Exercising vs. Calories

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jnikitow
jnikitow Posts: 334
in Health and Weight Loss
I hope I word this so it makes sense.

I have been wondering this for awhile. Do you exercise base on what you know you are going to eat, or do you eat based on how many calories you burn?

For example, You are on a 1400 calorie plan. If you plan your menu and know you will eat 1700 calories, do you only workout until you burn 300 calories or do you burn more to get in a better workout? Or do you burn how ever many calories you can in the amount of time you plan to workout, and just keep eating until you get in all your calories.

I am wondering because I want to burn as many calories as I can, but sometimes that is more than I can eat.

Any thoughts?

Replies

  • smg1010
    smg1010 Posts: 21
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    you don't necessarily have to eat all of your exercise calories- however i have had the best success in eating almost all of them. I usually plan to eat my exercise calories, and on the days where i don't exercise i limit myself to my base of 1250 calories (which is very hard)- so it's more of a motive to workout so i can eat more! lol

    My main meals always stay around the same calories, and the days i exercise i usually fill in those calories with more snacks throughout the day and a dessert.
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    Normally, I plan my meals based on what I think I'll be burning that day. Then I add or subtract food based on what I end up burning.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
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    I don't plan my food everyday. I just let it flow because I never know what I'll want to eat.

    I find that if I don't eat all of my exercise calories for the day I work out- I'll eat them the next day on my rest day and I get 'free' calorie zig zagging as a bonus. Plus it gives me the whole day to catch up- which can be easier to do than trying to cram in a bunch of food at nine pm.

    I always eat as many of them as I can on the day I exercised though. Hope that made sense. I need coffee lol
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    I exercise for exercise's sake, not to earn food. Right now I'm training for some races and I do the workouts I need to do in order to be ready for them.

    Then, I track the calories burned to make sure I don't over-eat, but I don't worry about making every single day come out exactly even. Some days when I don't exercise, I go over my base, but on days when I do exercise, I don't necessarily use up every calorie I've burned.

    So in theory it balances out. :happy:

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