activity calories

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walker001
walker001 Posts: 116 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anybody eat their extra calories for working out or walking or gardening etc. I am just starting and not sure about this. It is automaticly added to my daily calories but I don't really want to eat them.
Thanks

Replies

  • EvaJ20
    EvaJ20 Posts: 33
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    I do. I would be starving if I didn't. My calories are already set pretty low, so if I exercise I definitely eat those calories back.
  • LornaRodda
    LornaRodda Posts: 20 Member
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    Hiya, I don't eat my exercise calories back.
  • Dokota2021
    Dokota2021 Posts: 13 Member
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    I usually eat my calories back or at least pretty close to it, and I am still seeing results.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    No.

    I realize that the program says you "gained" an extra amount of calories by whatever activity you did however if you're trying to lose weight IMO it's counter productive to eat back those calories. I still keep to the daily calorie amount for the amount of weight loss per week that is set for me.

    The only time I "tap into" the "reserve" calories is when I know I am going to over indulge.
  • tiffylc37
    tiffylc37 Posts: 29
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    Yes and No. If I am hungry I will have a snack or something added from the calories I worked out. Like those Vita Top Brownies which are 100 cal or less. So it isnt exactly what I burnt but I also dont go to bed starving since a good work out makes you hungry and thirsty!
  • lisag2007
    lisag2007 Posts: 130
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    I usually eat back some of them and have been losing at a steady pace. Plus, if you eat too few calories, your body goes into starvation mode and you don't lose anything that way. You've gotta eat to lose as crazy as that sounds.
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Check out the sticky posts (the ones with the red thumb tacks). They will tell you everything you need to know.

    The short of it is, yes, eat most of them back. You wouldn't drive a car on empty...neither should you allow your body to run low on fuel.
  • bohler85
    bohler85 Posts: 2
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    i don't eat to the calorie count on days I go to the gym. the problem is i'm gaining weight. my gym instructor tells me that this is normal as i'm going to the gym three times a week for an hour and half each session. but i'm worried that because i'm 'under eating' that my body really is going into 'starvation mode' like the warning tells u. would this mean i won't see results?
  • wwww1199
    wwww1199 Posts: 271 Member
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    I don't.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    Check out the sticky posts (the ones with the red thumb tacks). They will tell you everything you need to know.

    The short of it is, yes, eat most of them back. You wouldn't drive a car on empty...neither should you allow your body to run low on fuel.
    Fat is fuel
  • smuckyrun
    smuckyrun Posts: 30 Member
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    I don't use the extra calories, by the time the night is over I am not hungry anyway and I am too excited about maybe loosing more weight if I leave them alone.
  • wvtracyann
    wvtracyann Posts: 106 Member
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    sometimes I do sometimes I dont it just depends on how hungery I am. I ususlly work out of an evening after work and after supper so I usually dont want to eat them back.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Your body is burning off more calories and therefore needs more calories to maintain your body (muscle repair, circulation, etc.). It is a good idea to eat at least some of the calories back. Especially if you are hungry. MFP already set up a calorie deficit for you. It is considered "unsafe" to lose (on average) more than 2 pounds a week because you tend to los more lean muscle mass that way.
  • km_jenn
    km_jenn Posts: 107
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    Does anybody eat their extra calories for working out or walking or gardening etc. I am just starting and not sure about this. It is automaticly added to my daily calories but I don't really want to eat them.
    Thanks

    I only eat calories back from exercise I do with a heart rate monitor on my daily workouts. I never eat, or even calculate anything from regular daily activity like housework, gardening, etc.
  • CatAbiOli
    CatAbiOli Posts: 16
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    I don't eat the calories back that I have gained from the exercise although if I need to cover some aspect of my food intake that I know I shouldn't have had, then I will use the exercise to burn the excess calories, therefore sometimes, yes I do!!

    Did that make sense???
  • MountainMamaMarissa
    MountainMamaMarissa Posts: 202 Member
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    I try not to eat back my exercise calories, however, if I've had an intense workout and feel hungry, I don't feel bad about eating some of my exercise calories. From all the research I've done, I understand you need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. I've read a lot of conflicting opinions about this topic here on the forums, but in the end, you have to do what works for you. Just remember to always eat a healthy amount of calories each day. :)
    Good luck!
  • Gill_L
    Gill_L Posts: 69
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    I don't. I feel my allowance for food is more than enough at the moment.
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    I eat most of them back. There are a few days that I don't, just depends on how busy or hungry I am. Remember, you're calorie goals are already set at a deficit with no exercise, so if you don't eat them back the deficit is larger which sounds good. It really isn't though, it's better to lose slow and steady. =)
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Check out the sticky posts (the ones with the red thumb tacks). They will tell you everything you need to know.

    The short of it is, yes, eat most of them back. You wouldn't drive a car on empty...neither should you allow your body to run low on fuel.
    Fat is fuel

    True, but it depends on how much fat a person has. I'm at 18% bf...if I don't eat my cals back I could put my body into starvation mode. Heck, my maintenance cals are only an additional 40 cals over my 'weight loss' allowance. Being that I'm not even 5 feet tall and thin framed.

    It depends on the person if fat truly is fuel...which is why I suggested that she look at the sticky posts.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    The system's designed for you to eat them back. If you don't want to eat them back daily, you should use another tool to calculate your calorie needs and manually input your calorie goal. Mixing and matching systems isn't a good idea.

    For example: Let's look at me because I can run my own numbers. MFP tells me that to lose 1 lb/week it would be 1690, and eat my exercise calories back.

    The calculator here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html -- tells me that my average daily burn is about 2700. So to lose 1 lb/week I'd eat 2200 daily and NOT eat exercise calories.

    Either of these will end up with about the same results. What I should NOT do is take the 1690 MFP number and then not eat exercise calories. This'll put me with quite a bit more than my 1 lb/week loss goal -- which given that I'm 30 lbs from goal probably isn't a good idea. I want to maintain my muscle and lose the fat.

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