can someone explain why u would eat back calories?
coco3382458
Posts: 296 Member
Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
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Depends on your goal and how you have setup your target calories for the day. For me, I need to maintain my weight and I have setup my calorie goal according to TDEE calculations which include the typical amount I exercise. I log my exercise but I don't "eat back" those calories.0
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For me it's tough to stick to my calorie goal (about 2400). But if I exercise I have no problem staying under the resulting goal. So my answer would be - it's a lot easier if I eat at least some of the calories I earned through exercise.
There's also the mystical "starvation mode" where if your net intake is lower than 1200 daily, it's supposed to make your body resist losing weight. A lot of people swear that this happens, so it seems like a good thing to avoid.0 -
Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
I think it defeats the purpose also! I think the reason it does this tho is bc when you set up your account you stated what your weekly weight loss goal is (mine is 2lbs per week). So the calorie consumption it suggests for you doesn't necessarily take into account your activity level. So, with the calorie intake they suggest you should be losing weight and adding activity will increase your weight loss to a higher number than your target weekly loss. So by eating the calories you burned off, you would still be on track to hit the weekly goal.... That's just what I am guessing. I really don't think you should eat all of the calories back tho, It seems pretty ridiculous to me.0 -
When you set up your account, it's building in your deficit. Even if you eat it all back, you're still at a deficit per your account to meet the goal you entered.Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
I think it defeats the purpose also! I think the reason it does this tho is bc when you set up your account you stated what your weekly weight loss goal is (mine is 2lbs per week). So the calorie consumption it suggests for you doesn't necessarily take into account your activity level. So, with the calorie intake they suggest you should be losing weight and adding activity will increase your weight loss to a higher number than your target weekly loss. So by eating the calories you burned off, you would still be on track to hit the weekly goal.... That's just what I am guessing. I really don't think you should eat all of the calories back tho, It seems pretty ridiculous to me.0 -
I had a lightbulb moment on this a while back. Here is what I came up with:
"So tell me if I am understanding this correctly. Once I keyed in my information, current weight, height, weight loss goal and activity level, MFP picked the number of calories I needed to each each day in order to lose the requested weekly number of pounds. For example, I wanted to lose 1.5 weekly, so my target daily calories are 1490. If I skipped exercise all together, I would lose the 1.5 weekly just by diet alone.
By adding exercise into the mix, I am already at the 1.5 weekly goal, but now with the exercise, I am taking an additional number of calories away each day. For example, if I burn 500 calories today then I have only had 990 calories to keep my body going for the day. Therefore, I need to eat back those calories because my original number already factors in the 1.5 weekly loss goal."
Hope that helps.0 -
MFP calculates a floating day to day TDEE in order to maintain constant weight loss.
If you aren't eating your exercise cals, you should not be using the default MFP settings as you are using it incorrectly; you end up large deficit (aka crash) dieting.0 -
to help build dem muscles.
You're already eating at a deficit - That's how you'll lose weight. Eat back your exercise cals to give your body the fuel it needs.0 -
Think of it like this. Your body is your car and the food you eat is the fuel/gas. For your regular drive to/from work, you require a certain amount of gallons of gas, say for example, 3 gallons of gas for your daily commute. So during the day, you put 3 gallons of gas into your car. But what happens if you decide to run some errands during your lunch hour. If you don't have enough gas to fuel that additional activity, you run out of gas.
Your body acts the same way. Your basic activities have a specific caloric requirement (and MFP already calculates a deficit so you will lose weight). If you exercise without additional fuel (food), you will run out of fuel for your body. By eating back your exercise calories, you are basically "topping off the tank" so you don't run out of gas.0 -
I'm in maintenance. For myself, I am 50, menopausal, and don't get that many calories to begin with, lol. I love to eat, and most days I do eat back my exercise calories. With that said, I am not doing intense exercise so don't get credit for that many. My exercise consists of walking daily, 4-7 miles, varies by day.0
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MFP as designed builds in the calorie deficit BEFORE exercise. This is because not everyone can/will exercise. So when you exercise you create a larger deficit than is HEALTHY.
"Healthy" weight loss promotes loss of mostly fat ..... too fast weight loss promotes muscle loss too.
Those using TDEE less a % .... are incorporating exercise in the starting number .... they are eating their calories back in a sense also.
Some people say that eating back exercise calories doesn't work for them...... you have to be careful with the exercise calories you give yourself .... MFP & many machines overstate caloire burns... maybe give yourself a % (say 70%) for starters & see how it goes. Other people are may be expecting to lose weight too quickly. Not everyone "should" be losing 1 pound a week .... that number is more like 1/2 pound when your are closer to goal.0 -
I personally don't . I base it off my tdee, and compare with other calcs. I never have huge deficits from it.0
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For two weeks I did not eat any exercise calories- and kept about 1200 cals per day.
I didn't lose. This past week ( today was weigh in day for me), I had eaten more and lost 5.4
I don't understand how it works but it actually did work for me.0 -
Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
I think it defeats the purpose also! I think the reason it does this tho is bc when you set up your account you stated what your weekly weight loss goal is (mine is 2lbs per week). So the calorie consumption it suggests for you doesn't necessarily take into account your activity level. So, with the calorie intake they suggest you should be losing weight and adding activity will increase your weight loss to a higher number than your target weekly loss. So by eating the calories you burned off, you would still be on track to hit the weekly goal.... That's just what I am guessing. I really don't think you should eat all of the calories back tho, It seems pretty ridiculous to me.
