Sorry for this question: Exercise points!!! Please help. :)

Options
TranquilityBreeze
TranquilityBreeze Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First, I am sorry as I have seen posts on "eating your exercise calories." Unfortunately, for some reason I just still don't get it! Can someone please explain to me how this works? My app says I should eat 1200 calories to lose weight without working out. When I exericse, it adds those calories burned to my 1200 calories a day. :) I have been to many calorie calculators and they all say for me to eat 1500 calories. I am thinking we should eat the exercise calories to: 1. Make sure we have enough energy to burn calories? 2. It keeps our schedule irregular, so our bodies don't get used to the same routine? and 3. To make sure we don't overeat if we aren't working out?

Please help! :) I don't want to eat too little, but then I don't want to eat too much.

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Options
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
    Options
    1. Its ok to eat back some of your exercise calories because you are looking to get a consistent NET result at the end of the day.
    2. Look into something like the BodyMedia which tells you how much you're actually burning on a daily basis and how much you burn during a workout. It told me WAY less than what BodyMedia said for my workouts and it turns out I need way more food on a daily basis. You can find them used/new on Craigslist..
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
    Options
    If I'm hungry, I eat, but usually only half back. If I'm not hungry, I don't worry about it. I think the basics are if you are hungry, you need to have something. Even a tablespoon of peanut butter holds off hungers. Also, all sorts of nuts, and or low fat cheese might be good 'get me bys'. That's my 2 cents worth.
  • Rawrbyn
    Rawrbyn Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    I have a question...when you first sign up, it asks how active you are. Your answer can change the daily calories it gives you. I put that I'm lightly active. I work 5 nights a week, and I walk an average of 2 miles doing bed checks every night. When I'm not doing bed checks, I'm sitting. I also do light cleaning, but that's about it. I do work out almost every day. Should I consider myself lightly active, or put in sedentary, so that when I add my exercise calories in, I'm not reaching 2000 calories?
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
    Options
    If I'm hungry, I eat, but usually only half back. If I'm not hungry, I don't worry about it. I think the basics are if you are hungry, you need to have something. Even a tablespoon of peanut butter holds off hungers. Also, all sorts of nuts, and or low fat cheese might be good 'get me bys'. That's my 2 cents worth.

    I at one time was at 650 calories a day and was stuffed! It was a matter of planning out my food precisely so that i could get the lowest amount of calories possible. Breakfast was popcorn (200cal) (with a multivitamin), lunch was chicken and green beans (under 125cal), and dinner was whole wheat noodles with spaghetti sauce & brocolli (300 cal), and two snacks a day--a celery stalk (5calories each time; throw in an extra one or two if i was hungrier one day); plus 25cups of water a day. If your telling me that I should eat and not worry as long as im not hungry, then that is bad advice! I may have lost 30pounds in 2weeks doing it that way; but i completely shut down my metabolism for a long long time and gained alot of weight even while eating healthy amounts of calories...(this was several years ago; when i didnt know about starvation mode, or risks, etc, i was just wanting to loose weight, i was young)

    Tranquility...You want to plan your day out so that you be sure to eat enough calories, while not being to far under..its not about adding in more food and overeating when your not hungry...its about trading some lower calorie options for higher calorie things...I input the foods i want to hve that day, if i will be under i trade out my carrots for some nuts, or add peanut butter to my celery or apple. Taking half the huge pile of brocolli out of dinner and putting in some rice (a higher calorie item). Or having a banana instead of strawberries because of the calorie difference... or if my lunch is small adding in extra items to make it more satisfying while increasing calories...

    I also look at other goals besides calories---if my calcium will be low i add in a cup of milk or some cottage cheese to my baked potatoe, if my vitamin c will be low i add in some fruit, or if vitamin a is low add in some carrots..potassium is one i have trouble maxing, so im always eating more natural foods to try and get it maxed out..

    Ive ate back my calories for 99days and ive lost 39lbs in that time. You dont have to eat back all of them if you dont want to, but at least be at 1200minimum because your body is like a car, it needs fuel to run.. if you dont eat enough, your body sits there and eats away your muscles and such because it needs to get its nutrition from somewhere.
  • Rawrbyn
    Rawrbyn Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    bump. :)
  • TranquilityBreeze
    TranquilityBreeze Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much! I think I am getting it now. :) I will say that I couldn't eat the 300 that I burned yesterday as I was full. It looks like I will have to see what works best for me.

    The article was great... thanks! It definitely makes a lot of sense. My biggest concern was eating the exercise calories back and then gaining.
  • TranquilityBreeze
    TranquilityBreeze Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    Tranquility...You want to plan your day out so that you be sure to eat enough calories, while not being to far under..its not about adding in more food and overeating when your not hungry...its about trading some lower calorie options for higher calorie things...I input the foods i want to hve that day, if i will be under i trade out my carrots for some nuts, or add peanut butter to my celery or apple. Taking half the huge pile of brocolli out of dinner and putting in some rice (a higher calorie item). Or having a banana instead of strawberries because of the calorie difference... or if my lunch is small adding in extra items to make it more satisfying while increasing calories...

    I also look at other goals besides calories---if my calcium will be low i add in a cup of milk or some cottage cheese to my baked potatoe, if my vitamin c will be low i add in some fruit, or if vitamin a is low add in some carrots..potassium is one i have trouble maxing, so im always eating more natural foods to try and get it maxed out..

    Ive ate back my calories for 99days and ive lost 39lbs in that time. You dont have to eat back all of them if you dont want to, but at least be at 1200minimum because your body is like a car, it needs fuel to run.. if you dont eat enough, your body sits there and eats away your muscles and such because it needs to get its nutrition from somewhere.

    This is great advice! Thanks so much. :)

Categories