excercise=eat more? is that a requirement?

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kleeann3
kleeann3 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
so still new to this and trying to understand ..if i burn 500 calories or so doing exercise at about 7pm..and i had 200 calories left in my allowance does that mean i HAVE to eat 700 calories worth of food that night???


ALSO Isn't is bad to take on the calories late at night also??
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  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    You'll likely get different answers to this, but in my opinion and experience -- yes, eating back the exercise calories is important. You don't have to eat back every single one, but it should be as close as possible.

    As for eating late -- I ALWAYS eat before bed and I've lost weight. I really believe it is more about WHAT you eat than WHEN you eat.
  • SparkleKittie
    SparkleKittie Posts: 127
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    I don't eat into my exercise calories often. People have different views on this. I lose half a pound to a pound a day, doing this. I just take one day off and eat whatever I want. :P
  • SenoraMacias
    SenoraMacias Posts: 305 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing. I was close to my daily allowance, then added my exercise and it gave me 429 more calories...I've already added in what I plan to eat for dinner and I'm wondering if I need to add more to it? I really don't want to!
  • aliadeta
    aliadeta Posts: 3 Member
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    in my opinion, i don't think its really necessary- unless you're trying to gain weight.
    if you're trying to lose it, you could probably carry them over the next few days(space out the extra calories)

    I'm faced with this problem all the time!
    I will note, focus on getting all your nutrients! For every calorie you eat, make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck!
    :)
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
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    I eat before bed, too. My body doesn't know what time or day it is. I try to eat 1/2 my exercise calories.
  • KaizokuNoMaiku
    KaizokuNoMaiku Posts: 164
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    Well you dont have to tbh for some its to hard like myself on my cardio day I will burn around 1500 calories and my daily goal is 1880 that would mean that I would have to eat around 3400 calories that day and ill just because sick from eating or I need to eat a load of unhealthy stuff.

    But do try to eat a little more if your doing stuff with weights try to get some more proteins in for your muscle's recovery.
    But you dont need to eat the entire difrence just try to eat a little more.

    For me eating around 1/3 of my calories burned during exercise works the best.
  • audreyyrose
    audreyyrose Posts: 85
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    you should eat back at least half of your exercise calories :]
    and i religiously eat at night - it's just what i do. i'd go insane without my nighttime snacks. and i've had no trouble maintaining my weight (i'm not trying to lose, but if i was, my nighttime eating would not be my hindrance)
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
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    I listen to my body, if I am hungry, I have a light snack. I don't over eat. I always have an excess of calories left to be consumed every day. I think it is more of what works for you!
  • MayhemModels
    MayhemModels Posts: 367 Member
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    I eat about 70% of my burned calories because the exercise logs are a bit higher than i actually am burning
  • idahogirl71
    idahogirl71 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    You have to find what works for you. Some eat back their calories, some do not. I never do because if I eat over 1,000 cal a day I do not lose, but that is me. As far as eating before bed, that too depends upon your body and what you eat. I NEVER eat simple carbs prior to bed anymore because I found doing so made me gain.
  • MrsH06
    MrsH06 Posts: 159
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    I try to get my net calories back up to about 1200 then I stop.
  • loseatonlady
    loseatonlady Posts: 160
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    Yes - TRY to eat them back at least part of the time - and YES - watch what types of food you're eating and how late! Stay away from bad carbs as much as possible - ESPECIALLY late.
  • JLEinGCM
    JLEinGCM Posts: 13
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    I was wondering this myself. Initially I thought that if I didn't eat all the calories back then I might lose more weight a little bit more quickly but I worry about the body going into starvation mode because it isn't getting enough. To be honest, I find it challenging to eat that many calories of the 'good stuff' ... as in veggies and fruits just don't have that many calories. Looking forward to reading other people's experiences, too.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
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    I don't eat into my exercise calories often. People have different views on this. I lose half a pound to a pound a day, doing this. I just take one day off and eat whatever I want. :P

    Woah! Be really careful with this! It is not healthy to be losing that much, that fast! You should be losing that much a WEEK, not every day!!!

    To the OP, yes, exercise calories are important! If you know you are going to be exercising at night, plan to eat a little more throughout the day so you aren't stuck with a huge number at the end. MFP already calculates your deficit to lose weight for you - even if you did NO exercise, you would still lose however many pounds your account is set for. (I am set up for a pound a week.) When you exercise, you are making that deficit even greater.

    Think of your calories as fuel - when you use your fuel to exercise, you need to replace what you burned in order for your body to function in a healthy way. At the VERY LEAST you need to be netting 1200 calories a day. Any less than that, and your body will think there is a shortage of food and will hold on to what you give it - making it harder to lose weight.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
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    I eat about 70% of my burned calories because the exercise logs are a bit higher than i actually am burning

    ^Good advice. If you have a HRM that is the best way to gauge calories burned. Most of the MFP logs are higher than normal - I usually lower what MFP tells me I burned by at least a hundred calories before recording it.
  • wanderbee
    wanderbee Posts: 1
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    I've read that you shouldn't eat 3 hours before bedtime, and you should eat at least 12 hours before breakfast. I'm surprised to have to eat more calories to cover my exercise. I exercise to lose weight. adding only a percentage would sound more reasonable.
  • Flossycat100
    Flossycat100 Posts: 103
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    I rarely eat many, if any, exercise calories. However I do eat a MINIMUM of 1200 calories a day and make sure those are as healthily-balanced as possible. This is very important to keep the energy levels high and your body ticking over.

    I think so long as you are doing that you can bank the extra calories rather than eating them. My Doctor (GP) and fitness trainer both agree, and I am losing weight both quickly and healthily.
  • notoriousgtt
    notoriousgtt Posts: 75 Member
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    My view on this is that it would be difficult for some people to eat back all their exercise calories.
    I know I couldn't, but it depends how much work your doing and what kind of calories your eating.
    You would be better concentrating on taking in the correct amount of carbs for energy and protein for muscle recovery instead of calorie counting.
    As for eating before bed time. I hour before sleep is generally fine, I wouldn't recommend eating a big meal before bed but a snack here and there will be fine.
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    so still new to this and trying to understand ..if i burn 500 calories or so doing exercise at about 7pm..and i had 200 calories left in my allowance does that mean i HAVE to eat 700 calories worth of food that night???

    Please consider this very important website for more information on how MFP site works.
    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • lclarkjr
    lclarkjr Posts: 359 Member
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    If I am going to be exercising later in the evening, I will try to consume more calories during breakfast and lunch so that I have extra fuel to burn. I also try to take a protein supplement right after my workout to start the muscle repair process right away. Most of the time when I exercise I don't use up all my exercise calories, but I consider it money in the bank to use later on in the week.

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