Do you eat exercise calories

[MrsT]

Hi

I have quite a lot to loose (8stone) and have joined the gym and using MFP for counting calories. I have put my lifestyle in as sedentary and counting exercise too.

Do you eat your exercise calories? I am unsure if I should forget them or track and use as I am so big I want to do this quickly but healthy too. I don't want to have no energy etc. I have adjusted my colorise allowed from 1846 to 1200 if that helps

Thanks

Nina

 

[Legomom]

Hey Nina, good luck with your journey!! MFP is an amazingly good wee tool to help you along the way!!
I personally just use my common sense RE exercise cals. If your hungry or feeling weak then eat something!! Your body obviously needs it. But I feel that if im just eating them for the sake of it then I'm not really changing my habits lol that's what landed me with 6st to lose!! they are really handy for redeeming the odd naughty treat tho!!
In the name of objectivity tho I have to point out that you have quite a large cal deficit already so if you eat them you will probably still lose and there are ppl here who swear by eating them!! So best to have a little experiment and see what works for you and your body!!
Best of luck!!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

 

[Squeezyweezy]

Hi Nina,

I personally don't eat back my exercise cals, and that really works for me, but everyone is different, so what works for some won't for others.
Like Lego said, if I'm hungry after exercise, my body is clearly telling me it needs something extra, so I will dip into them, but if not I don't use them. Common sense really hun, listen to your body.

 

[LittleSis]

Sometimes I do but then again sometimes I don't... As Legomom and Squeezy say listen to your body.

MFP tells me off for not eating them all back

 

[MrsT]

Thanks for the replies, I think I am going to stick to not eating them for now but not worry if I go over slightly to add a banana or such into my diet so I dont lose energy

 

[chocolate_bananas]

The only time i don't eat them is if i have had a heavy weekend (like last weekend for example!) involving lots of food and copious amounts of alcohol So Monday i ate my 1200 cals and didn't eat my exercise cals back.

The reast of this week i have eaten at maintenance and i have eaten my exercise cals back. I probably don't need to tbh because i am eating a lot, but i just love having some extra treats

Next week when my calories drop to 1200 i will be eating them all back, i need to, seriously i feel weak and can't put as much effort into my exercise. I eat mine throughout the day and exercise at night so i have the extra energy ready. Seems pointless to eat back what you have worked so hard to burn off but i look at exercise as something that is toning me up and giving me a healthy mind, and it revs my metabolism up for the next 24 hours

Just do what works for you! Some people gain or STS if they eat them back, we are all so different xxx

 

[iwillsoonbeslim]

SO far I've eaten 99% of my exercise calories back. And I'm losing faster than I ever have in my life! I do have very high burn days a few times a week though. I couldn't go burning 3000 calories and only eating 1200. I follow MFP advice of NETTING 1200 calories and it's working for me!

 

[assj]

I also try to have some extra cals during the day and then exercise afterwoods, as i find that after exercise i am not very hungry and i dont want to eat if not hungry as that is what i am trying to change, as a pp said i try to follow the advice of netting at least 1200 cals a day, sometimes i do go lower but not by much and only when i really couldnt eat any more.

 

[sarah-louise x]

This subject has always confused me! I use a different site to u but it works in same way so i set my life style to active which means i exercise 2-3 times a week and dont spend my day on my bum but keep busy at a steady pace. This then calculated for me that i need 1500 cals a day to lose 2lb fat a week so thats what i stick to. If i find im more active, il change my lifestyle settings to include this which will add about 200 cals to my 1500. So in a way im probably eating some of them but not all of them, but i certainly dont eat all those i burn otherwise il never reach a 7000 cal defecit a week....hope that all makes sense lol good luck with your plan!

 

[Lovehatecarbs]

I'm starting to wonder if it depends on how much you have to lose - if it's just case of never going below a net of 1200 - as I can only eat 1200 cals I have to eat them back or I'd be below 1200 net???? I'm eating most back but still not entirely sure on this one

 

[Squeezyweezy]

I'm starting to wonder if it depends on how much you have to lose - if it's just case of never going below a net of 1200 - as I can only eat 1200 cals I have to eat them back or I'd be below 1200 net???? I'm eating most back but still not entirely sure on this one

The important thing is, that you listen to your body. You will work it out in time, as to what suits you best. I started my diet by eating back my exercise cals and that was fine, but I tried one week NOT eating them back, and my loss was significantly higher, so I carried on. I'm sure my body will change again one day and I will find that eating them back suits me better. There are no hard or fast rules as to what you should do. This subject is quite a contraversial one because there are so many conflicting stories.
You will know in time what suits you.