eating exercise calories

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throughHisstrength
throughHisstrength Posts: 76
in Food and Nutrition
Do I have to eat the calories that I earn. Right now my base is 1200 calories. I've been burning between 200 and 600 a day and I don't want to eat that much more. I feel really good where I'm at. I've started making much healthier food choices(which I can eat more of since they're better for me) so sometimes eating the 1200 is hard enough let alone adding 600 to it. I like the way that working out makes me feel and I know that dieting alone will make you lose pounds but exercising changes the way you look and feel the most. Any suggestions?

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  • throughHisstrength
    throughHisstrength Posts: 76
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    Do I have to eat the calories that I earn. Right now my base is 1200 calories. I've been burning between 200 and 600 a day and I don't want to eat that much more. I feel really good where I'm at. I've started making much healthier food choices(which I can eat more of since they're better for me) so sometimes eating the 1200 is hard enough let alone adding 600 to it. I like the way that working out makes me feel and I know that dieting alone will make you lose pounds but exercising changes the way you look and feel the most. Any suggestions?
  • puravidame
    puravidame Posts: 57 Member
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    I was eating all of the Bonus Calories and my weight stayed the same.

    Now I am only consuming 1400 and I am dropping weight. I think it defeats the purpose if you eat all of the calories that you just burned.
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    do you Have to? No not really, but you should eat some of them. remember, your working harder now that you are exercising, that 1200 is your base calorie need, if you are on an aggressive track and subtracting 200 to 600 more from that track, you could be starving your body, and that is a giant road block to loosing weight correctly. I would just add small extras to your existing diet. Like, add a hand full of almonds, or throw in a tall glass of 1% milk, or some beef jerky to your lunch or dinner. Sounds a little odd maybe, I know, but putting these extra, good foods in, may, infact help you loose weight faster!
  • JulieB21
    JulieB21 Posts: 492
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    I almost always eat my extra calories. I tried stopping once, eating only my allotted 1200 and immediately plateaued for two weeks. Once I started eating all I was allowed including my exercise, the weight started coming off again.
  • dulceluva
    dulceluva Posts: 728 Member
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    you have to remember its a lifestyle change... you can't eat 600 calories a day and then burn off 600 calories a day... what will your body have left to absorb and digest? How will your muscles grow?

    No one said you have to eat all of your burned calories but that 1200 amount already includes the deficit based on your BMR.

    But I still stand behind you should do with what you are comfortable with.
  • AtlantaSara
    AtlantaSara Posts: 91
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    I was eating my exercise calories (or at least most of them) and was not loosing as much as I would have liked - but I will say that I have lost 4 inches overall in three weeks -- so, I may not have lost all the weight but we know I lost some fat!

    Over the next two weeks, I am not going to eat my exercise calories and see if I loose more weight and inches. I know there is a lot of discussion about starvation mode etc. but I think every body is different and you have to figure out what works for you.

    What I do think is important is what you eat and when. If you are doing a lot of exercise good carbs and protein are very important. After cardio eat some carbs for recovery and to tansport insulin. After strength training have a low fat protein shake or lean protein (chicken or fish) to help build muscle and recover.

    I think you will need to experiment with your body and see what works best for you.
  • catlover
    catlover Posts: 389
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    Finally, this conversation answers some of the questions I had about this topic. It sounds like it's a different story for each of us. I usually create 600 calories a day and eat about 300 of them, but then one day a week I'll use them all, maybe a little more. I like schedules, so having 3 simple 300 calorie meals and 3 snacks at 100 calories basically is a good plan. I use 50 to 150 additional calories per meal to make it more filling and "complete." I'm really just getting into it, measuring and weighing at this point to make sure I am learning portion control. I noticed there is a spot for notes so I'll use that to record what works and what doesn't.

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