Should I be eating my exercise calories?

oriaku

Hi All,

Please I'd appreciate your input. Should I be eating my exercise calories as MFP suggests! I really want to maximize my weight loss. However, I get mixed messages. Some advocate for eating the additional calories to lose weight, others say the opposite. What do you all do? To eat, or not to eat--- that is the question. Appreciate your insight. Thanks!

arditarose

If you're using the MFP method (NEAT), then yes-you can eat some exercise calories back. MFP is tends to inflate the estimates so many people suggest only eating 50-75% of the calories burned back.

oriaku

Thanks arditarose! I'll try that.

pmm3437

arditarose wrote: »

If you're using the MFP method (NEAT), then yes-you can eat some exercise calories back. MFP is tends to inflate the estimates so many people suggest only eating 50-75% of the calories burned back.

^ This ^

Eating them back is optional. I would recommend that if you are exercising, that you make sure your net calories are at least 1200. If the combo of menu and exertion takes you below this, eat up to that minimum.

For example ... if your goal is 1500 a day, and you exert 600 from exercise, add 300 for that day ( 1500-600+300=1200 ).

oriaku

Thank you so much pmm3437!. Makes sense.

DeeTee68

As others have said only eat back half calories burnt as most exercise machines, hrm and MFP over estimate.

GBO323

If you want a more accurate picture of the calories burned, consider getting a FitBit type health tracker. I've found the calculations used by MFP when I directly enter in exercise to be added to my bank immediately and can be quite inflating...pun intended. This way, you can also set step goals that will greatly assist your weight loss journey. I've found doing 10K steps a day has given me the same loss as doing 3 days in the gym. AND, a health tracker can link up with MFP and will let you know when you've actually moved enough before adding more calories to your bank. That's important.

coreP85

I don't and I've found it works for me. But I also have a very uptempo job and I train hard, so my cal are higher than most ppl.
What i do is if I have a cheat meal I will input cal I burned during my workout so I can enjoy that meal.
It's trail and error...this works for me

oregano13

eating back would be a slippery slope for me.
I stick to my calorie goal 6 days a week plus Saturday is a cheat day. The simplicity of this does the trick.
I noticed that MFP suggests that I can eat more bc I exercise that day and I really really dislike it. Food is a not a reward for me, I actively fight that mindset in me.
Cheat days are enough to satisfy cravings, and through the rest of the week I just try to eat good food and make it taste good within my calorie goal.
As I said, simple is key for me.

999tigger

Im with the make sure you are netting 1200+
If you then feel hungry or have had very large burns 500+ then you should entertain eating a % back. Depending where your burn calculations come from then stick to 25-50% and monitor the effect. So what Pmm and Ardita said.

Sometimes I eat mine and others not.

callsitlikeiseeit

999tigger wrote: »

Im with the make sure you are netting 1200+
If you then feel hungry or have had very large burns 500+ then you should entertain eating a % back. Depending where your burn calculations come from then stick to 25-50% and monitor the effect. So what Pmm and Ardita said.

Sometimes I eat mine and others not.

that. i eat 1500/day and dont always eat back any (and lose 2 lbs/wk on average). if im hungry i will eat back. or want a treat (i dont do cheat days, i eat what i want as long as it fits in my daily goals). i dont mind the random super low day but try to be mindful of how much im eating

veganbaum

oregano13 wrote: »

eating back would be a slippery slope for me.
I stick to my calorie goal 6 days a week plus Saturday is a cheat day. The simplicity of this does the trick.
I noticed that MFP suggests that I can eat more bc I exercise that day and I really really dislike it. Food is a not a reward for me, I actively fight that mindset in me.
Cheat days are enough to satisfy cravings, and through the rest of the week I just try to eat good food and make it taste good within my calorie goal.
As I said, simple is key for me.

