Why don't people eat their exercise calories?

Options
Rachiepie6
Rachiepie6 Posts: 423 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The whole aim of having a goal calorie limit and earning calories, is that you eat them?
I don't understand, and I know that I'm not perfect at eating all of mine, but some days I go over, so it kind of balances out.

If I'm exercising, I need to put more fuel in my body, don't other people?
«1345

Replies

  • kymmixxx
    kymmixxx Posts: 151 Member
    Options
    i dont eat mine 9/10 simply because im just not hungry, if i am i will though.
  • LighterEachDay
    LighterEachDay Posts: 28
    Options
    Why are people on here so concerned with what everyone else is doing?
  • klynn22091
    klynn22091 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    if im not hungry i dont eat, and alot of times, working out is the last thing I do before bed, so I dont want to eat and then have to stay up two more hours, If im hungry then I eat but most of the time Im not
  • judith3
    judith3 Posts: 296 Member
    Options
    I work out at night so trying to eat back the 600 calories i burned a couple of hours before bed doesnt work for me and im usually not hungry if i am ill eat some
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
    Options
    Why ask why??? I personally think it is up to the individual how they want to run their diet unless they ask for advice. We are not cut out of the same cookie cutter. . so therefore what works for some doesn't work for others. . I think people need to find what works for them. . :smile:

    Peace:flowerforyou:
  • MîîśÊmÿłõü
    MîîśÊmÿłõü Posts: 285 Member
    Options
    i wont eat if im not hungry, if i do ill only aim to have 100-200 cal snacks but thats it
  • cptnjck0209
    cptnjck0209 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    Lack of time, lack of hunger, lack of need?

    As long as people eat over 1200 I think they're probably fine, from what I've heard... At least people in the obese/overweight category seem to have enough excess calories ON them to not need to eat the extra, so the story goes.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Options
    and the shot guns are about to come out
  • paperlily
    paperlily Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Why are people on here so concerned with what everyone else is doing?

    Exactly. Just do what works for you.
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    Options
    Cause they want to be skinnyfat ;)
  • xxquzme
    xxquzme Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    because why workout and burn cals and then just put them back in your mouth. That would just be a waste of time when it comes to weight loss. They idea for most is that if you work out you will get ahead of the game by burning more cals then you were "supposed" to. Wanting to eat the cals back sounds like what got us in this situation in the first place. Lets look to get healthier not find ways to be able to eat more without guilt.
  • KatieCuth
    KatieCuth Posts: 569 Member
    Options
    because why workout and burn cals and then just put them back in your mouth. That would just be a waste of time when it comes to weight loss. They idea for most is that if you work out you will get ahead of the game by burning more cals then you were "supposed" to. Wanting to eat the cals back sounds like what got us in this situation in the first place. Lets look to get healthier not find ways to be able to eat more without guilt.

    LIKE
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,171 Member
    Options
    some people lose weight better when not eating their exercise calories. I used to never eat my exercise calories, but for the past couple of months I started eating them and weight was SLLLLLLLLLOWLY coming off. I am currently in maintenance mode so I eat most of my exercise calories back and my weight has stayed dead even for 1 week, so i know if i would have always stuck to eating all my extra calories, then I would have not been able to lose 40lbs in 6months! I say whatever works for you doesn't always work for someone else so why judge!
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    Options
    because why workout and burn cals and then just put them back in your mouth. That would just be a waste of time when it comes to weight loss. They idea for most is that if you work out you will get ahead of the game by burning more cals then you were "supposed" to. Wanting to eat the cals back sounds like what got us in this situation in the first place. Lets look to get healthier not find ways to be able to eat more without guilt.

    There is a lot more to exercising than just burning calories.

    MFP already gives you the deficit required for the weight loss goal you choose. As PBJunky says you end up being skinnyfat - and also stuck eating low amounts of calories for the rest of your life because you don't have to muscle mass to burn off anything higher.

    Me? I eat 2100-2400 calories a day and will continue to do so when i get to goal mmmm mmmmm
  • Diveryanfitness
    Diveryanfitness Posts: 24
    Options
    Why are people on here so concerned with what everyone else is doing?

