Not Eating My Exercise Calories!!

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  • preacher_lady
    preacher_lady Posts: 39 Member
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    I ate my exercise cals for 3 weeks once in an experiment for myself and gained so i never eat them now, maybe 100 odd time but usually none at all and im losing still, your best off ignoring all advice, like i did, try for yourself and see what works for you, some of my friends eat half and still lose, try it was a few weeks and see what happens xx


    I agree with you. Don't listen to advice because as you can see, nobody agrees. lol I did the same thing. I tried eating at least some of mine back and I started gaining weight. I have lost 39 lbs. since the beginning of the year. I weighed over 180 lbs and I now weigh 140.8. My goal is 130 and I'm not far away. I do not eat my exercise calories. When I went for my physical, my doctor was very happy with the way I look, my health in general, and encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing. I talked to her about the calories, exercise calories, and net calories. She told me not to worry about any of that .... just eat between 1,000 - 1,200 calories a day, exercise, AND LISTEN TO MY BODY. She said if I am not getting enough calories, my body will tell me. She also told me DO NOT LISTEN TO ALL OF THE ADVICE THAT PEOPLE TRY TO GIVE YOU. That's what I'm sharing with you .... that last line! Good luck! Listen to your body and do what works for you!
  • ambermichon
    ambermichon Posts: 404 Member
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    try some protein shakes when you workout hard paired with a healthy carb/sugar like a banana
  • l3ugjuice
    l3ugjuice Posts: 233
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    Yes, you need to eat back your exercise calories! That is the healthiest!

    No, you dont. From a calorie standpoint, it's pretty much counterproductive to do so.


    /more popcorn

    You're an idiot.


    family-guy-ring-tone---victory-is-mine-7.jpg
  • FuffaGirl
    FuffaGirl Posts: 28 Member
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    Need to start making some protein shakes, haven't got a clue about which brands or even recipies to use, got any websites or recipies you could recommend?

    Cheers :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I ate my exercise cals for 3 weeks once in an experiment for myself and gained so i never eat them now, maybe 100 odd time but usually none at all and im losing still, your best off ignoring all advice, like i did, try for yourself and see what works for you, some of my friends eat half and still lose, try it was a few weeks and see what happens xx

    i agree. i generally eat some of mine back. i am 1 pound off my goal so i am trying to eat more to get used to maintaining, so my rule now is to make sure i net 1300.
  • wish21
    wish21 Posts: 602 Member
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    I ate my exercise cals for 3 weeks once in an experiment for myself and gained so i never eat them now, maybe 100 odd time but usually none at all and im losing still, your best off ignoring all advice, like i did, try for yourself and see what works for you, some of my friends eat half and still lose, try it was a few weeks and see what happens xx


    I agree with you. Don't listen to advice because as you can see, nobody agrees. lol I did the same thing. I tried eating at least some of mine back and I started gaining weight. I have lost 39 lbs. since the beginning of the year. I weighed over 180 lbs and I now weigh 140.8. My goal is 130 and I'm not far away. I do not eat my exercise calories. When I went for my physical, my doctor was very happy with the way I look, my health in general, and encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing. I talked to her about the calories, exercise calories, and net calories. She told me not to worry about any of that .... just eat between 1,000 - 1,200 calories a day, exercise, AND LISTEN TO MY BODY. She said if I am not getting enough calories, my body will tell me. She also told me DO NOT LISTEN TO ALL OF THE ADVICE THAT PEOPLE TRY TO GIVE YOU. That's what I'm sharing with you .... that last line! Good luck! Listen to your body and do what works for you!

    I think I'll do what you said. I done todays workout adding about 675 cals into my daily 1200 and that put me eating in the1800s. I didnt like the look of it after doing all my logging. So tmrw I will stay between 1200-1400 instead of 1800.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    My goodness, there's a lot of rabble here.

    Log your exercise. If you are hungry / fatigued / really really craving a cupcake, eat back some calories. If you are not, don't.
  • Ilovedrinkingtea
    Ilovedrinkingtea Posts: 597 Member
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    I think you need to net at least 1,200 cals a day to survive and stay well. When I was not eating back my exercise cals I was regularly minus 900cals, and still the weight wasn't really shifting, this cannot be good for anyone. xx
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

    oh and to answer your question, I try to eat protein after my workouts, so like a whey protein shake (from walmart will do) if you're low maintenance like me. they have a variety I drink 2percent milk with Jillian M. chocolate shake.

    nuts of any kind, love almonds

    cooked eggs

    plenty water

    i love spinach/strawberries/sunflower seeds together (with the spray dressing) 1 calories a spray type deal

    or a protein bar, like cliff body builders (you don't have to be a body builder to eat them) lol, but usually if i do a strength training session i will eat them or something similar
  • iPhone4fotos
    iPhone4fotos Posts: 28
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    bump
  • iPhone4fotos
    iPhone4fotos Posts: 28
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    I only eat my exercise calories twice a week (those are my cheat days...yes, I have two cheat days). Everyday, I plan my daily menu ahead of time and then figure out what my workout will be and how many cals I need to burn in order to leave a 500-700 cal deficit...with the exception of my cheat days but those are planned carefully as well in conjunction with my exercise and my social activities for the week.

