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

martyc91
martyc91 Posts: 55
edited September 29 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
    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
    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com
  • Jones115
    Jones115 Posts: 29 Member
    bump
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member

    www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com

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

    No.
  • ak_in_ak
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    or search

    Screenshot2011-06-30at122426PM.png
    :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • auntbyte
    auntbyte Posts: 32 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
    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.

    maybe for a girl but not for a guy
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    Personally I find that if I don't try to eat most of my exercise calories back, I end up binging after a couple of days. Its like my body is telling me I'm not eating enough and will take massive amounts of food any way it can get it.

    My example: My basic calorie intake is supposed to be about 1300 in order to lose 1/2 lb per week. Today, I exercised about 1300 calories worth. So if I only eat 1300 calories and I burn 1300 calories, my net calories is 0. That means I've left no other calories for my body to use just for day to day functioning. Even if I sat on the couch and did nothing the rest of the day, I have no fuel. Of course I'm going to be lethargic, cranky, and craving sugar because I need the quick boost of energy. I eat constantly throughout the day in order to eat enough.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
    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!

    ^^ THIS! Same thing for me. (different numbers but the premise is the same). Without fuel, I wasn't losing weight. Now that I'm eating anywhere from 1400 - 2000 per day (on my run days), I'm losing weight more rapidly.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    Friendly warning........

    Come on guys, lets remember we were all new at this game once.

    A genuine question was asked, no need for sarcasm. Yes, it gets asked a lot but if they are new to this they don't know that and many do not notice the search button straight away...new shiny toy and all that.

    Lets keep it friendly huh...we're all in this for the same thing aren't we?

    CatCrazy
    MyFitnessPal Forum Moderator
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    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.

    Your both are still relatively new. Gotta get some tough skin.
    This question gets asked so many times.
  • anthony438
    anthony438 Posts: 578 Member
    Lets keep it friendly huh...we're all in this for the same thing aren't we?

    Are you talking about the free beer on Fridays?
  • outwiththeoldinwiththenew
    outwiththeoldinwiththenew Posts: 65 Member
    Got to do it. Iam rather new to MFP and I have a lot to lose. I always try to eat some of my exercise calories and then when I don't eat them all it helps me because some days I go over. I have lost 7# in 4 weeks and I am never hungry or deprived. I track everything. Obviously eating the exercise calories makes sense because otherwise I would be starving and binging all the time. Just do it!
  • juscallmeb
    juscallmeb Posts: 369 Member
    maybe you can try it out one week and see how you feel..

    I may not always eat my excercise calories right away, but eventually always net what i'm supposed to.
    my body tells me when i'm hungry or thirsty so i try to listen.
  • auntbyte
    auntbyte Posts: 32 Member
    Or a girl who has a lot to lose. I understand that as I lose weight, my total daily intake of calories goes down, as well. MFP has me @ 1600/day now, but I try to stay around 1350-1400. So far, 9 lbs in 3 wks, so SOMETHING is working! I'm elated (and haven't really started a workout program yet). I hate, but understand the obligation to track calories; it keeps me honest with myself.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    On another note, I think people just think of things like protein for things like muscle growth, but protein serves a lot of functions in the body. Bodily proteins are the muscle growers and enhancers, however they are responsible for things like your nail, hair growth, new layers of skin when the dead cells fall off, keeping your immune system functioning, seriously in generating any new cell for your body... which is happening on an unbelievable scale within your body. Those proteins in your diet, without exercise are used to provide those basic functions. You add exercise in there, your body is then repairing itself on an EPIC scale. It will need more things like protein when you exercise more.

    And all of your nutrients are like this, I'm just explaining this one macronutrient to explain simply, why you should have more.

    And if I've viewed it correctly, when it adds my exercise calories back in, I think it adjusts the amount of carbs, protein and fat I need per the ratios I have alotted myself.

    And this is really what you're robbing your body of when you are not eating your exercise calories.

    Do whatever you feel like to help you lose weight, but physiology and science are what they are.
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