Use exercise calories?

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SarahHost2015
SarahHost2015 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My calorie goal is 1200 per day. I usually burn around 500-700 working out. Should I be eating those calories or not? I need advice!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It's the way this tool is designed...exercise activity isn't accounted for in your activity level...it is additional activity beyond what you normally would do. Check out the link that @malibu927 posted
  • eday79
    eday79 Posts: 86 Member
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    To loose weight you need to be in a calorific deficit, you can either eat some of those exercise calories or none at all, I find that people usually try both and see which is best for them.
    Me personally, I eat some if I'm hungrier that day, if I'm not that hungry and satisfied with my original daily calories, then I won't.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I don't eat back my exercise calories but I eat almost 1400 calories and my estimated burn is not that much. I am slow and steady.
  • CaptainJoy
    CaptainJoy Posts: 257 Member
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    When I was losing I was set as sedentary and ate 1200 calories. I still lost a lot of weight eating all my exercise calories so...Yes, you should eat most of those calories to keep your energy level up. If you're not sure whether you burn 500 or 700, just eat 500 more. I've seen so many people get burned out by not eating enough.
  • yogsvr4
    yogsvr4 Posts: 149 Member
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    Eat them if you're still hungry after your daily allotted calories. Don't if you you're not hungry.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,922 Member
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    MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

    My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • SarahHost2015
    SarahHost2015 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have a heart rate monitor when I work out so I think it's pretty accurate for calorie burn. I just get confused when thinking that I am already cutting my calories down to 1200 to lose 2 lbs per week and on top I'm burning 500 calories. So then I would be 1200 -500 = 800 so I should eat those calories to get myself at 1200. . I think I'm just confusing myself!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    SarahHost2015 wrote: »
    I have a heart rate monitor when I work out so I think it's pretty accurate for calorie burn. I just get confused when thinking that I am already cutting my calories down to 1200 to lose 2 lbs per week and on top I'm burning 500 calories. So then I would be 1200 -500 = 800 so I should eat those calories to get myself at 1200. . I think I'm just confusing myself!

    you want to net at least 1200 as often as you can. you can get away with less a day here and there. but you dont want to do it all the time. 1200 is also the minimum calories for a short,elderly or person who is sedentary or a combo of the 3. how much weight do you have to lose? if its less than 75lbs you want to go with less than 2lbs a week loss. the less weight you have to lose the less weight you want to lose weekly for safety/health reasons.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I try to avoid eating them, but I also recognize that I might not accurately track all my food. I'm close, but I'd be lying if I said that I ALWAYS throw my veggies on the scale or into the measuring cup when I'm making a salad. I don't NECESSARILY level off my half cups of corn. Sometimes my scale (which is getting old, I guess) may sort of waver and be off by 10-15 grams. Also, when I walk at a leisurely pace, am I positive I'm consistently going 2.5 mph? Maybe it's 2.3.

    I use my exercise calories as a cushion, so that if I messed up with my measuring or didn't burn as much as I think I did, it's probably going to balance out in the end. And I think it's working. I've lost 28 lbs since Oct 30th.
  • Juliarosemary66
    Juliarosemary66 Posts: 64 Member
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    As others have said you can eat them back. I don't eat most of mine back when I am really trying to get the weight off. January is such a time!! I will eat some back if I am hungry but aim to have a healthy choice. It is important to get to your daily allowance( mine is 1400 cals) to keep your metabolism going and for energy. Hope this helps!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    SarahHost2015 wrote: »
    I have a heart rate monitor when I work out so I think it's pretty accurate for calorie burn. I just get confused when thinking that I am already cutting my calories down to 1200 to lose 2 lbs per week and on top I'm burning 500 calories. So then I would be 1200 -500 = 800 so I should eat those calories to get myself at 1200. . I think I'm just confusing myself!

    This is correct.

    I'll us my numbers for the math. MFP gives me about 1900 calories to lose 1 Lb per week. This means that MFP is estimating my non exercise maintenance calories to be around 2,400 per day. If I go burn off 300 calories with exercise I would eat those back to net to 1,900 though my gross intake would be 2,200...but I'd still lose the same 1 Lb per week because my maintenance calories would have also increased by those same 300 calories to 2,700 calories and 2,700-2,200=500 calorie deficit still.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I try to avoid eating them, but I also recognize that I might not accurately track all my food. I'm close, but I'd be lying if I said that I ALWAYS throw my veggies on the scale or into the measuring cup when I'm making a salad. I don't NECESSARILY level off my half cups of corn. Sometimes my scale (which is getting old, I guess) may sort of waver and be off by 10-15 grams. Also, when I walk at a leisurely pace, am I positive I'm consistently going 2.5 mph? Maybe it's 2.3.

    I use my exercise calories as a cushion, so that if I messed up with my measuring or didn't burn as much as I think I did, it's probably going to balance out in the end. And I think it's working. I've lost 28 lbs since Oct 30th.

    measuring cups arent an accurate way to measure anything though.as for eating back exercise calories you are supposed to eat at least some of them back,its how MFPs deficit works. your deficit is already built in without exercise and with exercise your deficit will be larger which is not always a good thing. you should net what mfp gives you as a calorie goal. so if it gives you 1500 to eat(example) you should net that after exercise. netting anything less than even 1200 calories(which is the absolute minimum for women) is not good. you dont get the fuel and nutrition your body needs. fast weight loss doesnt = healthy weight loss.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Juliarosemary66 wrote: »
    As others have said you can eat them back. I don't eat most of mine back when I am really trying to get the weight off. January is such a time!! I will eat some back if I am hungry but aim to have a healthy choice. It is important to get to your daily allowance( mine is 1400 cals) to keep your metabolism going and for energy. Hope this helps!!

    you metabolism is always going, it can slow down some sure,but once it stops,you cease to exist(death).
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I try to avoid eating them, but I also recognize that I might not accurately track all my food. I'm close, but I'd be lying if I said that I ALWAYS throw my veggies on the scale or into the measuring cup when I'm making a salad. I don't NECESSARILY level off my half cups of corn. Sometimes my scale (which is getting old, I guess) may sort of waver and be off by 10-15 grams. Also, when I walk at a leisurely pace, am I positive I'm consistently going 2.5 mph? Maybe it's 2.3.

    I use my exercise calories as a cushion, so that if I messed up with my measuring or didn't burn as much as I think I did, it's probably going to balance out in the end. And I think it's working. I've lost 28 lbs since Oct 30th.

    measuring cups arent an accurate way to measure anything though.as for eating back exercise calories you are supposed to eat at least some of them back,its how MFPs deficit works. your deficit is already built in without exercise and with exercise your deficit will be larger which is not always a good thing. you should net what mfp gives you as a calorie goal. so if it gives you 1500 to eat(example) you should net that after exercise. netting anything less than even 1200 calories(which is the absolute minimum for women) is not good. you dont get the fuel and nutrition your body needs. fast weight loss doesnt = healthy weight loss.

    It gave me 1630, down from 1710. I'm usually eating within 50 calories of that. Maybe it's just that MFP has given me a higher budget than any plan I've ever been on, and I'm getting used to that. But I'm also seeing my doctor regularly and he's keeping an eye. So far, all I've been told is to keep up the good work. And I'm not hungry, so there's that, too.

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