Daily Calorie Goal vs Calories earned with exercise

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stephguidry
stephguidry Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not losing much weight by eating all my calories including those earned with exercise. Should I stick to my daily goal of 1200 and not use the ones earned from exercise to see better results?
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Replies

  • Motivationrequired
    Motivationrequired Posts: 106
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    That's exactly my question.....so many people said you should eat the cals back but I'm not convinced still (it's my Day 8 and finding it harder today than last week!!!)......
  • GymRatRaceRunner
    GymRatRaceRunner Posts: 160 Member
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    I usually only eat half my exercise calories back, since MFP estimates burned calories a bit on the high side...
  • ValorieGoode
    ValorieGoode Posts: 8
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    The idea is that if you eat more than the 1200 calories, if you messed up in your eating, you can still lose weight if you incorporate the exercise. The exercise is key! Try to stick with the 1200 calories and you will see faster results!
  • Rashel_kitten
    Rashel_kitten Posts: 81 Member
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    umm u will do better not to eat them back,.... it just means to me you will still be ok if you eat them back and may still even loose a little ... but its still better to not eat them back... you should see more results that way
  • sharonfincher1
    sharonfincher1 Posts: 311 Member
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    I don't eat my calories back, when I do I maintain weight. I know they say that MFP factors in ur exercise goals when you set ur goals and that is what allows u to eat ur exercise calories back, but I don't lose weight when I do.
  • mlemonroe2
    mlemonroe2 Posts: 603
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    i eat back about half. everyone is different. you should experiment with your calories to see what works for you! good luck!
  • regthelittleone
    regthelittleone Posts: 95
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    LOL I just posted a looong message about the same exact question. I keep getting mixed answers and it makes me more confused on what to do!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    For a woman, you always want to consume at least 1200 calories per day. Eating back exercise calories is a personal decision. I typically eat back most or all of my exercise calories and loose 1-2 lbs a week. If you aren't losing, it is possible you are overestimating calories burned during exercise. Try it one way for a few weeks and then switch. See what works for you.
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
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    your car needs gas and your body needs fuel.. the more you work out the more food you will need. Try only eating 1/2 of them back for a week or so. Then try not eating them.. but really you will get more out of your exercise if you do eat them back.
  • alwayzevolving
    alwayzevolving Posts: 21 Member
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    This was one of my biggest questions when I first began and I figured it out on my own finally. YOU DO NOT have to eat all of those calories. It is a deficit and you need to burn more calories than you consume. Generally, I work out and burn 400 - 500 calories and my daily caloric goal is 1200 so I am have a quite a bit of a deficit left over. I go over 1200 on those days I burn more calories because my body is generally hungrier but I never use all of them and I've been losing 1.5 lbs a week. I go over 1200 but I don't eat all of what I've earned.
  • tkb1985
    tkb1985 Posts: 146 Member
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    It's really a personal decision. Some people find eating your exercise calories back, others don't. You have to work out what's best for you.

    The most important thing to remember is that you mustn't eat less than 1200 calories NET. Your body wont get the nutrition it needs to function, and it can actually slow your weight loss down.
  • adera1059
    adera1059 Posts: 9
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    Good morning everybody,
    I wanted to ask you about weighting myself. What would you suggest - to weight every day, every three days or once a week???
  • riva1968
    riva1968 Posts: 4
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    I try to stick to the 1200 calories a day on my light workout days.....However your body needs fuel for it to workout.....I go over my 1200 calories the day before my big workouts for performance....I can tell when I dont have enough fuel to burn when I run vs. running on a full tank.....
  • KateMossThighs
    KateMossThighs Posts: 3 Member
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    I try not to eat them back as a rule but if it is special occassion or meal out I will factor them in on those days. Also the nearer you can exercise to eating something naughty the lesser the impact. Example: I am going for meal out tonight with friends and would like the ice cream sundae so I will go for 30min run before which will give me ample calories but I will also time the run for 5.30-6.00 and be eating by 7pm when my metabolism is still really high and thus won't store fat. You just got to be able to get ready quickly.:drinker:
  • riva1968
    riva1968 Posts: 4
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    I weigh every day and sometimes that frustrates me to all get out......and I am thinking of going to once a week....
  • lenwie
    lenwie Posts: 240
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    Good morning everybody,
    I wanted to ask you about weighting myself. What would you suggest - to weight every day, every three days or once a week???

    Once a week, im once a month, cos im up and down like a yoyo due to PCOS/hormones.
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
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    Weighing in is a personal choice I think.
    I will get on the scale 2-3 times a week, but I will only record my weight on Saturday's.

    As far as the calorie convo goes-- I agree with it being a personal decision.
    Here is the fact though: if you burn more calories than you consume, you will loose weight. I tend to eat a small portion back, but only because I stick to the 'listen to your body' philosophy. If I am hungry... I eat.
  • bampitt
    bampitt Posts: 43 Member
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    I think this is the one question everyone has - do I eat back my exercise calories?

    I've asked the same question and got different answers. I suppose if I'm not hungry and my calories are from a good source, I should do fine. So, if I go over my 1200/day, it's no big deal because I still have a deficit and I should be losing 1 - 2 pounds per week.
  • adera1059
    adera1059 Posts: 9
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    I weigh every day and sometimes that frustrates me to all get out......and I am thinking of going to once a week....

    Mostly I also weight myself every day, and I agree with you it does annoys me a lot and sometimes contributes to breaking the diet. So I think this time I will weight myself twice a week - Wednesday and Sunday.
  • stephguidry
    stephguidry Posts: 2
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    Thank you for all the replies! I will play with my intake and see what does the best. This week, I will not eat back those calories. Good luck to all of YOU!

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