Do you eat your activity calories?!?

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acullen31
acullen31 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm normally really good about not eating the calories I burn while working out, but sometimes I'll eat my daily calories AND ALL the activity calories. Does anyone else do this? If so, do you feel guilty too?!?

Replies

  • superjae5
    superjae5 Posts: 64 Member
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    You can and should eat your exercise calories. MFP has the limit built in for weight loss goals. That's why it says you've "earned" calories when you exercise. So shed the guilt, as long as you stay within the limit of your daily goal + earned calories, you'll keep losing.
  • raychybabe
    raychybabe Posts: 121 Member
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    I feel bad, but for me its a way of being able to justify certain foods or treat myself. If I'm under, its only usually around 50-200 cals max but usually I tend to break even. I'm not sure whether I should be doing this. I have a BMR of 1340 cals, I set myself 1280cals for food daily, and then I do about 300-400 cals back from exercise at least 5 days a week. Is this right? I'm curious to know too.
  • Melinda1987
    Melinda1987 Posts: 130
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    There's a hundred threads on this topic and I disagree with them, but what do I know? In my opinion it is counter-productive to eat those Cals EVERY day. I leave them there as a buffer, in case I feel like splurging some days. I've read what everyone has to say on the topic, and they can spout stats to their hearts content. I'm making progress so I could care less. :)
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
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    You need to eat your exercise calories, ever last one of them! If you're going to exercise you've got to fuel your body!
  • deniseg31
    deniseg31 Posts: 667 Member
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    I eat a couple hundred calories back. I tend to workout really late at night so I won't eat all 600 calories or so.
  • MissGibbs
    MissGibbs Posts: 8
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    Hello,

    So far, it has not crossed my mind to "stack away" my workout cals :)

    I definitely eat my activity calories! ALL of them.

    To me, it's a motivational thing... this morning, I earned myself a breakfast bagel on the treadmill. Can't get much better than that, LOL!

    Have a great weekend!
  • arotella
    arotella Posts: 98 Member
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    I always eat my exercise calories and still lose weight! I never use to eat them, but I have found that it keeps me satisfied and on track. It makes this whole "dieting" thing much easier for me. It also keeps my energy levels up!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I'm normally really good about not eating the calories I burn while working out, but sometimes I'll eat my daily calories AND ALL the activity calories. Does anyone else do this? If so, do you feel guilty too?!?

    I usually do eat them, or actually I usually drink them, but sometimes I don't. If I was hungry when I ate them I sure wouldn't feel guilty. Feeling guilty about food can lead to stress and that can lead to failure. This is my LIFE, and I certainly don't intend to not live it hungry.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    You'll get a lot of different responses on this one because different things work for different people.

    I eat all my activity calories back because exercising makes me hungry! Plus, I see it as my way to earn a little treat now and then.
  • MissGibbs
    MissGibbs Posts: 8
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    This is my LIFE, and I certainly don't intend to not live it hungry.

    Thumbs up for that one!!!! :bigsmile:
  • Beth720
    Beth720 Posts: 661 Member
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    You can and should eat your exercise calories. MFP has the limit built in for weight loss goals. That's why it says you've "earned" calories when you exercise. So shed the guilt, as long as you stay within the limit of your daily goal + earned calories, you'll keep losing.

    This!

    Look at your net when you enter your exercise. If it is under 1200, you definitely need to eat more.

    Think of it this way...if you're allotted 1200 calories for the day and burn 600 working out but don't eat them back, you're asking your body to live on 600 calories. Very quickly you're going to find yourself losing muscle as your body uses that for energy and also gaining as your body will begin to hold onto calories to keep you alive.
  • acullen31
    acullen31 Posts: 87 Member
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    Thanks everyone!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    This is my LIFE, and I certainly don't intend to not live it hungry.

    Thumbs up for that one!!!! :bigsmile:

    Oops! I hope you knew I meant "don't intend to live it hungry" :smile:
  • jah7700
    jah7700 Posts: 276 Member
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    I eat a couple hundred calories back. I tend to workout really late at night so I won't eat all 600 calories or so.

    I have the same issue. I typically walk/jog 3 times a week now and since I do it when I get home I have a hard time eating the points back. Especially since I try really hard to not eat after 7. I try to stay within my daily point goals, but sometimes have a bad meal that takes me over, so not eating the exercise points all the time helps spreads out my average calorie intake over the week and keeps me on plan.
  • ldholcombe
    ldholcombe Posts: 97 Member
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    My doctor is the one who showed me this website, and she recomended that I didn't eat back all of my exercise calories. But that I make sure my calories are no lower than 1700 because I am breastfeeding.
  • MissGibbs
    MissGibbs Posts: 8
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    This is my LIFE, and I certainly don't intend to not live it hungry.

    Thumbs up for that one!!!! :bigsmile:

    Oops! I hope you knew I meant "don't intend to live it hungry" :smile:

    Hahaha- I've always had a problem with double negatives- guess I got the gist, though :tongue:
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
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    I eat a couple hundred calories back. I tend to workout really late at night so I won't eat all 600 calories or so.


    I don't work out until the evening some days either but I enter my exercise cals earlier ( I guesstimate) so I eat more throughout the day. There's no rule that says you have to eat your calories earned AFTER you exercise. If you know you are for sure going to work out, account for those calories throughout the day.

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