Exercise Calories

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Paperthinwaferthin
Paperthinwaferthin Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Should I eat the extra calories I earn from exercising?

(MFP already accounts for calorie deficit without exercise in the daily calorie goal, and when I log my exercise it adds to my calorie goal)

Replies

  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
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    I dont, personallly i think why eat back the calories you've just burnt off?!

    I loose between 1 - 3lbs a week by not eating back my calories! If i am hungry after a workout i snack on fruit, but I dont eat all my calories back =)
  • bereal75
    bereal75 Posts: 17 Member
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    Why should you?
    I use my extra calories from exercising for weight loss :-)

    If you burn 2500 a day and eat 2000 you will be short 500.
    If you keep this pace up a week you will have lost approximately 1 lbs.
  • Paperthinwaferthin
    Paperthinwaferthin Posts: 16 Member
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    Well, I've seen slot of people on here that are in favor, as mfp already accounts for calorie deficit without exercise, but yeah I think I'd prefer to not eat them to increase weightloss. I currently eat around 1200 cals a day (which is my target) and burn around 300-400 in the gym or around 500 doing a Jillian michaels workout a day.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    It depends on if you want to make your calorie deficit larger than MFP has recommended.
    As you have stated, MFP builds your calorie deficit into your food calorie allowance for the day, so even if you eat all the calories you burn exercising, you will still lose weight (if you are logging food and exercise accurately).

    If you don't eat those extra calories you are creating a larger deficit. This seems to work for some people (especially people who have lots to lose) but not for others (feedback seems to be that the closer to your goal weight, the smaller your calorie deficit should be).

    You will get lots of opinions on this - my personal thoughts are that it is a good idea to start out using MFP the way it has been designed and then if you aren't losing weight steadily, then you can have a look at how accurate your logging is, whether you need to change your activity level, whether you want to eat all of your exercise cals etc.
    Also, why punish yourself by restricting your calorie intake more than is necessary?

    I eat most of my calories (not every day, some days I'm under my net calorie goal, other days I'm over) and have been losing weight steadily - 40 pounds in almost 6 months. So, it works for me.
    Good luck with finding what works for you.
  • Paperthinwaferthin
    Paperthinwaferthin Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks Rubybelle :)

    I feel satisfied eating my daily calories goal (1200), and I don't feel the need to eat the calories I've earned from exercising, so I don't consider it restricting myself. I think I'm going to try not eating the extra calories for a few weeks, and see how it works for me. :)

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