Is it better to reach your goals

Zorbadog
Zorbadog Posts: 10 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
Just wanted to ask if it is better to reach your food goal each day.

For instance today my goal was 1280 cals, I had 1480 cals of food, but after deducting 990 for exercise, it left me 793 cals short. I guess being this much under day after day is not as good as reaching the targets, but am not sure on the days I exercise that I could eat the amount of food needed.

Replies

  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
    There is a huge debate about that here, just search "eating back exercise cals" and you'll get hundreds of posts on it.

    Personally, I think eating back what you burn is important. You've burnt all that energy, and your body needs it to function.

    You ate 1480 cals, but you burnt 990 leaving your body only 490 cals to live on. Typically it's recommended that you never net (calories in - calories burned) under 1200.

    MFP factors in a deficit already, so technically if you eat back those calories you burned and reach MFP's goal calorie for you, you should still lose weight with that deficit.

    Hope that makes sense, feel free to message me if you need any clarification!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Just wanted to ask if it is better to reach your food goal each day.

    For instance today my goal was 1280 cals, I had 1480 cals of food, but after deducting 990 for exercise, it left me 793 cals short. I guess being this much under day after day is not as good as reaching the targets, but am not sure on the days I exercise that I could eat the amount of food needed.

    For real?
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    My opinion (and it's not a professional one) is:


    You consumed your base level 1200 calories - great!

    You did some exercise - great!

    You gave your body some additional fuel - great!


    I wouldn't get too hung up on the numbers - they're all estimates anyway.

    Keep on going!
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    i use this as a general way of keeping track and am not phased about an exact calorie..i do not eat up my workout calories but will eat extra if my body is telling me it needs more.
  • Brandie1029
    Brandie1029 Posts: 183 Member
    I eat most of my work out calories. Your body needs food to fuel itself.
  • Lady_Chilli
    Lady_Chilli Posts: 161 Member
    Yeah I've also wondered the same thing. However 990 cals burn't is a huge amount and it is basically leaving not a lot left in your body... hmmm Saying that I really don't agree with eating back calories (for me) as in a way I see it as pointless in exercising, (I know there is benefits ofc)
    As long as your eating healthy, you aren't left feeling burn't out at the end of the day then I agree with a poster above, just go with it.
  • Zorbadog
    Zorbadog Posts: 10 Member
    Yeah I've also wondered the same thing. However 990 cals burn't is a huge amount and it is basically leaving not a lot left in your body... hmmm Saying that I really don't agree with eating back calories (for me) as in a way I see it as pointless in exercising, (I know there is benefits ofc)
    As long as your eating healthy, you aren't left feeling burn't out at the end of the day then I agree with a poster above, just go with it.

    The thing is that the exercise was just golf, which isn't particularly strenuous, and I find the figure of 990cals slightly hard to believe for three hours, but looking at other websites it seems about right. But ignoring the numbers I don't feel like I need to eat loads of extra food to cover for it!
  • Art63
    Art63 Posts: 87
    One of the better responses I've ever read as to whether or not we should eat our exercise calories was if you don't eat back the exercise calories, your body might "expect" the lower caloric number and reset the metabolism to that new lower number. You don't want that. Eating the exercise calories works for me.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Just wanted to ask if it is better to reach your food goal each day.

    For instance today my goal was 1280 cals, I had 1480 cals of food, but after deducting 990 for exercise, it left me 793 cals short. I guess being this much under day after day is not as good as reaching the targets, but am not sure on the days I exercise that I could eat the amount of food needed.

    For real?

    Were all of your other 3,126 replies pointless as well?

    Ha! Maybe some. But if you truly want advice, consider that its really unusual for a guy appearing as fit as you to truly eat so little and still have no appetite, which is why I'm skeptical of your numbers.
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