Kind of a stupid question :)

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bebe3232
bebe3232 Posts: 43
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, if you are suppose to eat back all the calories burned during exercise everyday then honestly what is the point in exercising? Unless I am wanting to exercise just so I can eat more? Isn't burning calories the point of exercising when your trying to lose weight? I am talking purely in terms of weight loss not muscle building or cardiovascular health. I know those would be reason for exercising. There is no way the people on the biggest loser are eating back all the calories they burn everyday or they'd be eating all day long!
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Replies

  • LiveThinLiveWell
    LiveThinLiveWell Posts: 5 Member
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    I do it for the fun of it :)
  • lisafred24
    lisafred24 Posts: 313 Member
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    My trainer says not to eat back your exercise calories unless you are in maintenance mode.
  • ladybugz_247
    ladybugz_247 Posts: 120
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    The people on the biggest loser are put on diets, and who really knows how many calories they are allowed to eat, as for us what MFP sets is already way below what we should be eating, so work out or not your gonna lose weight. Now because our caloric intake is already low we have to eat what we burn or our bodies will go into starvation mode. Our bodies are like cars we need the food to fuel it. I don't always eat back all the calories but every now and then I do. Curious to see what others think..
  • jnettiedotson
    jnettiedotson Posts: 163
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    Not a stupid question at all... I am thinking the same way as you. I just don't get it! LOL
  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
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    It's all about your metabolism. Eating and exercising gets your metabolism in high gear.
  • Kamioh30
    Kamioh30 Posts: 17 Member
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    I've never really thought about it in those terms. Kind of like spinning your wheels. I got a lil chuckle out of the whole concept after reading your post.
  • kesteele
    kesteele Posts: 127
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    Do NOT eat back all the cals you burn people tell you to do this but you need a deficit in order to lose weight. This is my major in university and trust me...if you eat back the cals you burned it's as if you didn't workout at all. a deficit is good -- but whatever your net cals is at the beginning of the day you need to meet that like mine is like 1460 or something like that meet that....then I earned 500 more --therefore I took 500 off my 1460 and I have a deficit that's how fat is burned.....shoot me a personal msg if you need anymore help!
  • mangos4music
    mangos4music Posts: 126 Member
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    exercise helps firm you up so u look tighter and not "saggy" (im having that problem lol) after you lose the weight
  • sharonfincher1
    sharonfincher1 Posts: 311 Member
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    You are not suppose to eat back your calories. As the previous post said, only if you are planning on maintaining. But you do need to take in at least your recommended calories based on your BMR.
  • mlweaver89
    mlweaver89 Posts: 35
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Do it based on your hunger level. Yesterday I buirned 1251 cals. Im alloted 1620 before excercise. There was NO WAY i could eat 2871 cals. Maybe with how I ate before but not with the healthy choices I eat now without even thinking about it. I eat them if Im hungry I may go over a bit the next day, if Im hungry.

    There are plenty of people out there on 1200 cal diets and working out 30 min a week 5x a week. It all probably depends on how much you burn in a workout, if you burn 300 cals you might not feel the need to eat the cals back, if you burn 900 cals you definently should atleast eat 300 of that back (itll bite you the next day if you dont)

    With the amount you have to lose it wont harm you/your diet right away to not eat them back, if you plateau play with your intake a bit (even upping it) there is no totally right or wrong way as long as you learn healthy eating habits along the way so you dont instantly gain as you go into maintenance
  • BranMuffin21
    BranMuffin21 Posts: 157 Member
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    The only time I eat my exercise calories is if its a 'special(my cheat)' night. But its only so much, maybe half of what I earned.
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
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    This explains eating back your exercise calories. Some people do; some don't... here's the info.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    You need to compare your net calories to your basal metabolic rate (BMR; see the tools section).

    For me, my BMR is approx 1360Cal/day (so I should burn 1360Cal if I just stay in bed all day; more if I go about my normal daily activities). On MFP my goal is 1200Cal/day, which is well below my BMR, so I should lose weight even if I stay in bed all day (which I don't, despite being on summer vacation for 3 months ;)). So if I work out and then eat back the calories I burned, I'm still below my BMR, and I should still lose weight.

    Eating back some or all of your exercise calories (if you're hungry) simply helps keep your body from going into starvation mode, which wouldn't help at all if you're trying to lose weight.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
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    It really depends on what you have left to lose. The less it is, the more you need to eat them back usually. If your caloric goal is at the minimum (1200 for women) then going below a net of 1200 can cause your metabolism to slow down sometimes.

    I've lost weight both ways over the past years. In the beginning I only ate less. Exercise happened now and then, but was never consistent. Now I work out 5-6 days a week, and I much prefer the latter.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    You want a point? Here's your point! (Kidding of course. There's some great advice here already; I suggest you take it!)
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    ETA: Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me! The one time I put this matter into other people's hands, they start saying to NOT eat them back. No, no, no. Eating back your exercise calories is not just for maintaining. Jesus Christ.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
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    MFP builds in a deficit. This is a big controversy on this site, but my personal experience has been that if I don't eat at least a net of 1200 calories, I actually gain weight if I don't eat to that level. Not everyone has that same experience, but I wouldn't push it much lower than the 1200 calories mark.
  • AngieMMc
    AngieMMc Posts: 152 Member
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    Not a stupid question just a hard concept to grasp. Yes you are supposed to eat all or most of the calories you burned but let me see if I can explain to where it makes sense.

    You need to first establish what your BMR is....how many calories you need to maintain if you laid in bed all day. MFP is set up to take all of your information you keyed in from the beginning and based on what you put in for the amount of weight you wanted to lose per week. So without exercise let's say you are allowed 1200 calories (which is the lowest net calories you re supposed to intake). If you eat 1200 caloiries......the lowest number of calories you re supposed to eat per day and then you exercise and burn off 300 of those calories you've only taken in 900 NET calories which means you have droppd below the minimum required. If you conitnually do that, your metabolism is going to tank and you will actually start losing at a much slower rate. Because your body isn't getting the fuel it needs to function AND exercise. You will also begin to lose lean muscle mass as our body thinks its starving and will start taking nutrient from your muscles and storing the fat away for another day. I was skeptical myself until I plateaued. My trainer friend told me that I was NOT eating enough and I would stay plateaued until I ate more...at least 1200 calories plus whatever I worked off. I just gave it a shot and now I am back to losing 2 an 3 lbs per week like I was before. I am sure there are articles out there that explain this way better than I have. I just know it works bc I am living proof.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    Do NOT eat back all the cals you burn people tell you to do this but you need a deficit in order to lose weight. This is my major in university and trust me...if you eat back the cals you burned it's as if you didn't workout at all. a deficit is good -- but whatever your net cals is at the beginning of the day you need to meet that like mine is like 1460 or something like that meet that....then I earned 500 more --therefore I took 500 off my 1460 and I have a deficit that's how fat is burned.....shoot me a personal msg if you need anymore help!

    You obviously haven't been paying attention in school, have you? If MFP has you set at 1460 calories a day, you've already got a deficit built in. Not eating back the calories burned through exercise makes that deficit larger, and the larger the deficit, the more stress and danger you put your body through.
  • tammykoon
    tammykoon Posts: 298 Member
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    Nope, not a stupid question. And yes it has been debated, posted, threaded and laughed at; but that's a question all of have had... Oh yeah, I had to decide that same thing for myself tonight. I did eat half because was nowhere near 1200 cals for the day. You havae to know your body and that takes time. I am just learning, but for me if I don't keep right around 1200 a day I get cravings and feel more hungry the next day.

    Stay healthy, anyway you can!

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