Exercise calories???

I am going to sound a bit dumb for a minute, so excuse me for that.

I don't understand what people are going on about when they say they have extra calories when they do exercise?? I want to eat so how can I get some?!?!?!?!

Replies

  • gmpearson
    gmpearson Posts: 138 Member
    When you exercise, you need to go into the Exercise section of MFP and log your exercise activities. This will then essentially add allowable calories to your daily log that you can either use to create additional deficit or eat back. If you are exercising a lot, you may want to eat back your calories for the nutritional impact (hot debate topic on MFP).

    Example: for your desired weight (either loss or maintenance), MFP has you eat 1800 cals per day. You exercise (for ease of an example, you run at a speed of 6mph (10:00/mile), for 20 minutes (2 miles). You "gain" about 250ish calories for that exercise. Therefore, your daily allowed calories increases to 2050 cals. Make sense?

    Greg
  • 1. Do some exercise
    2. Press the tab at the tob of the page that says 'Exercise'
    3. Tell MFP what exercise you did, and it will tell you how many calories you burnt doing it, so you can eat them back if you want to. It's really controversial on here whether or not you should eat back your exercise cals though!
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    One addition to what the others have said. You have to add the exercise as "Cardiovascular." Exercise added as "Strength Training" doesn't add any calories to your daily allotment.
  • LittleEdenx
    LittleEdenx Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks for replying. So if I exercise in the morning, I should get more calories to eat in the day but if I do it in the evening then I don't really gain anything. Is that right?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    MFP set your calorie limit based upon ZERO exercise. Some people choose to exercise, some don't. Because the calorie deficit is already "built in" - you are expected to eat your calories back. A word of caution ...... if you are using calorie burns provided by machines, and/or MFP .... these are estimates. Unless you are using a heart rate monitor (more accurate) .... you might want to start by eating back a percentage ..... and see how that goes.

    There is debate as to IF you should eat these calories. I DO eat them because: 1. I am closer to goal (than some) 2. I want to keep muscle & lose JUST fat. Extra calories are the FUEL for your workouts.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Thanks for replying. So if I exercise in the morning, I should get more calories to eat in the day but if I do it in the evening then I don't really gain anything. Is that right?

    No PLAN ahead. I you have exercise "scheduled" for later in the day ..... you can pre-log it. Sometimes "Pre-logging" will help you stay on track.
  • Exercising widens that deficit to a level that may be unsustainable so here on MFP when you log your workout as complete then the calories are added so you can eat them, maintaining the deficit for losing weight.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Thanks for replying. So if I exercise in the morning, I should get more calories to eat in the day but if I do it in the evening then I don't really gain anything. Is that right?

    No PLAN ahead. I you have exercise "scheduled" for later in the day ..... you can pre-log it. Sometimes "Pre-logging" will help you stay on track.

    I pre logged my entire day today...except dinner.

    BTW I dont gain on days like this so dont shy away from the high calories!
  • gmpearson
    gmpearson Posts: 138 Member
    Thanks for replying. So if I exercise in the morning, I should get more calories to eat in the day but if I do it in the evening then I don't really gain anything. Is that right?

    Depends on when you want to eat as well. I have a fairly straight routine, so on days (like yesterday) where I know I am going to go to the gym and play basketball, lift weights, and run, I will eat as if I will be adding the calories that I will earn during that exercise. Same with the days I run - I eat in advance because I will burn the snot out of my calories and be fatigued if I don't eat ahead of time.

    One thing that is another highly debated topic in addition to eating your exercise cals back is WHEN to eat. If you exercise at night, you may want to evaluate if you want to "reward" yourself with eating back the calories after you exercise and before going to bed. I sometimes do, and I am okay with that. Others will say NEVER eat before going to bed. It is definitely an individual thing.

    Also, one of the posts above says to log as cardiovascular - 100% agree, and sometimes it will be hard to find the exact exercise you did. Sometimes it is a guessing game - but then again, sometimes it is a guessing game for logging food too (especially at restaurants).

    Greg
  • LittleEdenx
    LittleEdenx Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you so much for taking the time and replying. Still not 100% sure so I am going to try and see what happens if I pre-plan some activities for tomorrow :)
  • Rpecos
    Rpecos Posts: 4
    Should the calucator add the exercise calories to your daily allowance or do you have to just figure it for yourself?
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    If you log cardiovascular exercise, MFP adds the calories automatically. For example, my diary from yesterday says:
    Totals 2,458
    Your Daily Goal 2,476
    Remaining 18

    *You've earned 466 extra calories from exercise today

    Without any exercise, my daily goal would have been 466 calories less = 2010.
  • awolf2011
    awolf2011 Posts: 265 Member
    I generally make a decision on whether I will eat my exercise calories back depending on the type of exercise and the calorie amount burned. For example, if burn 150 calories during my workout, I generally won't eat these calories, but if I burn 300-400 calories, I try to eat at least half or a quarter of them back. The word is is that your body can go into starvation mode making it harder to lose weight because it is trying to hang onto that fat for "food". Like some have mentioned above, be cautious on entering the calories burned from using machines/Wii/Xbox because these can be "estimates". So, that is why I generally don't go hog wild and eat them all back. Sometimes my body is still full from dinner so I don't want to overeat. Once you get used to how you will handle it, do what is easiest and makes most sense to you.
  • Rpecos
    Rpecos Posts: 4
    That's what I expected, but my daily goal did not change on the days I logged exercise... hmmmmm
  • Rpecos
    Rpecos Posts: 4
    Good points. Thanks.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    That's what I expected, but my daily goal did not change on the days I logged exercise... hmmmmm

    Are you sure you really did log the exercise? One of my pet peeves with the way MFP works is that I have to both enter the time and check the box. I wish it automatically checked the box when I change the time. Often I go in, enter the time, forget to check the box, and then hit "Add checked." Because I didn't check anything, it doesn't add anything.

    Why would I enter a time if I didn't want to check the box, MFP? Why???????
  • Rpecos
    Rpecos Posts: 4
    Never mind, I must not have entred it as cardiovascular; it is working properly now. Thanks.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    I'd guess it was the "check the box" thing I ranted about above. Glad it's working for you!
  • mgraue82
    mgraue82 Posts: 168 Member
    One addition to what the others have said. You have to add the exercise as "Cardiovascular." Exercise added as "Strength Training" doesn't add any calories to your daily allotment.

    I did not know that! Thank you Sir :)