Do You eat you exercise calories?

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bosendorf
bosendorf Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was just curious who eats their exercise calories and do you find that you lose more from not eating them vs. eating them? I am still trying to figure out the number of calories I should eat to lose most efficiently....sorry if its a repeat topic.

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  • welloiledmachine
    welloiledmachine Posts: 1,147 Member
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    MFP recommends that you do, but my only problem with that is if your exercise numbers aren't accurate then you can potentially go over on your daily goals. It's already calculated for you to lose weight not counting the exercise so they are really free calories, but you need to make sure those numbers are pretty accurate. That's why an HRM is important.
    Cardio machines are horrible at being accurate.
    I would take a week at a time and if you aren't losing then don't eat all of them.
  • ayshamc
    ayshamc Posts: 226 Member
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    I don't - but part of me really wants to....

    I have 4kgs to go, to get to my goal weight and part of me wants to do it, maybe even just for a week, to see if it boosts my weight loss - but I have to be completely honest and say that I am scared I will gain dramatically if I eat that much.

    I know this topic is constantly thrown around the boards - but there seems to be such a half/half opinion on whether or not it works. i.e it really does for some and really doesn't for others.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    The best way to work out if it works for you is to try it. Try eating all your exercise cals for 3 to 4 weeks, and if that doesnt work, try maybe 50-75% of them.

    For the record, i try and eat most of mine back.
  • Angelabec
    Angelabec Posts: 505 Member
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    You will get loads and loads of conflicting advice on this topic. I personally don't during the week, and take back some at the weekend, and that works for me. The honest truth is, you have to see what works for you, and be flexible and prepared to change if something that worked a little while ago stops working. Just keep experimenting until you find something that works for you.
  • JasonsWeightliftingWife
    JasonsWeightliftingWife Posts: 59 Member
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    The best way to work out if it works for you is to try it. Try eating all your exercise cals for 3 to 4 weeks, and if that doesnt work, try maybe 50-75% of them.

    For the record, i try and eat most of mine back.

    This sounds like good advice, I have been wondering if my calories are what I really put into my body, and if my exercise calories are right.
  • poledancing_ninja
    poledancing_ninja Posts: 271
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    I try not to eat mine and kind of 'save them' for treat days such as meals out with families and such. Then I think they kind of average themselves out
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    I always eat them.
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    i dont because i got my BMR from a site that asks how many hours a day i do exercise. So it already adds the extra calories. My BMR there is 2200 to cut as to 1700 here...
  • DJackson230
    DJackson230 Posts: 306
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    You will get loads and loads of conflicting advice on this topic. I personally don't during the week, and take back some at the weekend, and that works for me. The honest truth is, you have to see what works for you, and be flexible and prepared to change if something that worked a little while ago stops working. Just keep experimenting until you find something that works for you.

    I like this advice and this is what I usually try to do...Not during the week, but I do on the weekends... and holidays...
  • edward1973
    edward1973 Posts: 67
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    On average I burn about 1000cals with exercise so usually eat about 500-600back. Depends on the day really. Weight loss seems to be fairly consistant so seems to be working for now
  • chantihayes
    chantihayes Posts: 76
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    I used to not eat them back, but then I learned I was probably sabotaging my efforts... I feel like others though that mfp , and even machines, dont always calculate the right amount of calories burned and am afraid of going over. So I eat back about 1/2 , so mfp always tell me im under my calories.
  • shivaslives
    shivaslives Posts: 279 Member
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    I think it's less important to eat them when you have plenty of reserves as long as the rest of your diet is balanced but you will definitely want to eat them as you get closer to your goal weight. If you don't have the reserves and routinely burn more than you take in, your body will think its starving and compensate by reducing your BMR. You have to make sure your body has the fuel it needs to operate. There are also a lot of posts that suggest that eating the exercise calories is important in getting past plateaus. I think it's all related.
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    I usually eat about half my exercise calories back,sometimes more. I just keep an eye out on my NET calories and make sure I'm over 1200.So,far it's been working slowly...
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    I used to not eat them back, but then I learned I was probably sabotaging my efforts... I feel like others though that mfp , and even machines, dont always calculate the right amount of calories burned and am afraid of going over. So I eat back about 1/2 , so mfp always tell me im under my calories.

    I think that's a sensible middle way position.

    According to MFP I burned more than a thousand calories most days this week. Not only do I not entirely buy that figure, if I actually tried to eat that on top of my existing calorie allowance, I'd probably make myself sick!

    I eat 1/3 - 1/2 of mine.

    And yes, make sure you're eating more than 1200 net.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    I generally just eat when I am hungry. If I'm hungry after exercise, I will eat them - if I'm not I won't.
  • bosendorf
    bosendorf Posts: 13 Member
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    Thanks! i am going to try to eat back about half:) Hopefully it will help!
  • sharlin_e
    sharlin_e Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't eat mine. Firstly, because i think it's more common to underestimate calories and proportions than to overestimate and also because I don't believe I burn as many exercise calories as mfp tells me. When I quizzed my trainer (who's got 20yr training experience) whether not eating my exercise calories will send me in starvation mode, she told me the most important thing was to make sure I was weight training while I was in calorie defecit to maintain muscle and therefor keep the metabolic rate up. Apparently your body will preferentially burn muscle before it uses fat so the major issue with eating under the calorie goal was losing muscle and therefor turning metabolic rate to ****. Everyones conflicting on this topic, but I trust my trainer and lost 3kgs and 4cm off my waist since starting with my trainer 4 weeks ago and I don't have a lot of excess weight to lose for it to fall off easily.
  • kaimi2011
    kaimi2011 Posts: 141 Member
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    Yes, if I'm hungry I will eat them/otherwise. No.
  • pp67
    pp67 Posts: 26
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    No I don't eat them. I've got over 100 lbs to lose so what I'm doing is working for me, it may work for you. I match my eating calories with my exercise calories. No matter what my eating calories are for the day, I track every time I eat, I will then match with exercise. My main exercise is the exercise bike. 10 minutes at a time. It's easy for to do and I don't feel like it's a chore or it's a lot of hard work all in one big lump sum. This is working for me. So far I'm 3 lbs away from losing 30 lbs in 3 months and I'm still losing.

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