    45 mins before my workout, I ALWAYS eat a bowl of cheerios (2 servings) and a single scoop of my protein powder (Gnc - Pro Performance Amp Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate) with both with skim milk and within 30 mins after my workout I drink another single scoop of my protein powder (again with skim milk). If I'm finding it hard to fill cals...I drink 1 full serving of my protein powder (3 scoops but dependent on how many cals I need to fulfill, I'll either use 12oz of H2O or 12oz of skim milk). I also will eat hard boiled eggs for snacks (yes, I eat the yolk part too) but no more than two a day. I also eat pasta (usually once but sometimes twice a day...watch the amounts tho. Obviously I don't shy away from carbs like many people do but I find since I do so much cardio, I need the carbs for energy and it really helps with my running.

    Good luck to you!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    The bottom line is that you have to maintain a healthy calorie deficit (assuming you are trying to lose weight). If you are regularly under your daily goal by 1000 calories, then yes, you should be eating them back. If you are ending up 400-500 cals under, then you're fine.

    There is no absolute rule to eating back your exercise calories. If you go out and burn 1500 cals doing a half marathon, then you're much more likely to want to eat them back than if you burn 50 cals walking the dog. A little perspective and some common sense goes a long way here (and is something that is lost on a lot of people on the boards).

    Look at your net calories over a longer stretch of time, say a week. If you are under your goal by more than 3000 or so, then you should probably be eating back at least some/half your calories.


    .
  • Elle_Jamaicangirl81
    Elle_Jamaicangirl81 Posts: 418 Member
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    I hardly ever eat my exercise cals back... if i'm hungry, i'll eat a good meal and if it goes into my exercise cals then so be it.
    i'm not going to force myself to eat (or eat a lot) if i'm not hungry.
  • PSUgrl921
    PSUgrl921 Posts: 368 Member
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    There's no easy way to answer this and those that don't eat back their exercise calories will lose weight (obviously), however, it will plateau. Not to mention the fact that eating 1200 calories and then burning anything is not enough for your body. It is not healthy and, depending on how much you are burning, could put you in a disordered eating category. I am no nutritionist, don't get me wrong but I did have a friend who was doing exactly that. Eating 1200 calories and then burning them off-- and she was diagnosed with Anorexia. My thinking is then that it can't be healthy.

    You don't have to eat back all of your calories every day. But if you are hungry. Eat. Sometimes when I was really low on calories for the day I would have a piece of multigrain toast with peanut butter. That would put me back on track. A handful of Almonds is good. Low fat chocolate milk. String cheese. You want something with protein to help start to rebuild the muscles you just worked.

    Nicole
  • Elle_Jamaicangirl81
    Elle_Jamaicangirl81 Posts: 418 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies guys, I am definitely going to eat back at least 1/2 of my exercise calories because I have not enough energy the following day to run or train as the same level as the day before. But I'll let everone know if it has a positive effect or if I gain weight (nervous laugh)

    cheers

    u have to listen to your body though... if u're feeling tired and such, then yes u should be eating a bit more. make good decisions when u are eating as well... eg.. dont be eating an entire pizza or something, just cause u have the cals.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I'm on 1600 cals and it's a day to day thing on whether I eat them back or not. Some days I'm ravenous so I 100% eat them back. Other days I get to the end of the day and have 400 cals left and am not hungry so i don't eat them. It's listening to your body.

    If I do go down to 1200 cals I will eat them back. 1200 is the minimum you should be netting a day. Going under occasionally is OK but it's not a good habbit to have.
  • BreakOnThru
    BreakOnThru Posts: 66 Member
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    Eat them back, but know that it's easy to overdo this. For instance, you probably don't need to refuel after an easy 20 minute jog. People tend to go a little nuts because they feel they've earned it. Also time your calories right. Eating after a workout is better than before. And quality counts--lean proteins, lots of veggies, and good carbs like whole grains that'll fill you up more.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Yes, you need to eat back your exercise calories! That is the healthiest!

    No, you dont. From a calorie standpoint, it's pretty much counterproductive to do so.


    /more popcorn


    I always ate back my exercise calories. I lost 60 pounds so....it works lulz

    How about, "it depends". If your net is <1200, you should eat enough calories back to hit 1200.

    For example, if your recommended intake is 1400, and you "earn" 600 calories through exercise, 1400 - 600 = 800, eating back at least 400 calories would probably be a good thing to keep your body fueled.

    On the other hand, if your recommended intake is 1800, and you exercise for 300, 1800 - 300 = 1500, eating back is less important.
  • withervein
    withervein Posts: 224 Member
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    So, this is what happens when you feed the trolls, kids.
  • LuciLawless
    LuciLawless Posts: 16 Member
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    I haven't made my calorie thing once since i've been on here, i've always been under, and I snack too. I just can't seem to eat as much as they want me to. My doctor told me that that's a good thing because You should only eat when you're hungry and if it's under the calorie goal and i'm full then there's no risks.

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