Eating Exercise Calories?

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shale367
shale367 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are supposed to eat the calories we burn by exercising?

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  • DiamondRubyMom
    DiamondRubyMom Posts: 147 Member
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    Yes. MFP has already calculate how many calories a day you should eat. By exercising you increase the number of calories you body burns in a day and thus you need to eat them back to reach your minimal calorie amount a day. Try searching for this topic and you find lots of great reasons this is true.
  • SuddenlyPickles
    SuddenlyPickles Posts: 88
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    Some say yes, others no. If you do a search on this very topic, you'll find lots of useful information and testimonials. In fact, other than HCG, I bet this is one of the most revisited (and contentious) topics on MFP.

    I'm a converted non-eater of exercise calories... For me, eating more calories equals more energy, greater stamina and steady weight loss (sooo... a happier me, basically). You couldn't pay me enough to go back to netting less than 1,200.

    Good luck..
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Are supposed to eat the calories we burn by exercising?
    a HUGE YES!
    MFP already takes your weight loss deficit into account when it factors your daily goal.
    If you fail to eat back those calories, you are engaging in self-sabotage that will inhibit your results.

    Believe it!
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    Yes. MFP has already calculate how many calories a day you should eat. By exercising you increase the number of calories you body burns in a day and thus you need to eat them back to reach your minimal calorie amount a day. Try searching for this topic and you find lots of great reasons this is true.
    this, i dropped 40 lbs doing just that eating back every single exercise cal and never hit a plateau or had an issue shedding the weight.
  • cavaaller_85
    cavaaller_85 Posts: 94 Member
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    I usually eat my exercise calories a few times a week. The other days I don't. It gives you a little boost now and then as the PP mentioned!
  • shale367
    shale367 Posts: 14 Member
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    My protein is over for the day....still low on calories, carbs, and fat.....any suggestions?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You can have more protein than MFP allots; in fact many people recommend that you do. I have a glass of milk or a handful of almonds at night if I'm under on calories.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    My protein is over for the day....still low on calories, carbs, and fat.....any suggestions?

    Eat something with carbs and/or fat in it....it's more important to come close to reaching your fat goal than carbs so I say eat some nuts or peanut butter bread or something along those lines.
  • shale367
    shale367 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the help! :D:bigsmile:
  • ddiestler
    ddiestler Posts: 353 Member
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    I don't have an accurate way of knowing how many calories I've burned so I don't eat back my exercise calories. I know the machines at they gym are not accurate at all, so when they say I've burned 500 calories I log it but don't eat any back.

    With that said, I'm contemplating purchasing a HRM to give me a more accurate number of calories burned. I'm running 20 miles a week so I know I am burning caloires..just not sure how much in a day. My weight loss is extremely slow.. so, I'm wondering if I shouldn't be eating some back myself.

    Dawn
  • miw14
    miw14 Posts: 43
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    I would try to eat them back, if you can. I wouldn't try to force yourself to eat, if you're not hungry.
  • Sweeterescape
    Sweeterescape Posts: 132
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    If you're eating too little, your body will try to resist losing weight as there's so much demand for energy it thinks you're starving. If you're exercising a lot, you should make sure you're eating enough to lose weight.

    I've found eating at least half of my exercise calories works (have only just started tracking on here but have been doing this for years), but do it with healthy foods around the time you're exercising. For example, eat a protein bar or some fruit and nuts soon after your workout.

    Good luck!
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    The other day I had 1500 calories left after exercise and I didn't feel like eating anything in the house and I didn't feel like going out. So I didn't. And boy did I pay for it the next day. My hips hurt. My back hurt. I was out of breath before I started, and I didn't do nearly the workout I wanted to.

    I'm not hungry after my gigantic dinner and I still have several hundred calories from exercise left. I'll probably eat little or nothing else tonight, then work out tomorrow and see if I'm okay. If I'm not, then I'll know next time to eat more!
  • michelledyan
    michelledyan Posts: 98 Member
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    I have been on MFP for about two and a half weeks now. I eat my calories back because when I have tried to eat healthy in the past and did not eat them back, I would eat junk food and be back to square one!
  • megansoriano
    megansoriano Posts: 158
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    I am not sure if you are suppose to or not. I listen to my body though. After a workout If I am hungry I eat. I try to stick with 1200 but some days I am more hungry and might add a couple hundred and other days I may not be hungry at all and I am under my caloric goal (this doesn't happen very often haha!).
  • Finally22
    Finally22 Posts: 305 Member
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    Do you eat back your exercise calories every day? I'm having a hard time doing this.... that sounds so strange to me... Any suggestions. Thanks!

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