"Eating back calories"

paradi3s

I'm just wondering if any of you eat back the calories you burn when working out? I'm currently on sedentary level and Pacer syncs my steps and calories to MFP (wondering if Ishould eat that back too). Or do you use TDEE method?

nxd10

I set myself at sedentary and add in my steps from MFP. I've done that for four years. I eat back all the calories I'm hungry for. My appetite changes with my activity level and that adjusts for it.

earlnabby

I ate back earned calories for the first 18 months. I am getting closer to goal so I am eating TDEE - 700 calories right now so I can still lose 1 lb. a week. I switched mostly because TDEE is easier for when I get into maintenance and because I was feeling like Goldilocks: some days I had too much to eat (when I walked and did my pool workouts), some days I didn't have enough to eat (my rest days) and some days were just right (my walking only days).

paradi3s

nxd10 wrote: »

I set myself at sedentary and add in my steps from MFP. I've done that for four years. I eat back all the calories I'm hungry for. My appetite changes with my activity level and that adjusts for it.

Thank you for the answer! I decided not to get a Fitbit (too pricey and may invest in one if I do have the extra money instead) and stick with Pacer and strength training (body weights and 5lb weights first) or yoga/Pilates. Running/swimming/biking for cardio. May just eat 50-75% of what I burn. Is that a good plan in order to maintain weight?

paradi3s

earlnabby wrote: »

I ate back earned calories for the first 18 months. I am getting closer to goal so I am eating TDEE - 700 calories right now so I can still lose 1 lb. a week. I switched mostly because TDEE is easier for when I get into maintenance and because I was feeling like Goldilocks: some days I had too much to eat (when I walked and did my pool workouts), some days I didn't have enough to eat (my rest days) and some days were just right (my walking only days).

Thanks! Would like to check TDEE but I think I like it better knowing how many calories I burn per workout and sice my workout levels vary depending on my mood haha

earlnabby

paradi3s wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

I ate back earned calories for the first 18 months. I am getting closer to goal so I am eating TDEE - 700 calories right now so I can still lose 1 lb. a week. I switched mostly because TDEE is easier for when I get into maintenance and because I was feeling like Goldilocks: some days I had too much to eat (when I walked and did my pool workouts), some days I didn't have enough to eat (my rest days) and some days were just right (my walking only days).

Thanks! Would like to check TDEE but I think I like it better knowing how many calories I burn per workout and sice my workout levels vary depending on my mood haha

I agree. I am very consistent (3 days of full workouts, 3 days of walking only workouts, and one rest day) so TDEE works well for me. Others who aren't as consistent would do better treating each day as a separate entity.

earlnabby

paradi3s wrote: »

nxd10 wrote: »

I set myself at sedentary and add in my steps from MFP. I've done that for four years. I eat back all the calories I'm hungry for. My appetite changes with my activity level and that adjusts for it.

Thank you for the answer! I decided not to get a Fitbit (too pricey and may invest in one if I do have the extra money instead) and stick with Pacer and strength training (body weights and 5lb weights first) or yoga/Pilates. Running/swimming/biking for cardio. May just eat 50-75% of what I burn. Is that a good plan in order to maintain weight?

Sounds good to start out with. If you end up gaining or losing, you will know how to make necessary adjustments.

Pinnacle_IAO

paradi3s wrote: »

I'm just wondering if any of you eat back the calories you burn when working out? I'm currently on sedentary level and Pacer syncs my steps and calories to MFP (wondering if Ishould eat that back too). Or do you use TDEE method?

I always ate back my calories and enjoyed every bite.
I think too many stifle their metabolisms eating too little. That's no fun.
Count me out of that herd. Do what you want, but just know that low calorie diets are not the only way to see results.

I lost 100 pounds and have maintained for almost 3 years. My TDEE is around 3500 calories.
Part of my health transformation involved making my body into a productive energy furnace.
Mere weight loss was never enough.

Good Luck!

