulldawg06
    uubulldawg06 Posts: 102 Member
    I eat at least half of my calories back everyday and I am losing weight. I am in my fourth week and have already lost 10 pounds.
  • monkeybuttsmommy
    monkeybuttsmommy Posts: 343 Member
    You need to eat them so your body doesn't think its starving. Otherwise your body panicks and hangs on to that fat for dear life.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Yes.
  • ltowne
    ltowne Posts: 129 Member
    Most times, I eat back my calories. I am still loosing weight, but it is slow. My trainer said that you should not eat back the calories, but I have heard different thoughts on this subject. Mentally....the exercise gives me the "right" to eat more food...so I think! Maybe it is all psychological?
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    I lose slowly.

    I eat every calorie I possibly can and I don't reach my goal every day.

    It is very important to me personally to eat my exercise calories!
  • PSUgrl921
    PSUgrl921 Posts: 368 Member
    I was for awhile (I've kind of fell off the wagon in general). Here's the deal... and I'm gonna give the short version since the long version can be found somewhere on this site. Not eating back your exercise calories will make you lose more weight in the short term... as in a week or two... but then your body goes into starvation mode because it isn't getting the energy it needs and it will start to hoard everything you eat! That doesn't sound good, does it? It isn't. You will stop losing. Eating your exercise calories is the healthy way to lose... I'm not saying if you miss 100 calories here and there you're going to go into starvation mode. But in general you should be around your daily caloric intake 90% of the days.

    Nicole
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    I eat them half the time and I don't even earn them! lol (today, for instance)

    I've lost 27.4 lbs in 10.5 weeks and I've done it with binges thrown in, eating back exercise calories, eating over calories and eating right at calorie goal and sometimes under but that isn't often.
  • CampinGal34
    CampinGal34 Posts: 84 Member
    I wasn't eating all of them....maybe a third or less. My weight loss was slow...usually 5-8 ounces a week is all. I started 2 weeks ago eating them all and I've lost 2 lbs both weeks! Just sayin'! Try it out both ways and see how your body does!
  • BrittanyGQ
    BrittanyGQ Posts: 92 Member
    I usually eat back a good majority of them (half or 3/4, sometimes even all)....honestly it just depends on how hungry I feel that day! =) like, if I have a major cardio session in the morning, I am usually STARVING all day it seems...and I earned the right to eat some of those back haha
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
    I eat back most of mine as well. I have lost weight steadily since I started and have always eaten 90% of the exercise calories back. I also eat small meals 5 to 6 times a day and walk 40-60 minutes a day.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Yup! Had a balance of ZERO today. Earned 289 through exercise and ate every single one of 'em.
  • kacka68
    kacka68 Posts: 79 Member
    Yes, I always eat them back and I always lose weight, every week. I've lost 7kg (15.4lb) in 8 weeks.

    I think the thing that we need to recognise more, is the impacts that not eating enough food (starvation mode/nutritionally deprived) will affect the way in which your body releases AND REPLENTISHES fat stores.

    If you eat insufficient calories, your metabolic rate slows down. Your body holds on to the fat (because it is worried that it will need that fat to survive in the future, because the body is not getting enough calories).

    More importantly, when we stop our "diet" or restricted calorie intake, our bodies try to protect itself from future "starvation" and replenishes the fat stores at a great rate of knots. This means you will put on weight, FAST. And most of it will be stored as fat.

    For years, I have been a yo-yo diet who lost weight (I would starve myself, exercise like crazy, and was very very hard work), and then put it all back on (plus more). I could never understand why the weight would come back so easily, even if I didn't eat "badly". But now I understand - it was because I had such a low calorie intake during my weight loss phase, that my body's only response afterwards, was to store every calorie consumed in my "normal" eating phase. Hence, the rapid weight gain.

    I hope this helps. Good luck with your journey.
  • nicolewil
    nicolewil Posts: 3
    Since you are trying to make a lifestyle change (right?). Just take the time and track yourself and how YOU respond...like on this website! Take 2 weeks and do the same thing, exercise wise, w/the cals and the flip it and do it w/out eating them. It can't hurt you do know you the best and changing up your habits (to the good) and giving yourself something short term to focus on will help you in the long run no matter what! Just don't cheat yourself...take 2 wks one way and then 2 wks another! =)
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    The only times that I have found that I have not been losing weight were when I wasn't eating them back.

