Conflicting info EVERYWHERE: Eating back exercise calories, or not? ? ? ? ?

Remaking_Me

I've been really lacking energy lately, eating between 1375-1500 cals a day. I weigh 180lbs approx, and I workout 1 hr, 6 days a week: 3 lifting, and 3 cardio or cardio and a little abs.

In my previous experiences with MFP I never lost enough weight to stay motivated--- for a number of reasons. In June 2014, I met a woman who sells herbalife, and she encouraged me to increase my protein intake until I was full enough that I didn't have room for excess carbs, and to help me curb cravings.
CHA-CHING. !!! That was it. Once I was eating 80-110 grams of protein daily, my meal sizes shrank, my energy boosted, and the fat began to melt off. Even if I was eating 1600+ cals a day!

Since then, I switched gyms, and have now had 5 'professionals' give me different advice. I work out with two friends who are 50+lbs and 30+lbs lighter than I. Their trainers told them to NEVER eat back their workout cals (in fact, they've been told not even to TRACK their cals burned) and I, on the other hand, had been having good luck eating as MANY PROTEIN CALORIES as I want, even into the evening- and the weight still came off.

In front of those friends, I was told I was doing things wrong, and that they would help me do it right and get better results. I was embarrassed and frustrated.

I decided to 'trial' this eating less thing, and here's whats happened.
I have less energy, I am dragging my body to the gym and forcing my workouts, and, my weight plateaued solidly. That was my whole month of Mid-Aug through Sept- eating 1250-1400 cals max, with the same workout schedule. It sucked.

Now its October, and Im back to the way I was doing things before. After only 10 days my inches have dropped again; Im not hungry, Im sleeping better and have decent energy.
I am SO confused about this topic, as I have read explanations for:

-eating back NO exercise calories
-eating back some/a percentage of exercise calories
-eating back ALL your exercise calories (making your "Net" and "Goal" calories on MFP match)

....and each explanation I have, makes total sense in and of itself when discussing only that perspective. Start comparing these perspectives and there is so much conflicting data out there, I want to lose my mind.

Are bodies all so different that the plan that works for each person, varies so much?
Is there no constant here, so I can know if I am doing it right?
I want to lose weight and inches, though I know inches are more important 24/7.

Someone give me some advice here- I dont want to talk to the people at my gym about it.
They're jerks.

Sincerely,
Working-my-A**-off-Emily

I dont wanna work in circles here. HELP.

TavistockToad

You've found what works for you, but you don't stick with it because people tell you to do something different?

nentecular

Carry on doing what works for you and don't talk to the people at your gym about it. I hear they're jerks.

Frankiigii

You know you're doing it right because it's working. You're losing weight AND feel healthy. That's gold right there. If they keep bugging you tell them what you're doing is working for you, but thanks for the advice. The best way to figure out what works for you is exactly what you've been doing, experiment, track your results and stick with what your body responds best to.

raysputin

As I see it, I need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight - every calorie counts. I work hard to get a calorie deficit and I am not going to waste that hard work for a few seconds of eating pleasure. So no eating back any exercise calories for me.

If someone can come up with a science-verifiable reason why I MUST eat back my exercise calories, I will look at their evidence. Rumour, anecdotes, the guy at the gym, Aunt Flossie, TV shows, iffy web sites do not count as science-verifiable evidence.

kgeyser

If it's getting you the results you want and you feel good, you're doing it right. I've always eaten a portion of my exercise calories back. Otherwise my workouts suffer and I end up stuffing my face from undereating.

Dallingmomma

It sounds your way of doing things is working for you and you feel much better and healthier going it your way. I congratulate you on your successes so far and the others to come!

blossomingbutterfly

Personally, I try not to eat back exercise calories. However, some days I do because of cravings or eating out or whatever. And when I do, I don't beat myself up over it.

I figure - listen to your body and do what works for you.

Remaking_Me

kgeyser wrote: »

If it's getting you the results you want and you feel good, you're doing it right. I've always eaten a portion of my exercise calories back. Otherwise my workouts suffer and I end up stuffing my face from undereating.

