in need of some expertise...

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askmc18
askmc18 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I kinda new to this weight loss program, but I was hoping to get a simple question answered.

My daily calorie allowance is 1338 and I stay within that allowance except the days.I go to Zumba. I burn almost 700 calories in 60 min. Does that mean I need to eat more? That puts me at 700 calories remaining. Or is it okay to leave that remaining balance?

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  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 707 Member
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    A lot of disagreement on that, but my experience (and it's just mine) is that I need to eat at least some of it back to keep my weight loss from stalling.

    Kris
  • Mother4Jesus
    Mother4Jesus Posts: 38 Member
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    I agree with Kris. I usually feel like they're giving me too many calories back for my exercise but I take 1/2 and add it back. So if I burned off 400 calories, I'll add 200 calories to my day. This keeps your body from going into starvation mode.
  • promiseskept
    promiseskept Posts: 119
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    I agree, you don't have to eat it all back, but you can eat at least half.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    I lose more weight and feel better if I eat back most of my exercise calories. I usually eat about 3/4 of them. Sometimes less, sometimes all :o
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
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    I also believe you should eat at least some of it, when you burn calories through exercise you will need some back to "refill" the energy you're expending. At least that's how it works for me.
  • sdsmart
    sdsmart Posts: 25 Member
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    This is a very contentious issue! My personal view is that I try not to eat my exercise calories unless I am truly hungry and need sustenance. I find I lose weight quicker if I don't eat all my exercise calories.

    However, sometimes if I know I am going out to dinner or am going to have a piece of cake for someones birthday I make sure to exercise so have a few calories spare.

    It really is a matter of testing out what is best for you :)
  • Lauriee2014
    Lauriee2014 Posts: 183 Member
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    Remember that when you ask questions here you may be talking to nutritionists or the average Joe who may only what he's read here. There are lots of good articles online, some great ones on the message boards here [written health professionals and personal trainers]. I also borrow books from my local library. In the end, it comes down to what you feel is right for your body. If you are hungry all the time you may end up ditching the whole thing and going overboard. If you are hungry, eat, but eat good stuf. [Lots of good suggestions so far.] I wonder what you sugar intake looks like. For me, if I eat too many carbs, I feel hungry a lot. I may not need food, but I "feel" like I do. If I keep my carbs to green veggies, summer squash, broccoli, red peppers, etc. and Joseph's low carb/high fiber pitas, lean meats, egg whites, high protein low fat yogurt, sweet potatoes, etc. I feel satisfied at 1270 calories per day. [And I went from 1440 to 1270 bc I switched jobs and am now less active in the daytime. Though I still workout 6 days/week.] I actually find it easier to stay at 1270 than 1440, bc I had to go over my menu with a fine tooth comb and when I did that I made better choices. [A switch from a 100 calorie sandwich thin to a 60 calorie high fiber pita saved 40 cals right there. And I usually only need 1/2 pita!]

    Exercising is a GREAT WAY to get to eat more calories. And exercise is supposed to help with hunger. I know the calories I burn come in handy some days! Other days, it's gravy.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    The short answer is yes, if you are exercising then your body needs more calories to stay well fueled. You can eat the calories you have burned through exercise and still lose weight.

    The long answer is.... to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit - that means to burn more calories than you eat. MFP calculates how many calories your body will use in a day based on the info you have put in - age, height, weight and how active you are during your daily activities. Then the system subtracts calories from this number to give you a daily calorie allowance with a calorie deficit to allow you to lose weight. When you exercise and burn calories you can eat this many more calories and know that you still have that calorie deficit there to allow you to lose weight.
    If you exercise and don't eat anything extra then you are creating a larger calorie deficit. For some people, having a larger calorie deficit isn't an issue and you will lose lots of weight. For others, if the deficit is too large you body may not respond well and your weight loss can slow down.
    If you are just starting out and have lots of weight to lose your body will probably cope with a bigger deficit, if you are closer to your goal then this may not work well for you.

    You will get really different opinions - people get very defensive about whether it is right to "eat your calories back" or not. Personally I think it makes sense, I want to create a steady deficit for steady weight loss (and it has worked for me!)

    But, you need to decide for yourself, the important thing is to understand how the system works, then you can make an educated decision. There is lots of great info in the FAQ section - click on HELP at the top of the screen.
  • librarydieter2010
    librarydieter2010 Posts: 8
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    I don't always use all of my calories burned as it speeds weight loss. As long as you are getting enough protein and meeting your nutritional goals the loss of calories themselves shouldn't matter so much. If you can, I recommend asking your doctor. Mine ok'd me to go as low as 1,000 a day if I got 35 grams of fiber and 38 grams of protein, and took a vitamin supplement.

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