Question: Do you eat your exercise calories?

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Abbygrlbff
Abbygrlbff Posts: 52 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello,
I'm sure that this topic has been brought up multiple times, but I can't seem to find a link about it. I currently have 1200 calories daily, and I exercise between 5-6 times per week. I run and do Zumba, so the tracker is saying that I earn anywhere between 300-500 extra calories when I do these activities? Should I be eating them? I'm losing weight very slowly, and I think the reason is because I've been eating these extra calories.
Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks so much!

Replies

  • BadCookieMonster
    BadCookieMonster Posts: 74
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    To put it simply, your 1200 calorie intake is based off a number they give you to reach a certain goal by a certain time. The way i do it is if i have a 1400 daily calorie intake, and i exercise 600 daily then i am going to split the difference and eat 1700 daily calories maximum. You don't want to stall your metabolism by eating the same and working out more.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
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    I make sure to eat my goal calories everyday although on occassion I come in a bit lower. I do not try to eat back my exercise calories but if I am hungry I don't starve myself either. I do what feels right to me and keep an eye on my energy level day to day. This has been working extremely well for almost 4 months now and I see no reason why I would not be able to continue in this fashion for the rest of my days. My doctor loves where I am, my wife is thrilled with how far I have come and quite honestly I enjoy looking in the mirror in the morning. I exercise hard every day (700 or more calories) and consume between 1500 - 1800 calories each day of vegetables, fruits, and lean meat.
  • laceylou0702
    laceylou0702 Posts: 226 Member
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    Somedays I eat back all my workout calories, somedays I eat back half it depends on how hungry I am. Today I could probably eat 2 days worth of food.... SO hungry :)
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Yes and they are more satisfying than my non-exercise calories. It's a sense of accomplishment thing.
  • pixelish
    pixelish Posts: 54
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    I have a different perspective. I exercise so that I can eat more.
  • tlinval
    tlinval Posts: 175 Member
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    Yes, I eat almost all of my exercise calories back...why do you think I exercise?! :laugh:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
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    I've only ever created a deficit from my TDEE
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    When i get some burn, it just means i can eat whatever i like afterwards. If that is all of them, so be it. If it is barely 200, so be it.
  • azrose81
    azrose81 Posts: 37 Member
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    YES!!! Eat your exercise calories!! You need to fuel your body for all the work you are making it do. My calorie goal is 1340. On a day I don't workout I eat 1340 but the days I do workout I make sure my NET calories is close to 1340. So that means I could be eating around 1700-1800 calories depending on how my workout was.
  • oldmanstauf
    oldmanstauf Posts: 202 Member
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    Next to never
  • spazofthedead
    spazofthedead Posts: 175 Member
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    I don't eat them back, but I track my calories differently than the way MFP has set up by default. I eat just below maintenance and exercise the rest off. Whatever I burn, I burn and that creates my main deficit.
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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    bump
  • springgrl
    springgrl Posts: 168 Member
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    In theory yes you should.

    In practice, all calories in/out are estimates, not exact numbers. People tend to overestimate their exercise calories and underestimate what they ate. Solution: test it out and see what works for you. Many people try eating 1/2 of their exercise calories back which seems reasonable to me.
  • kimmerkay
    kimmerkay Posts: 110
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    I struggled with very slow weight loss also. I was eating my calories back.. I stopped doing that and the weight is starting to come off. One reason, I believe, is that I was using MFP values for exercise and I just got an HRM and see that the values are way different. For 20 min. of Aerobics, MFP told me I burned 235 calories and now my HRM says I only burned 141. I may eat some of them back on special occasions, but I'm not gonna eat them back.
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
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    I try not to, although since I'm exercise/diet controlled type 2 diabetic if I need to eat, I do, Just like if I'm feeling dizzy I'll down a piece of sugary candy or drink some juice though I don't usually consume either in my diet.
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    Hmm, I guess you could say I do. My calorie goal is not set according to MFP recommendations. Instead it is set to include my exercise upfront and in addition to my calorie deficit. I eat a set amount of calories per day. The only reason I'd add more in is if I did some extra exercise and need to get my net up to my BMR.

    This is much easier for me to wrap my head around. I track a lot of macros and have some dietary restrictions. I plan out what I'm going to eat in the morning, and I don't have to worry about finding extra calories at the end of the day like I was doing when I was using MFP recommendations.
  • tiffpage
    tiffpage Posts: 19 Member
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    I was doing cardio 6 days a week for 40 minutes each day, and weights up to 4 days a week. Staying at 1200 calories made me feel very tired and I was burnt out. I started eating back some of my calories but not all of them and I lost weight. I now use MFP as a rough guide but more importantly a way to track my intake. If I want to eat up to 1600 calories a day and I worked out then I will. The less I worry about calories the easier it is to avoid them.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
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    Heck yes I do! I eat back about half, unless I am ravenous, then it's all of them!! The days when I don't work out, I wish I had, just so I can eat more. I'm usually still hungry at the end of a non-work-out day and I run out of calories.

    BUT, that said - I only lose about .8 lbs/ wk average. Which is really slow, but I heard once that weight lost slowly stays off longer than fast. Probably an old wives tale, but I'm telling myself that to stay motivated. It takes me a really long time to drop lbs until my next "plunge" (i tend to plateau for two weeks and notice a 2-3 lb drop within a week after a plateau, it's really odd).
  • LauraAshley95
    LauraAshley95 Posts: 70 Member
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    I've heard to eat back half of your exercise calories in order to keep your metabolism going. Don't stuff yourself, obviously, but I also wouldn't STRIVE to eat any of them back. If you're hungry, you're hungry, but I try to leave about half of my exercise calories over.
  • KerryLianne
    KerryLianne Posts: 1 Member
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    These posts have all been really informative, thanks. I've just started on MFP so am finding my way a little and I have a long ways to go.

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