    So yes, eat those calories!
  • malabaugh
    malabaugh Posts: 130 Member
    I eat them back. I am down 11 lbs in about 6 weeks.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Yep. I aim to eat at least 50-75% and lose every week.
  • DancingFox
    DancingFox Posts: 88 Member
    Me! :)
  • jrt9999
    jrt9999 Posts: 114
    I do...
  • Lexie28
    Lexie28 Posts: 219
    I eat most of them back :flowerforyou:
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
    I eat most or all of them back and I am down 34 lbs in 7 weeks.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I not only eat back my exercise calories I sometimes eat more than what I earn. Doing so finally has me losing again after not losing for quite awhile.
  • missbeezy
    missbeezy Posts: 198
    Yes, I always eat them back and I always lose weight, every week. I've lost 7kg (15.4lb) in 8 weeks.

    I think the thing that we need to recognise more, is the impacts that not eating enough food (starvation mode/nutritionally deprived) will affect the way in which your body releases AND REPLENTISHES fat stores.

    If you eat insufficient calories, your metabolic rate slows down. Your body holds on to the fat (because it is worried that it will need that fat to survive in the future, because the body is not getting enough calories).

    More importantly, when we stop our "diet" or restricted calorie intake, our bodies try to protect itself from future "starvation" and replenishes the fat stores at a great rate of knots. This means you will put on weight, FAST. And most of it will be stored as fat.

    For years, I have been a yo-yo diet who lost weight (I would starve myself, exercise like crazy, and was very very hard work), and then put it all back on (plus more). I could never understand why the weight would come back so easily, even if I didn't eat "badly". But now I understand - it was because I had such a low calorie intake during my weight loss phase, that my body's only response afterwards, was to store every calorie consumed in my "normal" eating phase. Hence, the rapid weight gain.

    I hope this helps. Good luck with your journey.











    Wow that's the first time I actually understood all of that and I'm not confused. It help a lot thank you
  • missbeezy
    missbeezy Posts: 198
    Thanx everyone!
  • Linda4859
    Linda4859 Posts: 78
    I look at it like this. To make a journey you fill the car up with petrol. You drive the car and reach your destination. Why would you replace all the petrol that you have used, when the car is just going to sit there overnight. when you know that tomorrow you have to fill the car up first thing in the morning. What happens to that petrol that sat in the car overnight.? you would need to remove it to get the new petrol in. So apply this to your exercise points what would be the point in eating the points earned when you will be doing nothing with them and you will be refuelling at breaksfast anyway.

    Does this make sense?
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    A word of caution about accuracy.
    What if the actual calories are 20% higher than the nutrition label indicates? (They actually can be and often are)
    What if the actual exercise calories are 100% higher than MFP estimates? (They are according to my HRM after subtracting my BMR)

    I'm just saying if your base intake is 1440 instead of 1200 and your exercise is 150 instead of 300 and you eat 1740 instead of 1350, you may be in the weight maintenance zone instead of the weight loss zone.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    A word of caution about accuracy.
    What if the actual calories are 20% higher than the nutrition label indicates? (They actually can be and often are)
    What if the actual exercise calories are 100% higher than MFP estimates? (They are according to my HRM after subtracting my BMR)

    I'm just saying if your base intake is 1440 instead of 1200 and your exercise is 150 instead of 300 and you eat 1740 instead of 1350, you may be in the weight maintenance zone instead of the weight loss zone.

    Good point.

    I, for one, would rather err on the side of fueling my body to maintenance levels rather forcing it in to survival mode. On the other hand, I'm losing weight much more steadily since I upped my calories above MFPs estimates.
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
    Hey girl, I asked my nutritionist (part of a weight loss study I am in) this very question...here's what she said...

    "That is a good question! We typically tell people to try to stick to 1500/day WITHOUT accounting for calories burned through exercise. This is because it is very difficult to know exactly how many calories you burn during exercise and most people tend to overeat when they add their exercise calories to their diet. That being said, I think you would probably not log your exercise there and stick to 1500 calories per day."

    I am still gonna log my exercise, just to keep track. If my weight loss stalls I will re-evaluate my "net" calories...

    For further reading I suggest:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    specifically:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

    we are all different, and have to find our groove. You are doing great!!! Keep it up!
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
    This is because it is very difficult to know exactly how many calories you burn during exercise and most people tend to overeat when they add their exercise calories to their diet.

    Very interesting that the reasons given are kind of secondary reasons--calculation errors and intake control, rather than actually stating that eating your burned calories itself is detrimental.
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