Eating back burned calories

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories

If you don't eat your exercise calories and you're already eating the bare minimum for your body to function then you're effectively destroying your metabolism.

Please make sure you get plenty of food. No sense in getting quick results if you're going to damage your body in the long run.

This exact same post gets posted about 30 times a day...

That said, http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com should give you the answer you need.

This make me laugh - thanks (I may need to steal it)!

The easiest way of checking how many calories your body actually gets on a day when you exercise, just take a look at your NET calories. Always make sure that your NET amount equals your basic allowance.

Think about it...let's say your basic daily allowance is 1200 and you have eaten this amount. You then burn 500 calories in exercise. Take a look at your NET. It will say that you now have 700. You must eat another 500 to bring your NET up to 1200 again.

If your BMR * standard activity level = 2250 calories and you want to lose weight eating 1750 calories per day will give you approximately an average of 1lb weight loss per week assuming you do nothing above your standard activity.

If you now add 3500 calories of exercise in a week you should lose about 1lb more that week if you do not eat back your calories. If you eat back half your calories you should lose about 1/2lb more that week. If you eat 3500 calories more food that week you will still lose around the 1lb per week but you wont lose any more. With all of these you will have the health benefits from the exercise.

Eating back some or all of your calories is your choice. If you do a lot of exercise and do not want to eat back your calories you should listen to your body and if you are starting to feel lethargic you need to either calm down your exercise or eat back some of the calories.

For me my main goals are to get healthier and lighter so I do not eat back all my exercise calories as I want a reward on the scales rather than in my belly.

Yes! Eat them back!

well it depends.

for some people eating their calories back actually helps them
for others it doesnt.

for me, i dont go with what mfp says on how much i should eat.
i set myself a goal saying okay, i can eat 1600 calories but dont eat my calories back. if i burn about 200-300 calories.
but if i workout like 500-1000 calories burn, then yes i can see why i would wanna increase just a little calories back to make sure my body stores energy and muscle mass for me to continue the day.

now if you follow what mfp says. i think you can eat your calories back and still lose weight.
its depends how your body respond.
i mean are you still hungry even eating your 1200 calories? or is that just enough with everything you have in a day with your workout?

you gotta find what works best for you, dont worry about the oh i feel like im cheating my way back to eat some more food.
think of it as it is fuel to your body. that you will need.

try it for two weeks, if it works and you are losing weight. then great keep going.
if you gain weight, then you know you need to change something.


best wishes to you

The easiest way of checking how many calories your body actually gets on a day when you exercise, just take a look at your NET calories. Always make sure that your NET amount equals your basic allowance.

Think about it...let's say your basic daily allowance is 1200 and you have eaten this amount. You then burn 500 calories in exercise. Take a look at your NET. It will say that you now have 700. You must eat another 500 to bring your NET up to 1200 again.

I like this explanation. I always get confused with people's explanations as they get wayyyyyy too technical so this explanation, I get!

I don't always eat back ALL my exercise cals but if I know I'm going to be exercising later on in the evening and I'm hungry, I eat til I'm full enough. Simple.

I eat back my exercise calories because I enjoy my muscle and would rather keep it. I've made a total lifestyle change, I'm in no rush to see the weight fall off and leave my skin dangling in the wind. Slow and steady is fine with me, and it all seems to be working pretty well.

I try to make each meal the right choice...veggies, protein, moderate carbs...and satisfying. I keep track. I eat small meals every 3-4 hours. Seems like about 2000 satisfying calories (with about 80 grams protein) is right for me. I don't think I should be hungry all the time. When I eyeball my meals for the day, they should look balanced and make sense.

I love the feeling of being satisfied, and happy with the choices I made! I feel productive and rewarded, and like I can sustain this!

I have found hoodia herb extract helpful for getting started, when I am trying to establish proper eating habits. It takes the edge off the appetite so you can use your noggin to make proper meal choices. Make sure the brand is reputable and tested for active ingredients as I hear the product can be bogus otherwise.

I qeustioned that same thing to my 'coach' cause i was eating back most of my calories and I wasnt losing weight. He said the calculation of my calorie intake through the P90X program im doing is set up to not eat back my calories. I eat approx 1600 cals of food a day, and workout. When i get to my goal to properly maintain my weight I should be able to intake 1600cals daily and maintain. If i were to eat back my calories now I wouldnt be losing weight right now.


Try this link: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm ... it shows you what to intake to maintain, for slow weight loss and extreme weight loss.
This might help you.
Goodluck!

I think MFP changed the language in their FAQ's (may be wrong about that.) The wording says you *can* eat more and that as long as you stick *within* your limits, you will lose weight. It is not directing that you *should* or must hit that target. So eat them when you need them or want them, and don't worry about them if you don't want them or need them. That seems to help me because then there are the days where I overeat on calories because I went out with friends or whatever.

Self or Shape has a plan where you get 1600 calories a day but 200 of them are "fun calories" that can be banked up to I think 800 calories to use on a fun day within a week. I try to eat within guidelines but I think sometimes people get a little hung up on eating exactly what the numbers say on a day to day basis.

If your BMR * standard activity level = 2250 calories and you want to lose weight eating 1750 calories per day will give you approximately an average of 1lb weight loss per week assuming you do nothing above your standard activity.

If you now add 3500 calories of exercise in a week you should lose about 1lb more that week if you do not eat back your calories. If you eat back half your calories you should lose about 1/2lb more that week. If you eat 3500 calories more food that week you will still lose around the 1lb per week but you wont lose any more. With all of these you will have the health benefits from the exercise.

Eating back some or all of your calories is your choice. If you do a lot of exercise and do not want to eat back your calories you should listen to your body and if you are starting to feel lethargic you need to either calm down your exercise or eat back some of the calories.

For me my main goals are to get healthier and lighter so I do not eat back all my exercise calories as I want a reward on the scales rather than in my belly.

DITTO!!!

If you want to do this long term then definatly eat them back or you may find it too difficult and give in

Look at your replies from the people who have lost the mosrt weight - all of them say YES

All of them have got to have been at this a long time and been sucessful

I eat mine back

If you want to look at my diary send me a friend request

I am not an exercise mad person (to start with i only exercised becuase i needed the calories to survive LOL)

Diane