Exercise calories - how many to eat back

Lola2248

Hi
Just a bit of general advice wanted really
I understand the site overestimates calories burned. When you exercise and log it, do you eat back a percentage of what you burned?
Or do you have a standard, i.e. 1200 calories non exercise day, 1500 calories exercise day - irrelevant how much exercise you do?
Thanks in advance

lmr0528

I don't focus on eating back or not eating back a certain amount. If I'm hungry and I have calories left, I eat.

DeguelloTex

My standard is to eat back zero (0) exercise calories.

brianpperkins

MFP is designed for you to eat back all exercise calories. The issue is the ability to accurately calculate that number ... overestimation is common.

nancypnurse

Depends on the day. Like DeguelloTex, I tend to not count my exercise calories back into my day. But on certain "holidays," I will pick up the pace and count in my extra workout calories- (hello, small slice of husband's birthday cake this morning!;) )

Lola2248

brianpperkins wrote: »

MFP is designed for you to eat back all exercise calories. The issue is the ability to accurately calculate that number ... overestimation is common.

So it is my overestimation rather than the sites? So if I know from a machine i am walking say at 2% incline for 20 minutes at 5 mph, the calories given by MFP would be fairly accurate?

DeguelloTex

Really the only way to know is to evaluate your actual weight loss as it relates to your actual intake deficit and see how much difference the exercise is making.

cwolfman13

Depends on how accurate your estimations are...mine were always fairly accurate so I ate back most of them.

brianpperkins

Lola2248 wrote: »

brianpperkins wrote: »

MFP is designed for you to eat back all exercise calories. The issue is the ability to accurately calculate that number ... overestimation is common.

So it is my overestimation rather than the sites? So if I know from a machine i am walking say at 2% incline for 20 minutes at 5 mph, the calories given by MFP would be fairly accurate?

Many calculators overestimate .... that includes those online, on machines, and HRMs. MFP is close on some activities, wildly off on others. Every make and model of machine offers a different level of mechanical advantage and resistance while they tend to use formulas based on generalities. The math behind HRMs is only applicable to a narrow range of activities ... they are not the end all of calorie estimation that you will see them touted as on MFP.

Even the Compendium of Physical Activities https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/ is based on averaged information. It can get you to a close starting point but individual adjustments are required.

TimothyFish

The problem isn't so much that MFP overestimates, but the estimate is based on the so called average person. The numbers will be right for some people and some people it won't. Exercise machines usually overestimate by 15% to 20%. I use MapMyRide to calculate my exercise calories, but it also seems to be overestimating, on top of which, it doesn't remove BMR from the equation before adding it to MFP. I found an equation that is supposed to calculate the additional energy required while riding a bicycle. I changed my weight in MapMyRide so that it would spit out the same number. That number is 40% of what the activity charts that MFP uses would give me. I don't figure that is correct either, but I'm so close to my goal that I figure I can wait until I reach it before trying to figure out a more accurate number.

Leighkai76

I almost always eat my calories back unless I'm not hungry. I use my own calculations which are way less than MFP. For running I give myself about 90 cals for every 10 minutes. For Crossfit I usually give 200-250 depending on the day. For biking at a consistant hard effort about 80 cals for every 10 minutes. I wear a GPS HRM for the biking and running that is in line with my guesses.

ljcolasanto

My understanding is that chest-based HRMs are the best, with wrist-based trackers being decent, and MFP being all over the place on these? But yes, even HRMs are not completely accurate, though they are said to be the best from what I've read. For the record, I do not eat back my exercise calories and I have been losing weight. I also use a fitbit flex. For me, the value is that it is repeatable and I can easily compare my alleged calorie burn over time. You can then adjust it if you think it's too high or low, but at least using one device to track it will give you consistency.

joeboland

I don't generally use MFP to track my workouts.

zavislak

I would say you should eat back your calories if you are trying to maintain, cut by 10-15% if you are trying to lose. I use my smart watch to calculate my calories burned because if goes by my heart rate to calculate them. Also, you may not be eating enough if you are only eating 1200 calories on no workout days. I understand I have been there and did the same thing when I was trying to lose weight. 1200 calories is usually too low for most people. I work out 3 days a week and eat 1600 calories on non workout days and I eat all my calories on workout days. I have lost 30 lbs in the last 2 1/2 months. Make sure you get enough healthy fats and 1/2 your body weight in water. I have a few other tricks I have learned if interested.

