Do yall eat back the calories you burn during exercise?

cwolfman13

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Actually, that's stupid and meal timing is irrelevant. I eat my full dinner at 8:30/9:00 PM every night and am in bed by 10...I've lost 40 Lbs. Meal timing is irrelevant...calories in/calories out period.

LadyIntrepid

Yep. I eat 'em. When I was in weight loss mode, I focused more on netting than actual calories eating. So as long as I was netting 1200-1400 a day, i was losing. And losing more quickly when it was closer to 1400 than 1200. But everyone has to find what works for them.

trud72

only if I am hungry! :bigsmile:

crowlg94

No, do not eat back what you burn. It's OK if you need a small snack but if you want to lose the weight don't over do it. Without the exercise the program allow you to lose about 2 pounds a week plus or minus. If you are exercising that is extra and you will lose more faster.

MaydayParadeGirl

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Actually, that's stupid and meal timing is irrelevant. I eat my full dinner at 8:30/9:00 PM every night and am in bed by 10...I've lost 40 Lbs. Meal timing is irrelevant...calories in/calories out period.

Your body goes into recovery mode when you go to bed, it naturally slows down, if you're eating a ton of calories before bed it's goign to slow down the calorie burning rate.

cindy5761

I wouldn't eat them all back.....just remember you need a 500 calorie deficit a day to lose 1 lb a week.....either through cutting calories or with exercise.

pastryari

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

bajoyba

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Your body is not going to store calories just because you're asleep. You burn calories 24/7, because calories are fuel, and they are what your body uses to do anything and everything. Whether you eat food 3 hours before you go to sleep or right before you sleep, that food is still in your system being digested. According to the Mayo Clinic, it takes 6 to 8 hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine, and around 40 for food to pass through your large intestine. It varies depending on a variety of factors, but on average, your meal spends 50 hours inside your body before it is completely digested and the waste is excreted.

So no, it doesn't matter when you eat.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestive-system/an00896

A deficit is a deficit. A small to moderate calorie deficit plus regular exercise is optimal to lose fat and retain muscle mass. Use the website as it was designed and eat back your exercise calories, or use the TDEE method.

bethheyyy

oh.. good to know. Thanks!

kgraves3

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Right there with ya...

cwolfman13

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Actually, that's stupid and meal timing is irrelevant. I eat my full dinner at 8:30/9:00 PM every night and am in bed by 10...I've lost 40 Lbs. Meal timing is irrelevant...calories in/calories out period.

Your body goes into recovery mode when you go to bed, it naturally slows down, if you're eating a ton of calories before bed it's goign to slow down the calorie burning rate.

I burn roughly 2700 calories per 24 hours period...again...irrelevant. Also, you will note that I've lost all my weight doing exactly what you say would sabotage weight loss...hmmm....how could that be? Again, calories in/calories out. If you are catabolic you cannot be anabolic just because you went to bed. In other words, if you're at a calorie deficit...your'e not going to store extra calories...because you are at a deficit from maintenance period. Laws of thermodynamics...science and what not, not old wives tales and mythology.

Mavrick_RN

Just in case you weren't aware of this feature, when you go to the message boards section, there is a button called search and you can type in a keyword (ex: exercise calories) and you can see the threads that have already been created on the topic. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1016704-eating-those-exercise-calories-back?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15580010

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1015888-exercise-calories-burned?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15566595

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1015663-just-started-eating-my-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15562785

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1013339-banking-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15524777

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1013246-tdee-20-do-you-eat-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15523136

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1010174-eating-back-exercised-calories-vs-not-which-worked-for-you?hl=exercise+calories&page=5#posts-15509107

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1011388-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15491477

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1011119-exercise-calories-do-you-use-them-advice-please?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15485468

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1010178-do-you-eat-back-your-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=1#posts-15468451

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1009045-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15450202

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1007167-should-you-eat-all-your-exercise-calories-back?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15419223

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf?hl=exercise+calories&page=2#posts-15361276

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1003352-exercise-calories-factored-in?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15359280

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1002463-eating-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15344967

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/999804-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=1#posts-15303631

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/998974-exercise-calories-poll?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15289256

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/998402-eating-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15279322

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/997471-wait-why-no-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15261875

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/996468-setting-calorie-goal-to-bmr-and-eating-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15244804

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/989861-eating-back-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories&page=1#posts-15133661

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/989221-thoughts-exercise-calories-are-meaningless?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15123780

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/989273-macros-and-exercise-calories?hl=exercise+calories#posts-15122424

Thank you !! (Quite the collection)

kgraves3

Please read the forum post I linked before regarding it. It is definitely sound, tried-and-true advice with a good non-technical explanation of why this is so important. Creating too large of a calorie deficit could cause you to plateau very quickly, or to burn a lot of your muscle mass.

Here it is again, just in case:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

Katina3333

I eat about half of my burned calories back just because you can get so many different readings on how many calories are burned doing a specific exercise. So to be on the safe side I just eat back half. Its working for me.

wtw0n

No, do not eat back what you burn. It's OK if you need a small snack but if you want to lose the weight don't over do it. Without the exercise the program allow you to lose about 2 pounds a week plus or minus. If you are exercising that is extra and you will lose more faster.

