Eating back exercise calories

belladonna6280

I am new to tracking my exercise and food. I am wondering if I eat back the calories that I burn from exercise each day? Also do I count the calories I burn each day from my fit bit? Like just daily walking at work etc? I am wanting to lose weight but have to be careful since I am breastfeeding and don't want to hurt my supply. Thanks!

Regallily

I noticed no one answered you...I think, based on what I've read here on the site...is the rule of thumb is you don't have to but can run the risk of creating too much of a deficit in your body. With you breastfeeding (if you still are), I would eat them back. I'm not breastfeeding but I am going to try to eat back half of mine and see how that goes. I have a generous daily caloric intake to lose 1.5 pounds a week so if I see that I'm losing too much or not enough, I'm going to adjust what I eat from my exercise calories.

gmm316

I was eating back my calories and wasn't losing anything. I stopped eating them back and I've lost 30lbs!

Michael190lbs

I would ask your doctor

RGv2

Yes, you should be eating back at least some of your exercise caloried (especially if you're breastfeeding), that's how MFP is designed. You enter in your stats and a goal, and MFP spits out a number that would give you the deficit to goal. Let's say we have someone that enters their stats in for a 1lb per week loss. That's a 250 calorie deficit per day.

This person has a TDEE of 2000 calories.

2000 calories - 250 cal deficit = 1750 calories per day to lose 1lb per week.

Let's say this person added in a run that burns 300 cals.

Old TDEE of 2000 cals + the 300 calorie run = a new TDEE of 2300 cals

2300 cals - 250 cal deficit = 2150 calories on run days to lose 1lb per week.

Now with that said, it is common practice to start eating back 50% of your exercise calories and adjust from there. It's all an estimate, and for many of us 100% of exercise calories is an over estimate and we won't lose. The other thing is exercise calories become more important as you get closer to your goal weight since you have less and less extra deposits of fuel on your body.

mmabry72

^ Great post!