    Isn't the purpose of MFP forums to provide support and to get answers to nutrition and fitness questions? Why are you concerned about why people are so concerned with what everyone else is doing? ;)

    I was curious about that same thing, as with my workouts, sometimes I get over 1000 "bonus calories" but that would put me up to almost 3000, and for me personally that's a lot of food to eat. If I need additional energy I'll have a snack like almonds, a banana, or yogurt but much more and I feel like I'm forcing it down.
  • Rachiepie6
    Rachiepie6 Posts: 423 Member
    Options
    I never judged, just asked? And from some answers, thank you, as I now know why some people don't eat them back.

    I know I shouldn't concern myself with what others do, but I do, it is a part of who I am to overthink things and worry about other people. That's how I am, I know it, I accept it, don't judge me for asking a question.

    I understand the lack of hunger, in fact I am going through that at the moment, which is why it originally popped into my head, not because I was, for lack of a better word, judging others. I have swimming and netball tonight and I know that I need more food or I will be completely exhausted during netball.

    But if your goal is to lose whatever amount per week then the MFP calculator tells you based on your age, height and weight how many NET calories you should aim for, not how many calories you should consume. The net calories that MFP suggests already has a defecit of calories to how much your body burns at rest.

    I just don't think it's healthy to not at least TRY to eat them back.

    xxquzme - if eating your workout calories back makes you put on weight, then you goal net calories per day must be wrong?
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    Options
    because why workout and burn cals and then just put them back in your mouth. That would just be a waste of time when it comes to weight loss. They idea for most is that if you work out you will get ahead of the game by burning more cals then you were "supposed" to. Wanting to eat the cals back sounds like what got us in this situation in the first place. Lets look to get healthier not find ways to be able to eat more without guilt.

    There is a lot more to exercising than just burning calories.

    MFP already gives you the deficit required for the weight loss goal you choose. As PBJunky says you end up being skinnyfat - and also stuck eating low amounts of calories for the rest of your life because you don't have to muscle mass to burn off anything higher.
    ^^this
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    Options
    Cause they want to be skinnyfat ;)

    And there you go ;D
  • rstaylor
    rstaylor Posts: 15
    Options
    I was under the impression it helped lose weight faster...? Your base calories for the day are based on your BMR, basically how many calories you burn just by being awake, so if you were to eat that set number of calories you would still lose weight, just slowly. When you exercise you are obviously burning extra calories, so IF YOU WANT to you can eat the extra calories, especially since working out generally makes you feel hungry because you are 'depleting' your body. I try to stick to below my base BMR calorie intake, but if I do go over I make sure it stays under my BMR intake plus my exercise calories. For me my BMR is 1270, with exercise it is between 1600-1700, so I usually eat around 1000-1100 or if I go over I am generally around 1200-1300 with my exercise.
  • PBJunky
    PBJunky Posts: 737 Member
    Options
    Most people don't understand how their calories are calculated and how they should be managing it, thus asking these types of question whether they should be eating their exercise calories back or not.

    Here is the truth,

    Lets use the formula that MFP use to calculate your calories

    Mifflin-St Jeo (Quite inaccurate compared to Katch McArdle)
    MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
    WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161

    For the sake of this post lets just fill in the blanks with test data

    Weight = 80kgs
    Height = 180cm
    Age = 20

    Men: BMR = [9.99 x 80] + [6.25 x 174] - [4.92 x 20] + 5
    = 799.2 + 1087.5 - 98.4 + 5
    = 1793.3

    Great now we have our BMR

    Normally you would multiply your BMR with your activity level as to compensate for the extra food you need for energy etc. MFP doesn't do this, instead they expect you to eat back your exercise calories which comes down to the same thing but probably a bit more accurate ...since you know what extra calories you burned and should be compensating for.

    1.2 =Sedentary (Little or no exercise + desk job)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
    1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

    Now since you have your BMR you need to decide whether you want to lose weight or gain weight...

    1lb of fat = 3500 Calories

    As always it is best to lose fat slow and steady to preserve as much muscle mass as possible so preferably you want to lose 1/2 lbs a week which equates to a deficit of 3500/7000 calories a week...doing if faster will only result in a sack of bones with hanging skin.

    So lets say you want to lose 1lb a week then you now you should have a deficit of 3500 calories weekly, which makes a deficit of 500 calories a day. Take that BMR we had earlier and simply subtract the deficit of 500 and that should be your daily calorie intake.

    Daily Calorie Intake = BMR - 500
    = 1793.3 - 500
    = 1293.3

    So using MFP it is best to eat back your exercise calories or you will be losing more than just fat...precious muscle

Categories