eating your burned calorie! Really!

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  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    I'm new to this site. HELLO EVERYONE!

    Today I post my exercise and it gave me another 600 calories to eat before the day was out. That a woppin' 1850 calories for today. Will this work? They had me at a 1200 calories a day which I thought sounded right. So, what do you guys do? Do you eat those calories you burn when exercising? Do you think eating them will have a negative or positive effect on weight loss?

    Thank you everyone
    Yes, you eat them.
    MFP determined our total daily calorie goal that DOES NOT include exercise to lose 1 pound [recommended].
    And after we complete an exercise and log it in, our daily calorie limit increases.

    This is because MFP advising us to eat back those exercise calories.
    Large deficits are not recommended, because while you will lose weight, what's the quality of the weight loss?
    In that healthy?
    What happens is decreased lean body mass - MUSCLE - which LOWERS metabolic rate, making weight loss even harder.

    The quick loss, low-calorie diets may do wonders on the front end, but once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly -- and you gain weight.
    Think long term, and be wise.
    Exercise intensely, but eat back the calories.
    The exercise will RAISE your metabolism and burn more fat at rest.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 837 Member
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    I just wrote a comment related to this..... MFP would give me more than 2x the calories burned for some things (like the stationary bike) than what the equipment at the gym did... and that equipment was measuring my heart rate.


    You need to be careful with the MFP numbers.... they have just been entered by people. So it's possible that the person who first entered a particular exercise was way bigger than you and burned a lot more calories than you did... and while I'm sure there is some kind of calculator at work trying to adjust the numbers to work for different people, I doubt it's entirely accurate. I try to cross-reference to other sites if I'm not sure, but I'm looking forward to getting my HRM!!
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
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    A lot of us who are adamant about eating them back are people who stalled out or messed up our metabolisms in the past by NOT eating them back. I stalled at about 20 lb lost and it took a couple months of gradually upping my calories until I started losing again. My athletic performance improved in leaps and bounds, too, because I was actually fueling my body. It took a long time for my metabolism to properly recover, though.

    Then again, it probably depends just how much exercise you do. I do a lot, so I can't imagine getting by without eating those calories back!
  • raras1615
    raras1615 Posts: 2
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    In order to get an accurate count on calories burned you really need to invest in a heart rate monitor. When I jogged/walked 3 miles this morning it took 45 minutes. I logged this in and MFP wanted to give me somewhere around 350 calories, I really burned 240 calories. I find this with the machines at the gym as well, they will over estimate by quite a bit. Before I had a HRM I would cut what the machine said in half. I agree with eating the calories burned as there is already a deficit put into your calories but make sure the numbers are right! Good Luck!
  • geckofli
    geckofli Posts: 155 Member
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    ScrewyChars-6803370
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Please take a few minutes to look around the site and familiarise yourself with the SEARCH function. This is a great place to start as there is a new thread on this same subject almost EVERY DAY.

    Sorry about that. I should have done that.
    Well, we answer the same questions day after day, and the truth is it does get old.

    But how stale and bland would this place be if our forums were not a viable place of community where people felt free to ask away.
    What's old and tiresome to me is new and fresh to a new person.
    Welcome, and please ask your questions.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    No worries at all Jessie, we're all new at one time! It's just good to know it's there :wink:

    On topic though, the MFP recommended answer is to definitely eat your calories back as a defecit has already been factored into your daily limit. Personally I like to eat most or all of them back over the course of a week. Though I try to cycle my calories a little by having a spike day (2000+ cals) once a week, and keeping the daily amounts either on or just below for the rest of the week. Keeps the body guessing. :happy:

    Unlike my apparently aggressive comment earlier, I am actually a pretty nice guy and happy to help if I can. :flowerforyou:
  • lisaduke45
    lisaduke45 Posts: 15
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    I am sorry I didnt mean to laugh when I saw your post but I will tell you why I did. My dietitian gave me this website because it would be something we can both look at together at my appointments. I looked at her and asked the same thing Eat my earned calories back are you serious? I said whats the point of exercising if I am just going to eat more. Her reply was this NOOOOOO eat your calories for the day do not eat more because you exercised and then said that is one thing she disagrees with on this site. hope that helps
  • lind3400
    lind3400 Posts: 557 Member
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    No worries at all Jessie, we're all new at one time! It's just good to know it's there :wink:

    On topic though, the MFP recommended answer is to definitely eat your calories back as a defecit has already been factored into your daily limit. Personally I like to eat most or all of them back over the course of a week. Though I try to cycle my calories a little by having a spike day (2000+ cals) once a week, and keeping the daily amounts either on or just below for the rest of the week. Keeps the body guessing. :happy:

    Unlike my apparently aggressive comment earlier, I am actually a pretty nice guy and happy to help if I can. :flowerforyou:

    Now thats welcoming :happy:
  • runninghome
    runninghome Posts: 33 Member
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    Please take a few minutes to look around the site and familiarise yourself with the SEARCH function. This is a great place to start as there is a new thread on this same subject almost EVERY DAY.

