what happens if...

JStarnes
JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
What happens if I don't eat my exercise calories?? I just noticed the extra calories it gives me when I put in that I've exercised - I never log my exercises, and just logged what I've done today & it gave me 300 more calories to eat...do I have to eat them?

And no, I never noticed the "exercise" tab at the top -- I'm THAT blonde :tongue:

Replies

  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
    That's a good question. I personally try not to eat the calories I've earned from exercising but it's nice to record it ... that way if I go over on my daily calories I don't feel guilty and I get right back on track. If I'm doing this wrong I would love to hear from others.:smile:
  • mojomcgee
    mojomcgee Posts: 50
    Hi - I haven't been doing this very long but I try not to eat the extra calories. If I don't meet my daily amount at the end it will tell me I haven't eaten enough and my body will think it's in starvation mode and hold on to the calories. But I feel better about myself if I go a tiny bit under than over. I lost a total of 9 pounds in 3 weeks but the 4th week I ate normally and gained 4 lbs back :( even after exercising!
    Struggling but hanging in by a thread. Good luck.
  • Kityngirl
    Kityngirl Posts: 14,304 Member
    Here is a good link which explains it...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
    You HAVE to eat the calories! Please read this...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
    Hmmmm ... interesting read and good to know.
  • Mom_To_5
    Mom_To_5 Posts: 646 Member
    You HAVE to eat the calories! Please read this...

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

    you don't HAV E to eat your exercise calories, everyone is different, I for one do NOT eat mine as when i did, i stayed the same weight and did not lose, some people only eat a portion of them and some people eat all of them and some people don't eat any of them, you have to see what works for you and just play around with it a bit and do what works for YOUR body.

    Good Luck!
  • kandyjo
    kandyjo Posts: 4,493 Member
    everyone who is successful with their weight loss says EAT THEM!!! You body needs it. And this will help your metabolism... Personally, I usually always take the advice of people who are where I want to be :happy:
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Well i was wondering mostly because I've already lost 40lbs prior to joining MFP and had set a 1200 calorie diet for myself during that time - that was all I'd eat - exercise included & I managed to lose 40lbs. So I guess I'm wondering what'll happen if I eat those extra calories - will I maintain my weight where I am or will I continue to lose? I think I'll try eating maybe half of the exercise calories as 'snacks' between meals & see where that gets me.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
    I exercise on a regular basis (4 or more times a week) and I try to always eat at least some of my exercise calories. Usually I am burning at least 500-1000 calories during my workouts. I know my body needs the fuel especially when I am asking so much of it. It is not about losing weight fast, in fact it isn't about losing weight really at all for me. It is about getting healthy and being happy. Since eating keeps me healthy and makes me happy :blushing: it is win win. :laugh:

    How many calories are you burning when you work out? I think the question is really how much of a deficit are you creating? If you are only burning 200-300 calories I think you might be able to not eat your exercise calories without much consequence, as long as you don't do this regularly.

    Anyways, that's my two sense. I say why not eat them?:flowerforyou:
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
    Well i was wondering mostly because I've already lost 40lbs prior to joining MFP and had set a 1200 calorie diet for myself during that time - that was all I'd eat - exercise included & I managed to lose 40lbs. So I guess I'm wondering what'll happen if I eat those extra calories - will I maintain my weight where I am or will I continue to lose? I think I'll try eating maybe half of the exercise calories as 'snacks' between meals & see where that gets me.

    MFP already calculates a deficit based on the weightloss goal you entered (1lb per week, 2lbs, etc). So you can eat your exercise calories and still lose weight. However, if you have been undereating for some time (i.e. 1200 calories but most of which burned off during exercise) your metabolism may be low and you may initially gain. Don't let that scare you though. It will be temporary and the long term benefits are worth it.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    FAST weight loss is not lasting. The slow and measured approach lasts longer.

    MUST you eat them? no. You don't HAVE to do anything.

    Is it a good idea, and will it help you achieve your goals? A big resounding YES.

