why would you eat your exercise cals?

I usually eat back most or half of my exercise calories. I've always done this and I've lost 17 lbs since the beginning of the year!
I'm supposed to eat 1200 calories a day for weight loss, then I usually earn 400-500 calories from exercise. So I guess I'm technically not eating more than 1800 calories a day.

I don't understand why people are eating the exercise calories. I want to know how much weight people are losing when they eat more than 1800 cals a day. This would pertain mostly to women. I just want to read one success story where someone lost weight by eating 1800 or more cals a day and how long they exercised.

I usually eat around 2000 calories a day. I am 5'4, 44 years old, and 130 lbs. with 1317 BMR and 2271 TDEE. (before you look at my diary and say, no you don't, keep in mind I've had a nasty stomach bug for 5 days -- ugh, so look before last Friday).

ANYWAY . . . .

#1 source of confusion on MFP: "Why not eat less than my BMR? Won't that make me lose faster?"

No. Did you know that eating less than your BMR will help keep you from ever reaching and maintaining your goal (that's rhetorical, I know you didn't know that or you wouldn't be eating less than your BMR). ha.

Anyway, here's why fat people stay fat, and why people with the "last 10 lbs to lose" can't ever get there by restricting calories too low:

From one of my old posts from a similar topic:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
--

There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people who count walking across a parking lot as exercise.

Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

blessings.

I've lost 50 lbs (using MFP, and 49 lbs before I found this site by writing down everything I eat in a journal and exercising). I think you have to realize that even though this site is great, you are still the person who determines how much you need to eat. There are days when I have a net 1600 calories, but I've eaten about 2600 calories. It just depends on your body. No one can tell you how it's going to work for you. You need to remember that MFP is a way to help guide your weight loss. You still have to take an active role in getting it done. If I ate the exact calories they recommend I would not lose weight. I believe that MFP makes people think they don't have to actually listen to what their body is saying and that's just wrong.

As another poster said, use the search tool to find the threads, but always remember that your body tells you want you need. Food is fuel!

MFP has already calculated your deficit into your goal. When you exercise and log it, you increase the deficit and the program alters your goal to keep the deficit the same.

Also, it's fine if your only concern is to lose weight... If you don't mind being weak and lowering your BMR below what it should be.

I eat about 1800-2800 calories per day and have lost 16 lbs since January.

Why wouldn't you eat them back? MFP lowered my calories, because of my weight loss, and you can bet your *kitten* I am gonna eat them back! I can't survive on 1200 calories..so I KNOW I must work my butt off at the gym, so I have more calories to eat with..I think I have been doing pretty good so far...granted when I started, my calories they gave me was high..and so adding on my exercise calories I didn't have enough time to eat all of that...but I like to live life..so I will enjoy my food and what my exercise calories give me..is all extra!

Exactly.