Lola2248

zavislak wrote: »

I would say you should eat back your calories if you are trying to maintain, cut by 10-15% if you are trying to lose. I use my smart watch to calculate my calories burned because if goes by my heart rate to calculate them. Also, you may not be eating enough if you are only eating 1200 calories on no workout days. I understand I have been there and did the same thing when I was trying to lose weight. 1200 calories is usually too low for most people. I work out 3 days a week and eat 1600 calories on non workout days and I eat all my calories on workout days. I have lost 30 lbs in the last 2 1/2 months. Make sure you get enough healthy fats and 1/2 your body weight in water. I have a few other tricks I have learned if interested.

Any help is appreciated... so yes! Tell me more.

Asher_Ethan

I eat back half and it's working for me.

jemhh

I eat them all back.

My suggestion is to choose one method, whether it is eating them all or a portion. Stick with it for 3-4 weeks. If you are losing significantly slower than what you chose on your MFP profile, eat fewer exercise calories. If you are losing significantly faster (a rate that veers into the "too fast" territory), eat more exercise calories.

The MFP calculator, just like every single other calorie, BMR, RMR, TDEE, NEAT, etc. calculator can only give you an estimate. You need to take that number, look at the data you get from your own real life, and then adjust for the results you need. For every person on MFP who says that the numbers are overestimated, there are likely people for whom the numbers are right on or overestimated. There's no one size fits all answer to this.

brianpperkins

ljcolasanto wrote: »

My understanding is that chest-based HRMs are the best, with wrist-based trackers being decent, and MFP being all over the place on these? But yes, even HRMs are not completely accurate, though they are said to be the best from what I've read. For the record, I do not eat back my exercise calories and I have been losing weight. I also use a fitbit flex. For me, the value is that it is repeatable and I can easily compare my alleged calorie burn over time. You can then adjust it if you think it's too high or low, but at least using one device to track it will give you consistency.

Best for what?

Chest straps and some arm mounted optical HRMs are great at counting heart beats at rest and during activity. The wrist mounted ones tend to become inaccurate during activity. All HRM caloric estimates are based on formulas built around steady state cardio ... none do lifting, intervals (to include HIIT), Zumba, yoga, etc accurately.

DeguelloTex

ljcolasanto wrote: »

I also use a fitbit flex. For me, the value is that it is repeatable and I can easily compare my alleged calorie burn over time. You can then adjust it if you think it's too high or low, but at least using one device to track it will give you consistency.

This is what I am doing. My UP24 gives me an estimate of caloric burn. It might be right. It might be wrong. I don't have any reason to believe that it is meaningfully inconsistent, so I don't really care if it is wrong because it's still a consistent baseline.

I know what I "should" be losing based on the UP24's burn. I know what I "should" be losing based on diet. I track the two together and get what appears to be a pretty decent view as to how much exercise makes how much difference in my weight. I keep a rolling average of how much the UP24's estimate departs from my actual weight loss and use that difference to determine my actual TDEE. It seems to be working OK.

bennett180790

my fitness pal already has you in a deficit so if you did not exercise you would lose weight just from eating so you need to eat back half if not all your exercise cals. however if you worked out your cals from a site like iifym.com then this takes into account your exercise and you do not eat them back and just log your exercise as 0 or 1 calorie. my macros are 1928 ( i recently upped them from 1400 which was low and stupid for the amount of exercise i was doing and my net cals were only 500 per a day -- strupid !!) i have my cals set to 1600 and then eat back half my calories, i am doing this slowly to help repair my metabolism and will soon have my cals set as 1928 and only log exercise without a value. please go and read iifym.com as it literally puts a lightbulb in on your head. If your exercising you need to fuel your body. my maintenence calories are 2300ish cals. please dont undereat i was doing this felt like crap had no energy and barely lost ! if you want to track your exercise ocrrectly then buy a HRM tracker like a polar or garmin. again weightloss and macros isn't black and white. everyone will react differently and it is all trial and error but please do not inadvertently starve yourself. MFP has net calories for a reason and if you are already eating at a food deficit then you need to ensure you replinish what you exercise. i am 24, F, 159lbs btw and i exercise 6 times a week. 3 weight training sessions, 4/5 spin classes and cardio after weights. i was living on 1400 cals a day ! bloody stupid and i am now glad i have seen sense !

