Who eats back exercise calories and who doesn't?

slucki01

I eat back many of mine most days. I let MFP calculate my calorie allotment to lost 1 lb a week and then if I exercise I feel free to eat those calories if I want them. I've lost 30 lbs so it clearly works. I probably would have lost more faster if I didn't eat back my exercise calories; however, by allowing myself to eat them I'm able to live a more normal life and not always be "dieting". I'd rather lose a little slower and still be able to enjoy life. My primary focus is not just weight loss.

jjasmelon

I try not to eat back the calories I have burnt.. just feels strange after the effort that goes into exercising to just eat them away

Icandoityayme

I use to eat mine back when I first started out but I don't anymore. Not unless I am feeling really hungry like I need something more. If I am not hungry, I don't worry about it.

Phoebeg1723

yogicarl wrote: »

Because my exercise sessions only burn around 300 calories each session, that doesn't leave a lot of room for error - I could easily eat 100 calories more than I thought and or burn 100 calories less. If I do both of those on the same day I could be thinking I have 300 calories to eat back but I could only really have a 100 deficit.
- so I eat an energy bar of around 100 calories - half before and the other half after I workout and that works for me as it seems to hold off hunger before and just after work out; which are both dangerous over-eating times for me.
- and yes - I am a snowflake. I like snowflakes.

You go you beautiful snowflake!

_FATNSASSY

gia07 wrote: »

Here is the rule. Careful it's long (copied from a thread last week).

This was awesome Gia! Thanks!

shmulyeng

I don't eat them back. But I do allow myself to eat back the amount of calories I consume to fuel my exercise (gatorade, gu, etc.). I made a category in my food diary called exercise fuel.

Lounmoun

I use MFP for my calorie goal.
I have been losing weight steadily eating back around half of the exercise calories. If I wasn't hungry that day I probably wouldn't force myself to eat those calories as long as I was netting at least 1200.

_FATNSASSY

I don't eat mine back unless my body really tells me I need to.

Serah87

I do the TDEE method, which includes exercise, so yes I do, I like to keep my muscles.

sk1nnyf0rm3

I try not to eat them back, but on days that I'm burning 1200 or more calories I usually end up dipping into them because I need the energy

richardositosanchez

I try eating back ½ of them, or maybe a third. I usually have some left over though.

scrittrice

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

I ate back every single calorie while I was losing weight, and of course I eat them back now that I'm in maintenance. I work out for fitness and health, not just to burn calories.

Your deficit is already built into your goal. It's not a good idea to make your deficit too large, as you can end up losing muscle instead of just fat.

For a more in depth explanation:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082

Ditto. On my "usual" bike ride I burn close to 700 calories. I cannot imagine not refueling after that.

amusedmonkey

I think it mostly depends on whether you're using exercise to increase your deficit or to increase the amount of food you can eat while losing at a certain rate. For the former, you usually don't eat back, for the latter, you do.

clyn27

I do not intentionally eat them back, every now and then I will end up over my goal but I don't sweat it cuz according to mfp after my work out I am still technically under. However, if I know I am going out to eat or to the bar I will do my best to stay super low all day like no creamer in my coffee, no cheese on my eggs kinda stuff then go hard for the work out because I know I will be going way over my goal so I try to make up for it with the work out

FitPhillygirl

I eat half of them back on the days when I'm weightlifting and doing a HIIT exercise. On the days when I'm only doing Insanity Max 30 I will only eat to my goal of 1750 calories which is more than enough fuel for the day.

Machdude

I do both. I use both exercise and food to control my weight. If I know I won't be able to work out, I know I really need to watch what I eat and plan accordingly. Conversely, if I know I'm going out to a dinner or a holiday meal, I workout extra to burn off any anticipated extra calories. I usually try to leave 200 or or so just to cover potential inaccuracies in calorie numbers.

exstromn

Hi, I only eat back exercise calories when I'm having a bad day and end up going over. In other words no, not usually. I see those exercise calories as bonus calories burned whenever possible:) Good luck!

nossmf

Per the original question, yes, I eat back the calories burned during my workouts. I have lost 30 lbs at a consistent 1 lb/wk rate, while keeping my hard-earned weightlifting muscles, so it's working for me.

dale530

I enter them to keep track but never eat them back.

Azexas

I do the TDEE -20% method. Seems to work well for me.

goingtobefit2015

I personally try not too but I know they are there in the event I need or want to use them up!

cwolfman13

Who eats back exercise calories

People who understand how this tool actually works and people who know to strike a balance between properly fueling your activities while still maintaining an energy deficit to lose weight.

and who doesn't?

People who don't understand the above concept and don't understand the MFP method...and people who use other methods like the TDEE method which already includes and estimate of exercise activity in your calorie goals.

williams969

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Who eats back exercise calories

People who understand how this tool actually works and people who know to strike a balance between properly fueling your activities while still maintaining an energy deficit to lose weight.

and who doesn't?

People who don't understand the above concept and don't understand the MFP method...and people who use other methods like the TDEE method which already includes and estimate of exercise activity in your calorie goals.

Truth.

akb2008

I'm pregnant now and just logging in calories for macro factors (thanks gestational diabetes) but when I am working out moderately/strenuously I eat back half of them if I'm not over calories for the day already. I would eat at least 1/3rd of them back at the very least unless your going by TDEE calculation. Unless you want to put your body in starvation mode.

rachylouise87

i eat back 50% of mine as i can feel *kitten* later in the day when i need a snack. usually a good protein snack helps loads. but my weight loss is slower than when i dont eat them back at all. sometimes i net 1300 cals most days its 1200

CooCooPuff

I only decided to use NEAT a few weeks ago, but I'm currently eating back nearly 60% of my exercise calories with plans to adjust in another two weeks if I've lost too much weight or not enough (aiming for 1lb/wk). I feel much better than I did last year when I was eating under 1k due to ignorance.

I get my burn numbers from Fitocracy.

Lalalindaloo

When I was losing, I ate them back if I was hungry, didn't if I wasn't. Lost 60-ish lbs in about 9-10 months.

Now that I'm maintaining (just started recently), I eat them back if I'm hungry, I don't if I'm not. For instance though, date night tonight and what i didn't eat back last night? That's buying me a beer or two.

brightsideofpink

Its math.

I spent time when I first landed here trying to get a handle on my BMR and estimated daily burn for this body that hangs out in an office chair most of the day. I tried to figure that out as accurately as reasonably possible.

Then I spent time trying to figure out the appropriate deficit to achieve a sustainable, reasonable and safe goal, while still keeping my hair and some muscle mass.

I weigh my food and figure out that part of the equation in my best effort to keep the deficit I identified in steps 1 and 2 above.

So if I'm going to exercise and not account for the change in equation, not eat the calories, I'm messing around with a deficit I put a lot of effort into identifying. And I've created a whole different deficit, a different goal by default, and different results that aren't what I was looking for.

So yes, I eat my exercise calories. And they are delicious!

honkytonks85

There's every chance that you are underestimating calories in and overestimating calories out. Also, your calculated TDEE is just an estimate since MFP has no real way of knowing exactly how many calories in a day you actually burned. With all that considered you need to err on the side of caution when it comes to eating your exercise cals. I would just take the extra calories burned as a bonus.

azev314

I do some intense cardio routines and burn from 700-1,000 per workout, so I do eat back some calories, but with healthy choices.