daily calories question...

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jennib06
jennib06 Posts: 101 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have been on the site for a little under a week now, and today I logged my excercise for the first time. After I logged that, I noticed that my calorie intake went up by almost a thousand calories. If they are just adding my calories burned to my daily calorie intake, then is the working out going to be effective? Isn't the point of working out to burn the calories eaten that day (and all of those from the past) and not simply so that I can eat more througout the day? I understand that the more I work out, the more nutrients my body needs, but I don't understand eating the same amount I burned. I feel like that just makes it all pointless...help please!

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  • jennib06
    jennib06 Posts: 101 Member
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    So I have been on the site for a little under a week now, and today I logged my excercise for the first time. After I logged that, I noticed that my calorie intake went up by almost a thousand calories. If they are just adding my calories burned to my daily calorie intake, then is the working out going to be effective? Isn't the point of working out to burn the calories eaten that day (and all of those from the past) and not simply so that I can eat more througout the day? I understand that the more I work out, the more nutrients my body needs, but I don't understand eating the same amount I burned. I feel like that just makes it all pointless...help please!
  • jjcunningham85
    jjcunningham85 Posts: 56
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    Jennib06,
    I'm new to MFP as well, and at first I wondered the same thing. The daily caloric allowance is set at a level that will allow you to reach your weight-loss goals. If you burn calories, you can eat that many more calories that day and still stay on pace to achieve your goals.

    Now having said that, I prefer to stay under the allowed calories for the day, and not include those that I burned, that way I will lose more weight (in theory) or at least be more likely to achieve my goals. I also like to think about my burned calories as erasing calories I have already consumed that day. So I get in the mindset of "if I eat lower calorie food, my workouts will erase even more of what I have consumed." I have had this philosophy for some time now and have lost 65 lbs in the past year and a half.

    Hope this answered your question.

    Jay
  • sidneyrose
    sidneyrose Posts: 17
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    I didnt really understand that either. Im just waiting to add my workouts until the end of the day, and sticking to the calories it says. :smile:
  • SteffCooley
    SteffCooley Posts: 111
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    There has been lots of back and forth about this, on whether or not to eat your exercise calories. Everyone has their own opinions, but for myself - I don't eat them. I look as exercise as a "booster" to my diet and weight loss goals. I guess you just have to figure out what works for your body, but I still can't make sense of eating all those extra calories!
  • DjBliss05
    DjBliss05 Posts: 682
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    Check out the newbie thread for more info. :flowerforyou:
  • jennib06
    jennib06 Posts: 101 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the help. I kinda figured the same, and I like the idea of waiting to add my workout untill the end of the day, because then I won't be tempted by all those extra calories. At this point, I do not plan on eating them, I guess it just kinda threw me off the way it was set up.

    And DjBliss05...where do I find the newbie thread? :)

    -Thanks again for the help!!!

    Jen
  • Destined
    Destined Posts: 116
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    I have the same question too about eating back my calories. I am still trying to figure my way around here too. This is my 2nd week but I am loving it so far
  • jenifergotti
    jenifergotti Posts: 325 Member
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    The site automatically deducts your daily calories to lose weight. If you want to lose 1 pound a week, it has already deducted 500 calories off of what you should eat in a day! So, when you exercise and burn 600 calories - you should eat that much extra. If you are on 1200 calories a day and don't eat the extra 600 from working out, your body thinks that you have only eaten 600 calories for the whole day and then goes into starvation mode! I have eaten my excercise calories from day one and have lost 1 to 2 pounds per week since I started. It really works - as long as we do it the healthy way!! :wink:
  • Mangoaddict
    Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
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    The site automatically deducts your daily calories to lose weight. If you want to lose 1 pound a week, it has already deducted 500 calories off of what you should eat in a day! So, when you exercise and burn 600 calories - you should eat that much extra. If you are on 1200 calories a day and don't eat the extra 600 from working out, your body thinks that you have only eaten 600 calories for the whole day and then goes into starvation mode! I have eaten my excercise calories from day one and have lost 1 to 2 pounds per week since I started. It really works - as long as we do it the healthy way!! :wink:

    I have followed the same thing as jennifer and lost about 1.5 pounds a week. It does work. Eat properly and within the exercise calories + daily intake and you will still lose weight.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    eat your exercise calories! You couldn't drive across the country without refilling your tank, your body cannot do all that exercise without any fuel. You can leave some of them on the table, but try to eat most of those calories so that your body will "trust" that it's alright to let go of the fat stores. otherwise it thinks- OMG I had to do all that work and I got no fuel... better lock down all available calories into reserves. then you're defeating yourself.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I never post. But I just couldn't stand by when the information is so close.

    please read the posts in the link at the bottom, they are very important. They explain why you should eat your calories, what your body is doing with the calories you are burning, and why it's just as bad to eat too few calories as it is to eat too many.

    I realize some of these posts are long and a little difficult. But take the time, slow down and re-read them if you have to, but don't just glance at them and say "it's too long", your health is too important to glaze over and ignore this stuff.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

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