I don't get it...WHY do I want to eat my exercise calories??

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  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    Ill probably get some back lash for this... i dont eat back all of my exercise calories, sometimes i will but most of the time i dont!

    Do what feels right for you, but please do not starve yourself. :-)

    Good Luck!

    xx

    I typically don't either. It seems to be counter productive if I were to do that. If I'm in maintenance mode that's a different thing but right now I'm not. It seems to be working for me as well as my husband.

    The only time I eat back my calories is when I know I"m going to over indulge. I see it as a "reserve tank" on that day. LOL.

    The less you have to lose, such as yourself, the more important it is to eat them back to ensure your deficit is not too large. A large deficit will lead to a large % of lean muscle loss along with the fat. With the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week (250 cal/day deficit) and eat back all the cals from exercise, assuming they are accurate). This along with adequate protein and a strength training program will lead to the least amount of lean muscle loss as you lose weight, meaning it may take longer to get to your goal weight but you will be a lower BF%, look better, and be stronger at that weight.

    Im not one for all these protein shakes and stuff, but when you say 'adequate protein' how much and what are we talkign here? Because ive noticed sometimes i can go over my protein? Thanks

    I use it as a reserve tank too! especially if i know im going to have a bad day/weekend ahead, so sometimes times ill check my average net calroies for the whole week!

    xx

    if your MFP is set for 25% and you are eating at 1200 calories, then yes you will go over as 25% of a small number is still a small number.

    25% for someone eating 2000 calories it is a lot more.

    I aim for 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I earn around 2000 extra calories a week through exercise and i choose not to use them ...Regardless of sensible explanations i too do not see the point ,

    Im loving the plan and i think not eating them is helping me shift the weight quicker , Each to there own i say good luck :wink:

    The MFP plan is to eat them, if you are not then you are not following the "plan".

    I'm loving the "plan" although i choose to follow it how i like its my guide not my Master !

    Well said!

    When i signed up to the MFP their was no Do's and Dont's... thus we have these types of threads asking for advice not people dictating others.

    x

    We are not dictating we are informing of how MFP is set up and designed. If people want to do it there way fine, but be warned that if you don't eat enough you will end up most likely unhealthy and skinny fat.

    What is Skinny Fat? :-S

    Healthy weight with a high body fat % (small amount of muscle), it usually happens when people lose fast without strength training, as a large % of the loss would be lean muscle, not fat.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    I earn around 2000 extra calories a week through exercise and i choose not to use them ...Regardless of sensible explanations i too do not see the point ,

    Im loving the plan and i think not eating them is helping me shift the weight quicker , Each to there own i say good luck :wink:

    The MFP plan is to eat them, if you are not then you are not following the "plan".

    I'm loving the "plan" although i choose to follow it how i like its my guide not my Master !

    Well said!

    When i signed up to the MFP their was no Do's and Dont's... thus we have these types of threads asking for advice not people dictating others.

    x

    We are not dictating we are informing of how MFP is set up and designed. If people want to do it there way fine, but be warned that if you don't eat enough you will end up most likely unhealthy and skinny fat.

    What is Skinny Fat? :-S

    people who have lost weight, but have mainly lost lean muscle, and held on to their fat and have a higher Body fat %.

    They may look good with clothes on, but the ones who have held on to their muscles look better naked :)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    You can always count on someone saying that if you don't eat back your exercise calories you will end up losing muscle instead of fat. My guess is that excess muscle is not a problem that a lot of us have on this web-site, while excess fat is.

    Your body will use your muscle as fuel if it isn't receiving enough food. Muscle is easily broken down to be used for fuel. Sure, logic would say our bodies should use the fat it has stored, but that isn't how it works. I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep the muscle I have (it burns calories all the time, makes you stronger, etc) and get rid of the fat. In order to do so, you have to give your body enough fuel. You have to feed it in order for it to be comfortable enough to burn the fat.
  • Sepheara
    Sepheara Posts: 208 Member
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    What is Skinny Fat? :-S

    When you are skinny, but have no muscle. When you have lost weight by diet alone (no exercise). you are skinny, but if someone pokes you're you're all squishy. then you are skinny fat.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    correct ... but only if you are not in a caloric defecit already.

    example,
    you are eating 2000 calories a day and burn 500 --> YAY! we don't eat these calories back.
    If you are eating 1500 a day (with a 500 cal defecit already built in) and then you burn 500 calories, you essenstially are only eating a 1000 cal/day ... YIKES!! .... so, you are safe to eat 500 cal back.