YES!!! That is what happens to me! I'll be fine til 7:30pm and suddenly I want to eat a house. ////Which is why Im so angry at the imbecilic advice Ive been given- nay, harassed with.\\\\
--- Time to set my dairy to private and tell everyone to piss off....... or so it sounds like.

tigersword

raysputin wrote: »

As I see it, I need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight - every calorie counts. I work hard to get a calorie deficit and I am not going to waste that hard work for a few seconds of eating pleasure. So no eating back any exercise calories for me.

If someone can come up with a science-verifiable reason why I MUST eat back my exercise calories, I will look at their evidence. Rumour, anecdotes, the guy at the gym, Aunt Flossie, TV shows, iffy web sites do not count as science-verifiable evidence.

Evidence? Easy. MFP is designed to have you eat back your exercise calories. The calorie deficit is already built into your calorie goal, before factoring in exercise.

OP the confusion you're experiencing is due to different methods of calculating calorie goals. MFP is set up with a deficit not including exercise, so you can lose weight without exercising. When you exercise, you add those calories back into keep a consistent deficit. People who don't use this site use a different method of calculating a calorie goal. That method includes exercise, so you wouldn't eat them back in that case. It's really six of one, half a dozen of the other, as both methods, when calculated correctly, should give about the same overall result.

Ludka13

Keep doing what works for you. If you're losing weight at a reasonable rate and you feel good then you're doing it right. Everybody has their pet theory, just look at all the different dietary regimens there are and everybody swears theirs is the best. It is confusing.

I try to net somewhere between my BMR and sedentary TDEE. It very easy to overestimate exercise calories so people often don't eat all of them back, only some. Some people eat all of them, some people half, some people none. You don't want to go below 1200 net calories because you'll start losing muscle.

999tigger

You have a method that works for you so stick with that.

I think its pretty straightforward.

The other explanations are to do with the size of the deficit you want.

1. -eating back NO exercise calories- means if you are using the net calories method, then you are increasing the deficit by how much you exercise on top of the amount already factored in by MFP i.e 500 cal per day per 1lb you have agreed to lose.

i.e 2000 normally nut you decide you wnat to lose 1lb a week so MFP stes you at 1500.

Any exrcise will add to the size of the deficit. 500+ exercise.

2. -eating back some/a percentage of exercise calories

As you already have 1lb of weight loss factored in by the 500 deficit, if you dont wnat to be as severe, then you can eat some of the exercise calories. The reason people suggest a % is usually because the estimates by MFP are overgenerous or peoples estimation of their own calories burned or effort put in is exaggerated. To avoid eating too many back people select a % so the deficit is intact. Eating 50% would mean you can allow for the inaccuracy of estimate to be 100% more.


3. -eating back ALL your exercise calories (making your "Net" and "Goal" calories on MFP match)

This relies on having an accurate record of burns, maybe you use a HRM in the correct way. the danger is if you are using the wrong number then you could eat more than you burned which will carry over and decrease the diet deficit. This will make your diet deficit smaller and you will lose less weight.

If you get it right then you get to eat more food but lose at a slower rate.


So what should you do? your choice it depends whether you wnat to eat more food in which case choose option 3 if you have an accurate record or option 2 and guess how much the estimates are out by or use 2 as a compromise.

Pick option 1 if you want to emphasise max deficit/weight loss.

I choose 1 because exercise doesnt make me hungrier unlike many people. If im hungry though or want a treat then I will eat some exercise calories knowing that the inbuilt deficit based on diet alone will still be intact.

The only other point is that if you are using the tde method then your exercise is already factored into your calorie allowance. Only exercise in excess of that which has already been inccluded might be eaten back. I use the net method.

Hope that makes sense but its late....

Kalikel

If you listen to all the fitness gurus, you will receive tons of different opinions. Whatever you want to do, there is some fitness guru out there to support it. Want to weigh 250 pounds? Someone will tell you it's quite healthy. Want to starve yourself for days? Someone else will tell why that's a good idea. Cut carbs, cut fat, no meat, junk food all the time - no matter WHAT you want to do, someone will tell you that's a good choice.

You have to make up your own mind about what you want to do.

