question about exercise calories

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TAMMY_76
TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
in Food and Nutrition
My question is how do you feel about eating your exercise calories back? Do you eat them? And if so have you still lost weight?
I am tryen to eat my calories back but geesh i feel like a cow :indifferent: And it feels like I am going gain instead of loose weight.
curious to see what others do...:drinker:

Replies

  • GrandmaBabs
    GrandmaBabs Posts: 3
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    The main thing is to eat your daily caloric requirement but if exercise gives you more calories (which it does) then you can treat yourself but that doesn't mean you have to eat all of the extra calories.
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
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    Depends, sometimes yes and sometimes no. Mostly try to not go under 1200 net calories and especially not for several days in a row.
  • EdwardCPT
    EdwardCPT Posts: 37
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    I have had this talk with a few personal trainers. Most agree not to eat exercise calories.Excercise is great but I would ignore the excess calories it gives you. set a daily goal and stick to it for best weight lost. thats what Ive done the past 2 months and have lost 13 lbs
  • missy1970eb
    missy1970eb Posts: 1,209 Member
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    i try and aim for 1200 but if i go over i dont worry about it:smile:
  • beckiewho2
    beckiewho2 Posts: 10
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    I do not eat the exercise calories back in...makes no sense to burn them then eat them back in my mind. I am sticking to between 900 and 1000 calories a day and I am losing the weight. I am not hungry, so why would I eat more? That is what got me where I am now!
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I trust what my body is telling me. If i work out, especially when I push myself extra hard, and I'm hungry, yeah I'll eat something. But I won't force myself to eat just to get to a certain number of calories, I tried that and usually just ended up feeling sick from forcing myself to eat.
  • gtrain03
    gtrain03 Posts: 1
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    I sort of look at my exercise calories as a cushion. I don't always eat them all back, but if I'm hungry, I don't have to worry about going over my daily allotment because I have that cushion. One important thing to remember is that if you are exercising, your body needs adequate fuel to keep up with your physical workload. If you're not hungry though, I wouldn't worry about eating the exercise calories back. Just be sure to eat some if you are hungry :tongue:
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
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    I eat most of mine back and I haven't had a week that I didn't lose weight.
  • bachooka
    bachooka Posts: 719 Member
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    I eat mine back.... You should try to eat back half most trainers say... to allow for some inaccuracy with your burn.
  • snuggadee
    snuggadee Posts: 7
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    I am also curious about the answer to this. I do find that I am hungrier when I exercise and can't just do the allotted 1560 calories, but I don't need the sometimes 1000 extra exercise calories! So far I am just following my hunger.
  • WomanPower79
    WomanPower79 Posts: 37
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    i hardly ever eat my cals back and if i do its like 250 on average. typically the number of cals i burn is what i eat for the day....
  • young1726
    young1726 Posts: 347 Member
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    If you look at who all is saying don't eat them back, they have just joined in the last handful of months (no offense). If you hunt down some long timers on here...they will say EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES! I typically eat all of mine and have continued to regularly lose weight. This site already sets you at a deficit, so not eating your exercise calories puts you at an even higher defecit...which could do more damage than help. Yes, eating less is typically going to increase the amount of weight you lose. Most of the time it is muscle mass you are losing, very unhealthy. You need to give your body enough energy to survive. If your body is worried that it will not be getting enough food it will start storing more than it needs to. Also, most people that are eating less than 1200 (NET) calories are at danger for gaining most, if not all, of the weight back when they finally decide they can't sustain eating so little. So....

    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
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    If you look at who all is saying don't eat them back, they have just joined in the last handful of months (no offense). If you hunt down some long timers on here...they will say EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES! I typically eat all of mine and have continued to regularly lose weight. This site already sets you at a deficit, so not eating your exercise calories puts you at an even higher defecit...which could do more damage than help. Yes, eating less is typically going to increase the amount of weight you lose. Most of the time it is muscle mass you are losing, very unhealthy. You need to give your body enough energy to survive. If your body is worried that it will not be getting enough food it will start storing more than it needs to. Also, most people that are eating less than 1200 (NET) calories are at danger for gaining most, if not all, of the weight back when they finally decide they can't sustain eating so little. So....

    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

    Completely agree..... MFP gives a deficit without any exercise based on your activity level so if you exercise as hard as I do and don't eat them back then your body won't continue to function in a healthy manner.....
  • TAMMY_76
    TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
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    Thank-you all for all ur input it is very helpful:drinker:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    If you look at who all is saying don't eat them back, they have just joined in the last handful of months (no offense). If you hunt down some long timers on here...they will say EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES! I typically eat all of mine and have continued to regularly lose weight. This site already sets you at a deficit, so not eating your exercise calories puts you at an even higher defecit...which could do more damage than help. Yes, eating less is typically going to increase the amount of weight you lose. Most of the time it is muscle mass you are losing, very unhealthy. You need to give your body enough energy to survive. If your body is worried that it will not be getting enough food it will start storing more than it needs to. Also, most people that are eating less than 1200 (NET) calories are at danger for gaining most, if not all, of the weight back when they finally decide they can't sustain eating so little. So....

    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

    Completely agree..... MFP gives a deficit without any exercise based on your activity level so if you exercise as hard as I do and don't eat them back then your body won't continue to function in a healthy manner.....

    yes yes yes
    EAT them

    IMO 1200 is too low for anyone.

    I had to bump up ABOVE 1500 to lose after the 1200 caused me to plateau and I was starving. At goal and maintaining at about 2000 a day. (at 108 lbs)

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