Earned Calories?

HCbaby
HCbaby Posts: 10
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing this for 5 days now and I'm confused. I see that the chart says that after exercising, I have earned extra calories for the day. Does that mean that I need to eat more to reach the extra calories? Or do I stay at my original set goal for the day? What if I go over the extra calories given? Really, all this eating is getting to me. I'm not much of a snacker . I like my breakfast, lunch and dinner. With adding healthy snacks, I feel full all the time. Before I joined this site, I joined the gym. Started with a little cardio and more weight training. I Gained weight. I spoke to the club trainer and he turned me on to this site. I stopped gaining. Not sure about losing yet. Giving it more time. It's just all the eating...Do I really need to eat that much? Yes I've been drinking all that water as well.

Replies

  • kandire
    kandire Posts: 87
    This is a common argument on the site. To eat exercise calories or not. I fall into the group that says if you are hungry eat them. If you aren't and are eating at least 1200 calories in a day then don't eat them. I think in order to make a successful lifestyle change we need to learn to listen to our bodies.
  • arhzon
    arhzon Posts: 150
    The system will adjust so that after you put in your exercise, your calories will adjust themselves to tell you how many you have left for the day, INCLUDING your exercise calories. Try to watch your vitamins and make sure you are nourished as well as possible, and if you feel full, don't force yourself to eat. Your body is a mechanism that tells you when to eat, this just helps you determine what and how much.
  • jvkh127
    jvkh127 Posts: 261 Member
    Your probably have not lost yet because you are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. You do need to replace some of the calories you work off but need to remain under the calories alotted for the day after your exercise has been calculated in. Does that make sense???
  • vold94
    vold94 Posts: 256
    This is a common argument on the site. To eat exercise calories or not. I fall into the group that says if you are hungry eat them. If you aren't and are eating at least 1200 calories in a day then don't eat them. I think in order to make a successful lifestyle change we need to learn to listen to our bodies.

    I totally agree! I really make sure that I get up to 1200 calories, if I burn all those calories, then if I'm hungry I will eat some healthy snacks, if not, then I don't worry about it! You really have to do what your body is telling you otherwise you will not succeed in the long haul!

    Good luck!
  • FabOma08
    FabOma08 Posts: 500
    Kandire and arhzon: THANK YOU!!!!! I've spent the past month reading the arguments about this and it's so refreshing to see it stated so logically! Yes, you can eat this many more calories without a negative effect on your weight loss. No, you don't have to make yourself sick trying to force down more calories when your body says I'm not hungry!! Again, Thank you!!!
  • demoharry
    demoharry Posts: 6
    Weight gain- If you're going cardio and weight lifting you will gain weight but lost FAT. It look me a long time to get over that issue in my head. Just because the scales say you weigh more, doesn't mean its fat and in your case, you're just gaining muscle :) Thats a good thing!!!

    I remember looking in the mirror one day and looking bigger than what I started off but realized later that it was only the muscle growing underneath my fat so naturally it made me look bigger, after a week the fat had cut down and i could see lots of improvement and definition in my body.

    Calories- For me, I stick to my set goal and ignore the 'earned calories'. But its up to you and your goals.

    Meals- What ever your safe daily calorie intake is, divide that by 5 or 6 (number of meals in a day) and eat that calorie goal every 2 or 3 hours. That way you will eat a lot smaller meals but more frequently which will increase your metabolism and burn calories the whole day. EXAMPLE: 1200 / 6 = 200 calories every meal (6 meals). You wont be 'full' that way but should feel 'satisfied'.
  • julsofdenial
    julsofdenial Posts: 225 Member
    This is a common argument on the site. To eat exercise calories or not. I fall into the group that says if you are hungry eat them. If you aren't and are eating at least 1200 calories in a day then don't eat them. I think in order to make a successful lifestyle change we need to learn to listen to our bodies.

    I would agree with this personally ^
  • JulsDiane
    JulsDiane Posts: 349 Member
    This is a common argument on the site. To eat exercise calories or not. I fall into the group that says if you are hungry eat them. If you aren't and are eating at least 1200 calories in a day then don't eat them. I think in order to make a successful lifestyle change we need to learn to listen to our bodies.

    I agree with this as well. I don't think it's healthy to eat for the sake of eating. Your body will tell you if you need fuel.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Your probably have not lost yet because you are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. You do need to replace some of the calories you work off but need to remain under the calories alotted for the day after your exercise has been calculated in. Does that make sense???

    Seriously!?!?!?!?! MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGHT MORE THAN FAT!!! Muscle is more DENSE than fat therefore it takes up less space. A pound is a pound no matter what it is.

    I do, however, agree with the rest of the statement. You really should eat your exercise calories as this site already has a built in deficit to meet your weight loss goals (1 lb a week, etc.) But, if you re not hungry, don't eat them. You have to learn to listen to your body and feed it when it is actually hungry.
  • FabOma08
    FabOma08 Posts: 500
    Your probably have not lost yet because you are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. You do need to replace some of the calories you work off but need to remain under the calories alotted for the day after your exercise has been calculated in. Does that make sense???