    MFP has already calculated a deficit into your daily calorie amount. when someone's deficit is too high, their body is not getting the fuel it needs to function (including burning off fat).
    when this deficit climbs too high, if a person is very obese, the fat stores are depleted in order to make up the difference. this is why the biggest loser contestants can drop weight SOOO fast. they are severely restricting calories and hyper-exercising, so their body goes to the only source- their massive fat reserves- to get fuel.

    sounds great, right?

    well if you aren't obese, you have just a moderate (0-50-ish) amount of weight to lose, your body does not respond in the same way as an obese person's. your body responds by seeing the drastic reduction in fuel as a time of famine, when it is in its own best interest to hold on to fat reserves, ration them very very slowly, and then store as much as it can, when it can, to survive the "famine"

    so in the long run, you aren't doing yourself a favor to leave those calories on the table. you're setting your body up to bounce right back to fat once the calories are available.

    on the other hand, if you maintain a nice managable calorie deficit, you'll have more lasting results.

    the other posters have already linked the best thread we have on this topic, our most successful and lasting members advocate this practice.

    so, in short, EAT EM!!
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
    WARNING: Not everything that you cite in the link to Mr. Banks' article is entirely correct. His research was done entirely from the internet and not from paying attention to the growing volume of empiracle data being provided by MFP members.

    There are many of us who have eaten to the exercise bonus calorie level and have gained instead of losing weight. For others there has been an opposite effect. I'm not sure how or why this is but I suspect there's an anomoly in the MFP calculations based on what people enter and how it views your daily activities as you do them and log them in.

    The best thing you can do is to eat to your base calories and not to the exercise level of earned calories. If you find yourself hungry then add healthy snacks to your eating plan to fill the gap trying not to exceed your exercise earned calories. IF you find yourself eating to the higher calorie level and losing weight then that will answer the question as to what you should or shouldn't do.

    This site is set up to a general set of standards like all internet sites it tries to provide the rules of thumb that apply to a group of users that can not be applied to all of us. One size does not fit all. It's up to each of us to monitor our successes and failures and adjust accordingly while eating and exercising healthily.

    From my personal experience I believe that my daily calorie consumption was based on my daily activities and exercise schedule that I entered when I first joined. Once I entered that date and then went into the MFP Exercise Log I should have only been given bonus calories if I exceeded my regular activities. It doesn't happen that way and I believe that MFP gives me back those same calories it calculated when I joined -- adjusting my profile didn't seem to matter.

    Bob
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    you can alter your goals and numbers at any time. I switched back and forth between sedentary and moderately active a bunch of times, and it always re-calculates based on the fresh info you submit.

    perhaps some of the "anomalies" you describe are people who walk for a ten minute walk, go to the internet to see how many calories they burned, and add in 75-100 calories to their log.

    the best way to know what YOU are burning is to use a HRM. then you can maintain a nice managable deficit and enjoy the benefits of exercise without your deficit dropping to very low levels.
  • altazin0907
    altazin0907 Posts: 188 Member
    I think I have had pretty good success and I don't eat them. Unless I happen to go over my 1200 for that day but I usually have atleast 200-300 left everyday if not more.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    this is not directed at any member....but...what I keep in mind when tempted by the idea of fast=good is this:

    anorexics lose weight too. that doesn't mean what they are doing is healthy, beneficial, or sustainable. crack addicts are skinny. but they aren't healthy.

    the idea of MFP is healthy life change in order to achieve desired results. right?

    so I could lose a bunch if I used unhealthy practices, but that wouldn't really be accomplishing anything, right?

    I'd MUCH prefer to take a year to get to my goal weight, and stay at that healthy weight for the rest of my life, than get there in 6 months, and then BOING yo-yo right back up to where I started. or worse, gain more than where I started.:noway:

    slow is your friend in weight loss. ask a Doctor.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
    I think it is all a matter of degree. Leaving an extra deficit of a few hunderd calories may be ok, working off 1,000 and not eating any of them back probably isn't. And I do think it will vary person to person.

    But I also want to point out that information based on well documented studies in general will be more accurate than just based on people's personal experiences .... Studies have controls in place and tend to sample from a larger population. Also, the people conducting them tend to be experts in their field.

    That's not to say people's experiences are not valid, they absolutely are, but I wouldn't be so quick to ignore Bank's research based soley on a few people's experiences. There could be other factors that have determined that person's success (or lack of) that even they are not aware of.
  • heathcox
    heathcox Posts: 22
    I think a big part of it is what kind of calorie you are eating. If you fill your exercise calories with empty calories it is probably not real beneficial. But if you use them to eat good healthy foods it will benefit your body, your energy level and metabolism.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    KatWood and HeathCox,

    YES!

    what they said.
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