Do I have to eat back my exercise calories?

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2

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  • jon_brady
    jon_brady Posts: 46 Member
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    What works for you is always the best medicine.

    As far as starvation mode is concerned you need find a source you trust to get your basal/resting metabolic rate as long as you are getting that many calories a day, the exercise calories for the most part determine how much and how fast you lose the weight.

    There is a point where your exercise can put you into starvation mode but that level is different for everyone and you have to figure the calorie level there individually. You see weeks when BL contestants don't lose or even gain that is when their trainers take a look at nutrition and make adjustments.

    If what you were doing was giving you acceptable results stick with it if not play with your calories and keep good records so you can adjust them to meet your weight loss goals.
  • kimziebaby
    kimziebaby Posts: 133 Member
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    My apologies for ruining anyone's day by replicating a thread. My point is, there has to be a threshhold at which you stop eating back calories burned in order to maximize weightloss. Hopefully you burned some extra calories today by typing up a needlessly rude response.

    Well said!
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    i love it. 2 of these threads simultaneously in the recent topics list.

    i'm still confused. should i post a third?

    Go for it.
  • RunningMom09
    RunningMom09 Posts: 29 Member
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    The 1200 target is for net calories. If you eat 1200 and burn 450, your net is 750. Keep in mind, though that this target does not work for everyone. You need to do what works for you.

    If you are not hungry, are feeling healthy, and are losing at your target rate, then it seems this is working for you:smile:

    From what I have read, as you get closer to your goal weight, you will likely need to eat back more (if not all) of your excercise calories in order to continue losing weight.

    I've heard that 3500 calories = 1lb of fat. So if you ate less than that amount in addition to your 1200 target, the 1.5lb you gained is more likely to be water weight than fat. You may want to check your sodium intake.
  • Serenifly
    Serenifly Posts: 669 Member
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    MAN PEOPLE ARE FEISTY TODAY!!!!!!

    CASE OF THE MONDAYS?

    You don't get out (on other Internet forums) much, do you? This is tame compared to the snark I've seen on other sites.

    haha I do but none of them are mean ...this isn't mean either but I'm used to a bunch of Kumbaya threads on this forum ... i avoid conflict at all costs! haha
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    My apologies for ruining anyone's day by replicating a thread. My point is, there has to be a threshhold at which you stop eating back calories burned in order to maximize weightloss. Hopefully you burned some extra calories today by typing up a needlessly rude response.

    The problem is, this has been talked to death and *you admitted that you knew that* but went ahead and asked the exact same question. There are literally dozens of links in the stickies thoroughly explaining the rationale behind MFP's system and eating back exercise calories.

    If you wanted to know if there was some sort of threshold where it's counterproductive, you should have asked *that* question instead (what you really asked and what you wanted to ask are two completely different things).

    Also, this is the Internet. As I noted before, what I've seen on MFP is nothing compared to the snark I've seen people on other sites receive for similarly asking a question they admitted to knowing was a dead horse.
  • ChristineGray825
    ChristineGray825 Posts: 6
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    I try to eat something dense and high in protein low in carbs extra when I work out. Maybe a fifth "meal" of just a chicken breast about 3.5 oz. Extra protein helps to keep you feeling fuller and helps with the rebuilding muscle.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    MAN PEOPLE ARE FEISTY TODAY!!!!!!

    CASE OF THE MONDAYS?

    You don't get out (on other Internet forums) much, do you? This is tame compared to the snark I've seen on other sites.

    haha I do but none of them are mean ...this isn't mean either but I'm used to a bunch of Kumbaya threads on this forum ... i avoid conflict at all costs! haha

    Hah, I'm glad I'm not the only one that found this site unusually tame in the snark department.

    (And thanks for picking up on the humor intended in that previous comment. Or at least acting as such. :) )
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Hah, I'm glad I'm not the only one that found this site unusually tame in the snark department.

    People will probably object, but I think a lot of the people on here don't have quite the internet history to know better.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
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    My apologies for ruining anyone's day by replicating a thread. My point is, there has to be a threshhold at which you stop eating back calories burned in order to maximize weightloss. Hopefully you burned some extra calories today by typing up a needlessly rude response.

    On the other hand... thanks for MAKING my day!!! I hope this topic gets posted another four times so I can sit around reading the responses (rather than exercising, of course... wouldn't want to have exercise calories to eat back). Smootches!!!
  • jon_brady
    jon_brady Posts: 46 Member
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    There are alot of new people on this site and I for have no idea how to search for old threads. This site is here to support people who cares if it has been asked before if you don't like the question then don't get on the thread and let the people who are willing to try and help aswer the question do so.
  • Serenifly
    Serenifly Posts: 669 Member
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    Hah, I'm glad I'm not the only one that found this site unusually tame in the snark department.

    People will probably object, but I think a lot of the people on here don't have quite the internet history to know better.

    What warrior dash did you do? I just did Whistler this weekend! WOOP!

    (off topic now I guess?) let s see how creative we can get derailing this thread!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    (off topic now I guess?) let s see how creative we can get derailing this thread!

    Pants.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    Well, eating 1200 calories a day for 2 years just stalled me for 6 months. Seems at 190lbs (or even 166), 1200 just isn't enough.

    I eat 1600 now PLUS exercise calories and lose 1.5 a week. I did gain for 2 weeks while my body sorted things out. But I also GAINED 10 lbs eating 1200 calories a day. Google Tom Venutos Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle for some great explanations on how your body and fat loss works. :smile:

    Simple thing? Eat your BMR. Add exercise calories (I use half if I didn't use a heart rate monitor)
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    There are alot of new people on this site and I for have no idea how to search for old threads. This site is here to support people who cares if it has been asked before if you don't like the question then don't get on the thread and let the people who are willing to try and help aswer the question do so.

    There are stickies at the top of this forum category called "NEWBIES READ ME FIRST" that have links galore on the topic. One of which is a very detailed explanation on the rationale of eating back calories when using MFP's system.
  • Serenifly
    Serenifly Posts: 669 Member
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    (off topic now I guess?) let s see how creative we can get derailing this thread!

    Pants.


    G-strings for Cats?!
  • whisperingdragon
    whisperingdragon Posts: 334
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    Only eat if you are hungry hun. Otherwise don't eat them back.

    :flowerforyou:
  • laurendough
    laurendough Posts: 24
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    omg whateverrrrrrrr. The thread topic is very clear, and if people don't want to read through it YET AGAIN because it's soooooooo overdiscussed, then don't click on it. Instead - "Oh goody, here's my chance to act like a jerk and point out that this girl is repeating a commonly discussed topic, thus making me the most clever member of MFP in the world!"

    I don't get out much in the forum world, thank god, but I assumed this forum was designed for people to support eachother.
  • cath1024
    cath1024 Posts: 79 Member
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    My apologies for ruining anyone's day by replicating a thread. My point is, there has to be a threshhold at which you stop eating back calories burned in order to maximize weightloss. Hopefully you burned some extra calories today by typing up a needlessly rude response.

    I agree totally with you! No Need for the rude comments.

    To answer your question though - myself i dont eat them back unless i am hungry - i basiclly eat what i want when i want but try to stay around the 1200 mark - some days i do go over.
    I have lost 30 lbs since Apr and i am pleased with my progress and the way i am doing things.

    I did try the eat back calories for 1 or 2 weeks and it stalled me and even caused a 2 lb gain so i went back to my way and started losing once again :-)

    Try both ways and see how it works for you.
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I haven't ever eaten all my exercise cals back. Here and there I ate a handful, but never the full amt. I never hit "starvation mode" either.

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