Exercise Calories

Options
xoalyssaox
xoalyssaox Posts: 320
in Fitness and Exercise
What happens if you don't eat your extra exercise calories?

Replies

  • xoalyssaox
    xoalyssaox Posts: 320
    Options
    What happens if you don't eat your extra exercise calories?
  • rv8396
    rv8396 Posts: 14
    Options
    I don't think anything happens as long as you have the minimum calories that is recommended for you, otherwise they say your metabolism can go down and your body may go into starvation mode and you won't lose weight.

    I notice if I don't eat the recommended calories, I get a message. But if I exercise and eat only the recommended calories nothing happens. I could be missing something, but that's what I do.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Options
    That depends. How many calories do you burn from exercise? If it's only 200, no big deal. If it's 700-1000, that's a problem. You might just lose an extra .25 lbs a week, or you might become overtrained and malnourished and get sick.
  • Mufasa0331
    Mufasa0331 Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    Ok iam by no means an expert but here is my theory...(for what its worth lol)

    They say MFP has already calculated a deficit of calories for the week so when you exercise you need to eat your exercise calories so that you dont have too large of a deficit causing your body to go into starvation mode...but here comes my personal thoughts onit...

    unless you know for a fact how many calories you are burning (by wearing a HRM) its pretty much an educated guess. I personally DO NOT eat all my exercise calories- occasionally I will dip into them but for the most part I get in my recommended calories for the day and leave it at that unless I feel hungry later on. This being because I am going off the calculated amount of calories I burned per MFP which to me is an estimate-so in fear of consuming additional calories that I didn't actually burn I only eat part of them sometimes. I usually try to down some water first to make sure that it is actual hunger I am feeling. The more you exercise your body will tell you when you need to eat more. Like latel I have been waking up at 1 or 2in the morning absolutely STARVING so I know i really need to up my food intake.


    I hope this helps and again I am not an expert this is just my personal opinion and what I go by.

    :flowerforyou:
  • arjames82
    arjames82 Posts: 154
    Options
    Ok iam by no means an expert but here is my theory...(for what its worth lol)

    They say MFP has already calculated a deficit of calories for the week so when you exercise you need to eat your exercise calories so that you dont have too large of a deficit causing your body to go into starvation mode...but here comes my personal thoughts onit...

    unless you know for a fact how many calories you are burning (by wearing a HRM) its pretty much an educated guess. I personally DO NOT eat all my exercise calories- occasionally I will dip into them but for the most part I get in my recommended calories for the day and leave it at that unless I feel hungry later on. This being because I am going off the calculated amount of calories I burned per MFP which to me is an estimate-so in fear of consuming additional calories that I didn't actually burn I only eat part of them sometimes. I usually try to down some water first to make sure that it is actual hunger I am feeling. The more you exercise your body will tell you when you need to eat more. Like latel I have been waking up at 1 or 2in the morning absolutely STARVING so I know i really need to up my food intake.


    I hope this helps and again I am not an expert this is just my personal opinion and what I go by.

    :flowerforyou:

    Good info Mufasa...it sounds like you do the same as me. There is so much controversy on this message board over whether you should or should not eat your exercise calories. I don't because I am under the guidance of a personal trainer who has given me a set number of calories to eat per day at that's what I stick to whether I workout or not. My trainer says that the goal is to create a deficit in the number of calories that I consume and burn everyday...I shoot for a deficit of at least 500 calories. My basal metabolic rate is 2099 (based on test performed by trainer) which means that is how many calories I will burn just for existing everyday. So I eat between 1500-1599 calories per day to create to 500 calorie deficit. Since 1lb = 3500 calories, creating that deficit 7 days a week should cause me to lose 1 lb per week. When I exercise, that increases that daily deficit, which in turn increases my weight loss.

    Now, there are some days that I do eat some of my exercise calories. When I work out with my trainer and do spinning, I burn about 1500 calories. If I don't eat a little extra that day, I'm starving the following day.

Categories