Net Calories?

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ivylaurenolsen
ivylaurenolsen Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so I am still getting the hang of this whole thing, but I just have a few questions about the whole "earning back calories" thing. I love to run and I work out about 6 or 7 times a week and burn a lot of calories. I am 5'6, 145 lbs and set at 1200 calories per day, but I usually burn about 700-800 back with exercise. Can I really eat all of that back? Will I still loose weight just as I would if I ate 1200 and didn't exercise?

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  • riderfangal
    riderfangal Posts: 1,965 Member
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    A lot of people eat about half of them back . Some days I eat half, some not at all depending on how hungry I am.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    so I am still getting the hang of this whole thing, but I just have a few questions about the whole "earning back calories" thing. I love to run and I work out about 6 or 7 times a week and burn a lot of calories. I am 5'6, 145 lbs and set at 1200 calories per day, but I usually burn about 700-800 back with exercise. Can I really eat all of that back? Will I still loose weight just as I would if I ate 1200 and didn't exercise?

    You can eat them back if you want depending on how hungry you are. Just be careful eating all of the back however because calorie burn estimates tend to be on the high side of reality.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Why are you set at 1200? Your TDEE is almost 2600 calories per day. You're young, properly feed your body. 1200 calories, even with eating back your exercise calories probably wouldn't be properly fueling your body. That would be TDEE -30%.

    Set your goal to 1lb to .5lbs per week, not the max 2lbs.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back. At 5'6" you can certainly lose weight and eat more (exercise or no exercise). 1200 is the lowest default minimum.

    Why do people exercise while trying to lose weight? Strength or resistance training helps you hang onto more lean muscle while eating at a moderate deficit. Cardio helps increase your endurance. Both burn some calories (cardio more so).

    Calorie burns are estimates. If you eat 100% of your calories back and start gaining...then the estimate is too high. Many people on MFP start by eating back half, and adjust as needed.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    so I am still getting the hang of this whole thing, but I just have a few questions about the whole "earning back calories" thing. I love to run and I work out about 6 or 7 times a week and burn a lot of calories. I am 5'6, 145 lbs and set at 1200 calories per day, but I usually burn about 700-800 back with exercise. Can I really eat all of that back? Will I still loose weight just as I would if I ate 1200 and didn't exercise?

    How are you determining the calorie burn? Many calculators and machines overestimate the burn. Fitness trackers and HRM's can be a bit more accurate. I would start with eating back 50% of them for a month, then evaluate your progress and adjust if necessary. 1200 without eating back exercise is too low. You need to fuel your body and, if you don't, you can easily set yourself up for a binge when you get really hungry not to mention losing lean body mass.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i eat back if im hungry or want a treat and dont if i dont.... i lose a pretty consistent 2 pounds a week.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    i eat back if im hungry or want a treat and dont if i dont.... i lose a pretty consistent 2 pounds a week.

    We're also talking about an OP here, that if they aren't eating back exercise calories is eating....at best..... TDEE -54%....
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    so I am still getting the hang of this whole thing, but I just have a few questions about the whole "earning back calories" thing. I love to run and I work out about 6 or 7 times a week and burn a lot of calories. I am 5'6, 145 lbs and set at 1200 calories per day, but I usually burn about 700-800 back with exercise. Can I really eat all of that back? Will I still loose weight just as I would if I ate 1200 and didn't exercise?

    I aim to eat about half my exercise calories back because MFP (and just about any calorie counter) overestimates calories burned.

    So if I determined I burned 800 cal (i.e. a 2-hour bicycle ride) ... I would aim to eat about 400 cal of that.

    And yes, you can lose weight doing that.

  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    ivylaurenolsen wrote: »
    How are you determining the calorie burn? Many calculators and machines overestimate the burn. Fitness trackers and HRM's can be a bit more accurate

    How do you know this?

    I have used multiple trackers, as well as HR monitors, and they are all pretty much the same...add or take up to 50 calories maybe.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    You are 5'6", weigh 145, and want to lose 25 pounds? That would put you at 120 pounds! 1200 calories a day is much too little for you, and yes, eat back every exercise calorie you use. Don't starve yourself; it's not healthy.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Let your weight loss be your guide, OP. I agree with folks above that suggest that your deficit is a lot higher than it needs to be - eat those exercise calories to fuel your body.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    You are 5'6", weigh 145, and want to lose 25 pounds? That would put you at 120 pounds! 1200 calories a day is much too little for you, and yes, eat back every exercise calorie you use. Don't starve yourself; it's not healthy.

    Is 125 pounds still in the healthy weight range for a 5'6'? Seems low. Like my shorter skinny sister probably weighs more than that.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    You are 5'6", weigh 145, and want to lose 25 pounds? That would put you at 120 pounds! 1200 calories a day is much too little for you, and yes, eat back every exercise calorie you use. Don't starve yourself; it's not healthy.

    Is 125 pounds still in the healthy weight range for a 5'6'? Seems low. Like my shorter skinny sister probably weighs more than that.

    I agree that it seems low, unless she is very small-boned, which most people that height aren't.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    According to the BMI scale, 120 is right at the low end of a healthy weight range for someone who is 5'6".

    I'm 5'6" and I hovered around the 120-130 range for years ... right up to my late 30s. It felt quite comfortable and in some ways I'd like to get back down there again, but I'm a whole lot older now and I'm not sure that's realistic anymore.

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