Eating Back on a low carb diet?

xkime
xkime Posts: 35 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
As stated, I'm low carbing, not calorie counting, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to eat back my exercise "carbs" or not? I just did 43 minutes of exercise and ate them back, but which way is more effective? I was told you're supposed to eat protein IMMEDIATELY post workout to help your muscles? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Replies

  • healthysmart
    healthysmart Posts: 15 Member
    What do you mean exercise carbs?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    In because confused
  • SexyKatherine73
    SexyKatherine73 Posts: 221 Member
    You don't earn carbs for exercise. If you were calorie counting you would earn back exercise calories, which you can eat back if you wish.

    But as you stated you're not counting calories .... so it's possible you just went over your carb limit, by eating extras.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    You can count carbs until you are blue in the face, but if you are eating more calories than your body needs you will gain the weight back. Fat actually has more calories per gram than carbs.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Eat back protein and fat if you wish.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    I know what you mean by exercise carbs, because default:
    fv9od0w2bwig.png

    and with exercise:

    m294fc35q4r9.png

    I'm not sure why you're worried about eating back those carbs if you're trying to go low carb, though. Wouldn't you just focus on fat and protein?

    I've also heard the protein-after-workout thing, but I generally don't eat after unless I would be eating anyway.
  • camtosh
    camtosh Posts: 898 Member
    Hi, xkime -- try your question in the Low Carbers group here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-group
    As others noted, MFP gives you "exercise calories" that you can choose to eat back or not. It is up to your goals. I found that eating them back keeps me in maintenance :) YMMV
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Low carb is just packaging up calorie counting another way based on protein and fat being highly satieting

    If you're not following MFP calorie counting then don't follow the other rules...because it won't /can't work

    A low carber eating back exercise calories is also mixing two approaches

    Pick your approach and stick to it
  • xkime
    xkime Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you for your help I'm new to this and was wondering what I should've done!
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
    edited February 2015
    elphie754 wrote: »
    You can count carbs until you are blue in the face, but if you are eating more calories than your body needs you will gain the weight back. Fat actually has more calories per gram than carbs.
    I don't think anyone claimed that fat didn't have more calories per gram than carbs?

    OP - You can go to the low carb group to see if you can get some answers, but me as a low carber I would eat just a few more grams, but then also eat more protein and more fat. Let's say you burned 250 calories and eat back half...125 calories. Even if you eat 5 extra grams of carbs, that's 16% of those earned calories are from carbs. Your daily percentage of your calories from carbs are probably somewhere in that ballpark so if you eat a large chunk of carbs because of exercising, you may have increased your day's ratio of carbs. So for me, exercise might just be an extra slice or two of tomato on a salad.

    Once you get comfortable counting carbs, I would personally, and this is just my opinion from my experience, focus on your macro ratios than just carbs per day. I felt having that total picture made this a more maintainable WOE. Just my 2 cents for what its worth.

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