"Eat back" work out calories?? confused

lynnjunior
lynnjunior Posts: 42
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
I keep hearing a lot about "eating back" your workout calories - is that what we are suppose to do?? I thought the whole idea of exercising was to burn off calories!!?? So if I do a brisk walk and burn 230 calories I am suppose to add that to my 1200 daily calories?? and eat more??? Help - sooooooooo confused!! lol :huh:

Replies

  • Kristy4022
    Kristy4022 Posts: 6 Member
    Well I believe your 1200 calories are given as a maximum you should intake in order to reach your goal. If you workout you get more calories to eat so you can eat more than your 1200 calories without ruining your plan. If you want to workout and still eat under 1200 calories you will most likely reach your goal sooner but might be hungry or lacking energy since you need to make sure you're energized and healthy nutritioned to work out.. Hope that makes sense!
  • LovShelly18
    LovShelly18 Posts: 8
    Your weight is a balancing act, but the equation is simple: If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

    Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

    Mayo Clinic

    (if this at all helps you decide if you want to eat the calories you burn off or not) your eating what you burn but you still have a 1200 calorie intake. Does that make sense?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    From the FAQ
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390145-should-i-eat-my-exercise-calories

    The rest of the FAQ
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/discussion/457-unofficial-mfp-faq
This discussion has been closed.

Categories