    Chill!!!

    I should have familiarized myself first, it is true. However, it nice to have a conversation with all of you. Thank for responded!
  • itontae
    itontae Posts: 138 Member
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    ii SAY DON;T EAT all OF THEM BUT YOU CAN GO A bit over with the extra calories burned.. ALSO, I agree just listen to your body!

    The old 'listen to your body' is kind of crap. You can convince yourself that you're not hungry and don't need to eat, and the body won't always scream at you to eat anyway. Eat the calories back and make adjustments based on what you see on the scale and on the measuring tape. Measurements are vital because your body won't always show you what it's doing in terms of poundage.

    Very well said.
    Look at the mess we all go into by listening to our bodies telling us to eat till we got fat
  • Sarena3
    Sarena3 Posts: 49 Member
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    This is what I have found works for me...The important thing to remember is that you are fueling your body. Eat them if you are responding to hunger and eat only until you are just satisfied but not full. If you are working out and don't eat your extra calories enough to fuel your body, the process will become counter productive. You won't have the energy for good work outs or the protein to rebuild muscle. Also it is important to apply those calories to high quality nutrition. By allowing myself to eat some or all of my work out calories I have great energy, am VERY SELDOM tempted to overindulge and have been slowly but steadily losing weight.
  • runninghome
    runninghome Posts: 33 Member
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    Hey, I am 'chilled'. I was not being rude, I was simply suggesting the search function as a valuable tool to a new member.

    I think I contribute a lot of helpful, constructive and supportive comments to this forum. Next time you want to throw stones, look for a better target.

    no worries
  • Psufilmgirl
    Psufilmgirl Posts: 93 Member
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    In order to get an accurate count on calories burned you really need to invest in a heart rate monitor. When I jogged/walked 3 miles this morning it took 45 minutes. I logged this in and MFP wanted to give me somewhere around 350 calories, I really burned 240 calories. I find this with the machines at the gym as well, they will over estimate by quite a bit. Before I had a HRM I would cut what the machine said in half. I agree with eating the calories burned as there is already a deficit put into your calories but make sure the numbers are right! Good Luck!

    This. Same thing here. I still look at what the elliptical tells me. This morning, after an hour, it told me I had burned nearly 600 calories. My HRM had me at 406. Invest in one. They are WORTH it. Plus, if you are trying to burn fat, your heart rate should be at a certain level. That's what my trainer has told me.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    Eat them. It works.
  • kryptonitekelly
    kryptonitekelly Posts: 335 Member
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    Mebs try protein shakes?
    Mm I recently joined the gym near me, and theres a little smoothie bar that opens late, and you can buy protein shakes...so good for eating the cals back, especially when you've just worked out and really thirsty!
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
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    I just checked several site and each gave me between 600-800. It can't be that off?

    The problem with this type of thing is that it is all based on intensity, and that's not something the internet can tell you much about. A HRM is a solid investment if you're really unfamiliar with this kind of thing.
  • runninghome
    runninghome Posts: 33 Member
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    A lot of us who are adamant about eating them back are people who stalled out or messed up our metabolisms in the past by NOT eating them back. I stalled at about 20 lb lost and it took a couple months of gradually upping my calories until I started losing again. My athletic performance improved in leaps and bounds, too, because I was actually fueling my body. It took a long time for my metabolism to properly recover, though.

    Then again, it probably depends just how much exercise you do. I do a lot, so I can't imagine getting by without eating those calories back!

    I exercise 5-6 days a week. I'm a runner and am taking several classes for cross training. what you are saying rings true for me. I have stalled several time for weeks on end. Maybe I'm under eating?
  • LadyBugLex17
    LadyBugLex17 Posts: 146 Member
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    i've plateaued a few times, and each time what fixed it was eating more calories. it's true. you have to feed the machine, not eat less to lose weight - it's about eating the right stuff.

    sw: 303.4 (1/1/11)
    cw: 200.2 --- lost 103.2lbs
    29y/o fem. 5'6''.

    I totally agree with this. I posted a status about how LITTLE calories this site guides you to eat. SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough people! I am 5'4" 147 pounds and I need to eat 1751 calories/day to loose weight at a healthy pace! which is 1-2 pounds a week and NO MORE! this is per the guidance of a professional dietician trained in nutrition. Keep eating and keep moving is my motto. Eating too few calories will be starving your body and hurting it even if you see those pounds flying off your are most likely loosing muscle and not doing it healthy. Be careful with being obsessed about the weight, numbers can mess with your head. BE HEALTHY!
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    i don't eat them.... I DRINK THEM!!! PROTEIN SHAKE!!! DISREGARD GLASSWARE!!!


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