Earned Calories...do i eat them? All of them?

cactus39
cactus39 Posts: 29
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
Sorry if this subject has been mentioned before but I was wondering about eating the calories I burn. MFP says that to lose 1.5 a week I need to eat 1800/day. If I burn 500 calories that means I am down to consuming 1300 a day. The question is, how much of what I eat is necessary and not considered unhealthy? and 2, If I eat the calories I burn, why exercise?

Replies

  • donnaengel
    donnaengel Posts: 3 Member
    eat them
    it is about keeping your metabolism up
    usually exercising makes us hungry, but it is important to have something
    nutritious,
    and filling without sabotaging your achievements


    fruit and greek yogurt is fast and it is something you can
    pack to take with you to your workout
  • demery12371
    demery12371 Posts: 253 Member
    You need to try it both ways and see what works for you. Some people don't because it doesn't help them at all, some people have to or it sets them back. Each body/person is different and you need to figure out what your body tells you.
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
    Most people do, I think, eat back their calories. You are supposed to net 1800 calories, which means that if you burn 500, you can eat 500 more. It's a way to be able to eat more calories and still lose weight. The main answer, though, is that there are reasons to exercise other than weight loss.
  • CountryDevil
    CountryDevil Posts: 819 Member
    In the memory of the great Taso42..... http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
    YOu need to eat them, at least most of them. I would try focusing on having a 500 calorie deficit each day, instead of focusing on a specific amount of calories. That way you're still losing about a pound a week.
  • circuitsix
    circuitsix Posts: 12
    Eat them but be careful, the exercises here tend to overstimate the number of calories burned, I would suggest a good heart rate monitor to help calcualte how many calories you actually burn.
  • richx83
    richx83 Posts: 334 Member
    I am personally trying the not eating them back approach at the moment as if I am not eating those extra calories burnt then surely there is only one place that energy can come from.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    We exercise because - It's healthy for you! Great for your cardiovascular system, can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, great for longevity, relieve stress, help you sleep, make you look kick *kitten* in a pair of jeans, keep you young, great for your confidence and self esteem, it give you a sense of accomplishment, can help prevent many diseases and help you to have a long and healthy life!!! The rewards are endless!! You CAN loose weight with out exercise on just calorie restriction but all you do is wind up being 'skinny fat' .........NOT toned and fit!!

    And yes...another perk is you can eat those calories earned through exercise AND still loose weight.

    exercise/movement/activities + healthy well proportioned foods = Healthy Lifestyle
  • SimplyShanRunning
    SimplyShanRunning Posts: 885 Member
    In the memory of the great Taso42..... http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    Exactly


    Use this link often...:flowerforyou:
  • k8inde
    k8inde Posts: 1
    If I reading this correctly you say you burned 500 calories today. You normally get 1800 calories a day, that means if you have eaten nothing, already burned 500 calories you can eat up to 2300 calories for the day. When you burn calories you get to even the odds on your daily intake. I WOULD NOT recommend you to ONLY consume 1300 calories if you're allotted 1800. ESPECIALLY if you've already burned the 500 for the day.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
    bump
  • cactus39
    cactus39 Posts: 29
    In the memory of the great Taso42..... http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    LOL, nice
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    MFP says that to lose 1.5 a week I need to eat 1800/day. If I burn 500 calories that means I am down to consuming 1300 a day.
    No, you've got it backwards. If you burn 500 calories that increases your intake allowance to 2300.
    The question is, how much of what I eat is necessary and not considered unhealthy? and 2, If I eat the calories I burn, why exercise?
    What is healthy/unhealthy has nothing to do with caloric content. Whole foods are always healthy. There are high-calorie & low-calorie healthy foods. Gravitating toward whole foods & away from processed stuff is always a good choice no matter what plan you follow.

    Personally I am not a fan of the "eat back your calories" approach because weight loss is just not that specific. Your body doesn't know the difference between a 1,500 calorie deficit one day/500 the next & a 1,000 calorie deficit 2 days in a row. If you're AVERAGING 500-1000 calorie deficits each week then you're fine.
    If I eat the calories I burn, why exercise?
    This has been answered but it should be obvious that there are health benefits to exercise. You have to realize that even if you eat enough calories to maintain weight & not lose that exercise STILL improves your health. So you should do it.

    For those who do eat back their calories, an added bonus is that they can eat more. Foodies like me are always psyched about that.

    So in general no, you don't need to eat them back if you don't want to.
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