why eat back exercise calories?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/167971-eating-exercise-calories?hl=eat+exercise+calories#posts-2234524

1300 calories per day is substantially below the average maintenance number for most people even at relatively low activity levels. Basically, if you just sat in a chair all day then went to sleep, you'd probably burn roughly 1500 calories just being awake. If you get up at all to move around doing normal daily things, you'll probably burn about 2,000. Doing daily cardio isn't just about burning calories, it's about stimulating your metabolism so that even when you aren't running, your body is burning more calories than normal.

What I'm trying to say is, don't feel bad eating back the calories you burn from a workout as long as your daily calorie consumption is below your maintenance intake level. The workout itself isn't what makes you lose fat, it's the whole day. The run just makes it so you can eat a little more and still lose weight.

My nutrionist said that if you want to keep the weight you are now you eat back your exercise calories, but if your trying to lose you dont eat them back.. another thing no matter how much strength training or walking you , if you dont add cardio you wont lose as much weight..

I eat them back because I would feel like **** after exercising if I didnt. I need those calories. Without them, I would be weak and immunocompromised. Some days, I dont eat ALL of them back, and some days I go over.

I like to work out, and it's good for my body in many ways that don't translate directly to weight loss (cardiovascular health, bone health, improved mood).

I always have quick carbs before my workout, and protein after. I want to build some lean muscle, so I have tone and form to my body.

We lose weight by having a deficit in our calorie intake vs. calories burned. MFP ALREADY calculates that deficit for you. When you exercise, you create an even BIGGER deficit...so you can eat more. If you don't eat them (depending on your baseline calories) you could do more harm than good. Most of us got into this situation by overeating. So, if there is a plan that allows you to EAT but still lose weight, then why not do it? Somedays I seriously feel like I am overeating, but I still continue to lose weight! You can seriously eat more if you fill those calories with healthy foods instead of junk (I know we all know that, but still).

Why would you exercise if you just eat them back? It's important to keep your muscles healthy and happy! Muscle needs more energy than fat... If you are 140 with lots of muscles you will burn more calories laying in bed all day then you would if you were 140 with lots of fat instead of muscle.

I'm dead serious. If you look at the bottom of your food diary and it says you have more calories to eat, then eat them. If you follow the plan that this site sets out for you, you WILL lose weight!

My nutrionist said that if you want to keep the weight you are now you eat back your exercise calories, but if your trying to lose you dont eat them back.. another thing no matter how much strength training or walking you , if you dont add cardio you wont lose as much weight..

Wrong, this only makes sense if you are eating maintenance calories. MFP gives you a deficit to lose your goal amount of weight, in order to lose that goal amount you MUST eat your exercise calories. It is all based on math by giving you a caloric deficit that will achieve your goal.

Not eating them may lead you to burn muscle, instead of fat, for fuel. Your metabolism may slow down, lack of energy as the more you workout the more fuel you need.

Think of a car. sitting in the driveway you don't burn much (evaporation) going slow burns less gas/km than going fast (think of this as normal daily activity) need some fuel, now if you drive further and faster (exercise) you will require more fuel.

Thank you for responding to this. I see alot of people make this same statement. This would be true for someone that did not adjust their diet. But for us on MFP the diet has been adjusted already. I feel like people fail to mention the calorie deficit they are already on when talking to nutritionists/dieticians/phyical trainers/etc.

Can someone please explain why I would eat back exercise calories? Seems like there's no point in exercising if I just eat the calories back. I am currently eating about 1300 per day. Some days, like on weekends I go up to 1400 - 1600. How do I prevent going into starvation mode, but still lose weight? I don't want to eat too much or too little. My weight loss has been less than a pound a week, even though I have went from sitting on the couch all night and at my desk all day and not caring what I ate to eating 1300 calories and working out 5-6 days a week. aghhh

Okay... Assume that all of the solid advice for *healthy* weight loss is to be ignored...for now. I am not encouraging this by any means, but go ahead and try not eating them back if you think it's counterproductive. I'll tell you from experience that NOT eating them back IS counterproductive, but if you want to learn for yourself, I'll be the first to point you in the right direction for failure.

Constantly not eating them back creates an exercise bulimic disorder, where you will be having a massive calorie deficit each day. You say you don't want to hit "starvation mode", well, mathematically, you will be. It's inevitable. Eating 1200 calories and burning off 600, for example, will only give you 600 calories for that day. Do it again, and you'll have had only 1200 calories in 2 days. Do it again, and so on and so forth. By the end of the week you'll have accumulated so many negative calories that your body will do what its supposed to do... and think that it IS starving. Therefore it will eat away at your muscles and fat and anything else it can use for fuel.