Some people view earning more calories as a reward and it works for them. However, MFP is telling you to eat in order to maintain a healthy deficit and provide your body appropriate fuel and nutrition. And if you aren't eating your exercise calories (or, as has been said, 50-75% of them to account for inaccuracies), then you're not actually sticking to your calorie goal - you're eating below it. However, depending on what you mean by "cheat day," if you eat above your calories that day that may leave you with the weekly calorie deficit you would have if you ate your exercise calories each day you exercised.

OP - others have already advised you to eat them (or a portion), as that is the way MFP is designed. It's not about maximizing weight loss, it's about maximizing healthy weight/fat loss. Other calorie-counting sites that ask you to provide your stats and goals will include your exercise in that equation up front, MFP does not until after you exercise. But BOTH are telling you to eat based on your daily activity level and exercise. They just go about it in different ways.

Asher_Ethan

I have to eat back half of what I burn. If I don't I feel sluggish with my next workout.

oregano13

veganbaum wrote: »

oregano13 wrote: »

eating back would be a slippery slope for me.
I stick to my calorie goal 6 days a week plus Saturday is a cheat day. The simplicity of this does the trick.
I noticed that MFP suggests that I can eat more bc I exercise that day and I really really dislike it. Food is a not a reward for me, I actively fight that mindset in me.
Cheat days are enough to satisfy cravings, and through the rest of the week I just try to eat good food and make it taste good within my calorie goal.
As I said, simple is key for me.

Some people view earning more calories as a reward and it works for them. However, MFP is telling you to eat in order to maintain a healthy deficit and provide your body appropriate fuel and nutrition. And if you aren't eating your exercise calories (or, as has been said, 50-75% of them to account for inaccuracies), then you're not actually sticking to your calorie goal - you're eating below it. However, depending on what you mean by "cheat day," if you eat above your calories that day that may leave you with the weekly calorie deficit you would have if you ate your exercise calories each day you exercised.

I eat within reason on cheat days, but allow for foods that are "dessert" in my diet - sugar, dairy, alcohol. I don't binge.

To your point - in years of maintaining, gaining and losing weight I found what works for me. To lose weight I have to be exercising and eating until a certain calorie count, etc. A whole system that only works when executed well. MFP calorie reward is an odd system to me and I don't follow it. To each their own.

haroldz123

If u really had to eat ur calories, eat more proteins

blind914

sometimes I just go up alittle like maybe 6oz of protein instead of 4, aliitle more veggies or fruits, I don't like to eat mine either lol

AllanMisner

Yes, always. You pick a calorie count to eat based on creating a small deficit that will provide for long-term fat loss. You exercise to get other health benefits. If you don't fuel yourself, eventually, you'll wreck yourself.

Exercise is a stress on the body, which leads to cortisol (catabolic, fat storage). In small doses, that is fine. But not feeding yourself, the body is going to be further stressed (like trying to decide which bills to pay when you don't have enough money to pay them all). This may also lead to fatigue and dificulty sleeping, which will affect other hormones.

Establish a small deficit, exercise for health and fitness goals, and fuel the next workout by eating back the calories expended by exercise. You'll get the maximum benefit from the exercise and see consistent (albeit slow) fat loss over time.

badbradclark

The intensity of the exercise determines how many exercise calories I eat back. If I walk for 30 minutes, I don't log it because I don't expend enough energy to need fuel replacement. For a 2 hour training bike ride in 90 degree heat, I'll consume pre-, during, and post-ride calories that are about 75%-80%. Since most (if not all) websites, devices, and apps over estimate calories, I wish web sites like MFP would have an "exercise calorie factor" that would apply to all exercise calories, then I wouldn't have to think about not eating too many exercise calories back. I'd probably set it for 50% to long only 1/2 of what any device or app reports as calories burned.

On a side note, I think too many people reply on apps and devices for reporting calories burned. Since the numbers tend to be over inflated, it may be harder for people to lose weight because they eat more than they should (even though they think they are eating under their limit).