Do you eat your extra calories from working out?

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Replies

  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    I eat back SOME of them... exercising increases my deficit, but I do eat back a portion of the calories, usually depending on how much exercise I do. I usually try and take in 1700-1800 calories a day with 0 exercise... then when I add exercise I eat back a portion. Essentially what I'm doing is not eating back the calories, but instead giving myself extra fuel for the workouts I'm doing before I actually go and do the exercise.

    I do find though that if I do 1000 calories in exercise, and only eat 1700 for the day, doesn't work for me, I gotta have the extra fuel/eat back some of them.

    Even with a 2 pound a week deficit... if I did one of my 1000 calorie days, I think I'd get sick if I had to eat 2800+ calories.

    I'll throw in a full disclaimer though... I have almost 100 pounds to lose... I know my mom who only has 10 pounds to lose eats back her calories, and exercises mainly so she can have more food in a day... so it probably varies a bit based on how much you have to lose or how much exercise we're talking about.
    i started out with over 100 lbs to lose and ive eaten back my exercise calories with no problems. when my goal was 2 lbs per week, thats what i lost. when i upped my cals to my bmr, i still lost a pound a week eating up to 2500 calories on workout days, 1845 on rest days. most of the days in feb i was over calories, i think i only have one week where i didnt go over my weekly goal, and i still lost.
  • JonoK
    JonoK Posts: 147 Member
    Always.
  • LauraCR1990
    LauraCR1990 Posts: 21 Member
    Nope i don't! never have, and never want to. :smile:
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Yes, you need to eat the extra caloires you burn from working out, or you will send your body in to starvation mode after a while. I have tried both ways. And in the begining not eatting them will dorp lbs, but after awhile your body starts storing extra "crap" from the food you do eat. So in the long run its better to eat the calories you earn form working out!

    No it won't. This mode does not exist.
  • olong
    olong Posts: 255 Member
    YES. Oh boy do I!
    I wear a HRM so I get a realistic number and avoid overestimating the calories to eat back. I usually leave a small quantity, just for wiggle room.

    Me, too. Though, sometimes, I'm simply not hungry enough to eat them all. Which may balance out those non-exercise days when I find it difficult to stay in my calories.
  • Gargoyle69
    Gargoyle69 Posts: 87 Member
    You made a goal to lose a specific amount of weight per week, by virtue of your cals burned to cals eaten per day. So just meet that every day as calculated by MFP.
  • CatSummer
    CatSummer Posts: 33 Member
    I don't eat mine, unless I worked out intensely and I am feeling weak. By creating a bigger daily calorie deficit you will lose more weight. A few years ago I lost 70 pounds, and I never ate the "extra calories".

    Each to his own though... It all depends on how quickly you want to lose weight, and how hungry you are getting.

    Good Luck! :)
  • chicklidell
    chicklidell Posts: 275
    I don't, ever. I'm on 3500 cals per day as I cut and its the same regardless of me training or not.


    Couldn't agree more and you look amazing!
  • Siena_Risley_13
    Siena_Risley_13 Posts: 201
    well im on a 1200 so when i have extra i eat the extra!!
  • gurganuss
    gurganuss Posts: 78 Member
    I personally do not eat my calories back from exercise. I usually burn an extra 1200 calories a week doing exercise but to me if you eat them back you are defeating the purpose of working out. Some people work out as an excuse to eat more, eating less is what is helping me to lose weight.
  • Sytera
    Sytera Posts: 75
    If I only ate the 1,250 calories MFP has calculated as my goal, then burned 500 from breastfeeding and 500 from working out, which is my goal each day, I would be living on 250 calories. There is no way that is healthy. I tried not eating them back but was constantly hungry. Today I'm trying something new. I entered in the breastfeeding and 1/2 of what I plan on working out first thing this morning. Now I am planning my meals & snacks for the day around those calories. This will leave the other 1/2 of workout calories uneaten and hopefully I won't be starving by bedtime.
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