Any food that you put into your body will be held onto for as long as it possibly can and it will convert it immediately for storage in the form of fat. You will then at that point become "skinny fat," where you may be low in weight, but absolutely emaciated and possibly still have flab. Great. You will have successfully attained your goal weight in the worst way possible to your health.

So, that's what the future of not eating your exercise calories holds for you. If it's something you can live with, by all means, don't eat them back. No one here will force you to. Make an informed decision and question no further.

I'm definitely not an expert, but when I was usiing Weight Watchers, we were told that we didn't need to eat back our exercise calories. I usually don't, but ocassionally I eat back my exercise calories if I want to indulge myself. Also, since you have started an exercise program, you may be gaining more muscle mass. So even though you may be losing fat weight, muscle weighs more than fat and your loses won't show on the scale. You could try measuring the inches you are losing as your guide to weight loss instead of going strictly by the scale.

The points they give you though are probably higher in calories than what a 1200 cal/day diet would be. If your goal was 1800, you could get away with only eating some of your exercise calories and be fine, but if you have a large deficit you should eat all of the exercise calories.

Okay... Assume that all of the solid advice for *healthy* weight loss is to be ignored...for now. I am not encouraging this by any means, but go ahead and try not eating them back if you think it's counterproductive. I'll tell you from experience that NOT eating them back IS counterproductive, but if you want to learn for yourself, I'll be the first to point you in the right direction for failure.

Constantly not eating them back creates an exercise bulimic disorder, where you will be having a massive calorie deficit each day. You say you don't want to hit "starvation mode", well, mathematically, you will be. It's inevitable. Eating 1200 calories and burning off 600, for example, will only give you 600 calories for that day. Do it again, and you'll have had only 1200 calories in 2 days. Do it again, and so on and so forth. By the end of the week you'll have accumulated so many negative calories that your body will do what its supposed to do... and think that it IS starving. Therefore it will eat away at your muscles and fat and anything else it can use for fuel.

Any food that you put into your body will be held onto for as long as it possibly can and it will convert it immediately for storage in the form of fat. You will then at that point become "skinny fat," where you may be low in weight, but absolutely emaciated and possibly still have flab. Great. You will have successfully attained your goal weight in the worst way possible to your health.

So, that's what the future of not eating your exercise calories holds for you. If it's something you can live with, by all means, don't eat them back. No one here will force you to. Make an informed decision and question no further.

This is probably the best explanation I've heard for why you need to eat back your calories.

Can someone please explain why I would eat back exercise calories? Seems like there's no point in exercising if I just eat the calories back. I am currently eating about 1300 per day. Some days, like on weekends I go up to 1400 - 1600. How do I prevent going into starvation mode, but still lose weight? I don't want to eat too much or too little. My weight loss has been less than a pound a week, even though I have went from sitting on the couch all night and at my desk all day and not caring what I ate to eating 1300 calories and working out 5-6 days a week. aghhh

Okay... Assume that all of the solid advice for *healthy* weight loss is to be ignored...for now. I am not encouraging this by any means, but go ahead and try not eating them back if you think it's counterproductive. I'll tell you from experience that NOT eating them back IS counterproductive, but if you want to learn for yourself, I'll be the first to point you in the right direction for failure.

Constantly not eating them back creates an exercise bulimic disorder, where you will be having a massive calorie deficit each day. You say you don't want to hit "starvation mode", well, mathematically, you will be. It's inevitable. Eating 1200 calories and burning off 600, for example, will only give you 600 calories for that day. Do it again, and you'll have had only 1200 calories in 2 days. Do it again, and so on and so forth. By the end of the week you'll have accumulated so many negative calories that your body will do what its supposed to do... and think that it IS starving. Therefore it will eat away at your muscles and fat and anything else it can use for fuel.

Any food that you put into your body will be held onto for as long as it possibly can and it will convert it immediately for storage in the form of fat. You will then at that point become "skinny fat," where you may be low in weight, but absolutely emaciated and possibly still have flab. Great. You will have successfully attained your goal weight in the worst way possible to your health.

So, that's what the future of not eating your exercise calories holds for you. If it's something you can live with, by all means, don't eat them back. No one here will force you to. Make an informed decision and question no further.

I love this answer!!!!!