A lot of people eat half back. I eat to my hunger. You have to do what is right for you.

Good luck.

Liftng4Lis

You've already found your solution. If you're hungry, try eating back a portion of the exercise calories.

MrsJane05

As mentioned above, everyone is different. You have found what works for you, then it IS THE RIGHT THING regardless of what the supposed gym experts have said. You said it yourself, you have energy, sleep well, feel full, working out hard and loosing inches -
Continue the way YOU have been doing it, and you are using a winning formula, well done to you Emily (*)

Remaking_Me

Kalikel wrote: »

If you listen to all the fitness gurus, you will receive tons of different opinions. Whatever you want to do, there is some fitness guru out there to support it. Want to weigh 250 pounds? Someone will tell you it's quite healthy. Want to starve yourself for days? Someone else will tell why that's a good idea. Cut carbs, cut fat, no meat, junk food all the time - no matter WHAT you want to do, someone will tell you that's a good choice.

You have to make up your own mind about what you want to do.

A lot of people eat half back. I eat to my hunger. You have to do what is right for you.

Good luck.

So true. (unfortunately)

Thanks. I think because I 'dont know what Im doing' I was just looking for someone to give me permission to feel good about the choices I am making, in lieu of being told by everyone that I am 'wrong'.

zenner22

I do think our bodies all respond differently. I can totally understand your frustration with the conflicting answers. I over research things and I drive myself crazy until I just throw my hands up n the air and give up. This time dieting I'm trying to just figure out what works for me and not worry about what works for others. Eating back the excercise calories is working well for you. That's wonderful becaus it means you get more food (YAY!) Keep doing that and if for some reason it stops working, well then try the other way. For now, I am eating back 75% of my excercise calories. If I don't lose weight doing that then I'll re-adjust.

Good luck and congrats on your success thus far!

WalkingAlong

Studies of pro athletes who fast for Ramadan show their energy levels and performance don't suffer during fasts. I think for most people it's a placebo effect. They feel like eating more gives them more energy. I fast regularly and probably feel more energetic on fasting days. Fullness causes lethargy and sleepiness.

We're designed to use stored fat calories for energy just like we don't need to eat in the middle of our workouts or work out on a full stomach. We have energy stores from past meals, be they today or yesterday or last month.

But do what works for you. There is no one right way.

Kalikel

SetFreeEmily wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

If you listen to all the fitness gurus, you will receive tons of different opinions. Whatever you want to do, there is some fitness guru out there to support it. Want to weigh 250 pounds? Someone will tell you it's quite healthy. Want to starve yourself for days? Someone else will tell why that's a good idea. Cut carbs, cut fat, no meat, junk food all the time - no matter WHAT you want to do, someone will tell you that's a good choice.

You have to make up your own mind about what you want to do.

A lot of people eat half back. I eat to my hunger. You have to do what is right for you.

Good luck.

So true. (unfortunately)

Thanks. I think because I 'dont know what Im doing' I was just looking for someone to give me permission to feel good about the choices I am making, in lieu of being told by everyone that I am 'wrong'.

The sooner you stop giving a chit what other people think, the happier you'll be. If the know-it-alls and crabapples are disapproving, so what.

Everyone does things differently, which makes life more interesting and more fun.

Jetta_C

Use the empirical method, meaning learn what works by experimentation. It is likely to be different for different people. I get weirdly hyper on very low calories and have an edgy energy that would have me working out 3 hours a day when I have time. But you mention on MFP that you've had only 600 calories today but worked out for hours and a million people would attack you.

Do what works for you and ignore people who are pushing an agenda

ana3067

When using MFP NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) approach, the calories that you are given to net are your calories for daily, non-exercise activity. Once you exercise, you log it in order to eat at a similar deficit each day. Not exercising doesn't remove your deficit.

So... log and eat back all your calories. If your weight loss is less than ~4lbs a month (or ~2lbs if you don't have much to lose) then either drop your net a bit or eat back 75% of the exercise calories instead (so log 75% of the time and eat all of those calories back to make this easier).

If you don't eat back exercise calories you are doing the wrong method. TDEE method does not involve eating back exercise because it's already included into your daily intake.