Calorie intake VS excersize

Katie121705
Katie121705 Posts: 2
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so this is my first topic so bare with me.... So, I've been reading up on what you should to lose weight. I've read that you need to have atleast 1200 calories per day along with excersize. Well my question is this: If I actually eat the right amount of calories per day but then factor in my excersize, am I still not getting enough or is this a good thing? I put what I eat into my diary everyday. I put what I excersize everyday. Then you figure it out and the message after I figure in my excersize with my food says I'm eating to few calories because with all the excersize I'm doing I'm being able to eat more calories. I'm so confused. Help!

Replies

  • Tiffa0909
    Tiffa0909 Posts: 191 Member
    Because with the amount of calories you burn , the amount of calories you need to eat increase.

    I burned today 360 calories , and my breakfast was 400 calories. So according to diary , my net calories were only 40 . And I got back the other 360.
  • dobenjam
    dobenjam Posts: 232 Member
    Sorry, I can't add much to help but I just wanted to agree and say this is something I've been wondering as well. Do I have to eat the additional calories I burn?
  • Carrot1971
    Carrot1971 Posts: 272 Member
    There is a big debate on whether or not to eat your exercise calories. I follow one simple rule: If I'm hungry I eat, if I'm not hungry I don't eat. Simple at that. You have to have a MINIMUM of 1200 calories no matter what. Eating your additional exercise calories is completely at your descrition. There will be people who support both trains of thought and both have valid arguements. Like I said, I just listen to my body. Typically 1200 calories is more than enough for me. Occassionally I will eat half of my exercise calories...I RARELY eat them all. Good luck!
  • furman5985
    furman5985 Posts: 10 Member
    My wife and I just joined Monday and we were wondering the same thing. I felt like as long as you weren't going hungry, you shouldn't worry about trying to eat your calories burned. Glad to see some other input on it.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    MFP already gives you a calorie defiicit based on what you input for your current height/weight, activity level and weight loss goals. Therefore, in order to properly fuel your body's nutritional needs, you should be eating back your exercise calories. The however to that is, if you're going by what MFP or a cardio machine is giving you for calories, there may be an overestimate (but this isn't true for everyone) so I would suggest eating back most (half to 2/3rds) of the calories your earn through exercise. . If you're using a heart rate monitor with chest strap, you will be getting a much more accurate calorie count for your exercise and all of these earned calories should be consumed.

    Since you're already planning your meals and exercise, you'll have a good idea of how many extra calories you get from exercise so you can factor that in for your meals/snacks on the days you work out. Calorie dense foods are an easy healthy way to up your calories on these days - nuts, seeds, nut/seed butters, legumes/beans, lean meats/cheeses, even dark chocolate if you're not worried about sugars.

    For women, the minimum daily calorie suggestion is 1200 and for men it's 1500. Your net should never be less than this or you will get that message about not eating enough.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    Here is an example from this week to last. I was eating 1400-1600 calories and then going to the gym and burning 500+ (1000 on one day) and was wondering why I was not losing weight. This week I am going to the gym and burning only what I need to get to 1200 calories for the day.

    I get home and eat and then complete my diary and add the snack I will eat after dinner in there too. I then decide how many calories I will burn, yesterday was 400 to get me to 1300 calories. I have noticed I feel better and I am sleeping better since Monday, I weighed myself this morning and I lost 3 pounds since last weigh in(only record on Fridays though).

    anyone feel free to add me as a friend and I will let you know on Friday what my outcome was! I love science and math...this is fun to me! Experimenting is the key to this IMO, I started eating right and keeping track in mid december and I finally feel like this will work!
  • Katie121705
    Katie121705 Posts: 2
    Thank you everyone for your inputs! Alot of the same types of advice with other opinions in there too... very informative and insightful! I will see how not eating the extra calories does for me and if it doesn't do anything then I'll keep not eating them. So far I am losing weight with what I'm doing. If I plateau I'll prolly try eating the extra calories then. But, like one of you said- I only eat when I'm hungry. I'm not tired or anything from not eating my extra calories or anything so I don't know. But again, thank you to everyone who has posted to this!
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