Calorie Question

emh15022
emh15022 Posts: 40 Member
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
Everyone I have a question. I'm a bit confused!! :noway: If my daily calorie goal is 1650, and I work out and burn 600 calories, it shows on the tracker that I have earned 600 extra calories, and that the calorie goal is 2050. I don't need to make up for the calories burned with my calorie intake do I? That would seem to defeat the purpose of working off the calories in the first place. I know there is pobably a simple answer, but if someone could break it down I would appreciate it! Thanks and have a good day!! :smile:

Replies

  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    well it would be 2250 (not 2050) and theoretically yes, you'd eat 2250 because you worked out. It doesn't defeat the purpose because working out has benefits aside from burning calories...it builds muscle which revs your metabolism and promotes cardiovascular heath, insulin sensitivity, and a whole host of other things.

    I'd recommend that at the very minimum you "eat back" at least 50% of what you're burning. So that would be 300 calories plus your 1650 so 1950 total on a day when you burn 600.

    Does that make sense?
  • choconuts
    choconuts Posts: 208 Member
    They are called 'exercise calories'. You can eat all, some, or none. It's entirely up to you.

    I personally eat them if I'm hungry.
  • FaithHopeBELIEVE
    FaithHopeBELIEVE Posts: 626
    I eat them when I'm hungry which is usually everytime. :)
  • smileyk003
    smileyk003 Posts: 33 Member
    Hi EMH,

    Its a great question, and whilst I haven't been on MFP long I have noticed it comem up alot - look through the posts at the top of the "General diet and weight loss help" category - There are some that refer to great links for newbies etc that have links regarding this very topic. I read through these after I started and found that it really cleared up this exact same query for me.

    Kylie.
  • KristinC4
    KristinC4 Posts: 81
    They are called 'exercise calories'. You can eat all, some, or none. It's entirely up to you.

    I personally eat them if I'm hungry.

    I agree with this. You do not have to eat the extra calories if you do not want. I usually try not to, but if I am hungry I will. As long as you are eating 1200 calories a day you will be fine.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    They are called 'exercise calories'. You can eat all, some, or none. It's entirely up to you.

    I personally eat them if I'm hungry.

    this.

    sometimes i can't wait to re-eat my exercise calories. i am starving. some days i don't go into that reserve. you'll find those excess calories very useful when you have a party or going out to dinner, or a night of drinking.
  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
    It depends on your goal really.

    If for some reason you want to lose weight as quickly as possible and you do not particularly care about looking toned or in shape then you can choose not to eat them back.

    Generally you need to remember that the larger the calorie deficit you create then the more likely your body will have to eat at lean muscle to make up the extra calories it needs to run. Doing exercise and then eating back those calories will help preserve and build lean muscle while still burning fat.

    This will make you lose pure amounts of weight slower but you will look good when you get down to your goal weight instead of just smooth.
  • rrgrove
    rrgrove Posts: 73
    as long as your net calories are 1200 you dont need to eat them back but you can i usually try to only eat half of them
  • ninyagwa
    ninyagwa Posts: 341 Member
    I do think that looking up previous forum topics on this is a good idea, there are many that have great references attached. But I good way to think about it is this; You're calorie intake on this website already has a deficit built into it to allow for weightloss, so eating those extra calories isn't going to hurt you since you've already burned them, and you already have a deficit worked into your daily goals.

    It's really a personal choice either way, but most people will tell you, it's a good idea to eat at least some of those exercise calories back.
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    This is a good post that explains the basics of MFP - especially around exercise calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
  • RagtimeLady
    RagtimeLady Posts: 172 Member
    Here's how it works: Everything works on the principle of a calorie deficit. To lose a pound a week, that's the equivalent of 3500 calories, or 500 calories per day. So... let's assume that to maintain your weight at your normal activity level, you would need 1700 calories. To lose a pound a week, you'd have to have a 500-calorie deficit per day, or 1,200 calories. Now, if you exercise and you burn 500 calories every day, you can add that 500 to what you eat and you'll still have the 500 calorie deficit and you'll lose a pound a week. Or, you could NOT eat back those calories and lose TWO pounds a week. Or eat back part of them and lose 1.5 per week.

    I have a very slow metabolism, so I work out like a fiend and eat back most of the calories. That's working for me. If I didn't work out, my calorie intake requirement would be so low, it would be very difficult to get proper nutrition.

    Hope this helps!
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    It depends on your goal really.

    If for some reason you want to lose weight as quickly as possible and you do not particularly care about looking toned or in shape then you can choose not to eat them back.

    And if for some reason you don't mind regaining the weight you've worked so hard to lose. Driving up your calorie deficit by working out like a fiend and not eating back your exercise calories is just another form of yo-yo dieting, and there's a price to be paid for that. The higher metabolic rate that comes from having a healthy muscle mass at the end of your weight loss journey is well worth any extra time it may take to get there. So you might lose 1 pound a week rather than 2. Do you think you'll be worried about that 5 years from now? Ten years?

    All that said, there is the little issue of MFP's overestimation of the burn from some forms of exercise. You've got to be careful, just don't use that as an excuse to starve yourself.
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