Calories on days I'm exercising

Nadireth
Nadireth Posts: 8 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all!

Just had a quick question about calories.... I'm currently on 1580 a day, (with a 1.5lb per week goal and 3 x 45 minute workout already programmed in to MFP)

Sticking it to it for more than 3 days at a time is proving a bit challenging, but my question is on days that I go to the gym and record my distance/time/calories burned with the UA Fitness app (which is usually between 850-1000 calories), should I be eating extra calories on top of my usual 1580? If so, how many?

I should point out that the exercise I do is a 45 spin class which is mainly cardio, also do some bits and bobs with handweights but certainly not hardcore strength training. I'm not quite sure why the weight isnt shifting at the moment, but it could be that I haven't stuck to the 'normal' calorie amount for long enough.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    many eat back calories. usually around half simply because the estimates on the machines and calculators often over inflate calories burned.

    myself ... sometimes I eat them back (halfish), sometimes not. depends on how hungry I am or whether or not I want a treat ;) LOL
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Are you logging your exercise in MFP? It usually will then add calories to your daily goal. There's some debate on the boards about how many of those calories you should eat back--but it seems that most people eat somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of their exercise calories back on workout days
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    The most common answer is to eat back half the calories burned but of course, everyone does it their own way. Huge calorie burns may require further fuel, I keep my cardio sessions pretty simple so its not an issue for me but if I had a marathon cardio session I would for sure eat extra just to feel better, recover properly and to reward myself for killing it!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I always set myself at sedentary, did not pre-program any exercise, then added it as I exercised. I'd then allow myself to eat back somewhere between half and 3/4 of the calories added in from exercise. Worked well for me, I lost 110lbs in a year, but after I hit my goal I found I was sick and tired of not having that many calories on off days. So I went over to IIFYM.com, calculated in my exercise schedule and set my calories over a 7-day period so no matter the day I have the same calories. I simply delete any exercise added by my apps.
  • Nadireth
    Nadireth Posts: 8 Member
    edited January 2017
    Thanks for the replies!

    Yeah, I've got both apps synced to each other, so I'll end up with something daft like 900 calories remaining- or possibly more depending on the day. I'm just a bit worried that if I eat back any calories from working out, then I definitely won't lose any weight.

    I've been using the app on and off for a few years and lost 40-45 pounds then started doing some weights and put some back on again, even though I feel/look thinner and my measurements have gone down - so I'm just a bit jittery!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    It's really all about dialing in what works for you. Even if it says 900 calories left, if you're not losing weight at a rate you didn't expect then there's nothing wrong with it. As long as you're eating enough in the first place (I've seen some people try and exist on 800ish calories a day). I finish days with 600-900 calories left all the time if I simply am not hungry at night. But then again, even with 600 calories left I've eaten 2000 calories or more because I work out like a mad man 5 days a week. ;)
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