Do you use the extra calories when you workout?

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papa3x
papa3x Posts: 286
in Fitness and Exercise
OK, my MFP plan calls for 1870 calories a day, but I shoveled snow for about an hour... MFP says that gives me 500+ more calories I can have for the day. I probably will not consume 500+ calories more, but maybe 250.
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  • MCwhiteraven
    MCwhiteraven Posts: 14 Member
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    I have found that my weight loss really slows down if I use the extra calories. So I look at them as a bonus in fat burning! :)
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    I can vary but there are a lot of people on these forums, my wife included, who experience plateaus if they do not eat back those extra calories. For me, there are days during the summer when I'm refereeing 3-6 soccer games in a day where I burn anywhere from 2000-4000 calories. There's no way I could eat all those back (at least not in a healthy fashion, I suppose I could pig out at Applebees or something), however those are only a couple days a week. When I was still trying to lose, there were a lot of days I was 200 calories or more under goal and it never hurt me. I hate to say it but ultimately I think you just have to experiment and see how your body reacts. One thing is for sure, eating those calories back will not hurt you.
  • papa3x
    papa3x Posts: 286
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    See, I decided that TODAY, I actually want a cup of coffee. And I use a flavored creamer. I haven't had much coffee since finding MFP. I used to drink about 20 ounces of iced coffee a day, which really is wasted calories. I'm rationalizing that the snow shoveling makes that A-OK, LOL. But still, if you look at my food log, I think I am doing fine today. In fact, I may go hit the treadmill later on and see if I can walk and read my Kindle at the same time w/o killing myself.
  • vguynes
    vguynes Posts: 794 Member
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    Usually, I don't use the extra workout calories, but I know they are there if I need them.
  • debswebby
    debswebby Posts: 326
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    I may go hit the treadmill later on and see if I can walk and read my Kindle at the same time w/o killing myself.

    LMAO good luck with that. Please let me know how you get on. I'm too scared to try it :laugh:
  • Mirth
    Mirth Posts: 77
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    I may go hit the treadmill later on and see if I can walk and read my Kindle at the same time w/o killing myself.

    LMAO good luck with that. Please let me know how you get on. I'm too scared to try it :laugh:

    Audio books. They're a life saver.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    yep i eat em every day. sometimes i dont eat them all that day, but ill use them on sunday for my free day.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    i eat them
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
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    I eat every last one! Every day! I burned 1003 this morning -- eating mac and cheese and cake tonight for my birthday! woot!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    OK, my MFP plan calls for 1870 calories a day, but I shoveled snow for about an hour... MFP says that gives me 500+ more calories I can have for the day. I probably will not consume 500+ calories more, but maybe 250.
    You should eat back your exercise calories.
    Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
    That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
    Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
    Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
    In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
    Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount
    of weight each week.

    Be efficient.
    Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.
  • Bellyroll
    Bellyroll Posts: 316
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    Heck yes I do! If i want to eat more I have to work for it. So if I want to eat 6 coconut delights cookies which equal 486 cals, then I have to work out 486 cals.
  • tausha_k
    tausha_k Posts: 53
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    I also shoveled snow for 2 hours this morning/afternoon. I burned 700+ calories (I have a hard time believing I burned that many calories). I won't be eating my calories back today, but I usually don't eat them back anyway. I do occasionally go out to eat, and over eat. So I exercise a bit harder, burn more calories, so my splurge don't look so bad.
  • Jarnard
    Jarnard Posts: 497 Member
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    OK, my MFP plan calls for 1870 calories a day, but I shoveled snow for about an hour... MFP says that gives me 500+ more calories I can have for the day. I probably will not consume 500+ calories more, but maybe 250.
    You should eat back your exercise calories.
    Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
    That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
    Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
    Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
    In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
    Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount
    of weight each week.

    Be efficient.
    Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.
    This is true. I agree.. Im still learning how to add in the extra calories during the day so i'm not stuck with an extra 1000 calories to consume after dinner.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I eat mine back, my MFP is already set up with a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb. a week so any exercise calories are mine to eat and I normally consume 3000-3500 calories a day and lose 1-2 lbs. a week...
  • Armygirl67
    Armygirl67 Posts: 177 Member
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    I have found that my weight loss really slows down if I use the extra calories. So I look at them as a bonus in fat burning! :)

    This !!
  • Nana_Booboo
    Nana_Booboo Posts: 501 Member
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    my weight loss slows down if I don't eat the extra calories given to me. I eat them and I enjoy every last one!!!
  • Jarnard
    Jarnard Posts: 497 Member
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    my weight loss slows down if I don't eat the extra calories given to me. I eat them and I enjoy every last one!!!

    This is the best way to do it!! keep this routine consistent and you'll lose weight and keep it off!
  • mrFerris
    mrFerris Posts: 122 Member
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    I eat every last one! Every day! I burned 1003 this morning -- eating mac and cheese and cake tonight for my birthday! woot!

    Happy birthday
  • adross3
    adross3 Posts: 606 Member
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    Dishes/Vaccum1hr 214
    Ab Ripper X 280
    Chest 150
    Sleep 88/hr
    Folding Laundry 170 45min
    Bicept/Tricept 130
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
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    Sometimes I do sometimes I don't. I usually just stick to my daily goal though without the workout calories :)

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