If cheating helps boost the metabolism should you still work

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abyssfully
abyssfully Posts: 410 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If cheating helps boost the metabolism should you still work off those calories?

Edited to add: But if you work off those calories MFP just tells you to re-eat them... :: eyebrow raise ::

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  • jenluvs2sing
    jenluvs2sing Posts: 50 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing myself!
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
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    It doesn't tell me to. It only barks at me when I don't EAT 1200 calories, it doesn't seem to care what I NET. So if I eat 1300 calories but work off 300 of them, it doesn't give me the "You're not eating enough" message.
  • abyssfully
    abyssfully Posts: 410 Member
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    It doesn't tell me to. It only barks at me when I don't EAT 1200 calories, it doesn't seem to care what I NET. So if I eat 1300 calories but work off 300 of them, it doesn't give me the "You're not eating enough" message.
    Oh your right. It's others saying to eat them back.
  • Brucifer55
    Brucifer55 Posts: 37
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    .....give me the "You're not eating enough" message.

    WOW!!! I sure don't get to see that message much. I would love to have it "bark" at me.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
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    Oh your right. It's others saying to eat them back.

    Yeah, I don't really buy into that. I mean, unless you're doing some serious weight training or something, the point of exercising is to burn those calories to create a deficit, not to break even on them.

    Honestly though, I don't really buy into the 1200 calorie minimum either. I think WHAT you eat is FAR more important than how many calories you're eating and it is totally possible to pack your body with enough nutrition for under 1200 calories. You just can't really do it on the "typical Western diet."
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    i dont know where people got this idea that 'cheating' helps boost metabolism..metabolism is something that adjusts over several weeks/months. not just from one day. It is what it is..and its sorta like evolution, it changes slowly due to factors from the environment.

    Its simple..if you cheat and eat tons of calories once a week and dont burn them off, you'll negate any other calorie deficits from the current week. calories are cummulative.

    and there is no rule that says you must eat back worked off calories. i dont know where people got that idea either. otherwise why bother to even exercise? If you feel full, dont force yourself to eat.
  • Franticantics
    Franticantics Posts: 117
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'
    absolute rubbish!
  • Franticantics
    Franticantics Posts: 117
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'
    absolute rubbish!
  • OhItsOn
    OhItsOn Posts: 36
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    I have no idea about "cheating" or what that means in relation to tricking your metabolism.... but I DO KNOW... that I get excited when I don't get the "you're not eating enough" message.

    From someone who used to eat 600-700 calories a day .... I'm finally starting to lose weight now that I am actually eating 1400-1600 calories. *(Though, I do admit that often I am below that... I just try to make it to at least 1200) . And though, I don't subtract my "exercise/workouts" ... I do eat more if I am working out.... food is fuel... and passing out from not enough calories is never fun and always embarrassing.
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    If you're bored, try reading what I posted today. I posted a loss of 2 lbs. earlier today. This is with cheating, eating back exercise calories and working out Sun. - Wed. and today. Normally, I workout 6 days.
    My "cheat day" or whatever anyone wants to call it, is Saturday...my day of rest. I do run some errands and shop, but I don't log that as exercise because I didn't work up a sweat and doubt anything went over 6 calories/min. burnt.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/201270-cheat-free-days-exercise-calories-losing-lbs
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'
    absolute rubbish!


    agreed and well put
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'
    absolute rubbish!
    how/why do you burn so many calories when you work out?
  • menchi
    menchi Posts: 297 Member
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    Yeah, I don't really buy into that. I mean, unless you're doing some serious weight training or something, the point of exercising is to burn those calories to create a deficit, not to break even on them.

    I agree that you need a deficit in order to lose weight. However, MFP already creates a deficit for you when it sets up your goals. If you click on the "MY HOME" tab and click "Goals", you'll see your deficit as one of the red numbers on the right. For me, my daily deficit is 430 Cal and that is true when my net cals say zero (which is effectively eating back all the exercise cals).
    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'

    I think I agree that if you are burning that much a day, it would be crazy to try to eat it all back. 3000 Cal is like running 4.5 hr at 9 min mile rate (checked with the MFP database). Are you training as a professional athlete or something? It seems to me that you are a special case rather than the average person.
  • Franticantics
    Franticantics Posts: 117
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'
    absolute rubbish!
    how/why do you burn so many calories when you work out?

    I'm in full time dance training, so i dance every day for 3-7.5 hours depending on the day, on top of that i walk everywhere in a mega hilly area, we also have 'body conditioning' classes twice a week (strength and toning training) and i go to the gym for cardio most nights too.
  • Franticantics
    Franticantics Posts: 117
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    i've never done this eating back calories either, if i did, i would be the size of a house! I burn over 3000 calories n my hardest days, imagine if i ate 4400 calories 'to lose weight'

    I think I agree that if you are burning that much a day, it would be crazy to try to eat it all back. 3000 Cal is like running 4.5 hr at 9 min mile rate (checked with the MFP database). Are you training as a professional athlete or something? It seems to me that you are a special case rather than the average person.
    [/quote]

    Yeah my regime definitely isn't your average!
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    i dont know where people got this idea that 'cheating' helps boost metabolism..metabolism is something that adjusts over several weeks/months. not just from one day. It is what it is..and its sorta like evolution, it changes slowly due to factors from the environment.

    Its simple..if you cheat and eat tons of calories once a week and dont burn them off, you'll negate any other calorie deficits from the current week. calories are cummulative.

    and there is no rule that says you must eat back worked off calories. i dont know where people got that idea either. otherwise why bother to even exercise? If you feel full, dont force yourself to eat.

    This is untrue as your metabolism increases and decreases all day long dependent on calorie intake and physical demands on your body. Cheating for me is going over 1000 once a week which puts me at or just above my maintenance calorie intake for a day which is what i need to eat to maintain my current weight. In order to gain you must consistently eat OVER the calorie limit of your maintainable weight caloric intake. My MFP goal is 1920 which is a 2lb a week weight loss average and i consume most days around 1500-1600 and in doing so even if i eat high once or twice my total caloric intake will be way under my goals for the week. I don't need to do anything at all because i ate on the high end once or twice that week.

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