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

dbmata

JaneiR36 wrote: »

Careful, LosinMama. You may displace me from the spot this user has assigned me as the "most negative user on MFP with no redeeming posts"

Not a chance, you at least use basic logic. I wouldn't want to take from you what you fairly earned.

jakichan

That's the most frustrating thing about any of this - for any idea you may find you can always find an "expert" telling you that it's completely wrong...

Remaking_Me

MKEgal wrote: »

This is what my doctor & dietician told me:
1 - Don't eat back exercise calories. Most people underestimate what they eat, most machines & computers overestimate calories burned.
2 - Eat 10x your healthy goal weight (based on BMI) in calories.

In reality, what I do is most of the time I'm doing both of those, but once in a while I go over, eat back some of my exercise calories, and I don't stress about it... because I'm usually well under. It's working for me.
(And don't worry too much about BMR. My total/actual calorie intake has been consistently under my BMR for months. Net is waaaaay under. My doctors are happy with my health, in every possible way.)

I've been really lacking energy lately, eating between 1375-1500 cals a day. I weigh 180lbs approx, and I work out 1 hr, 6 days a week.
I decided to 'trial' this eating less thing, and here's what's 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 it's October, and 'Im back to the way I was doing things before. After only 10 days my inches have dropped again; I'm not hungry, I'm sleeping better and have decent energy.

If that's what works for you, do it. Why listen to anyone else? You're feeling better, sleeping better, losing inches. Keep doing what you're doing!

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...
Someone give me some advice here - I don't want to talk to the people at my gym about it.
They're jerks.

It was wrong of them to embarrass you & castigate you, especially in front of anyone else.

I'd avoid them too. I might talk with the manager.
I'm guessing that they probably charge for their services, and that's why they're trying to tell you you need their help?

One of the people who said it to me, WAS the manager. I realized after the fact--- reading all the info people have shared, and in trying to understand the different ways people track calories, I realize the mistake he made. He didnt even inquire fully, as to HOW I was tracking. All I said was, I eat back my exercise calories, and BOOM: "Well then you're doing it wrong."

If he had asked me if I was already using a deficit, and so on, his response may have been different. But he is a gym manager and he didnt even bother to ask- not to mention that his comments caused me to question my health and decisions, and choose a method that cost me energy, and a month of my time in (NO) results.

And yes, he has something to sell that another staff tried to jam down my throat the next week. (I wont be training or buying anything from these guys. I'll train elsewhere)

Oh well. Im back doing what I was doing, and Ive dropped another half a size in 2 weeks. I'll be down to a size 13 by the end of the month by eating back my calories.

Inquiry, SOLVED! What I am doing is working and I FEEL healthy and balanced doing it this way. Thank you everyone for your comments.
XOXO

quellybelly

Disclaimer: I only skimmed through your post. My reply is answering the question outlined in your title about whether you should eat back your exercise calories...

It depends on how you set your calorie goal. There are 2 ways you can do this:

1. The MFP method
The number that MFP spits out after you plug in all your numbers is the minimum number of calories you should be eating each day. If you exercise, then you're burning more calories so you should be eating those back. As to how much of your exercise calories you should be eating back, I'm not sure, but you need that extra fuel on top of whatever number MFP gave you in order to keep your energy up.

2. The TDEE method
If you are using the TDEE method, then no, you do not have to eat your exercise calories. Unlike the MFP method, TDEE takes into account that you will burn x amount of calories throughout the week. Your calorie goal will therefore already incorporate your calorie burn.

Here's a helpful link about calculating your calorie goal the TDEE way: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/974889

Hope this helps!

earlnabby

Frankiigii wrote: »

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.

^ ^ ^ This so much ^ ^ ^

RockstarWilson

The number you set your daily calorie goal at is already at a specific deficit as defined in your goals. If you don't eat back your exercise calorie burn, you are simply adding to that deficit.

If your calorie goal is 1700, and you go running for an hour and burn 700, if you ONLY eat 1700 calories (let's say it is at a 500 Calorie per day deficit), you are saying that your body will only use 1500 calories in the other 23 hours of the day, which for most people is way too low. I would burn that each day if I just lied in bed and watched tv all day. I am 5'9", 208, and have a sedentary lifestyle at this point. I burn about 2500-3000 Calories each day, give or take based on changes in daily activity, which is constantly variable. My goal is set to 2044, and I always allow myself to eat back the workout calories.

I don't know your stats, but this is a bigger problem for more petit people, as their calorie burns are still typically high, but are a greater percentage of their calorie goals.

Remaking_Me

Thank you everyone. I finally had time to finish reading ALL the updates.

In December 2015 I found a website called em2wl.com
(Eat more to weigh less.com) and I shot my cals up to 2600 a day and WOW THE INCHES started peeling off!!!

Jan 9th I started Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping (google FXB Andover to see my local website) and their program insists women be at 1400-1800 cals for the deficit effect. I have continued eating 1900-2100 cals and Im now at week 10 of this program, dropping pounds and inches and ITS FINALLY HAPPENING "BIG" for me. Right program and right food. I ignore what they say and listen to my body.

Thank you all for telling me to listen to my body. It has made all the difference.

Add me!
remaking_me

Lets drop lbs together. Im in beast mode!!!!!!!