AsISmile

I eat them back using the TDEE method.
I'm pretty sure I'd start losing weight again if I wouldn't, which I want to prevent at all costs.

missprecocious

If I have 700 left, I'll have a snack like some pretzels or a couple squares of chocolate. Nothing like having a little snack in the evening

paradi3s

Thank you for all your replies! Might start with using what MFP recommends first until I start becoming consistent with my workouts. Just did my first run since January 26 and bodyweight training since July!

louubelle16

For me, it varies. If I'm hungry after a workout, I eat. If not, I don't. I try to listen to my body, rather than just going crazy with the extra calories purely because "I can". That seems to work for me, although I'm at maintenance, not losing.

Pinnacle_IAO

paradi3s wrote: »

Thank you for all your replies! Might start with using what MFP recommends first until I start becoming consistent with my workouts. Just did my first run since January 26 and bodyweight training since July!

If your input is correct, eating back those calories is all good.

The key is to keep your deficits slight. There is no value in crash dieting only to gain it all back like most do.

Again, good luck to you!

nxd10

Just FYI, a fitbit zip on ebay is around $39. I do usually eat back 1/4-1/2. But if I'm hungry I feel no compunction eating back every one.

Francl27

I use TDEE so no, I don't, but it's included in my TDEE.

The bottom line is that *if* you are accurate in your logging, and don't eat back exercise calories, you will keep losing weight.

TimothyFish

To maintain weight, you have to eat your exercise calories somehow. That may mean tracking everything and eating more when you exercise, or it may mean averaging your expected calorie burn out over some period of time, or it could even mean just watching the bathroom scale and eating more when you see it start dropping. In any case, if you don't eat those calories, you will lose weight.

snickerscharlie

Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »

paradi3s wrote: »

I'm just wondering if any of you eat back the calories you burn when working out? I'm currently on sedentary level and Pacer syncs my steps and calories to MFP (wondering if Ishould eat that back too). Or do you use TDEE method?

I always ate back my calories and enjoyed every bite.
I think too many stifle their metabolisms eating too little.

Didn't know a metabolism could be stifled. Is that like Starvation Mode?

FitPhillygirl

TimothyFish wrote: »

To maintain weight, you have to eat your exercise calories somehow. That may mean tracking everything and eating more when you exercise, or it may mean averaging your expected calorie burn out over some period of time, or it could even mean just watching the bathroom scale and eating more when you see it start dropping. In any case, if you don't eat those calories, you will lose weight.

I found this to be true with myself. For a while I stopped eating back my exercise calories. However, because of how active I really am during the day, I started to lose weight again that I didn't need to. I now have MFP set to "Active" which I think is the amount of calories that I should be eating to maintain. If I continue to see a drop in the scale, I'll change it again to "Very Active" in another week. Great post, btw.

lithezebra

I took my average daily exercise and my activity level into account when I set my calorie goal, so all I have to do is get my usual exercise, and stick to one number for my calories.

pinkteapot3

I use MFP (not TDEE which I totally don't understand), activity set as sedentary as I have a desk job, and eat back all of my exercise cals. I did that throughout loss and have been doing the same since April on maintenance and the system works for me.

That being said, the ONLY exercise is log is my running and cycling. For both, I use GPS apps to track the activity so I know exactly how long I've run/ridden for, and at what speed.

Naturally, during the day, I do bits of walking. To/from the work car park. Around the building for meetings, etc. I've never tracked or added those though, so technically I'm eating slightly less than MFP would recommend. I've never felt that these little bits are enough to warrant extra cals.

If I walk a lot (eg a couple of hours round the shops at a weekend) I'll put in something for that, but not for odd little things during the day.

I almost always eat back on the day. So yesterday I ate 600 extra cals as I ran and rode. Today I'm doing neither so I'll just eat my base cals. Occasionally I'll average it out over a few days - eg go out for a big meal then earn some cals the next day to make up for it.

In July I went on holiday to the mountains and was hiking every day. It was amazing - I got to eat about 3,500 cals each day and maintained perfectly.

LivingtheLeanDream

before I got my Fitbit I ate back 50-75% of exercise cals...it fuelled my body properly so I had more energy and I still lost