csgtdw

I may be the odd egg but I don't attempt to eat back the calories. Many days, especially exercise days, I am still hungry so I eat like Imr0528 said. Attempting to lose weight and restore my health so I try to keep a deficit of a couple hundred calories and pay close attention to the nutrients and in my case fat intake. I use run keeper and Withings gadgets and those are usually synced up numbers wise. Regardless of the gadgets and the figures, the MFP program is just supposed to be a guide for you to shape your own program. When I first started using it I saw how much crap I was eating and changed my food lifestyle. Now I feel better but I'm not actually losing fat anymore so I add a little more activity in thus changing my moods and building in a deficit into my day. Currently I'm fine tuning my diet (I shouldn't say that because I'm not eating less just changing foods) to see where I can cut things like sodium and cholesterol and thus killing a bit of bloat and water retention. So that's how I use the system, if you are concerned with the numbers just use your body as a co-guide. If you're not losing what you need then maybe don't eat back all of your calories, or perhaps you're losing lbs but not burning fat, then more activities and protein might be appropriate.

bennett180790

also i have seen your diary. buy some food scales and weigh things in grams. trusting cups and oz just isnt enough as you are probably under or over estimating. if you are using measuring spoons then fine but a tea spoon (15ml) is not as much as you think when you just spoon something out.

Lola2248

bennett180790 wrote: »

also i have seen your diary. buy some food scales and weigh things in grams. trusting cups and oz just isnt enough as you are probably under or over estimating. if you are using measuring spoons then fine but a tea spoon (15ml) is not as much as you think when you just spoon something out.

You are so right! I have recently done that. I am building up my recipes, and am gob smacked at how much in the past I have underestimated what I was eating.

SallyinIL

One more vote for eating back half of the assigned workout calories.

lemurcat12

Lola2248 wrote: »

I understand the site overestimates calories burned. When you exercise and log it, do you eat back a percentage of what you burned?

I used to and did for the majority of my loss on MFP. For me, it depended on the exercise. I ate back all running calories up to 500 and whatever I felt like after that (this only affected my one long run of the week). I ate about half my biking calories, and same with cardio-based exercise classes or the elliptical. I have no clue how to measure strength, so would usually do about 100 for an hour.

I used Fitbit for straight walking calories or included them in my activity setting (lightly active instead of sedentary), but I walk a pretty consistent amount and for errands and commuting, not specifically for exercise.

Doing this I generally lost more than MFP predicted, so it seemed to be an undercount, not an overcount.

I got tired of this especially when I started being unable to stand the super low calorie off days and unable to eat the extra on big running or biking days, so I switched to TDEE where you include exercise you typically do in the calorie estimate. That worked really well for me for the remainder of my loss. (I've either been taking a diet break or in maintenance for a bit, but TDEE method is also what I plan to do for maintenance.)

I think you should include exercise in your calorie estimate in some way, especially if you are doing hard exercise, have fitness-related goals (I was training for a 10K and then half marathon and continue to train for races, and am now trying to make strength goals as well), or have an aggressive deficit and are not extremely obese/under a doctor's care. The basic idea is that 1% of total weight or 1-2 lb/week is the maximum that most people should aim for with their deficit (made up of diet and exercise) and MFP at -2 lb/week + lots of exercise is going to be overkill for many, at least if you log accurately. (Some simply don't count exercise to make up for poor logging.)

Bigger guys may have so many calories and such a high weight or maintenance that this is less of an issue, as even with the deficit plus exercise it's not that aggressive in a relative sense, but it is an issue for most women.

lemurcat12

jemhh wrote: »

I eat them all back.

