Do you eat your exercise calories?
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nickipurnell
Posts: 1 Member
Just wondering whether I can still loose weight if I am eating my calories gained through exercise? I'm a bit worried about eating too little as in the past I have got very hungry when I have dieted in the past as then ended up binging. But will I loose weight if I eat my exercise calories?
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Replies
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Yes, that's exactly how MFP sets you up to lose. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation7
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nickipurnell wrote: »Just wondering whether I can still loose weight if I am eating my calories gained through exercise? I'm a bit worried about eating too little as in the past I have got very hungry when I have dieted in the past as then ended up binging. But will I loose weight if I eat my exercise calories?
Just remember, don't trust what the app tells you though for how many calories you burned. You may want to only eat back 50 - 75% of that number.8 -
Yes, you can. I sometimes do if I am having a night out. Sometimes I just keep them as a deficit. The key thing is to make sure you eat your allocated daily calories (without exercise). Eating too little can be counterproductive. Agree with the PP - MFP overestimates calories burned. If you are going to eat back the calories, start with 50%. Good luck!2
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I used to but recently switched to TDEE method for tracking my calories2
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Yes, if I'm hungry.1
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I eat every exercise calorie I get. They're the most delicious.19
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I eat all of my exercise calories. So far I've lost 37 lbs. doing so. Whenever I don't I usually end up overeating the next day or later in the week. I usually do not exercise on machines. The calorie burns on MFP seem to be accurate for me.1
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I don't.4
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I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
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I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.23 -
I've been on maintenance for several years and I eat most of mine back. Never been a problem...3
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I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
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I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.13 -
collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Well, yes, if you are running 25 miles per week, you had better be fueling up. I see a lot of people who walk so many steps with their Fitbit and then think they should eat significantly more to compensate. Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.9 -
I'm somewhere in the middle. I agree you need to fuel your body for a workout..if not it can stall weightless. but.. do you need to eat 800 exercise calories back to do that? no. Some fruit..or small portion of oatmeal or a hard boiled egg would do it.2
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Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Your understanding of the distinction between per minute burn vs total burn is somewhat lacking. There is something known as duration that also comes into play...6 -
collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Well, yes, if you are running 25 miles per week, you had better be fueling up. I see a lot of people who walk so many steps with their Fitbit and then think they should eat significantly more to compensate. Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.
And some people don’t realize the body can only metabolize so much fat in a day, after that, it uses muscle. Having an aggressive deficit doesn’t necessarily mean you’re tapping solely into fat stores, it likely does mean you’re losing more lean mass than if you maintained a less aggressive deficit by eating more with a slower rate of loss.
A lot of folks do over estimate their exercise calories. That’s why many start by eating 50% back.14 -
Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Your understanding of the distinction between per minute burn vs total burn is somewhat lacking. There is something known as duration that also comes into play...
Exactly. I have a friend who walks half marathons. She needs to fuel that just as much as I do when I run mine.
And you bet dang well that when I logged 20 miles of walking over the past two days just playing a tourist (and I'm too cheap to spring for subway cards), that I absolutely ate those back.
Want to be a martyr and not fuel your workouts? Fine. But don't present that as something that everyone should strive for.15 -
I try to eat all of my exercise calories, but that can be a bit tough on days I train 3-4 hours (just Fridays, really). It's NBD if you are in weight loss mode, but if you are trying to maintain strength, you should try and eat your full allotment.0
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