Calories/exercise
Ljkshs
Posts: 13 Member
Hi, my question is...when I do exercise I earn more calories, does that mean I should be eating the extra calories?
If so, then can someone explain how it is possible to lose weight?
Liz
If so, then can someone explain how it is possible to lose weight?
Liz
0
Replies
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No, I do not think you should eat the extra calories. From what I understand of it, you eat the extra calories if you want to maintain your current weight (but don't quote me on that, I'm not 100%) haha x0
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NO DON'T eat the extra calories unless you want to undo all your work! You have to go negative to drop weight! By eating what you burned you would just stay the same! Even possibly gain weight if you didn't burn as many calories as you thought!0
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That's what confused me about this thing! I thought the whole point of exercise is so that you could burn off the calories you consume to lose the weight... not so that you get to eat more.0
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Use the search feature. This question is posted 20 times a day.0
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MFP already gives you a deficit so, no, you wouldn't be maintaining your current weight if you eat your exercise calories back. You expended the energy working out. Eat your calories back to fuel your body.0
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MFP has calculated the amount of calories you need to eat daily to lose a healthy amount of 2lbs or less a week. So if you gain calories with exercise and you eat those back, but no more, then you will still lose those 2lbs or less a week. So I see the logic in that, but I would like to lose a little more than 2 lbs a weeks, 3-5lbs, and I choose not to eat my calories back and I haven't found anything saying that that is unhealthy except that losing too much weight to fast is unhealthy.0
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MFP is set up to ALREADY give you a deficit. When you exercise, you SHOULD eat back your exercise calories (or at least most of them), to get back to the pre-determined deficit. on MFP, you'd lose weight even if you sat on the couch all day, as long as you stick to their calorie allotment. Exercise calories should be eaten.
Also, yes..the search feature is awesome since ppl that are new typically ask this every other day..0 -
I came across this post once, and thought it did a great job of explaining healthy weight loss strategy. Please don't starve yourself. It will backfire eventually. There are many, many examples of that on MFP.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions0 -
Go to "message board"
Click " General diet and ......."
Click "Newbies please read" or "links in MFP you want to read again"
There is a links about "eating your exercise calories back"
Its really good and goes into great detail. Check it out!
But if you don't like reading-
Just remember you need to have enough fuel for your body to operate and function properly and avoid starvartion mode.0 -
I eat my exercise calories and I still lose. I eat anywhere between 1800 to 2000 cal total and I net an average of 1490 calories a week. Here is what helped me understand "eating my exercise cals":
My activity level (excluding exercise; this is important) is sedentary because I work a desk job. MFP calculated my Total Daily Energy Expenditure to be 1760 calories. This means to maintain my current weight I must stay at 1760 calories.
Now I have set myself to lose 0.5lb per week because I'm getting pretty lean and I want to focus on reduce body fat while maintaining muscle. MFP assigned me 1490 calories per day. A deficit of 250 calories per day. Now I work out ALOT. 6 days a week for 1 to 2 hours. I can burn an additional 500 to 1000 calories on those days.
I use a Polar FT4 HRM and it has been a godsend because I can know for sure what I burn.
For example, I went to zumba today and burned 554 calories. My total calorie burn is no longer 1760...it is now 2311 (1760+551). It is very important to me to maintain my deficit. I don't want to lose more than 0.5 lb per week. So my calorie goal for a 0.5 lb loss per week is now 2061 (2311-250). So in essence, I must eat back my "exercise calories". I really don't like how it sounds because it seems like you are eating away all your hard work but if you don't fuel your body properly you run the risk of stalling your weight loss. Now I always leave a little room for error. So I always leave about 100 to 150 calories for cushion.
I've been losing about 0.5 to 0.75 lbs per week. The key to making this work is making sure your activity level reflects your normal life not including exercise. Then you can add in exercise.
You can, as an alternative, set your activity level to include exercise. For example, active or very active with exercise. MFP will give more calories to eat. In this case you don't log your exercise and you wouldnt have to eat them back.
My settings are sedentary and I add in my exercise cals. I eat a average of 1800 to 1900 cals per day and burn an average of 400 calories per day through exercise (2800 cal per week). I net between 1400 to 1500.
BUT If I change my activity level settings to very active to include my exercise....MFP will give me 2152 as my TDEE and a calorie goal of 1902 to lose 1/2 per week. IN this case I wont "eat back my exercise cals". The math turns out to be the same.
Hope this helps0 -
Thank you all for the great information.0
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I eat my exercise calories and I still lose. I eat anywhere between 1800 to 2000 cal total and I net an average of 1490 calories a week. Here is what helped me understand "eating my exercise cals":
My activity level (excluding exercise; this is important) is sedentary because I work a desk job. MFP calculated my Total Daily Energy Expenditure to be 1760 calories. This means to maintain my current weight I must stay at 1760 calories.
Now I have set myself to lose 0.5lb per week because I'm getting pretty lean and I want to focus on reduce body fat while maintaining muscle. MFP assigned me 1490 calories per day. A deficit of 250 calories per day. Now I work out ALOT. 6 days a week for 1 to 2 hours. I can burn an additional 500 to 1000 calories on those days.
I use a Polar FT4 HRM and it has been a godsend because I can know for sure what I burn.
For example, I went to zumba today and burned 554 calories. My total calorie burn is no longer 1760...it is now 2311 (1760+551). It is very important to me to maintain my deficit. I don't want to lose more than 0.5 lb per week. So my calorie goal for a 0.5 lb loss per week is now 2061 (2311-250). So in essence, I must eat back my "exercise calories". I really don't like how it sounds because it seems like you are eating away all your hard work but if you don't fuel your body properly you run the risk of stalling your weight loss. Now I always leave a little room for error. So I always leave about 100 to 150 calories for cushion.
I've been losing about 0.5 to 0.75 lbs per week. The key to making this work is making sure your activity level reflects your normal life not including exercise. Then you can add in exercise.
You can, as an alternative, set your activity level to include exercise. For example, active or very active with exercise. MFP will give more calories to eat. In this case you don't log your exercise and you wouldnt have to eat them back.
My settings are sedentary and I add in my exercise cals. I eat a average of 1800 to 1900 cals per day and burn an average of 400 calories per day through exercise (2800 cal per week). I net between 1400 to 1500.
BUT If I change my activity level settings to very active to include my exercise....MFP will give me 2152 as my TDEE and a calorie goal of 1902 to lose 1/2 per week. IN this case I wont "eat back my exercise cals". The math turns out to be the same.
Hope this helps
Her post here ^ ^ ^really helped me understand the exercise calorie burn!!0 -
Thank you Jenn! I just copy and paste my response. It gives a little more detail than some responses I see.0
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Thank you Jenn! I just copy and paste my response. It gives a little more detail than some responses I see.
I think it's a really great response too. I'm more of a "just do what I tell you, dammit!" kinda girl.0 -
Someone active needs more calories than someone sedentary.
MFP does take your activity level from your normal life into account when it calculates your calories. It does NOT factor in the exercise UNTIL you do it.
See for yourself. Change your settings so that you'll say you'll exercise 10 minutes once a week, and see what your calorie goal is. Now change your settings so that you'll exercise 2 hours seven days a week. Your calorie goal will be the same. It doesn't matter what you'll SAY you'll do. It only matters WHEN you do it.0 -
The key to making this work is making sure your activity level reflects your normal life not including exercise. Then you can add in exercise.
You can, as an alternative, set your activity level to include exercise. For example, active or very active with exercise. MFP will give more calories to eat. In this case you don't log your exercise and you wouldnt have to eat them back.
This is perfect - and one of the best explanations I have seen.
Thanks!0
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