What should I do with leftover calories?

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heatheralamode
heatheralamode Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After exercising I have 400-500 calories leftover. For weight loss, should I aim to have a deficit or should I be eating to make up for them? TIA!

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  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    By the letter of the law, you should be eating to make up for them. MFP already has you at a deficit... the exercise just makes the deficit larger. Eating back those calories keep on you plane.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If your calorie goal comes from MFP, the intention is for you to eat those calories.

    Your initial goal from MFP, before the exercise calories, already puts you at a deficit (assuming you told MFP your goal was to lose weight).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    heatheralamode wrote: »
    After exercising I have 400-500 calories leftover. For weight loss, should I aim to have a deficit or should I be eating to make up for them? TIA!

    Eat them, MFP gives you a deficit before exercise.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    The calorie goal MFP gave you assumes that you will eat more calories when you exercise - you are already at a deficit, and exercise makes that deficit greater. This might be helpful, or it might lead to you under-eating - it depends on your personal numbers. The standard recommendation is to eat a percentage of your calories over the course of 4-6 weeks and adjust if you don't lose at the expected rate.

    Alternatively, some people like to "bank" exercise calories for the weekend or another higher calories day, and average our deficit out over the week. Again, it just depends on how you want to do it.
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
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    Eat them. I had some left over last night so I treated myself to a cup of drinking chocolate. :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    megs_1985 wrote: »
    Eat them. I had some left over last night so I treated myself to a cup of drinking chocolate. :)

    Are drinking chocolate and hot chocolate the same thing? I had never heard the term "drinking chocolate" before and it intrigues me :lol:

    Sorry to briefly hijack your thread OP but variations in chocolate consumption is too important for me to ignore!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    megs_1985 wrote: »
    Eat them. I had some left over last night so I treated myself to a cup of drinking chocolate. :)

    Are drinking chocolate and hot chocolate the same thing? I had never heard the term "drinking chocolate" before and it intrigues me :lol:

    Sorry to briefly hijack your thread OP but variations in chocolate consumption is too important for me to ignore!

    Yep the same. Although I think technically drinking chocolate should be literally chocolate melted into milk, none of this powder nonsense.
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I have to eat my extra calories or I feel like I'm going to faint...especially if I have extra calories leftover because I'm exercising.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    If I've got 400-500 calories left over, it's time for peanut butter or ice cream. Or even peanut butter ON ice cream.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Give them to me and my poverty cals
  • sabal20
    sabal20 Posts: 39 Member
    edited February 2018
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    I eat them back if I think I need them. Either if my body is craving them or I need them for recovery. I don't eat back my calories as a rule because I'm a hiker. I can burn 1500 in a day. And I can't eat those as well as my daily allowance (tdee is 1650 on a sedentary workday) in one meal. I tend to have breakfast, light lunch and maybe a sugary snack whilst walking so I'm left with over 2000 calories for dinner. Not going to happen, I'll make myself sick. I tend to live by the mantra "listen to your body"
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    I bank them .. This way come the weekend I dont feel guilty when I shoot several hundred over my goal by enjoying a couple of treats.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
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    If I know I'm going to exercise a lot, like 800 calories, I will prepare and plan to eat bigger meals that day or the day before. This way I eat back the calories to fuel the work out. If you work out at night, of course you probably won't want to eat a big meal afterwards. For me that has caused problems. I would wake up from 2-4 am from hunger and it would be hard to "catch up" the next day. For me a recipe for disaster since I work with people and I must be alert and pleasant. (No cranky, hungry or low energy).
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Eat them or bank them for a higher calorie day :smile:

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