Question on Calories...Please :)

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caseyann20032003
caseyann20032003 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay just wondering as far as calories go...do you guys eat just your daily alotted or do you eat the alotted plus your exercise calories? Just wondering which one people have the most success with. Thanks!!
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Replies

  • AmberLovesey
    AmberLovesey Posts: 10 Member
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    I eat my normal amount & the amount given after calories, otherwise i think im burning too much and not loosing healthy enough. But its only what i think, im not too sure. But my body's BMR is 1200 with me doing like nothing :/ so anything i actually do needs to be added on with healthy meals. I often find it hard to eat as much healthily (for example, with excerise its usually 1600) so i just keep it between the two points. :D
  • Atxdrew
    Atxdrew Posts: 5 Member
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    I eat just what I am allotted. Or try to. And then exercise. I do not try to make up for the calories I burned through exercise. That would kind of defeat the purpose. :P At least for trying to lose weight.
  • Sharonks
    Sharonks Posts: 884 Member
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    I think you need to just try different things until you figure out what works for you. Some people do great never eating exercise cals, some eat part, some eat all. If you are doing one thing and not losing weight then try a different method for a couple weeks and see if that works better.
  • curiousmissclay
    curiousmissclay Posts: 72
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    I personally stick to what calories I'm given on the days that I dont work out and then the days I'm at the gym or squash I will eat my usual meal but maybe alittle bit more of it or add something to it but I try to not eat all of them back it just seems to give me abit more choice with food on my gym days.
    You should do what works for you so try them all.
    xx
  • maleva720
    maleva720 Posts: 165 Member
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    MFP is set up for you to eat them but if you search this subject on here there are a million peoples opinions on this. Good luck!
  • monkeypantz
    monkeypantz Posts: 288 Member
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    I eat some of my exercise calories back not all.

    I'm on 1200 as my norm, and I've somehow managed to get quiet a lot of food out of that...so sometimes I don't even eat my exercise calories back!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I eat every last tasty calorie that MFP gives me.
  • karweb
    karweb Posts: 11
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    The whole reason to exercise is 1) burn calories and 2) eat more because you are exercising. Some of the days without even trying I stay with the allotted amount other days I eat the allotted amount and the calories (not always all of them) I burn. It's working for me - sticking with it.
  • randomartisrgirl
    randomartisrgirl Posts: 133
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    Eating exercise cals really help, but don't force yourself if your already full. :)
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
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    I try and eat no more than 50% of my exercise calories.
  • randomartisrgirl
    randomartisrgirl Posts: 133
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    Especially try on only 1200 cals
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    I eat the all the calories, MFP plus my exercise calories, I lost 20 lbs...never plateaued and have enough calories to live on and enjoy. This is not a diet....its a change that I will do forever so that I don't get in that position again. If you work out and don't eat your calories you are just doing more damage to your metabolism.
  • still_crafty
    still_crafty Posts: 692 Member
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    MFP is designed to set your goal for NET calories consumed so that you are eating at a deficit in order to loose weight. For example, if your goal is a NET 1500 calories and you burn 250 through exercise, that gives you 1750 total to consume for the day but it NETs out to your goal of 1500 which for me is a sizeable deficit from what my normal intake would be just to maintain current weight.

    You have to be careful with this. If you try to consume too few calories AND you are exercising, you'll most likely do more damage than good. You have to fuel your body properly when trying to lose weight. The idea is to get HEALTHIER, not just skinny. If you go about it the wrong way, in the end you'll probably lose weight and look better in your clothes but you won't be happy with what's under them.

    Diet to look good in your clothes, exercise to look good naked :)
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    MFP already has given you a deficit in your calorie goals. This way you will lose weight without exercising at all.

    BUT, if you do exercise, you should eat at least part of them back, because otherwise, you may be depriving yourself nutritionally. Doing so makes it very difficult to stick to it, and to maintain the loss when you reach your goal. Yes, you may lose it faster, but why do it the hard way? No one wants to fail or to gain it all back, do they?

    So follow the plan (eat the exercise calories back) and you'll have the most, long-term, success. Note that some people, including me, leave a small portion of our exercise calories uneaten to cushion against errors in calculation (both in our exercises and our food logs).
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I have my calories set at 1,500 and I almost always eat at least that much. Some days if I'm not really hungry it's closer to 1,300 total, but not very often. I try to eat at least some of my exercise calories back, but I don't usually eat them all because I feel like MFP way overestimates calories burned and I don't have a HRM.
  • akjmart2002
    akjmart2002 Posts: 263 Member
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    Your exercise calories.

    Eat. Them.

    Your body needs fuel.

    Read these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • bzmommy34
    bzmommy34 Posts: 229 Member
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    I think you need to just try different things until you figure out what works for you. Some people do great never eating exercise cals, some eat part, some eat all. If you are doing one thing and not losing weight then try a different method for a couple weeks and see if that works better.

    ^^^ This. I started with eating all back and stayed with that for two weeks. I moved to eating 80% back and still lost so I stayed with that for two weeks. Now I am around 50% eating back and we'll see how I do after another two weeks. The only reason I am adjusting down (as long as I keep losing) is because I find it extremely hard to eat that much food. When you make healthy food choices you can eat a TON of food for your allotted calories!

    To each is their own - do what works for you but give it time. You won't know if it works if you are only giving it a day or two.
  • jaimebarth
    jaimebarth Posts: 31
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    I eat all of my daily calories and most of my exercise calories. You should stick as close to those calories as possible so that you don't go into starvation mode. Even a tiny bit over is okay too. I am losing slowly but still losing. Good luck!
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    Your exercise calories.

    Eat. Them.

    Your body needs fuel.

    Read these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

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


    ^^^ This.
  • grendel322
    grendel322 Posts: 105 Member
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    Another great (if long!) read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/501511-great-read-on-plateau-ing

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