My suggestion is to choose one method, whether it is eating them all or a portion. Stick with it for 3-4 weeks. If you are losing significantly slower than what you chose on your MFP profile, eat fewer exercise calories. If you are losing significantly faster (a rate that veers into the "too fast" territory), eat more exercise calories.

In terms of practically how to do it, this is the best answer, IMO.

EvgeniZyntx

brianpperkins wrote: »

ljcolasanto wrote: »

My understanding is that chest-based HRMs are the best, with wrist-based trackers being decent, and MFP being all over the place on these? But yes, even HRMs are not completely accurate, though they are said to be the best from what I've read. For the record, I do not eat back my exercise calories and I have been losing weight. I also use a fitbit flex. For me, the value is that it is repeatable and I can easily compare my alleged calorie burn over time. You can then adjust it if you think it's too high or low, but at least using one device to track it will give you consistency.

Best for what?

Chest straps and some arm mounted optical HRMs are great at counting heart beats at rest and during activity. The wrist mounted ones tend to become inaccurate during activity. All HRM caloric estimates are based on formulas built around steady state cardio ... none do lifting, intervals (to include HIIT), Zumba, yoga, etc accurately.

This gets repeated as a mantra, however any HRM monitor using first beat technology is based on non-steady state activity with accuracy in the 90%+.

csgtdw

EvgeniZyntx: How do you feel about the use of chest straps for people with heart issues? I have avoided using the chest strap during rowing because it's I know my heart isn't beating normally. Do you think it will account for that or still a bad idea?

kpodaru

lmr0528 wrote: »

I don't focus on eating back or not eating back a certain amount. If I'm hungry and I have calories left, I eat.

^^ this.

i wear an HRM during my workouts and enter that as cals burned instead of relying on what this app tells me. also, i eat when i'm hungry, i don't eat when i'm not...the way it's supposed to be. i use this app to make sure that i'm within my target caloric range. yesterday i was short 500cals but wasn't hugry at all so 500cals short it was.

use this app for reference only ie. to make sure you're eating within your range but also LISTEN to your body! that's more important

brianpperkins

EvgeniZyntx wrote: »

brianpperkins wrote: »

ljcolasanto wrote: »

My understanding is that chest-based HRMs are the best, with wrist-based trackers being decent, and MFP being all over the place on these? But yes, even HRMs are not completely accurate, though they are said to be the best from what I've read. For the record, I do not eat back my exercise calories and I have been losing weight. I also use a fitbit flex. For me, the value is that it is repeatable and I can easily compare my alleged calorie burn over time. You can then adjust it if you think it's too high or low, but at least using one device to track it will give you consistency.

Best for what?

Chest straps and some arm mounted optical HRMs are great at counting heart beats at rest and during activity. The wrist mounted ones tend to become inaccurate during activity. All HRM caloric estimates are based on formulas built around steady state cardio ... none do lifting, intervals (to include HIIT), Zumba, yoga, etc accurately.

This gets repeated as a mantra, however any HRM monitor using first beat technology is based on non-steady state activity with accuracy in the 90%+.

Even First Beat hasn't jammed the scientific square peg into a round hole. They are getting better at trying to account for intervals ... they still can't do HIIT, lifting, yoga, etc ... the relationship between HR, VO2 max, scalable to effort level, and calories simply is not there.

RedArizona5

My uncle has given me advice when i asked him about that regarding walking. He has a masters in nutrition and a martial artist so i trust his advice.

"You should eat unprocessed foods, eat when your hungry and eat till your full. Healthy fats are very good for you and being healthy on the inside is more important then being skinny."

Makes sense to me, i don't have access to fresh food since Im not home a lot and fresh food goes bad and then it becomes wasteful. I think its possible to lose weight and be healthy i think its also healthier to take his advice. I will try it soon as possible but i need to be more active. But then again gorging on veges and rice and some fruit more and meat less (but still included) makes it possible for one to be more healthy. My aunt issnt skinny but she isn't even pudgy-just curvy and a little thick but not very thick so they do follow there advice.