Not WHY (has been answered), but WHO (exercise calories)

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  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Your goal and deadline are only of limited relevance here. You should eat back your calories if you want healthy sustainable and typically consistent weight loss. If your deadline is to lose 30 lbs in a month or two you can try eating very little and exercising very much but what you will likely run into is a point where your body refuses to lose any more. I'm not saying you have to be perfect and eat your cals every day, but you should generally try to meet your goal calories.

    If your goal and deadline are not consistent with a pattern of non-starvation diet, possibly it is the goal and deadline that need adjusting, not the diet.
  • themrs08
    themrs08 Posts: 87
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    I don't. I try to keep my calories as close to 1200 as possible.
  • lclarkjr
    lclarkjr Posts: 359 Member
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    I eat all or most (at least 90%) of my exercise calories each week. My goal has been to lose 1 lb. per week and I have lost just over 6 lbs in the last 4 weeks. On level of importance for me I place overall fitness at the top of my list, above overall weight loss. I've had enough of the short term fixes and refuse to let the scale be my only motivator. I want to feel the results when I'm pushing hard at the gym or on the road, and honestly the only way you can do that is by fueling your body.
  • cweiler4
    cweiler4 Posts: 374 Member
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    I try and eat at least 1/2 of them back or however much I can fit in. Some days I do a double workout where I will burn over 1000 calories and I find that its impossible for me to eat that much. It depends on what I have going on for the day! That's what works for me. Good luck!
  • olsonspring
    olsonspring Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi. i have lost 13 since the begining for Feb. Very slowly but a change I am use to now. Just started the gym. I was 248 then and now 235. Good luck.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    bump (i find it all so very confusing even though like 5 people have explained it to me lol)

    There is a point where your body will start reacting to a lack of food by slowing down your metabolism. It's a self preservation tool. If you used to get 2000 or 3000 calories, but then switch to 1500 calories, your body is going to be shocked intitially, but eventually it will adjust to operating on only 1500 calories.

    The level at which it is estimated that this slowing poses a threat to your health is roughly 1200 calories. It is an ESTIMATE, so many people experiment and find what works for them.

    MFP is based around NET calories, so when you do a workout you should be eating back enough of your exercise calories so that the NET number of calories your body gets is at least 1200 calories (NET can be found on your home page)

    Does that make sense?
  • olsonspring
    olsonspring Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi. i have lost 13 since the begining for Feb. Very slowly but a change I am use to now. Just started the gym. I was 248 then and now 235. Good luck.
  • Cam_
    Cam_ Posts: 515 Member
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    I eat mine 99% of the time. I've had good success. I try to eat my extras as healthy snacks - fruits, vegetables - yogurt .
  • ecreigh2
    ecreigh2 Posts: 14
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    I eat them. Though if i have a long workout or race planned, I usually spread them over the day before to the day after. Its really hard to eat an extra 1400 calories!
  • spacecase76
    spacecase76 Posts: 673 Member
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    I really try to eat back half of them. I am screwing around with my protein / fiber consumption right now, because I have been in a plateau since April, and it really sucks.
  • thisismynewmindset
    thisismynewmindset Posts: 273 Member
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    Thanks everybody these tips are really helpful!

    Yes, I understand NET calories and I think I will eat back 50% of my exercise calories if I can... sometimes I may not eat any other days I might eat them all.

    I think I agree with some of you when it comes to mood... depends what mood I am in and if I am very hungry or not.

    My goal is to lose another 28.6 by August 31st. So, I am not doing the extreme dieting, but I also feel that eating back %100 of my exercise calories every day might make it slower to reach my goal (although I understand it is the safest way to do it... I know... that's why I think I will integrate a little of both - to eat or not to eat).
  • thisismynewmindset
    thisismynewmindset Posts: 273 Member
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    I eat them. Though if i have a long workout or race planned, I usually spread them over the day before to the day after. Its really hard to eat an extra 1400 calories!

    Haha not for me it isn't!
  • lsd007
    lsd007 Posts: 435
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    Me, me, me!
  • jonikeffer
    jonikeffer Posts: 218 Member
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    I eat them back. I'm 35 y/o, 5'0" and currently 144 lbs. I am set to 1200 cals per day, and eat at least 75% of my exercise cals back. So far so good. To me, if a person is set to eat 1200 cals a day, you're already so close to that "starvation" threshold that it is risky not to eat them back. If you are set to a higher number, like 1500, then I think it is safer to try not eating them and see if it works for you.

    Keep in mind that it will take your body a few weeks to figure out what you're doing, so if you don't eat them, it will prob be a few weeks before your body stops losing. Then it will take a few more weeks of eating more before your body realizes you're not starving yourself and lets you start losing again.
  • buckeyebuc
    buckeyebuc Posts: 35 Member
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    I don't for 2 reasons 1) I just dont understand the science behind it and 2) I have no idea how many I burn throughout the day. Don't want to risk going over.

    I am usually under my 1900 calorie a day limit by 300-500 and I eat something every couple of hours whether it be an apple or Kashi bar or something. Rarely have I been hungry and it seems to be working so far.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    I eat them! I have NO problem eating all my calories! :bigsmile:
    I wouldn't force myself to eat them if I wasn't hungry. But, it just so happens that I AM ready to eat every few hours!
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I eat most of them...I love working out because then I come home and eat my face off (good stuff of course) but there's nothing better than eating because you HAVE to lol...I try and stay under my goal by at least 100 calories though...but I'm still above 1200
  • Starkle09
    Starkle09 Posts: 238 Member
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    i eat about 50% back but only because sometimes its too hard to eat back the calories. I guess it depends on how intense the workout is.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I used to spin twice a week and I ate mine back and discovered I should still eat more. I am now strength training and I still eat them back.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    How many calories are you eating daily?

    How many calories do you burn during exercise (what kind of exercise do you do)?

    Unless you're wearing a HRM there is no accurate way to tell what you're burning. But I would say on the days you exercise eat at least 1/2 of what you estimate you're burning. You definitely need more fuel if you're working out.

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