Am I REALLY supposed to eat my workout calories?

amysol
amysol Posts: 83 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Really? I mean are you sure? To lose steadily and healthy? I have 18 lbs to lose by July 6th. It doesn't seem right. Does anyone know? Am I really supposed to eat the calories I burn in my work out on top of my regular calories for the day?

THANKS
«1

Replies

  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    please read..... there is SO much valuable info here-

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    the short answer is YES!
  • elle77
    elle77 Posts: 150 Member
    You know.....I really think it all depends on your own body. I actually loose weight better if I don't eat them. My sis has to eat her's or her body goes into starvation mode...fast! So, try not eating them...and if you don't loose weight, start eating them(or vice versa!). Just a thought :smile: I also have a really high calorie day once a week.....thats the best way for my body to loose weight; as long as it's only ONE day and not a few,hehe:wink::flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    You know.....I really think it all depends on your own body. I actually loose weight better if I don't eat them. My sis has to eat her's or her body goes into starvation mode...fast! So, try not eating them...and if you don't loose weight, start eating them(or vice versa!). Just a thought :smile: I also have a really high calorie day once a week.....thats the best way for my body to loose weight; as long as it's only ONE day and not a few,hehe:wink::flowerforyou:

    yep, what she said:wink:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    You know.....I really think it all depends on your own body. I actually loose weight better if I don't eat them. My sis has to eat her's or her body goes into starvation mode...fast! So, try not eating them...and if you don't loose weight, start eating them(or vice versa!). Just a thought :smile: I also have a really high calorie day once a week.....thats the best way for my body to loose weight; as long as it's only ONE day and not a few,hehe:wink::flowerforyou:

    so basically, she does eat them, just not on the day she earns them........:huh:



    EAT EM!!!!!!!
  • dimplzz
    dimplzz Posts: 456 Member
    I tried both ways and I seem to lose faster if I eat most of them.
  • elle77
    elle77 Posts: 150 Member
    You know.....I really think it all depends on your own body. I actually loose weight better if I don't eat them. My sis has to eat her's or her body goes into starvation mode...fast! So, try not eating them...and if you don't loose weight, start eating them(or vice versa!). Just a thought :smile: I also have a really high calorie day once a week.....thats the best way for my body to loose weight; as long as it's only ONE day and not a few,hehe:wink::flowerforyou:

    so basically, she does eat them, just not on the day she earns them........:huh:



    EAT EM!!!!!!!

    If I were to eat all my "extra" cal's that I earned all week,in one day.......I would have to eat 4200-4900 cals ABOVE my recomended daily cals. I do NOT do that. When I said I have a high cal day ONCE a week...it's probably about 1700 cals TOTAL rather than my 1350.:wink:

    So, I still say do what will work for you. I've had to learn over the years what works for me. I know exactly how my body works....unfortunately I sometimes go on a binge fest for mths!hehe:blushing:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    theoretically you will lose faster if you don't eat them because it's putting you at a higher deficit.

    That doesn't mean you shouldn't eat them. Losing weight at a slow, healthy pace is important.

    Eat them.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • amysol
    amysol Posts: 83 Member
    Wow, ok. I think I will try eating them first. Then go from there. I know that if I work out in the morning, I am SO HUNGRY all day and I eat them all for sure, maybe even plus 100. So, I wil try working out late afternoon, to keep from eating all my calories "earned" but I will eat most of them and go from there.

    THANKS~!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    awesome! keep us posted!!:flowerforyou:
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    I was eating them until I started working out even more & now it's scary to eat 1000 extra calories. So I'm eating about half, but I'm at a standstill lately.
    Time will tell.
  • molsongirl
    molsongirl Posts: 1,373 Member
    Really? I mean are you sure? To lose steadily and healthy? I have 18 lbs to lose by July 6th. It doesn't seem right. Does anyone know? Am I really supposed to eat the calories I burn in my work out on top of my regular calories for the day?

    THANKS

    my hubby ate them for the first month, lost a whole 2 pounds, the he stopped and he's shed 15 pounds in the same amount of time...so you have to find what works for you.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    I was eating them until I started working out even more & now it's scary to eat 1000 extra calories. So I'm eating about half, but I'm at a standstill lately.
    Time will tell.

    try eating them... your body needs fuel if you are burning 1000 extra calories a day.

    think of this....if you were to go to the corner store, your car might use a fraction of a gallon, right?
    well what if you drove to Albuquerque? you'd need to fill up, right?

    you body will NOT let go of it's reserves unless it feels it is safe to do so. that means you are fueling the demands you are placing on it.

    if you exercise and undereat, your body thinks it must SLOOOOOWLY ration out the fat reserves it does have, in order to allow you to stay alive longer.

    so.........

    EAT UP!
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    ok
    :bigsmile:
    You talked me into it!
    :bigsmile:
    Thanks.
    :wink:
    I have to go get a snack.
    :drinker:
  • JoyousMaximus
    JoyousMaximus Posts: 9,285 Member
    I personally don't eat them but I already have a fairly high (1800) calorie diet and I only work out 1hr/day but I got this formula from a different website:

    "After calculating the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), exercise is factored in. Depending on the exercise level chosen, the BMR will be multiplied by anything from 1.2 to 1.9.

