Exercise & Calories

teeseeytopcat
teeseeytopcat Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello folks . . . do you consume all, or some or none of the calories which are "given" to you when you exercise?

Thanks in advance.
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Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Most do half, as to account for errors in over calculations on the burns.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    Yeah, when I first started I kinda ate them all because I didn't log my weight training and figured it'd even out.

    Now I don't eat them back because my deficit is not as high and I only do cardio like twice a week. Gives me a little room for errors-which I am for some reason constantly making these days.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Dumb question. ... but why bother exercising if you're going to eat all the calories back that you burned??
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Dumb question. ... but why bother exercising if you're going to eat all the calories back that you burned??
    Because your car use more gas when you drive longer and faster.....Same concept, you can't expect your body to function better without fuel.....Not that difficult.... ;-)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Dumb question. ... but why bother exercising if you're going to eat all the calories back that you burned??

    Because if you set MFP to a certain amount of calories, that's your deficit-if you burn more and eat them back, you're still at that same deficit. You can eat more if you exercise, good for the heart and soul and belly.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Oh ok. Thanks guys xx
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2014
    Sometimes I eat about half; sometimes I don't eat any. I feel MFP overestimates calories burned.

    ETA: I do log my exercise though, just to have a record of what I've done and when.
  • Idiot_Killjoy
    Idiot_Killjoy Posts: 9
    I log my exercise calories, but I rarely surpass my calorie intake goal. I don't freak out if I do, because I'm only human, but I don't really trust the numbers on here. There is no way I burn 600 calories at my job a McDonald's (ironic, I know), no matter how vigorous it may seem. It doesn't really seem possible. I just like to log my exercise and activity calories because I like the mathematical aspect of the whole "net calorie" concept.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I eat all of them except for 100 calories as a buffer against any inaccuracies. But, I do not use MFP exercise numbers. Rather, I use a Fitbit, which I find incredibly accurate. Based off of data collection of exercise, food, and weight over the last 6 months, I've lost (or not, oops, maintenance level eating) pretty much what the numbers predict I should have.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,566 Member
    williams969 wrote: »
    I eat all of them except for 100 calories as a buffer against any inaccuracies. But, I do not use MFP exercise numbers. Rather, I use a Fitbit, which I find incredibly accurate. Based off of data collection of exercise, food, and weight over the last 6 months, I've lost (or not, oops, maintenance level eating) pretty much what the numbers predict I should have.

    This is what I do as well, to account for anything my Flex may have picked up accidentally when I'm doing a lot of hands-on projects at work.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    edited November 2014
    teeseeytopcat wrote: »
    Hello folks . . . do you consume all, or some or none of the calories which are "given" to you when you exercise?

    Thanks in advance.

    I generally don't. I am not sure the counts are accurate, I am not psycho with hunger, and I am happy at the rate I am losing.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,976 Member
    I wear a heart rate monitor when I exercise, and eat back most, if not all, of my exercise calories.

    I exercise because I like to eat.
  • ourtruelovewillneverdie
    ourtruelovewillneverdie Posts: 170 Member
    I don't eat them any back usually but I normally have one day a week I eat at maintenance calories. It still puts me at a deficit and I don't go over my weekly calories in order to lose 1 lb a week.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,693 Member
    Yep, I eat them. I'm happier that way. That and when your exercising around 6hrs a week, 1400 calories isn't going to cut it. But, here's my break down:

    I don't use MFP estimates. I have MFP set to Sedentary.

    I have a Fitbit, which I use to give me (or take away) calories based on how active I am for the day. On days were, I'm truly sedentary my fitbit usually results in me losing like 100 calories. I could raise my MFP activity level, but then on days where I'm sick/lazy, I end up losing like 300 or so calories by the end of the day. Seeing that large of a negative adjustment makes me sad. :cry:

    I log all my exercise on Fitbit. I let my fitbit decide my calories for walking/running and use a HRM for my exercise DVD's/youtube videos. I only log up to 80% of the calories my HRM gives me.

    The only thing in my MFP exercise log is my Fitbit Adjustment (includes exercise & daily activity that I did above MFP's prediction).
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Dumb question. ... but why bother exercising if you're going to eat all the calories back that you burned??

    So you can eat more and not feel deprived, yet still lose fat. :)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Dumb question. ... but why bother exercising if you're going to eat all the calories back that you burned??
    For some of us, exercise isn't about losing weight. Exercise makes you feel better. It makes your brain function better. It improves you blood pressure. It gives you something to do. And yeah, it lets you eat more than you could if you didn't exercise. But I can see that for people whose hobby is losing weight, it doesn't make sense.
  • teeseeytopcat
    teeseeytopcat Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks to everyone for your input. :)
  • georgiaTRIs
    georgiaTRIs Posts: 231 Member
    I don't . I feel better after exercising, I do eat some of them back but not all.
  • jos05
    jos05 Posts: 263 Member
    I absolutely love working out!!! I wake up during the week at 4:30am...just to make sure that I can get in a full hour and half at the gym! It's my "me" time... I don't have to do anything for anyone, I don't have to answer to anyone...it's all about me!! And I love lifting...the feeling that I am getting stronger...it's a passion!! I think you truly have to enjoy it. Some people just never get that feeling....it's a shame really; working out makes me feel so awesome!! It's like an all day high!! lol! Yeah, I am kind of ate up with it.
    As for my calories...most days I do eat them back...most of them. But....throughout the last few years...even when I have ate all my calories back...I felt good about it because I was weight training and although I may not be dropping lots of pounds...I am toning and turning a flabby body into a great work of art...

    ok ok...I am done being excited about working out... (for the moment)....

    Eat back your exercise calories...MFP sets you up with a deficient already... you will continue to lose weight even if you eat back all your calories from working out. But be honest about your calories...that is the problem with most people...they don't wear a hrm or accurately count their calories...

    Best of luck to all of you!!!
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    Yep, I eat them. I'm happier that way. That and when your exercising around 6hrs a week, 1400 calories isn't going to cut it. But, here's my break down:

    I don't use MFP estimates. I have MFP set to Sedentary.

    I have a Fitbit, which I use to give me (or take away) calories based on how active I am for the day. On days were, I'm truly sedentary my fitbit usually results in me losing like 100 calories. I could raise my MFP activity level, but then on days where I'm sick/lazy, I end up losing like 300 or so calories by the end of the day. Seeing that large of a negative adjustment makes me sad. :cry:

    I log all my exercise on Fitbit. I let my fitbit decide my calories for walking/running and use a HRM for my exercise DVD's/youtube videos. I only log up to 80% of the calories my HRM gives me.

    The only thing in my MFP exercise log is my Fitbit Adjustment (includes exercise & daily activity that I did above MFP's prediction).

    Actually I workout more than 6 hours a week (12+) and eat about 1400, but I am petite and dobnot /probably don't weigh as much ad you do. I am close to goal and still losing about 8 lbs/ month

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