Do you guys eat your exercise calories?

meddaugh48

I never do.

griffinca2

Only if I'm hungry.

Asher_Ethan

It really depends... I found that MFP over exaggerates calorie burn for exercise so I always try to under estimate my calorie burn (example - if I got running, I put it in as walking) I watch my hunger cues after that and see if I should eat them all or not.

Liftng4Lis

Absolutely eat a portion back. Remember, the winner gets to eat the most and still lose.

whmscll

Yes, almost all of them. Otherwise very hard to stick to 1200 a day. I underestimate the calorie burn, or shave a portion off what MFP gives me and then log that amount. Because if it shows in my log that I have uneaten calories you can be sure that I will eat them.

chels1126

I think a lot of it depends on your height, weight and goals. When I was starting at 150 lbs I absolutely did, because I had more weight to lose and it was easier to do so. Once I reach my body's happy weight or set point, I stop eating as many of them back as it becomes harder to lose this weight and I have to try a little harder. I'm not a nutritionist/doctor so I can't advise you to do the same or if that's right, it just works for me!

thankyou4thevenom

Depends on the day. If I'm on a maintenance day yes. If I'm on a cutting day no.

vivmom2014

Yes, I eat them back - 75% to almost all.

Yoshirio

Not usually. If I do,it's only because I am hungry and it's only about a third of them.

PeachyCarol

I used to eat less back than I do now, and I didn't have energy to work out. What a conundrum. The more I eat back, the more I exercise, the more I exercise, the higher my TDEE gets and the more weight I drop. I eat 50%-60% back and have been steadily increasing the frequency and intensity of my workouts. Win-win.

I recently got a Fitbit, and once I've had it for a while, I'm going to trust it for burns since most of my activity other than strength training is step-based.

I don't use MFP for my burns, though, I use Shape Sense and then figure out net burn using their option for an additional calculation. Their calculators give a less generous burn for most activities than MFP does.

klmnumbers

I generally don't, but I will if exercise means I'm netting under 1200. And even then, I only eat back about half at most since I use MFP's calorie estimates.

Unrated57

I do most days.

999tigger

Depends how much im burning, whether im hungry. I prefer not to run large deficits.

Capt_Apollo

yes, almost all of them.

jkal1979

I eat back a good portion of them. I have a personal guideline to net at least 1200 a day (my calorie goal is 1460).

DeguelloTex

I didn't eat any while I was l losing. When I started trying to maintain, I switched to TDEE so I am trying to now, just not explicitly.

quackers82

I try not to, then on the app i go to Nutrition on the Diary page. It tells me how many calories i am net under for the last 7 days, then if say at the weekend and I'm going out i know i have a piggy bank of saved calories so if i do go over that day i don't care i just touch my savings. Works for me and allows me to not feel like i cannot go out for a meal because i cannot know how many calories are in a meal when I'm not preparing it.

Nachise

If I eat back my exercise calories, I don't lose weight. If I don't eat them back, I lose weight.

DeniseB0711

NO!!! I tried eating them back for about a month, and the weight loss trend line went flat. I am short 5'2'', and after reading some info on the not so average hieght people of the world, I will only eat back workout calories for maintenance.

gothchiq

Up to half. I know MFP overestimates, so that's why.

lizzocat

Depending if I'm hungry, I'll eat 50% or so back, sometimes I eat them all back, especially if it's a weekend

unrelentingminx

Not always. I set up my meal plans so that I am eating bigger meals on the days I work out so that without the workout I'm close to my calorie goal. If I'm still hungry late in the evening, I may eat back half (at most) of the calories I've burnt.

julaynem

Thank you everybody for the input.