    Seriously!?!?!?!?! MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGHT MORE THAN FAT!!! Muscle is more DENSE than fat therefore it takes up less space. A pound is a pound no matter what it is.

    I do, however, agree with the rest of the statement. You really should eat your exercise calories as this site already has a built in deficit to meet your weight loss goals (1 lb a week, etc.) But, if you re not hungry, don't eat them. You have to learn to listen to your body and feed it when it is actually hungry.

    Seriously, yes. muscle weighs more than fat. yes, a pound is a pound. But the statement is comparing equal mass, not equal weight. A 12 inch mass of muscle would weigh more than a 12 inch mass of fat! Therefore "muscle weighs more than fat" and "muscle is more dense than fat "are actually saying the exact same thing!
  • jvkh127
    jvkh127 Posts: 261 Member
    Your probably have not lost yet because you are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. You do need to replace some of the calories you work off but need to remain under the calories alotted for the day after your exercise has been calculated in. Does that make sense???

    Seriously!?!?!?!?! MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGHT MORE THAN FAT!!! Muscle is more DENSE than fat therefore it takes up less space. A pound is a pound no matter what it is.

    I do, however, agree with the rest of the statement. You really should eat your exercise calories as this site already has a built in deficit to meet your weight loss goals (1 lb a week, etc.) But, if you re not hungry, don't eat them. You have to learn to listen to your body and feed it when it is actually hungry.

    Seriously, yes. muscle weighs more than fat. yes, a pound is a pound. But the statement is comparing equal mass, not equal weight. A 12 inch mass of muscle would weigh more than a 12 inch mass of fat! Therefore "muscle weighs more than fat" and "muscle is more dense than fat "are actually saying the exact same thing!

    Thank You Fab!! for responding before I got a chance....you are exactly right : )
  • missxchelly
    missxchelly Posts: 180
    This is a common argument on the site. To eat exercise calories or not. I fall into the group that says if you are hungry eat them. If you aren't and are eating at least 1200 calories in a day then don't eat them. I think in order to make a successful lifestyle change we need to learn to listen to our bodies.

    What we also need to realize is when you go to the gym you're burning calories you've already eaten for the day. This site gives you an amount of calories to help you LOSE weight. Not maintain, not gain, but lose. For instance, I get 1700 calories. A normal diet would be 2,000 and someone of my size -- probably a little more. When I go to work out, my body has used some of the calories I've eaten for the day as energy. So essentially, when I'm done working out I've actually had less calories then I think since my body burned some to exercise, and usually you're body will be extremely hungry after. Eat those extra calories, or you're basically just starving yourself.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    Seriously, yes. muscle weighs more than fat. yes, a pound is a pound. But the statement is comparing equal mass, not equal weight. A 12 inch mass of muscle would weigh more than a 12 inch mass of fat! Therefore "muscle weighs more than fat" and "muscle is more dense than fat "are actually saying the exact same thing!

    ladybg81 statement is correct. When comparing volume (cubic inches) it refers to density. If you talk about shear weight, than it's equivalent. Either way, it doesn't matter. A muscalur body is slimmer and tigher than a fat body. Fat is the only think that can bulk a woman. ha!


    Here is my perception on the matter. I actually use this site just to track my calories. I use a different method to determine how many calories I should be eating and suggest it to many. According to this website, if you use their calculations, if you workout and burn 300 calories, than you should eat an extra 300 calories that day because the site has already built in a deficit for you. If you have too large of a deficit (> 500 calories) than you will slow the progress.


    My approach looks at Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you slept 24 hours, for me, my BMR is 2000 calories. I then mutliply it by my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE); how many calories I should eat to make up for daily activities (walking, working out, etc) to get a total number of calories. Because I do a program like p90x, I multiply my 2000 calories by 1.725 which equals 3400 calories. This amount of calories is the amount I need to eat to maintain weight. I back off 500 caloires as my deficit and eat 3000 calories in a day. This is the website I use.


    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    I then go into a custom setup under my goals and set my daily intake for 3000 calories (well I will starting sunday, right now it's 2800 because I haven't officially started p90x until sunday). Additionally, to follow the p90x food guide, I set up custom ratio's. I do 45% of carbs, 35% of protein and 20% for fats. As I progress, I will lower protein and increase carbs. This method has worked for me and others I have worked with on the site. MFP just makes it simple for anyone to come on and lose weight. I take more of a scientific approach to weight loss. When I started I was 210 & 18% body fat. Now I am 189 and 12% body fat and hoping to break single digits within 3 months.

    Good luck.
  • HCbaby
    HCbaby Posts: 10
    Thank you all so much for your replies. I think you all really helped me. So I think I am going to meet my original goal calories and do 1/2 of my earned calories. I'm not going to worry about lunch so much and eat smaller meals/snacks throughout the day. I will stick with my Breakfast and dinner thou. I also can't give up my (AFTER THE KIDS GO TO BED TREAT) Lol... Edy's 1/2 the fat Ice cream. Some people like a nice glass of wine to unwind from a long day, I like my Ice cream. (But only the lite or 1/2 the fat.) It's my only treat.
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