Exercise Calories

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tschmelzer
tschmelzer Posts: 120
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there!!! So I burn about 400-600 calories a day ( I really need to get a hrm any suggestions on a brand). I usually eat around 1200 calories everyday. I am never hungry or anything but I keep hearing that I should eat those extra calories I have burned. I don't wanna stuff myself. What should I do?? I am 5'2" so I should have around 1200 calories everyday in order to lose 1 pound a week. Any suggestions or facts would be much appreciated thanks!!!

Replies

  • auntied
    auntied Posts: 113 Member
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    Ya I still don't get it.... I don't eat mine. And try to stay at 1200 but still confused!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    HRM-I have a Polar FT4 and love it...I got mine from Amazon.com for under 60.00. (it has a chest strap).

    Exercise cals-this is a HUGH debate....I had a lot of weight to lose, so I never ate them back. To each their own. If your not hungry, then don't, if your hungry, then do..its up to you!
  • nellie_88
    nellie_88 Posts: 307 Member
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    Hi there... I use a Garmin FR60, I really like it a lot! I burn about 300-500 calories a day and my calories are set at 1200. I have seen a lot of very different opinions about eating the workout calories back, but I really just listen to my body. If I am hungry I will eat, if I am not hungry then I am not going to force myself to eat. Me personally I just think listening to your body is the best way to go. Good luck!
  • SusanMcAvoy
    SusanMcAvoy Posts: 445 Member
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    I agree, I don't eat them back if I can control myself. If I get hungry I eat some of them but usually not all of them. For the most part I try to stay around 1200 - 1300 calories. I'm 5'1. Good luck!!
  • tschmelzer
    tschmelzer Posts: 120
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    Ya I still don't get it.... I don't eat mine. And try to stay at 1200 but still confused!


    Seriously!!! Like I would be soooooo full if I ate all that food I would like explode!!!
  • mzterri
    mzterri Posts: 2
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    No, you don't have to eat your excercise calories. I burn between 600-800 calories a day during my workouts. Sometimes I will eat them and sometimes I don't, but if you want to boost your weight loss, don't eat the calories you've burned while working out.:smile:
  • barwood
    barwood Posts: 48 Member
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    You are doing fantastic keep up the good work.
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
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    personally, i try to consume at least 30g protein after a workout, calories are an afterthought on it. Now, if you arent hungry, try higher calorie bars (i like the big supreme protein bars) just to get your calories up without having to eat a lot. Imo, 1200 cal is low anyway, esp if you work out. Hope that helped
  • tschmelzer
    tschmelzer Posts: 120
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    Thanks guys!! I feel the same about it all I was just wondering what other people thought. If I'm hungry I'll eat them otherwise nope. Thanks I feel better about the whole situation now :)
    As for the hrm I will look them up on amazon thanks for the ideas.
  • alacyt
    alacyt Posts: 9
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    That advice sounds iffy to me. I lost weight by going strictly by the numbers. If I worked out, it was just gravy, so to speak. I would not eat my exercise calories. I never did that and I still lost weight. Best wishes!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    No, you don't have to eat your excercise calories. I burn between 600-800 calories a day during my workouts. Sometimes I will eat them and sometimes I don't, but if you want to boost your weight loss, don't eat the calories you've burned while working out.:smile:
    I bet you have your calories based on sedentary as well.
  • GkMusic
    GkMusic Posts: 110 Member
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    Whatever you do, make sure it is something that works for YOU! If you're not hungry, and are happy with your progress, don't eat them. If you find that things aren't working well, that's when you need to make an adjustment.
  • SexSeaCow
    SexSeaCow Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm not a nutritionist/fitness coach, but here's how I understand it as it was explained to me by a friend with a masters in kinesiology/fitness:
    For each pound of fat you want to lose, you have to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in.
    However, there are safe and unsafe ways to go about doing this. Your caloric deficit should not be more than 10% under your BRM. Your BRM will depend on different variables so you should start by calculating that, then determining whether your daily caloric deficit is in the "safe zone".
    This website has some good info: http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TSCalDeficits.htm

    Also, eating high protein/carb and low fat food immediately after workouts will help you build back muscle. :) Good luck!
  • rsj206
    rsj206 Posts: 36 Member
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    I'll happily admit I'm biased, because after being stuck at a plateau for two months, I started eating my exercise calories and immediately dropped six pounds. I also thought "how can I eat so much??" at first, but you learn what works for you - it's more about adding healthy snacks throughout the day than stuffing yourself at meals.

    For more info, you can go to this site http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/ and click on "how about now?" It has a lot of useful information from the more scientifically-inclined members of MFP. The basic idea is that MFP already calculates your caloric intake to be negative, so that you will lose at the desired rate you entered into your profile. If you add exercise into the mix, that calorie deficit can become twice or three times as large. In time, your metabolism can start to slow down because it's being deprived of such a high percentage of what it needs to fuel itself.

    Of course, everyone has to figure out what makes them happy - I just needed to represent the other side of the argument. Eat those calories, girl!

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