Earning calories with exercise: to eat or not to eat...?

csheltra26

i do not eat the calories i earn. i only eat the normal daily intake and this speeds up my fatloss

Speeds up your muscle loss as well......................


MFP as DESIGNED expects you to eat your calories back. The calorie deficit is built in BEFORE exercise. When you exercise you increase the deficit...... too large a deficit speeds up weight loss ..... fat PLUS muscle = weight.

Also (look up VLCD)..... when your deficit is large you are prone to plateaus also.

Just be careful not to eat too many calories back .... machnes & MFP are "guesstimates" .... one of the key factors is exertion level.... no way MFP or machines can know that.

This.
I never used to eat back my exercise calories....killed my metabolism and couldn't eat anything without gaining weight. Oh yeah, lost weight really quickly and then gained it back. You have to be careful not to create too much of a deficit. You want your metabolism to keep working and burning so when you are ready to maintain it doesn't have to be on 1200 calories a day.

erikkmcvay

The premise behind the daily caloric amount giving is based on your BMR (NOT BMI -- they are different things) multiplied by your daily activity level.

SO if you were honest (like putting sedentary because you sit at a desk all day like me) and stick to that then adding back calories earned when exercising actually makes perfect sense. Here is why:

A sedentary person does not exercise.

You see the BMR multiplied by 1.2 for Sedentary, gives you a daily caloric requirement that you need to eat NOT INCLUDING any exercise or extracurricular physical activity. Then MFP sets a target daily caloric amount in order to meet your weight loss goals based on this alone.

So, if you work out, do cardio, work in the garden etc then you would have to eat those calories back in order to maintain your projected deficit. Not doing so could result in binging due to excessive hunger because you're put yourself into a greater deficit.

My daily caloric needs are 2450 calories. That's my BMR times the rate for a 47 year old 235 pound man sitting at a desk all day. If I want to lose 2 pounds per month then I need to eat 1450 a day (1000 per day times 7 days equals 7000 calories not eating or 2lbs I SHOULD lose -- doesn't always work that way). Therefore if I ride my mountain bike for an hour at about 13mph I can burn an additional 1000 calories....to not eat those back would mean I took in only 450.

450 calories in one day is starvation.

TheBeerRunner

Eat back what you can, but don't feel obligated to every day.

iamkass

I only eat them if I'm hungry. I usually am, but sometimes I'm not. Just listen to your body, don't stuff your face to reach your calorie goal, but don't ignore your hunger, especially if you have calories left to eat.

Flowers4Julia

MFP is set up that you are supposed to eat them back. Your daily goal already has a deficit built in, meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. Burn off cals through exercise and you're creating a much larger deficit, which is not good for ya, and can cause more harm than any good in the long run (stall in weight loss, no energy for workouts, burn out, screwed up hormones & metabolism, loss of lean muscle, body wants to store fat, etc).

That's why MFP adds those burned cals back into your goal when you log your exercise - you are supposed to eat them back to bring your NET calories up to goal for the day. Food is fuel! Can't expect that furnace to keep burnin' hot if you don't fuel it!

Edited to add: This system works well assuming you have set things up correctly - meaning being honest and realistic with healthy weight loss goals (as in not 2lbs a week if you've got 20lbs to lose), activity levels, etc.

Terrific advice, worth repeating.....

nonnie35750

When I started this lifestyle change I was told to eat back at least half my exercise calories. This will give me the fuel I need to continue my get fit program. It also allows me to not deprive myself of anything. I've been much more conscientous about what I eat and what I need to fuel my body. I am averaging 1.5 to 2 pound weight loss per week. I like to eat, therefore, I've learned that the more I exercise, the more that I can eat.

andrewjuu

I don't really believe the calories burned from exercise estimate that gets imported from my fitness app (currently Endomondo Sports Tracker) into MFP during a workout. Nor do I believe the numbers in the MFP exercise database. IMO there are too many variables to take into account to get a truly accurate measurement of an individual's unique calorie burning profile using current consumer available techonolgy. I don't know if an HRM is the answer. Each HRM manufacturer uses propietary algorithms to determine the caloric burn & I don't really know how accurate they are. I would want to see some published studies before plunking down my hard earned cash That being the case (in order to err on the side of caution), I don't eat back the calories burned during exercise each day.

