Do you "eat" your workout calories burned?

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Replies

  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
    when I was losing the most, a lb a week, i was eating back all of my calories. but i made sure to exercise almost every day on some level and also to mix up my routine. this really helped!

    everyone is different, might take some experimentation. so just try a couple of ways and you will figure it out.

    good luck! :bigsmile:
  • Aetarac
    Aetarac Posts: 135 Member
    I try and eat all of mine back. I understand the idea of more calories burned means more weight lost however, it does not take into account where the wight comes from. From what I read is that not eating kcals back and ending up with to low a overall net intake could lead to your body seeking energy from muscles. Your body will start to break down muscle mass, and that in turns lowers your total bmr also amount of burn when you exercise.
  • shannonkk
    shannonkk Posts: 192 Member
    I didn't eat mine back and only ate 1200 calores a day, I stalled and then started eating my exercise calories, lost ten more lbs stalled for a long time at 161, so then I tried atkins and gained back like 5 lbs, so then I deciced to eat 1400 plus exercise and now I am finally back at 161 and I feel so much better. I actually am always starving so I don't know how it feels to not want to eat back the calories. lol
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
    No I do not eat them back. Ultimately weight loss = burn more calories than you eat.... .if you are eating back your calories than you're not really losing weight... maybe 1lb. Eating back your exercise calories is more for maintaining your current weight.

    I wonder how I lost 60 lbs then?? I eat mine back..:laugh: :laugh:
  • nisharae
    nisharae Posts: 204 Member
    Yup, so far I'm eating back every single exercise cal (which can be 3000+ in my case) and I am losing weight consistently.

    Everyone is different, I was eating 1200 cals a day and burning roughly 1000 more, everyone was telling me to eat my excersize cals, so I did... and it led to a gain of .5 pound after two weeks (so pretty much maitenance) I switched back to just eating 1500 cals period... more than the 1200, but not the 2000+ I was eating. The scale has finally started moving again, everyone is different. Find what works for you, although it is kind of a long and frustrating process.... Best of luck ...
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    No I do not eat them back. Ultimately weight loss = burn more calories than you eat.... .if you are eating back your calories than you're not really losing weight... maybe 1lb. Eating back your exercise calories is more for maintaining your current weight.

    I wonder how I lost 60 lbs then?? I eat mine back..:laugh: :laugh:

    Me too! Always have, always will... I guess 89 pounds was just a fluke? :drinker:
  • evilbanks
    evilbanks Posts: 166
    Do you eat your post or pre workout calories? For example, if you budget 1200 calories a day, do you count the 1200 calories even with exercise, or do you estimate how many cals you burned working out and add them to your 1200 to make up the defecit?

    This seems counterproductive to me. If trying to shed weight, isn't the idea to burn more calories than you consume?
  • BabyDuchess
    BabyDuchess Posts: 353 Member
    No I do not eat them back. Ultimately weight loss = burn more calories than you eat.... .if you are eating back your calories than you're not really losing weight... maybe 1lb. Eating back your exercise calories is more for maintaining your current weight.

    I wonder how I lost 60 lbs then?? I eat mine back..:laugh: :laugh:

    Me too! Always have, always will... I guess 89 pounds was just a fluke? :drinker:

    :laugh: :laugh: And I'm building muscle by lifting weights, which most say can't be done while losing weight too....I NEVER listen to naysayers! :flowerforyou:
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    I very rarely eat mine,im healthy,energetic,and have been losing weight just fine
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,075 Member
    Do you eat your post or pre workout calories? For example, if you budget 1200 calories a day, do you count the 1200 calories even with exercise, or do you estimate how many cals you burned working out and add them to your 1200 to make up the defecit?

    This seems counterproductive to me. If trying to shed weight, isn't the idea to burn more calories than you consume?

    MFP is already set at a deficit to ensure healthy weight loss... that is what you want your net calories to be... if you burn more, you need to eat them to bring your net back up... or your body can just have fun cannibalizing on it's muscle to get the nutrients it needs if that's how you wanna roll... :laugh:
  • mrschappet
    mrschappet Posts: 488 Member
    I always eat my calories back(well sometimes i have left over cals... but those are on days when i just don't have a big appetite)... but I am not trying to lose weight anymore.. I am trying to maintain my current weight and build muscle and just get nice and toned :-)
  • sylouette98
    sylouette98 Posts: 65 Member
    I only eat them back if I am hungry. You don't want to force feed yourself and get sick or anything!


    My son (he's really athletic and knows quite a bit about nutrition/fitness) tells me to eat them back if I'm hungry and only if I'm hungry. For me, not eating those calories when I'm hungry makes the scale stop moving...
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    This isn't a race, people. You want quick loss, you may get it, but you'll likely fail in the end. Either by quitting or gaining it all back from burn out (for lack of a better term).

    Exactly!
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    This isn't a race, people. You want quick loss, you may get it, but you'll likely fail in the end. Either by quitting or gaining it all back from burn out (for lack of a better term).

    Exactly!

    I already know I wont gain it back,I switched to maintenance for 5 months and never gained back a pound.
  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
    Do you eat your post or pre workout calories? For example, if you budget 1200 calories a day, do you count the 1200 calories even with exercise, or do you estimate how many cals you burned working out and add them to your 1200 to make up the defecit?

