Question about calories after exercise

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hmartilla
hmartilla Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
I am new to counting calories, I have always done weight watchers etc.... sooo..... When I input my workout and burn lets say 300 calories. It then subtracts it from what I already ate that day and adds it back to my remaining calories to be eaten. Am I supposed to eat 300 more calories because I burned 300 while exercising? Isn't that counter productive?

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  • tonyz4
    tonyz4 Posts: 2
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    I am new to this too, but I think you need to eat 1 hour before and within half an hour after exercise, and the one after should be about 50/50 with protien and carbs. (protien shake will do)
    Aparently this is better for weight loss than not having anything after.
    So if you are exercising, you do need to take in extra calories.
    I don't know about you but I need something after exercise.

    Good luck, Keep it up.

    Tony
  • SelkieDiver
    SelkieDiver Posts: 260 Member
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    I am new to counting calories, I have always done weight watchers etc.... sooo..... When I input my workout and burn lets say 300 calories. It then subtracts it from what I already ate that day and adds it back to my remaining calories to be eaten. Am I supposed to eat 300 more calories because I burned 300 while exercising? Isn't that counter productive?

    Those calories are yours to play with. You can eat them all back or partially back, or don't eat them. There is already a calorie deficit built in to what MFP set your limit to. If it says 1400 (based upon the info you gave it of how active you are normally, what your BMI is, etc.) there is a 500 calorie deficit there because your body USES (for example) 1900. 1900-1400 = 500. That would be enough to lose 1 lb a week with no exercise at all (or if you eat back all your exercise calories). Eating back only a portion will make that deficit increase so you will lose a bit faster.
  • SelkieDiver
    SelkieDiver Posts: 260 Member
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    I am new to this too, but I think you need to eat 1 hour before and within half an hour after exercise, and the one after should be about 50/50 with protien and carbs. (protien shake will do)
    Aparently this is better for weight loss than not having anything after.
    So if you are exercising, you do need to take in extra calories.
    I don't know about you but I need something after exercise.

    Good luck, Keep it up.

    Tony

    Close, but not quite. It depends on how long and how strenuously you're exercising. If you're going out for a 30 minute walk, no need to do anything. If you're having one of my training weekends (i.e. 90 minute bike ride and a 40 minute run) I make sure the tank is full before I head out, and the recovery drink suggestion is a ratio of 4:1, carbs to protein (not 50/50). The carbs replenish your glycogen stores and the protein helps your muscles recover from all the little micro-tears you just inflicted on them.
    :laugh:
  • hmartilla
    hmartilla Posts: 2
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    Thanks!

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