Confused with calories!

meggers84
meggers84 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!
I have been using this site/app off and on for a year or so, but am now wanting to really commit to my weight loss efforts by tracking my exercise and calories once again! (University + too many papers + too much wine/munching = 7 added pounds). Anywho, I have a question:

I entered in my parameters and my calorie budget is set at 1360 to help me lose a pound a week, that's fine. What I am wondering is when I enter in my exercise for the day and it beefs up the calories that I can eat...should I eat those extra calories or try not to? I have read a few different posts, some say they do and some say no...I feel like it would be hard not to, but I suppose if I didn't then I could lose weight faster?

I find counting calories and tracking my exercise very effective, but I want to try and be as accurate that I can, so any help to help me in doing this will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Meggers

Replies

  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    I've started out not eating the calories back, then changed to eating most back. I am careful when I I eat back calories not to go over and to make sure I am being accurate.

    This is just my opinion, but if you have a lot to lose, not eating back the exercise calories works well, but if you are already pretty fit and just need to lose a few pounds, then eating back the calories seems to be more consistent. I found that as I got more fit (with less fat reserves) that it was more difficult to exercise regularly without eating back those calories because I would just gas out real quick.
  • meggers84
    meggers84 Posts: 17
    Thanks for your reply.

    I am trying to lose 12 pounds, but I agree I also gas out fast when I working out!
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 412 Member
    You are going to get conflicting answers on this which suggests to me there is no right answer.

    My opinion is that I aim to be under my non-exercise calories but I don't get upset about what I eat until I exceed the exercised calorie count.

    So long as you put out more calories than you put in then you will lose weight it but the speed will depend on the difference
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
    I only had 13 to lose and I found I lost faster when eating all of my exercise calories back -- and felt a lot better, too.
  • cragmor
    cragmor Posts: 24 Member
    The idea is that if you eat those calories back, and do not go over, you will still lose 1 pound a week (or whatever your goal is). The idea is that you should reach a calorie deficit needed to see your weight loss goals for that week. Now, if you do not eat up those calories, you will reach your goal faster due to a larger calorie deficit.
    So, if you want to stay on goal, and not go any faster, then yes, eat those calories back.
  • JayneCW
    JayneCW Posts: 8
    As I understand it, you need to eat back what you burn exercising. Your BMR or Basic Metabolic Rate is how many calories you need a day in order for your body to function properly. You create a big deficit when you exercise because you burn some of the calories your body needs. Say your BMR is 1400 and you exercise off 3-400 of those calories. Your body needs those 3-400 to function. Continually eating under your BMR that much may cause your metabolism to slow and your weight to plateau as well as putting you at risk for other problems. You do need to have a calorie deficit most times to lose weight, but monitor closely how big that gap is. Don't go too low and it's worth checking what your BMR is so that you have an accurate picture of your caloric needs.
  • ncthomas09
    ncthomas09 Posts: 322 Member
    Ok so get this me and my parents are doing this together. (Our team of the 3 of us have lost a combined 100 lbs to date)

    My parents have a bowflex and elipitcal in their garage. I have nada. So they get more exercise calories than I do obviously!! But I am still losing weight not always eating my calories back. My parents eat some but not all. There are some days I don't even eat my calorie goal but I am still over 1200 a day so I'm not concerned.

    I also have two friends doing this with me. One doesn't lose unless she eat all of hers back and the other doesn't eat hers back and she still loses.

    So you can do it either way. It works for some people but not all people. So try it both ways and see what happens
  • huckleberry0070
    huckleberry0070 Posts: 64 Member
    bump

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