To count or not to count....

amyford25
amyford25 Posts: 85 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Ya'll:

I'm pretty new on here and trying to get into a complete lifestyle change. I quit smoking 4 months ago and now it's time to get this extra weight off. My dream is to take the money I'm saving not buying cigarettes and buy seriously cute clothes for myself.... for my seriously cute new bod that is! :)

I just ordered a Jillian Michaels DVD and plan to start that soon, but I see conflicting messages from different people on here about whether to eat back the calories you get from tracking exercise. Can I get some thoughts on what is best? I think this particular DVD would add about 200 calories to my daily goal. Should I maybe moderate and only eat back half?

Thanks for any help!

Replies

  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
    You will get many different opinions on this. Including mine. :smile:

    I eat back my exercise calories and it hasn't hindered my weight loss. You could try it and see how it goes. Give it a few weeks though to see what it's really doing for you.
  • brooke_young08
    brooke_young08 Posts: 70
    Your body will need those calories to maintain your energy levels while workingout. MFP already factors in a calorie deficit. Besides, losing slowly is always best. If you cut your calories too much in the beginning and lose quickly, it is very difficult to maintain. Best of luck to you!

    PS, feel free to add me as a friend:blushing:
  • claire7090
    claire7090 Posts: 67
    I eat back my exercise calories - it worked for me when I was losing and still works now I am maintaining my weight.
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    http://www.shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • JAllen32
    JAllen32 Posts: 991 Member
    There are a lot of conflicting opinions on here. Here is mine:

    I started with 1200 and eating back my exercise cals. The basic plan for MFP is roughtly this: you need about 1700 cals per day to live. MFP gives you 1200 so there is a 500 cal deficit. You will lose weight this way. If you workout and burn 200 cals, then you are at a 700 cal deficit. Which means your only getting 1000 calories. For some people that could be enough, for others it could make their body feel like its starving so you won't lose weight. So eat back what you burn so you are netting 1200. That is how MFP works. Some people use other plans or ways of doing it, TDEE and what not. I never got into that because MFP's way has worked for me. So my advice is eat back your cals and see what works for you. Good luck! :-)
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I have lost a few pounds eating mine back!!! Best of Luck!!!
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    I eat them if I'm hungry and I'm sure that they are accurate. (or as accurate as a HRM)
  • amyford25
    amyford25 Posts: 85 Member
    LOL, got that loud and clear
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 549 Member
    I eat them if I'm hungry and I'm sure that they are accurate. (or as accurate as a HRM)

    This.

    I only eat half if it's a guess on calories burned.
  • Lynne4love
    Lynne4love Posts: 3
    first let me say that i have been doing the jillian michaels DVDs and i love them. i started out with the ripped in 30 then i got the killer thighs and now i am working with the shed and shred. shed and shred is my favorite out of all three. she has a 30 min level one, 45 min level 2 or a hour long combination of 1 and 2. i normally eat back the calories that i burn. most of the time i do not eat back all of them but i just make sure i am eating and not going over my intake count. if i am not at exacly 1200 calories i do not look for something to eat. good luck on your adventure. i just started using this application and i really enjoy it. you will too probably.
  • ksmilgirl2010
    ksmilgirl2010 Posts: 13
    i recently started this program, but all my health wise education tells me that you should not starve yourself. eat your calories, try to make them good calorie choices instead of bad ones (i.e. nuts not cake) you should lose weight so long as you keep around your calorie count, especially since MFP does the calculating for you- you pick your lifestyle (base for how many calories a day you burn) you pick your goal (it subtracts that many calories from your total) and then you have your goal calorie intake. you don't want to lose more weight than your goal (a little probably wouldnt hurt every now and then but 4-5lbs in one week is excessive especially if it's long term like 4-5lb every week for a month+ that's not healthy) MFP doesn't factor in workouts to your calorie goals unless you tell it what you are doing, so if you burn 200 calories in a workout and are staying under your calorie count you could throw your body into starvation mode and not lose anything so you should not go under your calories by too much too frequently- i hope this makes sense and helps and good luck with reaching your goals :)
  • amyford25
    amyford25 Posts: 85 Member
    Thanks for all your comments, looks like I'll be sticking to the calories MFP advises me to intake. Please feel free to friend me, the more support the better. :flowerforyou:

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