TDEE-20% Do you eat back exercise calories?

jennagoogles13
jennagoogles13 Posts: 266
in Health and Weight Loss
I've calculated my TDEE-20% with an activity level of "Sedentary". Because my exercise calories aren't included, do I eat them back?

Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I would say yes.

    Technically when you calculate your TDEE, you are supposed to account for your exercise.
  • Danni3ll3
    Danni3ll3 Posts: 365 Member
    Yes. It is similar to what I am doing. I don't eat all of them back though. There is a spreadsheet available that will convert the calories burned to what you should put in MFP and eat back.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE#gid=14

    Fill in the Simple Set Up and then go to the MFP tweak tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Scroll down and you will find where to input the numbers.

    I hope this helps.
  • jennagoogles13
    jennagoogles13 Posts: 266
    Let's say I DO account for exercise (Moderate) when calculating my TDEE, then I would NOT eat back exercise calories, correct?
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Correct. Include it once, but not twice. Either include it through manual calculation each time you exercise, or include it through the activity multiplier.

    I choose to add it each time I exercise because my activity level is so variable.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Let's say I DO account for exercise (Moderate) when calculating my TDEE, then I would NOT eat back exercise calories, correct?

    If you have your TDEE figured correctly, then you would not eat back your exercise calories because they would already be figured into your TDEE.
  • jennagoogles13
    jennagoogles13 Posts: 266
    What tends to be more accurate: Including your activity level when you calculate your TDEE and not eating exercise calories, or calculating it set at "sedentary" and eating back exercise calories?
  • Danni3ll3
    Danni3ll3 Posts: 365 Member
    I am having more success with doing the sedentary thing and eating part of my exercise calories back according to the spreadsheet for which I posted the link. I tend to lose very slowly and have been at it for a few years. I need to be very precise at how much I exercise and eat to be able to finally drop those last few pounds.
  • texanintokyo
    texanintokyo Posts: 278 Member
    bump
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    I do better with sedentary and then eating back about 80% of my exercise calories. If I'm sick or don't workout or whatever for a particular day I don't end up eating to many calories. If you are dead steady all the time, there is no reason tdee wont work perfectly though.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    What tends to be more accurate: Including your activity level when you calculate your TDEE and not eating exercise calories, or calculating it set at "sedentary" and eating back exercise calories?

    If you estimate your exercise calories correctly it will usually end up being the same. With true TDEE you are actually still eating your exercise calories, they are just already factored in.

    As noted - setting at sedentary when you are not is not TDEE. I only stress that because it causes a lot of confusion here. TDEE is total daily energy expenditure - that includes everything.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    What tends to be more accurate: Including your activity level when you calculate your TDEE and not eating exercise calories, or calculating it set at "sedentary" and eating back exercise calories?

    Really the TDEE (including exercise) minus a percentage method or MFP way (eating back exercise calories) achieve the same thing - a calorie deficit. Just a personal choice if you prefer to eat a set number of calories daily or vary your daily intake according to your burns.
    My exercise varies enormously so the MFP way is much better for me - I also find it is more of a motivator.
    If your weekly exercise burn is pretty constant then TDEE - x% would work just as well.

    Accuracy comes from logging your food and estimating your calorie burns, although in reality consistency is as important as accuracy if you use trial and error to set your goals according to results.
  • coffee4me57
    coffee4me57 Posts: 195
    bump
  • cas123321
    cas123321 Posts: 2
    So, if my TDEE for lightly active is 2150, on the days that I was lightly active eating 2150 would maintain? Are those calories net or no? Because my net calories, eating like that, would be ~1850. Which I should be losing a teeny bit of weight at.

    But if it's not net, then having my net calories at 1850 on lightly active days would cause me to maintain. Can someone clear this up?

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