Earned calories for exercising

I usually don't just because I'm not positive baout how much I'm burning. I'm going to get a HRM soon so I will feel more comfortable eating some of those cals back. Sometimes I think people overestimate how much they are burning so they can eat a whole bunch of food that isn't any good for them.

If you search in the forums there are several threads about this. Good luck in your journey to a healthier you

It does depend on how much you have to lose and what your calorie goal is. If MFP put your Daily Goal at 1200 then yes you want to eat back your exercise calories. For women the NET calories should stay above 1200 (I think it's 1600 for men) This is a general number for starvation mode and a good number to go by. At least don't stay under for more than a couple of days. Calorie restriction can have the opposite effect of what you want.

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html (ignore that he seems to be talking to the low- and no-carb dieters).

The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion (my note: "this includes exercise - especially cardio!!") and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.


Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

This is actually a pretty interesting site to read.

I don't usually eat all of my exercise calories, but I will eat some of them. I already feel like I am eating all day long, so it's hard for me to eat all of them.

Play with your numbers. I know from previous experience that I have to eat my workout cals back (due to health issues I'm not working out right now). Try eating them all back for a while and see what happens. If you stall, then try eating back only 3/4, then to 1/2 if that doesn't work. You're in this for the long haul and in the long run it won't hurt you to play around with exercise cals for a while to find your body's optimum.

Hope this helps!