    Everybody is different, but for the most part, too little calories can equal a hault in oyur metabolism and energy usage. Our bodies were designed for famin, not excess. If the body detects starvation, it will do whatever it can to conserve calories .. ie slow metabolism.

    Just so you know, I graduated from ASU with a Bachelors in Nutrition.

    Best wishes

    If I eat 2000 calories and I burn 500, I better eat back those 500. My body easily loses weight on 2100-2200 net calories a day and I can easily maintain on 2300-2500 net calories a day. So, if I were to eat 2000 and burn 500? I've created WAY too large of a deficit and I won't lose weight.

    Just because someone eats a higher amount of calories does NOT mean they don't need to eat back their exercise calories. I know that for my body - I need eat back nearly all of them.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    And... exercise calories taste better and make you sexier.


    You are so wise....
  • thcfrogfairy
    thcfrogfairy Posts: 2 Member
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    gotta see if my ticker works. sorry good luck on your journey
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Simply put, you eat your calories so you can stick with it.

    You stick with it because on hungry days you can eat more so long as you workout more ("I'm just going out to run me up some exercise calories").

    You stick with it because you're not tired and drained.

    You stick with it because you look great as your body isn't cannibalising your muscles and has enough nutrition to make your skin glow and your hair shiny.

    You stick with it because you have the energy to workout harder and longer next time and get even more awesome results.
  • MattySparky
    MattySparky Posts: 771
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    I've never eaten my excercise calories and the pros can say what they want. I agree with the science behind eating the workout cals, however in my experience I've had WAY WAY WAY BIGGER success NOT eating those cals. As long as you dont take yourself into a huge defecit CONSISTANTLY then you will not trigger "starvation mode". In my opinion, based on experience and research, it takes quite a lot of being under your calories for a long time to even get close to that stage.


    Keep on keeping on.
  • slimkay1
    slimkay1 Posts: 40 Member
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    It partly depends on how accurate your TDEE is, because it should take into your daily acitivity before exercise into acount.

    AND it mostly depends on how accurate your calorie count for that burned by exercise is. If you have done your research (and/or have a HRM), you SHOULD eat them back.

    But if you are using stock calorie counters, err on the conservative side because they tend to overestimate your burn.

    People should not be eating back exercise cals if their daily goal is based on TDEE (i.e. TDEE - some amount to create the deficit). TDEE, by definition, accounts for exercise.

    I think a lot of people think TDEE does not include exercise, which is incorrect. TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and is just that TOTAL daily expenditure.

    Yes, MFP uses calories burned from normal daily activity not TDEE, the number they use excludes exercise and can be found in the top right corner when you click on the goals menu under My Home.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    Love!
  • clairabell2024
    clairabell2024 Posts: 194 Member
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    im confused :-S wish id never posted now lol

    I dont burn that many calories a day anyway, i dont feel tired or mal nutrurished for not eating them back and im losing weight steadily (7pound since last March is VERY slow) lol

    So im wrong to be doing this?

    x
  • hermosapilates
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    I agree!! it's stupid and a bad idea to think that way in the weight loss game!!!
  • Mompanda4
    Mompanda4 Posts: 869 Member
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    Bump
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
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    saved!
  • Lisa294
    Lisa294 Posts: 9
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    This would explain why I'm not losing...I never eat my exercise calories. I'm burning 700-800 calories a day and not eating any back. Sometimes I don't reach my target calories without exercise. :sad:
  • kiranicsmom
    kiranicsmom Posts: 63 Member
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    And... exercise calories taste better and make you sexier.

    Love it!!!
  • clairabell2024
    clairabell2024 Posts: 194 Member
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    im confused :-S wish id never posted now lol

    I dont burn that many calories a day anyway, i dont feel tired or mal nutrurished for not eating them back and im losing weight steadily (7pound since last March is VERY slow) lol

    So im wrong to be doing this?

    x

    i mean November**
  • firefly171717
    firefly171717 Posts: 226 Member
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    Ha I Love it!