Exercise calories.....Help!!!!

nessagrace22
nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
I went slightly over my daily calories today but my record showed I'd under eaten because I worked out!

Now I don't wanna sound stupid BUT are you supposed to replace the calories burnt from exercise with food? That can't be right can it??

If that's the case I may as well sit my butt in front of the tv and save messing up my hair.

Replies

  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Yes... MFP intends for you to eat those calories. The deficit you need to lose the weight is already calculated *without* exercise. When you exercise, you earn extra calories.

    I've eaten most to all of my exercise calories for months and haven't had any trouble staying on track to meet my goals. :-)
  • twinmommy3
    twinmommy3 Posts: 28 Member
    Search Eating back calories. There are lots of posts on this topic.
  • used2baileendq
    used2baileendq Posts: 11 Member
    Whatever your daily goal is re; calories, strive to meet it. Weight loss is all about caloric deficit (burn more than you take in) BUT you don't want to fall under the recommended daily goal or your body will go into starvation mode and store every calorie it gets.

    If you want to lose, you have to eat!

    And as far as sitting (vs working out)- EXERCISE! The more muscle you have the more efficient your body is at burning fat. Also, you'll *feel* better and look better.
  • catherun
    catherun Posts: 4
    I do not eat back my calories from exercise, because I feel that I will lose the weight faster that way....but you certainly can do that. Either way, keep exercising! The health benefits are worth it whether or not you eat back the calories.
  • raige123
    raige123 Posts: 352
    Such a debated topic ... bottom line, do what works for you. If I ate back my exercise calories, I'd never lose weight! Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper call eating them back, "eating your way out of the gym". I never eat them back, enjoy the big deficits and continue to lose weight!
  • cricketannie
    cricketannie Posts: 184 Member
    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    This clears everything up....completely.
  • amccrazgrl
    amccrazgrl Posts: 315 Member
    Make sure you at least net 1,200 calories a day so your body doesn't go into starvation mode!!!!
  • bellawares
    bellawares Posts: 558 Member
    This . . . :noway:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    This . . . :noway:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    LOL I love that!!! Hahaha
  • nabeeo5
    nabeeo5 Posts: 16
    I didn't know you were supposed to eat your calories back until I started feeling sick and irritable. Eat them back! You will still have a calorie deficit, so you will still lose weight.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    I never knew about eating calories back until I found this site, I can see why it's confusing. I used to work a ridiculously physical job in a warehouse, then go to the gym, and I was striving to eat less than 1000 calories a day. And crying because I wasn't losing weight fast enough.

    Well doh, I was starving! My body thought there was some major famine going on, and probably thought bears were chasing me or something, too, the way I was going and going and going. I'm darn lucky I didn't kill myself. We humans are tough critters, we are!
  • nessagrace22
    nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
    This . . . :noway:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    Hahaha too funny :laugh:

    Think I was looking at it as calorie goal + exercise = bonus. Thanks for all the brilliant advice guys.
  • what923
    what923 Posts: 100 Member
    It's true you need to fuel your body for exercise. According to a trainer I worked with- think of eating every 3 hours or so- smaller meals...it's like adding wood to a fire; a little at a time keeps the firing burning the best. Every time I eat I think "I'm just fueling the machine!" Also- like everything I take a modest approach. Eat more to lose more actually works when you are very active but I wouldn't eat 'all' the exercise calories just to increase the deficit and hopefully lose faster (unless you already have an agressive goal- more than 1-2 pounds a week). Happy Eating!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    This . . . :noway:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    Hahaha too funny :laugh:

    Think I was looking at it as calorie goal + exercise = bonus. Thanks for all the brilliant advice guys.

    Well, you were right in one way - the bonus from exercise is that you end up with a stronger, leaner, healthier body as you are losing weight and because you've been able to eat a bit more you don't feel deprived and have a sustainable weight loss system.
    Win - win in my book :)

    It's not to say that the "I don't eat my exercise cals" people are wrong - they are just creating a much larger calorie deficit and some people can cope with this, others don't respond well.
  • Lokisul
    Lokisul Posts: 50
    I have searched countless threads for these answers. But this always bugs me..

    Say I eat my daily calorie count (1610 cals).. But they I do about 90 minutes exercise (which can equal upto 900 calories on full burn).

    Does that mean I have to eat 2500 calories? Because that is a lot of food! I dont get hungry... ever (help that my food is a lot more nutritious these days)! So I struggle daily to eat 1610, never mind 2500...
  • Lokisul
    Lokisul Posts: 50
    Anyone?
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