calories & working out, use the extra or not? help!

JasHayes
JasHayes Posts: 29
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Question, I'm at a 500 calorie deficit as per myfitnesspals choosing and when I workout I gain calories, is it okay to sometimes eat these calories because we are hungrier from working out or does that defeat the whole point?

Replies

  • LMHinson15
    LMHinson15 Posts: 201 Member
    You're at a 500 Calorie deficit without ever working out. The calories you burn working out makes that deficit bigger. So if you are hungrier, it's completely ok to eat them. You will STILL be at a deficit. The working out will have cardio and strength benefits aside from just burning calories.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    Whichever feels right to you. Some people say you should eat your exercise calories, some say you shouldn't. Personally, I usually eat some of my exercise calories but not all. Just make sure to always eat at least 1200 calories a day to prevent yourself from going into starvation mode.
  • JasHayes
    JasHayes Posts: 29
    thanks :)
  • derposaurus
    derposaurus Posts: 53 Member
    i believe MFP reccomends.... strongly.... that you eat back your excersized calories.

    i personally hate that. i just worked my *kitten* off to burn these calories and give me an extra start in weight loss. why would i make a point to eat it back?

    personal choice i guess.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,763 Member
    i believe MFP reccomends.... strongly.... that you eat back your excersized calories.

    i personally hate that. i just worked my *kitten* off to burn these calories and give me an extra start in weight loss. why would i make a point to eat it back?

    personal choice i guess.

    Because mfp already gives you a deficit and, by not eating them back, you're just making the deficit larger and possibly unhealthy. Didn't you say in another thread that you hit negative net calories a lot? It may be ok now but you are seriously screwing up your metabolism.

    JasHayes, you're not defeating the purpose by eating exercise calories back. You earned those calories back to eat...food is fuel, etc...And I've personally always been of the mind that if you can still lose weight by eating every last calorie you're allowed then do it.
  • niknak2308
    niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
    What the previous posters have said - your allowance calculated by MFP already takes into account you want to lose weight and adjusts your allowance accordingly.

    I used to be in the "why the hell would I eat those exercise cals back" boat, but after not losing for a month, and realising that as I was eating the same 1200 (give or take a little) but exercising lots, I was constantly heavily under my daily goal by around 400-600 daily, which meant I was actually undereating!

    I'm now trying to eat most back, and keep my net cals at 1200. I still feel strange eating so much, but I look at it like I'm learning to be healthy, not just through cutting calories, but by choosing the right foods for my body and exercising to tone my body. Although I only lost a lb this week, I have lost inches and to be honest I'm more fussed about the latter.
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