Do YOU eat the exercise calories??

I read some sections that tried to answer the question...I am also aware of not eating enough, and putting the body into starvation mode...but do YOU eat them if you are losing? Seems like a fine line.
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Replies

  • Christie81
    Christie81 Posts: 88 Member
    I eat them and have been consistantly losing :)
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    I eat them and have been consistantly losing :)

    Same here.
  • drobb821
    drobb821 Posts: 9
    I usually try to eat about half of my exercise Calories back. That way my body doesn't go into starvation mode, but I also don't waste my workout.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    I eat them because I read the program here, and know that I'm given a deficit to help me lose weight regardless of whether I exercise or not. Exercising widens that deficit to levels that may not be sustainable and since I only want to lose the weight THIS time not this time and another I want to lose in a healthy way, so I eat back my exercise calories.
  • hjfischer
    hjfischer Posts: 250
    I eat half my calories back. My husband is a PT and that is what he told me to do. Seems to be working. I am consistently losing 1 lb a week.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I usually try to eat about half of my exercise Calories back. That way my body doesn't go into starvation mode, but I also don't waste my workout.

    eating them all would not be wasting your workout, it would actually be the opposite, you will get more out of your workout by fueling your body. http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    MFP is designed so you lose your weekly goal amount of weight whether you exercise or not. It is all based on a calculation to get your desired caloric deficit.
  • SarahWrittenThin
    SarahWrittenThin Posts: 595 Member
    I eat about half of them normally. And I've been dropping about 2 pounds a week.
  • talysshade
    talysshade Posts: 273 Member
    I eat them and have lost 6 pounds since the 4th of april.
  • Xandi
    Xandi Posts: 319
    I eat them and love them... I deserve them!!!
    :)
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Yes!
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    Yep. Anything that gives me the green light to eat more without cheating sounds GOOD to me. I love to eat and I will eat every singel calorie I am allowed! :laugh:
  • bayles1
    bayles1 Posts: 408 Member
    Hey,

    I have always eaten mine back and have had only one week when I didnt lose and during that week I stayed the same.That is now five months.

    Good Luck.
  • ltf304
    ltf304 Posts: 132 Member
    I sure do, and sometimes I am left with only 1 calorie. I do pretty intense training at the gym so I need that fuel, without it I wouldn't have half the energy I do. I lose consistently also. The only time I haven't was when my diet was poor, but other then that, I lose about a pound a week.
  • natekorpusik
    natekorpusik Posts: 176 Member
    I eat them back. I will in fact exercise harder so that I have more calories and can enjoy more food. If you do not eat them back then you will end up in starvation mode and you won't have enough energy to maintain consistent good exercise. My 2 cents.
  • wenders123
    wenders123 Posts: 338 Member
    Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. I shy away from the "rules" and do what I feel is best for me. And I would encourage anybody else to do the same, as long as they are not starving themselves ........
  • dawnw30
    dawnw30 Posts: 270
    I try to eat enough of them back so that I don't get the "you're eating too few calories" message when I finish up my day :wink:
  • lisaap77
    lisaap77 Posts: 123 Member
    I eat them because I read the program here, and know that I'm given a deficit to help me lose weight regardless of whether I exercise or not. Exercising widens that deficit to levels that may not be sustainable and since I only want to lose the weight THIS time not this time and another I want to lose in a healthy way, so I eat back my exercise calories.
    exactly! the calories that are alotted are what u need for your basic life functions. if u dont eat them back, u will eventually go into starvation mode
  • nisharae
    nisharae Posts: 204 Member
    I dont. Or try very VERY hard not too.. I hate the thought of knowing im wasting my workout on food.. I will say though If I have a day where I work out really hard or just am REALLY REALLY hungry for some reason I will eat only some of them back... I try to never eat more than a third back. Yup. I also like that eating some of them back messes with my calorie intake a little and should keep my metabolism going. :D.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Some days yes, some days no. I make an effort to eat balanced meals at regular intervals. With that and my nightly wine, I usually come in at about what this site thinks I should. Occasionally it will tell me I'm eating too little, usually if I've not had any meat that day, but if I'm not hungry and I've had a good balance of nutrients, fiber and protien, I'm not going to eat more. Though occasionally I did have one more glass of wine. :drinker:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I dont. Or try very VERY hard not too.. I hate the thought of knowing im wasting my workout on food.. I will say though If I have a day where I work out really hard or just am REALLY REALLY hungry for some reason I will eat only some of them back... I try to never eat more than a third back. Yup. I also like that eating some of them back messes with my calorie intake a little and should keep my metabolism going. :D.

    Not a good idea, you should be eating at least most of them everyday. MFP sets you up so you lose your goal amount of weight by eating them all.