eating all calories? :/

embeck79
embeck79 Posts: 34 Member
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
im just checking i have got this right that you have a calories goal a day, you exercise and burn calories, which then shows your net calorie intake have which is lower than the goal as you have burnt some off, does that mean you then eat more to take you back up to your calories goal. im getting confused :frown:

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Yes, as MFP has a built in deficit to lose your goal amount of weight. If you don't eat the cals back your deficit may be too large.
  • russelljclarke
    russelljclarke Posts: 836 Member
    Yes, you should eat back your exercise calories
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Yes. The 'extras' are for muscle recovery and growth.

    Edit- Not eating them will lead to exhaustion, stalled strength gains, and general malnurishment.
  • ameyc2002
    ameyc2002 Posts: 247 Member
    some people see this differently i say eat your excercise calories back it seems to be working fine for me
  • SeanMurphy
    SeanMurphy Posts: 62
    You can, and some people will say you should and some people will say you shouldn't. As long as you're getting around 1000-1200 calories a day after subtracting your exercise calories (differs depending on your size, metabolism, activity level, etc) then you're doing fine.

    Ensure you're not overestimating exercise calories burned and/or underestimating food calories eaten. I think this is a trap many people fall into when trying to eat back their exercise calories.

    For my part, I just worry about what I eat, and try to be as active as I can / want to be. Don't nickel and dime yourself to death, there's no hard and fast rules to optimizing weight loss, it's going to be different for everyone.

    If you're trying to lose as fast as safely possible, you can eat back some, a little, or none of your exercise calories (as long as you're eating enough to be healthy).

    If you're more interested in losing gradually, while continuing to enjoy as much food as possible, then you can eat back most or all of your exercise calories, while staying in the green at the end of the day.

    These are two extremes, and most people find themselves in the middle somewhere.
  • embeck79
    embeck79 Posts: 34 Member
    ahhh thats ok then, i have been eating back calories burned and so far it has been working for me, i was just doubting it for a split second!

    thanks for your help everyone :smile:
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