Francl27

Ideally, you should. The issue really is you don't want to create a deficit too big, or you're going to slow down your metabolism and eventually stall.

But unless you have a heart rate monitor, you probably don't really know how many calories you're burning anyway, so I would probably not eat it all back unless you're really hungry.

jessdunn27

The premise behind the daily caloric amount giving is based on your BMR (NOT BMI -- they are different things) multiplied by your daily activity level.

SO if you were honest (like putting sedentary because you sit at a desk all day like me) and stick to that then adding back calories earned when exercising actually makes perfect sense. Here is why:

A sedentary person does not exercise.

You see the BMR multiplied by 1.2 for Sedentary, gives you a daily caloric requirement that you need to eat NOT INCLUDING any exercise or extracurricular physical activity. Then MFP sets a target daily caloric amount in order to meet your weight loss goals based on this alone.

So, if you work out, do cardio, work in the garden etc then you would have to eat those calories back in order to maintain your projected deficit. Not doing so could result in binging due to excessive hunger because you're put yourself into a greater deficit.

My daily caloric needs are 2450 calories. That's my BMR times the rate for a 47 year old 235 pound man sitting at a desk all day. If I want to lose 2 pounds per month then I need to eat 1450 a day (1000 per day times 7 days equals 7000 calories not eating or 2lbs I SHOULD lose -- doesn't always work that way). Therefore if I ride my mountain bike for an hour at about 13mph I can burn an additional 1000 calories....to not eat those back would mean I took in only 450.

450 calories in one day is starvation.

This is the best explanation I've seen. Thanks for your input. I'll eat away. I, too, have a desk job, so I try to walk every evening when I get home for some exercise (3 kids...not much time for anything else!!). Guess I'll keep walking and have my evening snack and not feel guilty!

TeaBea

I don't really believe the calories burned from exercise estimate that gets imported from my fitness app (currently Endomondo Sports Tracker) into MFP during a workout. Nor do I believe the numbers in the MFP exercise database. IMO there are too many variables to take into account to get a truly accurate measurement of an individual's unique calorie burning profile using current consumer available techonolgy. I don't know if an HRM is the answer. Each HRM manufacturer uses propietary algorithms to determine the caloric burn & I don't really know how accurate they are. I would want to see some published studies before plunking down my hard earned cash That being the case (in order to err on the side of caution), I don't eat back the calories burned during exercise each day.

You don't believe the estimates, that's fine, niether do I ......... but is ZERO a closer number?

I guess I don't understand ...... if it's not 100% accurate.... then it's zero. Oh well, for me maintaining muscle mass is more important than losing at a specific rate. Weight loss isn't a race for me; it took me awhile to get fat .... it's going to take me awhile to get FIT (not skinny..... I hate that word).

herblackwings39

As others have said MFP sets you up with your vital stats and your job/daily routine activity. So anything you do during your work day should be accounted for, but your exercise activity is not so it should be eaten back.

Johanne1957

The premise behind the daily caloric amount giving is based on your BMR (NOT BMI -- they are different things) multiplied by your daily activity level.

SO if you were honest (like putting sedentary because you sit at a desk all day like me) and stick to that then adding back calories earned when exercising actually makes perfect sense. Here is why:

A sedentary person does not exercise.

You see the BMR multiplied by 1.2 for Sedentary, gives you a daily caloric requirement that you need to eat NOT INCLUDING any exercise or extracurricular physical activity. Then MFP sets a target daily caloric amount in order to meet your weight loss goals based on this alone.

So, if you work out, do cardio, work in the garden etc then you would have to eat those calories back in order to maintain your projected deficit. Not doing so could result in binging due to excessive hunger because you're put yourself into a greater deficit.

My daily caloric needs are 2450 calories. That's my BMR times the rate for a 47 year old 235 pound man sitting at a desk all day. If I want to lose 2 pounds per month then I need to eat 1450 a day (1000 per day times 7 days equals 7000 calories not eating or 2lbs I SHOULD lose -- doesn't always work that way). Therefore if I ride my mountain bike for an hour at about 13mph I can burn an additional 1000 calories....to not eat those back would mean I took in only 450.

