Is eating your exercise calories B***S***?

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martyc91
martyc91 Posts: 55
in Food and Nutrition
My trainer always told me; more calories out than in - so in essence I believe you have to feed your body the necessary protein, carbs and calories; but also don't think you should not be eating your calories that you burn on a daily basis back! Am I correct in assuming this - If I have a daily calorie goal of 1600 calories and burn about 500 per day in exercise - that means I will be burning 4200 calories per week; which would equate to about 1 lb. of weight loss per week; I do not understand when people tell me to eat 2100 calories essentially eating my workout calories back! Why would I eat another 500 calories if I am feeding my body properly with calories, carbs and protein @ 1600 calories per day? Can someone help me with this as I am confused!
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Replies

  • MsEmmy
    MsEmmy Posts: 254 Member
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    MFP already works in a deficit based on your activity level and the amount you wish to lose. So if you eat more and exercise equally, you still have a deficit - you aren't eating up to the maximum. I wouldn't be able to stick to this if I didn't eat my exercise cals as I would be hungry and feel deprived!
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
  • Jones115
    Jones115 Posts: 29 Member
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    bump
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
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    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

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  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    Is eating your exercise calories B***S***?

    No.
  • ak_in_ak
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
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    1600 is a lot more then people on here eat. Most try to stick to 1200, then burn 500 which would drop your intake way to low!! For you it is not that big of deal, but for those on a more resticted diet it is unhealthy. It works for some and doesn't for others.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    When you workout, it causes your body to go through changes beyond just getting smaller. And you need to fuel the workouts along with taking in what you need to heal it from the hard work.(Extra carbs, protein, fat... because, your body is not just working on maintaining itself anymore.) When you take in your 1600 calories, you're not fueling that part of it. You're just eating your day to day needs without what you need due to working out.

    EDIT: There is a reason working out can hurt and cause soreness. And it takes fuel and nutrition for your body to change and repair itself.
  • Drunkadelic
    Drunkadelic Posts: 948 Member
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    Maybe it's just because I'm having one of "those" days, but I am SO SICK of this topic.
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
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    if you dont eat your exercise calories your body is going to think that its starving and will go into starvation mode, which means its not goint to burn any calories, it will instead hold on to it and thus youll gain weight
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    MFP already works in a deficit based on your activity level and the amount you wish to lose. So if you eat more and exercise equally, you still have a deficit!

    precisely.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Maybe it's just because I'm having one of "those" days, but I am SO SICK of this topic.
    You're not alone. I think the Mods should pin their post on this so that people stop reposting this question over & over again.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    or search

    Screenshot2011-06-30at122426PM.png
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • auntbyte
    auntbyte Posts: 32 Member
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    I know what you're saying...when you enter a daily exercise, the total # of available calories for that day goes up.
    But when you look at "My Home", the net effect appears.
  • StevenCabral
    StevenCabral Posts: 22 Member
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    Your 1600 daily calories are already a deficit so when you exercise the deficit grows bigger.
    I would eat all of the calories if I were you because your body will go into starvation mode after just a few weeks of doing what you are doing and you will not lose any weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Ok -

    Lets say your goal weight is 180 lbs. To mainitain this weight lets say you could eat 2,100 calories per day (I have no idea what the real # is).

    2100-500 = 1600 calories per day. Multiply this by 7 for the week (500x7) = 3,500 (1 Pound per week)

    You are proposing to eat 1,600 calories AND burn off 500. This means you are at 2100 less 500 less 500 AGAIN. This leaves you with 1,100! This is a really small number for an adult male.

    You want fuel for your workouts.
  • TenLaws
    TenLaws Posts: 273
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    MFP sets your calorie goal low enough for you to lose weight without exercise. If your BMR is 1500, MFP will set your calorie goal to something lower, like 1300 or something (just an example). If you exercise and burn 500 calories, you've eaten 1300 and burned 500, which leaves 800. That's wayyyyy too low considering you're eating 200 calories less anyway by eating 1300 and not exercising. If you eat 500 calories back, you're back at 1300.
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
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    Here's some "anecdata" in support of eating exercise calories back. Both situations below involve the same types of exercise, the same types of foods and balance of nutrients, and the same body!

    In 2008, I went from 155 lb to 150 lb while exercising 5-6 days a week...in 6 months (less than a pound a month). I was eating 1200-1400 calories a day, leaving me at a ~800-1000 exercise calories deficit a day.

    Now, I've just gone from 155 lb to 150 lb while exercising 5-6 days a week, and it took me less than 4 weeks. I've been eating anywhere from 1500 to 2000(!) calories a day to eat back most of my exercise calories. My body is toning way faster this time around, and I have way more energy & feel more satisfied and best of all, my immune system isn't run down. I generally have ~200-300 exercise calories left over at the end of the day max (so, a ~700-800 deficit overall), a far cry from the ~800-1000 exercise calories last time.

    For me, it appears that eating back some of my exercise calories is a must. It will vary from person to person -- some metabolisms are more stubborn than others. It also depends on how much exercise you're logging. So, take this anecdote with a grain of salt!
  • KCsooner
    KCsooner Posts: 1 Member
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    Weight Watchers historically argreed with part of your premise and only gave members about half credit for eating back calories earned through exercise. Physicologically this is probably sound in that the fluctuation in ones eating habits may lead to less sustainable weight loss. For your average person that burns a few hundred calories per day exercising, eating back about half your calories burned through excersise works pretty well. However, when I was running ten to twenty miles per week and burning well over a 1000 calories on long runs, using the Weight Watchers methodology left me ravenously hungry the morning after long runs. I found that eating additional calories that amounted to about 75% of the calories burned from excersise kept me balanced. This encouraged me to exercise more in order to lose weight more quickly, but it did not create a mentally unsustainable (deprived feeling) calorie deficit.
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
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    Maybe it's just because I'm having one of "those" days, but I am SO SICK of this topic.
    You're not alone. I think the Mods should pin their post on this so that people stop reposting this question over & over again.

    I understand that this topic comes up all the time, but if you are so sick of it, then why bother open the thread??
  • bgelliott
    bgelliott Posts: 610 Member
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    My trainer always told me; more calories out than in - so in essence I believe you have to feed your body the necessary protein, carbs and calories; but also don't think you should not be eating your calories that you burn on a daily basis back! Am I correct in assuming this - If I have a daily calorie goal of 1600 calories and burn about 500 per day in exercise - that means I will be burning 4200 calories per week; which would equate to about 1 lb. of weight loss per week; I do not understand when people tell me to eat 2100 calories essentially eating my workout calories back! Why would I eat another 500 calories if I am feeding my body properly with calories, carbs and protein @ 1600 calories per day? Can someone help me with this as I am confused!

    Here's the simple way to understand calories in/calories out.
    3,500 = 1lb
    You need to track the amount of calories you burn in each 24 hour period and make sure you are in a deficit based on how much you want to lose each week.

    500 cal DAILY deficit = 1lb weight loss per week
    1,000 cal DAILY deficit = 2lbs weight loss per week

    Do not only look at how much you burn during exercise for the day/week. You have to look at the overall amount burned for each entire day. I suggest using a calorie management system like the body bugg to accurately track your calories burned. The formulas are good as a guide but are never completely accurate because they are not based on you as an individual.

    Hope this helps.

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