Does eating "Remaining" calories = eating exercise calories

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pamelagalli
pamelagalli Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I am just not sure about terminology. Should I eat up all calories remaining?

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  • Cambrendle
    Cambrendle Posts: 104 Member
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    I think you'll see a lot of different opinions on that... the remaining calories is what is left after you track what you have eaten in your food diary, and any exercises you track that burn calories gets added onto your normal daily minimum calorie intake....

    so say your minimum recommended daily calories is 1300 calories
    you added 1100 calories in your food diary throughout the day....
    you walked and burned 300 calories....
    MFP is set up to add the 300 cals you burned to your 1300... so now your minimum recommended intake is 1600
    you ate 1100 ... you have 500 calories remaining for your minimum recommended intake for the day

    some people say eat the exercise calories back because you burned off the fuel, your body needs to function when you exercised

    some people don't eat those calories back...

    I think it's entirely up to you what you feel comfortable with, and what you see working. If you don't eat them back and you don't see any results... try eating them...

    I'm still new, so that's what I've learned in the past 3 weeks from lurking on the forums...
  • pamelagalli
    pamelagalli Posts: 8
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    Thank you for your reply!

    So in your example, the "eat your exercise calories" advocates would say to eat the 300 calories burned, in addition to the 1100 already eaten. But what then about the 200 remaining calories? Would they say to eat all of those too?
  • Saiklor
    Saiklor Posts: 183
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    Some people vote for eating all of your calories in a day, your base number given by MFP (or selected by your own self) AND the calories you earn when exercising.

    So if I'm on a 1200 a day and then I earn 300 calories, some people say I should aim to eat about 1500 cal that day.

    Other people prefer to eat between the 1200/original number and the 1500 (or whatever)/"earned" number.

    Still others prefer to aim just for the 1200/original number and not touch the additional calories.

    I find that I can eat 1100-1300 in a day and feel quite satisfied, so I don't typically touch my exercise calories, but I believe this is a personal choice and that people all disagree about what's "right" and what "works"
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Thank you for your reply!

    So in your example, the "eat your exercise calories" advocates would say to eat the 300 calories burned, in addition to the 1100 already eaten. But what then about the 200 remaining calories? Would they say to eat all of those too?

    Yes. Eat to zero. The calculation already has a calorie deficit built in. Try that for a while and make adjustments down the line if you're unhappy with the results. But keep it simple for now. Eat to zero.
  • pamelagalli
    pamelagalli Posts: 8
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    Thank you for all the replies! I get it now. :-)
  • ashshields12
    ashshields12 Posts: 54 Member
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    I eat 1200 calories, and workout buring 400-800 calories every day of the week and dont eat these calories back and I am satisfied. I never feel hungry. Its about eating clean 1200 calories, with a mix of carbs, protein and vegetables

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