450 calories in one day is starvation.

^^^This - Great explanation. Thank you.

andrewjuu

I think what some people are missing is that although the information you get here on MFP is helpful, the process of weight loss is not etched in stone & can differ based on the many factors that go into the numbers. Remember that the estimates you get for your daily calorie target are just that, estimates. Through trial and error I found what works best for me, and that is not eating my earned exercise calories. But by all means, do what works for you!

LeanneGoingThin

I eat mine back. It's important to keep your NET calories at or above your BMR.

Why is this, if I may ask?

erikkmcvay

Thanks ")

I had some typo's in there (like if you wanted to lose 2lbs a month -- I meant a week).

A note on walking in the evenings: You CAN and some argue SHOULD walk right after your evening meal.

I know this seems contrary to what most often say but research has shown that a slower walk 2.5-3.5mph) after a meal, that is right after a meal, will help with digestion, help absorb the new calories and speed up your metabolism at a time when it most often is slowing down.

I prefer to walk immediately following my dinner but with the summer approaching it can get pretty warm here (normally it would be in the 100's already but this year it's been a cool spring and it's been in the 70's and 80's) so when the heat rises I push my evening walks to when the sun is about to drop below the horizon or just after. It's usually cooler at this time yet still light enough to not need flashlights

But that's off topic!

One more thing to consider when eating back calories is the balance of what you are eating. If your intake is increased by increasing protein and you've just included more physical activity in your life then it is very likely that you will gain more muscle or arrest the loss of muscle. This may cause frustration because you might think your weight loss plan isn't working. Give it time! Truth is, muscle weighs more then fat and while you are losing fat you might be adding muscle -- in which case it's actually possible to GAIN a little weight or not drop weight during periods where you are exercising a lot and eating more protein...but in the end lean muscle mass burns more calories and you will begin to lose the fat (hence the advice to check inches not pounds all the time).

Case in point: on 6/3 my weight dropped to 234.6lbs. I was very happy! I was really starting to push myself and riding 13 miles at lunch 2 or 3 days a week so I increased my protein intake by adding 1 or 2 30gram protein bars to my snacks and making sure I drank 2 or 3 protein shakes (27ea) a day also. I pushed my protein up by as much as 141 grams on some days! Today I weighed in at 235.4 and while I have been fluctuating between 234 and 235 I noticed that I lost another inch on my stomach and 1/2" on my waist. This is the result of increased lean muscle mass (hence the increased weight) and the cardio burning off the fat. I fully expect my weight to drop again soon but I'm not going to stress over it because I know that weight doesn't drop in a linear easy to calculate pattern. Instead it seems to drop and then stall and then drop some more and then stall and so on.

So be prepared to see your weight sort of 'stair step' down as you continue to monitor your foods, maintain an accurate (as can be) log, stick to your goals and include cardio and/or weight training.

Good luck!

TeaBea

I eat mine back. It's important to keep your NET calories at or above your BMR.

Why is this, if I may ask?

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) .... are the calories required if you were in a coma. Your heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. are using calories all day long.

Eating very low calorie is very taxing on the body. When you are eating very few calories maintaining existing muscle mass is secondary to the basic bodily functions above. There is "healthy" weight loss that spares muscle tissue .... and fast weight loss.

freckledrats

It depends. If your intake already takes into account your activity and the exercise is not above and beyond, then no. If you use the sedentary intake, then you should eat some back at least, since you do need to fuel your activity. It's not an exact science as there are gonna be overestimates and underestimates both ways, but I think eating some back is pretty safe.

meredith1123

I save them and cheat on weekends.....

crimsoncat

The only thing that motivates me to exercise some days is wanting more food. I eat mine back.

rassha01

Eat em back for a month and see what happens, than try not eating them back for a month and see what happens. See which way works best for you, believe it or not everyone is not the same!!! I personally eat back some (25-75%) of them to so I do not overeat the estimated calories.