Should I be eating all calories earned from excersise?

adrianneboyd · September 2011

I need someone to tell me if this is right.

I start my day with the following calorie goal: 1200. Then I exersise in the evening and earn anywhere from 200 to 500 extra calories and my Daily goal changes accordingly to 1400 or 1700, etc.

Should I be trying to meet that amount of calories? I've been only trying to hit the original 1200 goal and counting the rest as burned and gone.

Can someone please tell me if I'm doing this right?????

lor007 · September 2011

You should eat them.

erickirb · September 2011

Yes, provided they are calculated correctly (HRM with maintenance cals backed out). If you are going by the machine or MFP I would only eat 50-75% of the calories burned that they show.

szczepj · September 2011

Everyone has different opinions. I think every individual has to decide what's best for them. I'd say don't eat them, eat them whatever. If you aren't hungry, don't eat them. If you are, eat them. Or even try eating back a portion of them. I'd try it all til you figure out what works out to your advantage.

connienewtonsteele · September 2011

I was told not to eat them. I lowered my calorie intake to match the 1200 with exercise so I would get confused.

dieseljay74 · September 2011

I do on all my weight training days....days off I just eat my goal

kleverkira · September 2011

I don't eat all of them (sometimes an extra 500-1000 calories depending on long runs, etc), but you also need to fuel your workouts. It also helps me when I do go over my normal allotted calories by 100-200 or so.

Lizzy_Sunflower · September 2011

Please Read some of these threads. You will find the answers you get here will be all over the place.

Start here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

there is SO much good information there. I particularly liked the your bodies thoughts on calories thread

Best of luck! :drinker:

erickirb · September 2011

I was told not to eat them. I lowered my calorie intake to match the 1200 with exercise so I would get confused.

??, if you don't eat them then you should set your activity level goal higher to get more cals, as 1200 is not enough for anyone that exercises.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFP do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

So if you don't want to eat them, then make your daily allowance larger to account for the average amount of working out you do.

Thomasm198 · September 2011

adrianneboyd · September 2011

Thanks guys! I appreciate it....guess I need to start eating a bit more in the evening....

erickirb · September 2011

Thanks guys! I appreciate it....guess I need to start eating a bit more in the evening....

If you know you are going to exercise you can spread out the estimated calories throughout the day, you don't have to wait until after you exercised.

Khadines · September 2011

Personally I don't eat them.... Not sure if it's correct but I just don't

Should I be eating all calories earned from excersise?

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