Do you eat your exercise calories ??

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Replies

  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Yes, I eat them back. That is one of the benefits of exercising - being able to eat more than without exercise and still lose or maintain weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited January 2017
    opheliaphoenix wrote: »
    jennypapaje wrote: »
    i don't,but if i go over my calories during the week,i don't worry about it because of the fact i don't eat my exercise calories back.it gives me flexibility with the logging.

    This sums up my approach, as well. Currently, I am not eating them because I am just starting back out, pretty much from the start. But, I do consider it a buffer that is there to protect me from a defeating sense of guilt if I have a heavier-calorie day or two. When I get into more intense workouts at a lower weight, this may change and I may need to eat them if I encounter the muscle loss issue. Right now, I don't need them because I have plenty of extra fat from which to draw that fuel...lol.

    Everyone who loses weight loses lean muscle mass. Well maybe not obese people (at first). Most people here are trying to lower the % of muscle loss. That's why we eat a portion of exercise calories back, meet protein goals and strength train. This is like insurance.

    How will you measure "if you encounter muscle loss"? Body fat scales are worthless. Calipers can be better, but a number of factors can those numbers off as well.

    https://www.inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/39288577-4-reasons-calipers-fail-to-give-accurate-body-fat-results.
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    i do, sometimes less than all of them, i shoot for about 50%, but if i eat every single one i'm not sad. my calories are set to 1630 per day and i want to eat about 1850 most days, lol, so i exercise to make that happen.
  • phoenix74162
    phoenix74162 Posts: 130 Member
    I don't. I also agree that the calories seem really high, so I wouldn't eat them all for sure if I was still hungry.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    TeaBea wrote: »
    opheliaphoenix wrote: »
    jennypapaje wrote: »
    i don't,but if i go over my calories during the week,i don't worry about it because of the fact i don't eat my exercise calories back.it gives me flexibility with the logging.

    This sums up my approach, as well. Currently, I am not eating them because I am just starting back out, pretty much from the start. But, I do consider it a buffer that is there to protect me from a defeating sense of guilt if I have a heavier-calorie day or two. When I get into more intense workouts at a lower weight, this may change and I may need to eat them if I encounter the muscle loss issue. Right now, I don't need them because I have plenty of extra fat from which to draw that fuel...lol.

    Everyone who loses weight loses lean muscle mass. Well maybe not obese people (at first). Most people here are trying to lower the % of muscle loss. That's why we eat a portion of exercise calories back, meet protein goals and strength train. This is like insurance.

    How will you measure "if you encounter muscle loss"? Body fat scales are worthless. Calipers can be better, but a number of factors can those numbers off as well.

    https://www.inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/39288577-4-reasons-calipers-fail-to-give-accurate-body-fat-results.

    You don't have to be obese to be able to sustain or even gain lbm/muscle in a deficit. There are many factors that come into play when it comes to gaining/maintaining muscle during weight loss, such factors include: training, age/sex, prior lifting history, protein levels, training history, genetics, etc...

  • fredgonzini
    fredgonzini Posts: 77 Member
    Don't eat more then 25℅
  • 1RogueRunner1
    1RogueRunner1 Posts: 21 Member
    You technically should. You could end up with a pretty low net calorie amount if you don't.

    Take me as an example. My usual hour and a half cardio workout burns about 800 calories. If I eat my 1200 calories only, I have a net calories of 400 which isn't healthy.
  • trjjoy
    trjjoy Posts: 666 Member
    fredgonzini wrote: »
    Don't eat more then 25℅

    *than

    Anyway, why 25% I only ate back 50% of my exercise calories and lost weight much faster than the promised 500g a week. So yes, I would totes eat back exercise calories.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    There are a number of people I have encountered in my years hear who have eaten all the calories given to them by MFP for exercise and lost at the rate they expected.
  • stonedog1
    stonedog1 Posts: 32 Member
    edited January 2017
    I eat back half of what i burn unless i have a big burn ie a 100k ride or a sportive then probably a third
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    fredgonzini wrote: »
    Don't eat more then 25℅

    Why the arbitrary 25%.

    When I used MFP as designed I ate back what my HRM told me my burn was for a steady state cardio workout less the estimated calories I would have burned otherwise as per my RMR and it worked out just fine and I lost weight at the rate I expected to lose.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,171 Member
    I lost eating back 75-80%. Now that I am in maintenance I try to eat them all. After a few weeks you will be able to tell if you need to eat back more or less. It will depend on how accurate your CI and CO are being measured.
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