    This provides us with maintenance calories. To get the fat loss figure - 20% is subtracted. The extreme fat loss figure has 40% subtracted BUT - there is a "rock bottom" figure that equates to 8 calories per pound of body weight - the extreme fat loss will never be less than this amount. "

    So, if when you signed up, you said your activity level was sedetary, according to this, you should eat between 60% and 80% of your exercise calories. If you incorporated you exercise into your activity level when you signed up, MFP already calculated it into your calories.
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
    As you can see, I've lost 24 lbs. thanks to MFP. I ate my exercise cals (I've been in maintaining phase since like March and am still doing well). Some on here eat the exercise cals, while some do not. 9 times out of 10 the people on here report that they had more success when eating the exercise cals. Good luck with your goal! :laugh:

    98575.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
    Oh, just a reminder...load up on healthy foods if you have some "spare" cals to use up. Cheese, natural/low fat peanut butter, handful of nuts (almonds, walnuts), yogurt, carrot sticks, fruits, etc. It's not a free-for-all to binge on cake and icecream (although I'm guilty of this sometimes when I have spare cals). I have to indulge sometimes, right?!!

    98575.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
    I tried both ways and I seem to lose faster if I eat most of them.

    Me too - eat them!
  • annaliza
    annaliza Posts: 809
    I tried both ways and I seem to lose faster if I eat most of them.

    Me too - eat them!

    Me too! Also, I started losing faster when I upped my calories from 1200 to 1400...PLUS I eat my exercise calories (or at least most of them).

    I love this diet! Where else can you eat AND lose weight!! (lol, as you can tell, I was one of those people who never lost weight on a 700 cal a day diet).
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    I don't get too slide-rulish about it. "Oooh, I have 12 calories left - get me a Grape!" :laugh:

    I eat most of mine, sometimes a little over, most days somewhat under. I'm trending for 2lbs a week and doing fine.
  • elle77
    elle77 Posts: 150 Member
    I don't get too slide-rulish about it. "Oooh, I have 12 calories left - get me a Grape!" :laugh:

    I eat most of mine, sometimes a little over, most days somewhat under. I'm trending for 2lbs a week and doing fine.

    HAHA that made me laugh :laugh:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    OK so I know I came late to this, but 18 lbs in 6 weeks? Sorry sweetie, but probably ain't gonna happen, that's a 3 lb a week deficit, and even for someone who is obese, that's a tough row. Now I don't know where you are in your weight loss, but I would probably shoot for a more reachable goal then that. Like maybe 9 lbs or so, which would be a pound and a half a week. Just my HO! Good luck.
  • Delaina1
    Delaina1 Posts: 168 Member
    Well I am watching Oprah and on "The biggest Loser" show they say that the women limit themselves to 1200 cals per day and burn 4,000 cals per day! The men only eat 1800 cals a day and burn 6,000 cals! How come they are not in starvation mode???

    I alternate whether or not I eat any, some, or all of my exercise cals. It depends on how much I work out, if I'm hungry, and what I did the day before. I go with the "switch it up" theory! I try not to let my body get used to anything.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Well I am watching Oprah and on "The biggest Loser" show they say that the women limit themselves to 1200 cals per day and burn 4,000 cals per day! The men only eat 1800 cals a day and burn 6,000 cals! How come they are not in starvation mode???

    I alternate whether or not I eat any, some, or all of my exercise cals. It depends on how much I work out, if I'm hungry, and what I did the day before. I go with the "switch it up" theory! I try not to let my body get used to anything.

    because they are super-morbidly obese, their body has so much fat in reserves that it can draw on those reserves to supplement their extremely drastic diet. I say DIET because the things they are doing are unsustainable. The results often do not last because they are so unsustainable.

    We are here to enact a lifestyle change that is sustainable. you could lose a bunch of weight if you got addicted to crack, too, but that is not really gonna be the healthy way to do it, huh?
  • renee22
    renee22 Posts: 33
    I eat some of my workout calories....but always leave a deficit of ~500-700 cal - just because its hard to get exact portions (unless you weigh/measure everything - which i don't have the time for) & also difficult to measure exact calorie burn unless you wear a monitor...


    so the way i figure it...i'm pretty close to breaking even if not slightly below most days - it allows me a little splurge here & there! :love:
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    I always struggle with this but I must say last month I tried hard to fight the mental hurdle and eat most of my exercise calories then this month I only reached my net calories of 1200 8 days out of the 30 and guess what! I gained two pounds back! :noway:

    I made the commitment today to eat my exercise calories and keep my net as close to 1200 per day. I also like the idea of having a 1500 calorie day tossed in there a few times per month.:love:

    I will let you know what happens this next month.

    BTW search "Banks" and you will find some great entries. There is one called "Expectations" that is so awesome. I think I am in phase 4.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
    i had no idea it was recommended to eat your calories that you lose from working out...silly question, can you drink them...from say...beer?
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    i had no idea it was recommended to eat your calories that you lose from working out...silly question, can you drink them...from say...beer?

    :laugh: :laugh: :angry: no:laugh: :laugh:
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    i had no idea it was recommended to eat your calories that you lose from working out...silly question, can you drink them...from say...beer?

    :laugh: :laugh: :angry: no:laugh: :laugh:

    dang.
    :grumble:
    How about chocolate?
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    i had no idea it was recommended to eat your calories that you lose from working out...silly question, can you drink them...from say...beer?

    :laugh: :laugh: :angry: no:laugh: :laugh:

    why not?
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