Yes, I eat back my exercise calories 'cause I follow MFP system. My net calorie goal is 1700 and that's the number I try to hit. I've lost 21.9kg in about ten months so obviously I'm doing something right.

endoftheside

Sometimes I exercise just so I can eat more. :laugh: I eat back usually around half of my exercise calories because I use MFP values and I assume they are a bit high. I have my calories set to my sedentary TDEE at my goal weight, so heck yeah I log things like mowing the lawn (which I never used to do and falls outside the range of sedentary activities). I also don't like to go under my current weight BMR because that starts veering into the "too large a deficit" zone for my preference.

bethheyyy

THANK YOU!

It may have been a stupid question but Im new to all of this and it seems on the internet everyone has a different answer. I appreciate all of the feed back. MFP is so awesome!

Hexahedra

If I use the treadmill's calorie count, I would eat back pretty much all of it. If it's based on MFP's calculator, I would eat back about 75% of it because it's less accurate.

fdphiri

Never, it would defeat the purpose.

pastryari

Never, it would defeat the purpose.

Sigh. You're wrong. You obviously don't know how the system that you are using works. PLEASE PLEASE, EDUCATE YOURSELF. Did you read ANY of the info in this thread? Or when you signed up?

You know what? I don't care. In fact, you should just stop eating, eating defeats the purpose right?

diannethegeek

I wouldn't eat them all back.....just remember you need a 500 calorie deficit a day to lose 1 lb a week.....either through cutting calories or with exercise.

MFP has already built in the deficit for you before exercise. When you exercise you make the deficit bigger, sometimes bigger than the body can manage safely. Even if you were to eat every single calorie you burn (assuming you use an accurate measurement) the 500 calorie deficit is still there with MFP.

BeachIron

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Actually, that's stupid and meal timing is irrelevant. I eat my full dinner at 8:30/9:00 PM every night and am in bed by 10...I've lost 40 Lbs. Meal timing is irrelevant...calories in/calories out period.

Your body goes into recovery mode when you go to bed, it naturally slows down, if you're eating a ton of calories before bed it's goign to slow down the calorie burning rate.

I burn roughly 2700 calories per 24 hours period...again...irrelevant. Also, you will note that I've lost all my weight doing exactly what you say would sabotage weight loss...hmmm....how could that be? Again, calories in/calories out. If you are catabolic you cannot be anabolic just because you went to bed. In other words, if you're at a calorie deficit...your'e not going to store extra calories...because you are at a deficit from maintenance period. Laws of thermodynamics...science and what not, not old wives tales and mythology.

^ This.

<< Or I'm doing it all wrong.

We need another cat gif here.

magerum

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

That's a horrible myth, meal timing is irrelevant. I eat 1200-2000 calories within an hour of going to bed. Typically finishing within minutes of bed time.

ZoeLifts

NO!! I never eat them back.. I always work out at night,and refuse to eat late and then go to sleep !!

That's a good idea because your body burns less calories when you are sleeping and therefore is storing more foods, you aren't supposed to eat for like...three hours before you go to bed or something? At least anything heavy

Actually, that's stupid and meal timing is irrelevant. I eat my full dinner at 8:30/9:00 PM every night and am in bed by 10...I've lost 40 Lbs. Meal timing is irrelevant...calories in/calories out period.

Your body goes into recovery mode when you go to bed, it naturally slows down, if you're eating a ton of calories before bed it's goign to slow down the calorie burning rate.

I burn roughly 2700 calories per 24 hours period...again...irrelevant. Also, you will note that I've lost all my weight doing exactly what you say would sabotage weight loss...hmmm....how could that be? Again, calories in/calories out. If you are catabolic you cannot be anabolic just because you went to bed. In other words, if you're at a calorie deficit...your'e not going to store extra calories...because you are at a deficit from maintenance period. Laws of thermodynamics...science and what not, not old wives tales and mythology.

^ This.

<< Or I'm doing it all wrong.

We need another cat gif here.

I'm on it!!

magerum

Never, it would defeat the purpose.

stephaniemejia1671

I like having the choice of eating extra. I eat them back, why not? I earned them.

Otterluv

I do, seems to be working for me. My goal is set to 1450 calories a day, on my rest days I usually end up going over by a couple of hundred calories. Today I will burn around 150 calories lifting, and 350 on cardio. That will take my new goal up to 1950, a much more reasonable number for me. I may not lose weight as quickly as some, but it's been consistent progress and my other fitness goals have been moving along at a great pace. I am a big fan of eating as much as you can while still progressing.

My0WNinspiration

Nope.

zyxst

No. Never saw the point, but what do I know? I use MFP wrong.

HealthWoke0ish

I eat most or all so I can "net" the number of calories suggested by MFP. I also eat most of my calories before going to bed. For the last seven months, I've averaged 8 lbs lost per month.

Works for me.