Do you eat your exercise calories?

lccnhunter

Every app I use to track activity and calories gives allowances for exercise. My question is, should you consume some of those when you work out? I'm currently on a 1500 a day program but exercise regularly and vigorously. I haven't been consuming anything over.

mfermo

I try not too but if I exercise a lot I am too hungry not to eat a little more, in any case no way I eat back the all allowance.

lccnhunter

All of the apps give an insane allowance for a heavy workout. I don't know how anyone could lose eating over 2,000 a day, working out or not. I'm going to refrain from those.

SezxyStef

Yes...MFP uses the NEAT system which is calories required to lose weight without exercise...

MFP also can overestimate burns so the standard advice is to eat back 50-75% of those exercise calories.

betrishy

Yes I always eat back my calories. This is a lifestyle change. You will still lose even with eating your calories back and you will have more energy and feel better, not deprived. I know when I work out hard my hunger increases, so I feed my body.

yesimpson

You're right to be conservative about the exercise calories MFP suggests, but eating back 50% won't do any harm - on the contrary it helps to fuel your body, and keep you sane!

I second that it is entirely possible to lose weight eating 2,000+- depends on your size and how active you are. I'm 5'6 and 122lbs, and I can lose weight eating that amount, providing I'm running/swimming/working out enough!

OwynDinsdale

personally I might eat an extra 100 calories on the days I do cardio but my cardio is a pretty gentle 30min 5km run, not an intense workout, on the days i lift (about an hour and 30minutes of lifting heavy weights) i dont usually have above my usual 1700 calories, but if i felt i needed to then i would, i do make sure i have plenty of water and minerals though.

The way i look at it is you are either exercising to lose weight, then its a waste to eat the calories or you are exercising to compete (be it against others or yourself) if i was competing id fuel my body to increase performance.

lccnhunter

Maybe I should just try eating some of those calories back for a week or so and just see where it takes me. I was just floored when I enter my kickboxing class, it gives me A little over 500 calories back.

mkakids

I almost never eat them back. I'm rarely hungry after my normal allotted calories. If for some reason I am hungry...I eat.

bwogilvie

lccnhunter wrote: »

Maybe I should just try eating some of those calories back for a week or so and just see where it takes me. I was just floored when I enter my kickboxing class, it gives me A little over 500 calories back.

Try eating 50% of them.

Just to put things in perspective, I'm a 150-lb. guy, 5' 10" tall, and to burn 500 calories I need to bicycle for an hour at over 16 mph with some significant hills, or run nearly 5 miles at an 8:00 pace (7.5 mph). If I use MFP's database it tells me that an hour of cycling at 16-20 mph burns 811 calories. That's 60% more than I actually burn, and would have wiped out half my deficit when I was losing weight.

SezxyStef

lccnhunter wrote: »

Maybe I should just try eating some of those calories back for a week or so and just see where it takes me. I was just floored when I enter my kickboxing class, it gives me A little over 500 calories back.

I just went for my 2nd walk so I could eat more today.

As for the 500 calories yes 50% is the best bet and if you continue losing try 60% etc.

I can actually typically eat all of mine back but I am using an activity tracker and trying to see if it's accurate for my burns etc so I am only eating 80% back.

sijomial

bwogilvie wrote: »

lccnhunter wrote: »

Maybe I should just try eating some of those calories back for a week or so and just see where it takes me. I was just floored when I enter my kickboxing class, it gives me A little over 500 calories back.

Try eating 50% of them.

Just to put things in perspective, I'm a 150-lb. guy, 5' 10" tall, and to burn 500 calories I need to bicycle for an hour at over 16 mph with some significant hills, or run nearly 5 miles at an 8:00 pace (7.5 mph). If I use MFP's database it tells me that an hour of cycling at 16-20 mph burns 811 calories. That's 60% more than I actually burn, and would have wiped out half my deficit when I was losing weight.

That's mainly because the 16-20mph spread is far too wide! There is a hell of a difference between an all day 16mph pace and 20mph.

