Should I eat my exercise calories?

eatandexercise1
eatandexercise1 Posts: 67 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I always thought that if I ate what my calorie goal was BEFORE I exercised, then I would lose weight faster. But I'm seeing some people say that you should eat the calorie goal that MFP sets for you INCLUDING exercise cals burned. Thoughts on this?

(In case this didn't make sense, let me give you an example: If I don't exercise, my MFP calorie goal is 1400. But when I do exercise, my MFP calorie goal goes up to 2100. I assumed that eating 1400 regardless of exercise would help the weight come off faster, but people are saying I should eat the 2100 calories on exercise days.)

Replies

  • sallydurkin
    sallydurkin Posts: 211 Member
    I've wondered the same thing. Curious what others have to say.
  • love2cycle
    love2cycle Posts: 448 Member
    If your caloric intake is 1400 a day, and one day you burn 700 calories by exercising, then you have knocked your caloric intake to 700. Does that help? I think your body thinks it's starving or something and may deprive you of losing the weight you want to lose
  • hanna6774
    hanna6774 Posts: 225
    omg.jpg
  • stephenglover
    stephenglover Posts: 87 Member
    I always thought that if I ate what my calorie goal was BEFORE I exercised, then I would lose weight faster. But I'm seeing some people say that you should eat the calorie goal that MFP sets for you INCLUDING exercise cals burned. Thoughts on this?

    (In case this didn't make sense, let me give you an example: If I don't exercise, my MFP calorie goal is 1400. But when I do exercise, my MFP calorie goal goes up to 2100. I assumed that eating 1400 regardless of exercise would help the weight come off faster, but people are saying I should eat the 2100 calories on exercise days.)

    Great Question I have been thinking also, three days a week I work out and burn according to the info. here as much as I consume. Is that wrong? do I need to eat more on those days
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 494 Member
    In my experience...when I didn't eat my cal's I didn't lose much at all. So after reading a couple interesting threads...i'll try to find it...unless someone else does first an article about the importance or was it benefit of eating back your exercise cal's. When I started this weight loss thing over again...again...I had better results actually eating my exercise cals back. Now do I eat them all...no...sometimes I'll have 100 or less left...when i didn't eat my cals back i found myself binging. I will see if i can find that thread again. Good Luck!!! :flowerforyou:
  • eatandexercise1
    eatandexercise1 Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks for the feedback, guys. That helps. :)
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    YES YES YES YES YES
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    I definitely eat my calories that I burn from exercise.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Every time you fail to use the Search button a kitten dies!
    tumblr_llzyxrBCzs1qbupz5.gif
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Yes. Faster weight loss =/= better weight loss.

    If you only eat 1400 and burn 700, that's the same as just living off 700 a day and no exercise. Your body needs fuel to run how you want it to :smile:
  • Werglum
    Werglum Posts: 378 Member
    Yes, BUT it depends how you calculate them. I was eating mine and not losing and it was doing my head in - so I bought a HRM that works out the calories burned (it is a Polar FT7F) and it turns out what mfp's database thinks I burn and what I actually burn are very different. It seems I burn approx 200 calories less than estimated for my regular work out. I'd eat maybe 2/3 unless you have a HRM.
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    per the help section

    We set your nutritional target in Net Calories which we define as:

    Calories Consumed (Food) - Calories Burned (Exercise) = Net Calories

    What that means is that if you exercise, you will be able to eat more for that day. For example, if your Net Calorie goal is 2000 calories, one way to meet that goal is to eat 2,500 calories of food, but then burn 500 calories through exercise.

    Think of your Net Calories like a daily budget of calories to spend. You spend them by eating, and you earn more calories to eat by exercising.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    eat some, if not all, of your exercise calories back. don't starve your body, it responds and does what you want it to much better if you feed it properly. ((not all calories are created equal)).
  • p0stdramatic
    p0stdramatic Posts: 372
    shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com


    All you need to know is right there. Visit! It's very helpful :)
  • Daknar
    Daknar Posts: 5
    Eating some of the calories you burn is a good thing especially if you feel famished or are hitting the wall when exercising, however I would be careful about eating them all. Many of the exercises from my experience show too many calories burned. So for me to lose the most I can I try to stay right to my non exercise goal when I only do strength training or minimal aerobic exercising. When I am able to ride 30-40 miles or run 10 miles I will eat more but try to keep it under control and not go over my daily non exercise goal by more than a few hundred calories. When I do this I am able to drop like a rock. Many days I am even in the negative burned to eaten. You need to listen to your body and give it the fuel it needs so it will start to burn the excess fuel from fat stores. If you don't eat enough your body will start to feel like you are starving and then it will convert everything you do eat into fat and start to convert your muscle into the energy it needs and slow down your metabolism instead of speed it up. Good luck and keep tracking that is the big thing.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I eat mine back every day...... Currently eating 3200 calories a day and that is with my exercise calories ..... I would suggest a HRM for better accuracy.. I have a Polar FT60....... Best of Luck!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com


    All you need to know is right there. Visit! It's very helpful :)
    This.

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