    This seems counterproductive to me. If trying to shed weight, isn't the idea to burn more calories than you consume?

    read my post above and you'll see why it's not.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
    No, I do not eat them back. My BMR (basic matabolic rate) is 1233, which means I need 1233 calories/day to stay at my current weight. I need to lose 25 lbs. In order to lose 1lb/week I need to drop 500 calories/per day since I need to burn 3500 calories/week in order to lose 1 lb/wk. (500/day x 7 days =3500 calories). I have set my calories to 1000//day and try to burn an additional 3-400/dayin exercise and I am finally starting to drop about a lb/week.. when I was eating my excercise calories i was maintaining only.
    You're confused regarding what BMR means. BMR is the calories you burn when you do absolutely nothing, as if you were in a coma. It is NOT the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight. I assume you don't lay around in a coma all day, therefore you burn more than your BMR. Your maintenance calories would be the amount of calories of your BMR + whatever activity level you selected. Then you select your deficit from there. You're functioning on 6-700 calories a day? That's unhealthy.
  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
    No I do not eat them back. Ultimately weight loss = burn more calories than you eat.... .if you are eating back your calories than you're not really losing weight... maybe 1lb. Eating back your exercise calories is more for maintaining your current weight.

    I wonder how I lost 60 lbs then?? I eat mine back..:laugh: :laugh:

    Me too! Always have, always will... I guess 89 pounds was just a fluke? :drinker:

    :laugh: :laugh: And I'm building muscle by lifting weights, which most say can't be done while losing weight too....I NEVER listen to naysayers! :flowerforyou:

    I don't listen either. That's why my goal is to increase bench press and lose weight. Since starting MFP I'm up about 50 lbs on bench and down 10 lbs in weight.
  • maureensm
    maureensm Posts: 183 Member
    No, I do not eat them back. My BMR (basic matabolic rate) is 1233, which means I need 1233 calories/day to stay at my current weight. I need to lose 25 lbs. In order to lose 1lb/week I need to drop 500 calories/per day since I need to burn 3500 calories/week in order to lose 1 lb/wk. (500/day x 7 days =3500 calories). I have set my calories to 1000//day and try to burn an additional 3-400/dayin exercise and I am finally starting to drop about a lb/week.. when I was eating my excercise calories i was maintaining only.

    Sorry, but this is not actually true. Your BMR (basic matabolic rate) is the amount of calories you burn DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. As in: Lying on your bum and not moving all day long.

    Even with a sedentary lifestyle, you will need to eat more than this to maintain your weight. At 1000 cals per day (NET I imagine?), you run the risk of shorting the needed calories that your body needs to actually function. Like for example: your brain.

    In answer to the original post question: I almost always eat back my calories. With weight training, cycling, running, etc., I would pass out if I didn't! I appreciate my internal organs. Thank you.
  • TenLaws
    TenLaws Posts: 273
    If I'm hungry, yes, I'll eat some of the calories back. If I'm not, no, I'll stick to the 1500 that I allotted for myself.
  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
    No, I do not eat them back. My BMR (basic matabolic rate) is 1233, which means I need 1233 calories/day to stay at my current weight. I need to lose 25 lbs. In order to lose 1lb/week I need to drop 500 calories/per day since I need to burn 3500 calories/week in order to lose 1 lb/wk. (500/day x 7 days =3500 calories). I have set my calories to 1000//day and try to burn an additional 3-400/dayin exercise and I am finally starting to drop about a lb/week.. when I was eating my excercise calories i was maintaining only.
    You're confused regarding what BMR means. BMR is the calories you burn when you do absolutely nothing, as if you were in a coma. It is NOT the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight. I assume you don't lay around in a coma all day, therefore you burn more than your BMR. Your maintenance calories would be the amount of calories of your BMR + whatever activity level you selected. Then you select your deficit from there. You're functioning on 6-700 calories a day? That's unhealthy.

    I'd listen to her. Very wise.
  • trianaw
    trianaw Posts: 177
    I think if you have 75+ lbs to lose you may need to eat a little more. Because your body needs more fuel. My personal goal is 45 lbs to get back to my 23-24 year weight and prepare for having a baby. I have a snack in between long workouts so that I don't get hungry. So on those days I do consume more than 1200. But the extra calories are always justified to ensure the muscles are being fueled and to keep up the fat burning. Some of my workout days I burn 1000+ calories.
  • BethanieK
    BethanieK Posts: 201
    I eat some, usually not all of them back. However, when I do eat them back, I make sure the majority is lean protein, or stuff low on the glycemic index. I don't think there is one absolute answer, everyone's body reacts differently, even at different times.
  • abdehor
    abdehor Posts: 16
    I eat my excercise calories burned, I could not survive on 1200 calories a day.
    I lose weight slowly but that is an age thing.
  • BEST_WAY
    BEST_WAY Posts: 22
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  • ofthevalley
    ofthevalley Posts: 69
    I try very hard to eat back my calories but I most days I am still below. I just can't stuff anymore food in my mouth.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    I try very hard to eat back my calories but I most days I am still below. I just can't stuff anymore food in my mouth.

    To get your more calories it can be as simple as "eating" the same amount you are but pick fattier options, whole milk instead of skim, cheese with higher milk fat %, skip the lite salad dressings etc.
  • debrajane81
    debrajane81 Posts: 6
    This certainly makes sense. Also, congratulations on your successful weight loss. I just start MFP a week ago. I weighed 269.5 my first day. I'm afraid to weigh..if I haven't lost what I think I should have, just afraid I'll 'fall off the wagon' so to speak. Seeing your beginning weight and success gives me hope!
  • Jazzyrose77
    Jazzyrose77 Posts: 153 Member
    Yes. On weighting training days, I'm always hungry and will eat almost all 1500 calories.
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