I can burn 650/hour easily cycling and 800+ for very intense, shorter duration, indoor trainer workouts (power meter verified) so it's important for people to put some effort into working out their own calorie burn rather than relying on generic estimates.

But OP - the eating back exercise calories method has a lot of merit, especially if your workouts are varied day to day or week to week. You will have to factor in exercise calories when you get to maintenance so it makes sense to do the same when losing weight.

lulucitron

Yes I do. I live to eat all the foodz!

JamesScapes

The calories listed on your feed are estimated and therefore only rough guidelines at best. I think the best strategy is sticking to a certain range of calories per day (regardless of exercise amount) for a period of time and tracking results. Adjustments can be made after a week or two if necessary to achieve your desired results.

tuckerrj

If you're attaining your weight loss goals & not terribly hungry, stick with your status quo. I've noted for myself, that MFP exercise calorie allotment can be nearly double what showed on my monitor.

Asher_Ethan

I usually eat back only 50%... But if I get hungry I'll eat more of them back.

MKEgal

My dietitian & doctor (endocrinologist specializing in weight issues) told me not to.
When I follow their advice, I lose weight more easily.
It's a lot easier not to eat 500 calories than it is to exercise it away again.
Also, most people underestimate what they eat and overestimate exercise calories (so do
most machines, including MFP).

So if you're really hungry at the end of the day, once in a while, have 1/3 to 1/2 of your
exercise calories for that day as a snack. Try for something that's very satisfying for what
you're 'spending' - I like fudgesicles (40 cal each!), or 70% dark chocolate.

dalansteiner

In the beginning I ate them back. Now I try not to eat much of them back at all. We'll see if it helps, I seem to be stalling a bit.

7lenny7

Nope, I drink them. Gin and tonic will be my beverage of choice tonight

arditarose

When I was in a solid deficit and losing, I ate them ALL back- and lost. As I got closer to goal I noticed that I did less cardio, and what MFP gave me as maintenance NEAT method was actually my TDEE. So now, no-I can't eat them back.

malavika413

I eat them all back, since my net calorie goal is less than 1300. I get way too hungry otherwise.

rosnigetsfit

Yes, about 40-50% of it especially during intense cardio days.

jediguitarist

I'm trying to eat everything back since I'm trying to gain weight. 2400 calories is tough to eat normally, let alone after an extra 300-400 exercise calories... lol

arditarose

jediguitarist wrote: »

I'm trying to eat everything back since I'm trying to gain weight. 2400 calories is tough to eat normally, let alone after an extra 300-400 exercise calories... lol

2400...Sadly, that's extremely easy for me.

Yisrael1981

I am always afraid I am over estimating my calorie burn so I would eat at most 100 cal back (I do insanity)

460mustang

7lenny7 wrote: »

Nope, I drink them. Gin and tonic will be my beverage of choice tonight

I second that notion!

Machka9

I eat some of my exercise calories. I rarely eat all of them.

dalansteiner

Here here on the gin and tonic

jediguitarist

arditarose wrote: »

jediguitarist wrote: »

I'm trying to eat everything back since I'm trying to gain weight. 2400 calories is tough to eat normally, let alone after an extra 300-400 exercise calories... lol

2400...Sadly, that's extremely easy for me.

If I hit the sushi place everyday, I can easily get 1300-1500 in one meal.

loratliff

I usually lose *more* weight, more consistently, when I eat back my exercise calories... Your body needs fuel when it works out! I'm still trying to lose at about .5 pound a week, but given than I'm about to start marathon training, I'm more interested in eating well, when I'm hungry, than monitoring every single calorie that goes into my mouth.

bwogilvie

sijomial wrote: »

That's mainly because the 16-20mph spread is far too wide! There is a hell of a difference between an all day 16mph pace and 20mph.

Nah, it's mostly because MFP overestimates. My 500 calories/hour at 16 mph involved substantial climbing. On flat ground with no wind, I need to go 18-19 mph to burn that. I live in western Massachusetts, in the Connecticut River valley. If I go north or south, I don't gain much elevation, but if I head east or west, my average speed drops substantially but I burn more calories.