You HAVE to eat your exercise calories....

Yeah, but the Biggest Loser really isn't an indication of the right or healthy thing to do. They lose insane amounts of weight insanely fast which can't be healthy for you.

People don't want to see "Oh great job, you lost 1 lb this week!" they want to see "Wow, you lost 15 lbs this week!" It's that whole instant gratification culture thing we have...

What people aren't thinking about regarding TBL contesants is (and Bob Harper has pointed this out) while they're on the show, that's their JOB. They are working out for a MINIMUM of five hours/day. They are going to educational sessions. They are constantly kept busy. And they have been completely removed (for the most part) from temptation. Not to mention, they don't have to worry about scheduling workouts around their work/family/social life. OF COURSE, they're going to lose alot of weight in a very short amount of time in that situation. What nobody is thinking about is the fact that, in almost every case, contestants' weight loss slows waaaay down once they get back to their normal lives/routines. So, I don't think they're necessarily losing weight in an unhealthy way, it's just that they're able to concentrate SOLELY on losing weight and getting healthy.

Yeah, but the Biggest Loser really isn't an indication of the right or healthy thing to do. They lose insane amounts of weight insanely fast which can't be healthy for you.

People don't want to see "Oh great job, you lost 1 lb this week!" they want to see "Wow, you lost 15 lbs this week!" It's that whole instant gratification culture thing we have...

I don't think what they do is unhealthy only because of the massive amount of fat that is weighting to come off. Of course if me being a 135 woman lost 15 lbs. in one week, I either gave birth to a kitten or lost a limb.

lol

Do whatever you want, really. You are not going to die if you do/don't eat your exercise calories back. If it affects your weight loss, do the opposite. The end.

Do whatever you want, really. You are not going to die if you do/don't eat your exercise calories back. If it affects your weight loss, do the opposite. The end.

Bingo! I lost 250lbs not eating back my exercise calories, but we are all not the same, so the same rules don't apply to everyone. We also don't have the same goals, or want to get to those goals at the same speed.

You need to find what works for you!

Glad I found this thread! I just started a week ago and am soooo confused on eating back exercise calories and what not..... yikes..... guess I will see what works for me and adjust when I need to! Thanks for all the great info!

What I find funny is how people want to bash the Biggest Loser all the time but EVERYONE is jumping on doing the 30 Day Shred all the time!!!! What the heck??? lol

30 Day Shred is a safe and effective program, which even shows modified exercises. Why would anyone be against that? I don't care for the biggest loser, but I enjoyed 30 DS. I guess I am not seeing the joke here....

Does it really work though? Not being funny when I say that, but I'd like to see a follow up program a year later to see how many have kept up the good work, or how many have put it back on plus more due to losing it so quick.
The US version might already do this, but don't think the uk one does

Most seem to keep it off...a few gain it back. I don't think "I didn't eat my exercise calories" was the factor that determined this however. Some poeple here are downright brutish with their insistance that you just can't lose weight if you don't eat your exercise calories. Not true.

Out of over 200 contestants, about 25 have kept it off (most have gained back alot or a significant amount). That's about 10% which is about the same for the overall population who lose weight and gain it back.

Yes you lose weight if you DON'T eat back your exercise calories because really it's about calories in and out. But the reality also is that the higher your calorie deficit, then the lower your metabolic rate goes. That is NOT DISPUTED by any scientific organization in the study of physiology.
So why do the BL have to exercise so hard? Well for one it's a competition, and number 2, their deficits are high and if they don't exercise intense and hard their metabolism would crawl slower than even when they didn't.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I hate seeing all of these threads. I really wish people would just try different things to see what works. Everyone's body is different. I always eat mine back, or plan ahead for activities by upping my intake throughout the day. It's worked great for me. I personally don't even feel well or have enough energy to do anything if I don't eat back my calories or eat them beforehand.

Try new things, experiment.

If you take a prescription diet pill or consume a ton of caffeine, your body may not tell you when you really do need to eat, but otherwise, this makes sense.

Of course, my body thinks it's hungrier than it really is all the time, so I can't always listen to it, or I'll be right back where I was before. But I usually know the difference between "gotta have that cupcake or I'm gonna die!" and "gotta eat or I'm going to be passed out on the floor in an hour!". Usually....

OMG.....is this question ever going to end???? DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU PEOPLE! It's that simple!! You're not going to drop dead on a 1200 a day calorie intake...nor are you going to drop dead because you aren't eating back your exercise calories. Everyone's metabolism is different. People fast for DAYS on end, and they certainly aren't dying or even unhealthy in the majority of cases.

DO WHAT WORKS......

AGREED! And the same goes for every other aspect of dieting and working out. Some peoples bodies break down and use foods differently so if someone else's diet doesn't work for you it's because you aren't them!

Totally agree. You have to do what works for you. I never eat all my exercise calories back (perhaps about 50%) and in 4.5 weeks I have lost 13lbs. Do what works for you. If what you're doing doesn't work, then try something else, and keep trying till you find what works..for you!.

What I find funny is how people want to bash the Biggest Loser all the time but EVERYONE is jumping on doing the 30 Day Shred all the time!!!! What the heck??? lol

Not even remotely the same... 30DS is a workout program. TBL is a weight loss show that is a proven failure long term. See the link I posted or google "biggest loser where are they now"

OK, you all are funny. Duh, it's a work out dvd....I'm not stupid. Even though 90% of you like to treat people in forums as if they are. I have the dvd. Do you? She is constantly promoting fast results...doesn't allow you to take breaks so you'll burn more calories in shorter amounts of time.....just like the show!! Isn't that what all of you are SO against??

Who is against getting the most out of their workouts?

OK, you all are funny. Duh, it's a work out dvd....I'm not stupid. Even though 90% of you like to treat people in forums as if they are. I have the dvd. Do you? She is constantly promoting fast results...doesn't allow you to take breaks so you'll burn more calories in shorter amounts of time.....just like the show!! Isn't that what all of you are SO against??

Who is against getting the most out of their workouts?

Not me, that's for sure! A lot of people think you have to lose weight so super slow to keep it off though and to me that's just false. It's all about lifestyle change. That's where people fail. When they lose the weight they don't stick to working out and watching what they eat.

i love how people blame the show for the contestants gaining the weight back. Of course they did, to keep the weight off you HAVE to change your lifestyle. As most people eventually go back into their old habits, they regain the weight.

Makes no difference how you lose the weight, it's the lack of life style change after that kills your progress.

As a general practice, it's good to learn how to separate what is entertainment from reality, and I say that knowing full well that it's a reality-based TV show (but it is entertainment).

Much in the same way that you should not listen to most of what Dr. Oz says about weight loss supplements, I would hesitate to draw any meaningful conclusion that you would apply to your personal life, from practices you see on The Biggest Loser.


Find me a population of people who are well educated on fitness and nutrition, who also agree with the majority of things on the above mentioned shows, and I'll consider changing my viewpoint.

I do NOT eat back mine. That just wouldn't work for me.ive been doing this for sometime and have learned when I go a little higher in calories by 200-300 I don't lose weight. I eat about 1200 calories per day and have for almost 2 years. When I up my calories it my wight loss stops. I go to the gym 5 days a week for at least two hours a day. And hour of cardio and the rest weight training and I have found the only thing that stalls my weight loss is when I go over in calories or if I don't drink enough water. To each their own but this is what works for me. I'm 5'3"