Rediculous is losing weight at all cost. Weight loss is not a speed contest. I eat my calories back (conservatively)....to MAINTAIN as much muscle mass as I can.
I want to reduce my body fat ..... reducing muscle mass defeats that purpose. Maintaining muscle mass defines how you will look when you are "finished" dieting.0 -
Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
...because the goals MFP gives you is ALREADY a deficit. Example: BMR is 1400. MFP says to eat 1200. I'm already at a 200 calorie deficit. Subtract my 300 calorie burn workout and I'm netting 900 calories. That's hardly enough to survive on. Your body needs calories to do its normal daily functions...like digesting food, sleeping, walking, breathing, chewing, etc....0 -
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You eat back your exercise calories because MFP is set up to give you only enough calories to function if you are bedridden. It expects you to add in exercise calories. That's why the daily goals are so low. You should always net at least 1200.
If you don't want to eat back your exercise calories, figure out your TDEE- 20% and eat that. Not eating your exercise calories doesn't make you a diet hero, it just means you don't know how to properly do this, and you wont be able to maintain this in the long run.0 -
Hi, I am new and am trying to figure this out. I am wondering why you would eat back calories you just burned from exercise? It seems like it would defeat the purpose. Isnt the goal to burn more calories then you eat?
This dilemma is precisely the reason that doing a lot of cardio is not the secret to weight loss.
Get some cardio for overall health, but it's not critical to lose weight.0 -
If you eat too little, your metabolism thinks you are starving, and it shuts down, hanging onto every little bit of fat it can. You must eat to fuel your workouts and rev up your metabolism, and you should eat small meals/snacks frequently.
This website has me figured to be on just 1200. I happen to know from experience, that for my level of exercise, I need between 1500 and 1600 calories a day. I will both lose weight and build muscle on that level. Don't take someone else calculation as absolute. Experiment until you find the ideal level for you.
It also matters what you eat, and the proportion of protein, fat and carbs. That will depend upon your fitness goals. Make each bite worthwhile nutritionally.0 -
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yup - don't eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Also yup the mfp calorie model is crap
"starvation mode "is a load of baloney too, just an excuse for people to eat more. When did you ever see a fat anorexic, fat super model or fat Ethiopian?0 -
MFP calculates a floating day to day TDEE in order to maintain constant weight loss.
If you aren't eating your exercise cals, you should not be using the default MFP settings as you are using it incorrectly; you end up large deficit (aka crash) dieting.
This!0 -
I had a lightbulb moment on this a while back. Here is what I came up with:
"So tell me if I am understanding this correctly. Once I keyed in my information, current weight, height, weight loss goal and activity level, MFP picked the number of calories I needed to each each day in order to lose the requested weekly number of pounds. For example, I wanted to lose 1.5 weekly, so my target daily calories are 1490. If I skipped exercise all together, I would lose the 1.5 weekly just by diet alone.
By adding exercise into the mix, I am already at the 1.5 weekly goal, but now with the exercise, I am taking an additional number of calories away each day. For example, if I burn 500 calories today then I have only had 990 calories to keep my body going for the day. Therefore, I need to eat back those calories because my original number already factors in the 1.5 weekly loss goal."
Hope that helps.
QFT: that's exactly right.
I do want to add that if your goal is more fitness related than pounds related (ie muscle definition and health vs losing 20) then exercise becomes more valuable than diet alone. You will lose weight at a deficit. This is a fact. However, should you be trying to increase your run pace or your lift strength, diet has to play into those goals. Much of the time I lift for 45 minutes on my lunch and hit a spin class in the evening. According to MFP, I typically burn about 1100 cals on these days. I never eat that much back because I worry about inaccuracy and, well, that's a lot of food. However, I do make sure to get a large quantity of protein to protect my muscle mass while exercising so much and to repair my muscles from the lifting as well as the resistance cardio. In addition, I make sure to get at least 1 serving of rice or potato after the cycle class to replenish a portion of my energy stores.
Obviously this isn't the ideal for everyone, but my rest day intake is 1634. If I burn ~1100 then my body is running on 534 calories for the remainder of the day. I must eat some back or I feel the effects. I hope my example helps a little. If I don't properly fuel my workouts, they are more detrimental to my body and my fitness health than they are beneficial.0 -
yup - dont eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Er, no.0 -
yup - don't eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Also yup the mfp calorie model is crap
Um, no and no.
Eating them back or not depends on how you calculate you daily calorie goal. it's completely independent of your weight loss/gain goals.0 -
yup - don't eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Also yup the mfp calorie model is crap
"starvation mode "is a load of baloney too, just an excuse for people to eat more. When did you ever see a fat anorexic, fat super model or fat Ethiopian?
That's your expert opinion after 9 pounds of weight loss, with 19 left to go, it seems.0 -
yup - don't eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Also yup the mfp calorie model is crap
"starvation mode "is a load of baloney too, just an excuse for people to eat more. When did you ever see a fat anorexic, fat super model or fat Ethiopian?
I guess if that is the look you are going after..... but most would probably say that anorexics, super models, and Ethiopians don't really look very healthy or attractive. I would much prefer a more healthy look.0 -
yup - don't eat back calories if trying to lose fat. Only eat back if you are bulking, maintaining or very near your goal weight
Also yup the mfp calorie model is crap
"starvation mode "is a load of baloney too, just an excuse for people to eat more. When did you ever see a fat anorexic, fat super model or fat Ethiopian?
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