Psychology of "eating back calories"

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  • missylee117
    missylee117 Posts: 66 Member
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    Very inspiring story, and your great inspriation for me and hopefully the rest of us. Thanks so much for sharing your story, way to go on the weight loss!!!!:wink:
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I've never understood this concept. I set a calorie goal that I work around most of the week, I get in what exercise i can, I weigh myself a couple of times a week and make adjustments. Usually, I'm not surprised by the scale.

    The fact that people are giving themselves permission to eat more based on their exercise is troubling to me in view of the often incredible calorie burn estimates they post. Then there are the people who will strain to construe ordinary activity as exercise ("Standing", really?), when the activity levels of "Sedentary," "Lightly Active," etc., are supposed to factor that in. Further take the fact that many people are not well-informed about the calorie content of food and are not tracking accurately and you have a formula for disaster.

    Many years ago I had the fantasy that i would kill myself at the gym in order to eat whatever I wanted. Then I realized that I'd have to live at the gym and even then, working out just to eat was a stupid strategy.

    So much truth in this!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    Doing this for years, I exercise because it's something I like to do not to mention the overall benefits from it. Lack of nutrition to support it is where people get confused. I get it, I understand it and that's why I eat enough calories to support it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I had never heard of the concept of 'eating back' your exercise cals before I joined MFP, and have always thought it was a flawed and even potentially dangerous concept. More often than not, I see people who get frustrated because they are 'eating back' their cals and not losing weight. For many people, the exercise database gives then way too many calories, and wipes out their deficit.

    For me, at 49 yo, 5'6" and starting weight of 230, and extremely sedentary due to physical disabilities, my TDEE was not very high at all. I couldn't create a decent deficit without adding in some exercise to supplement it. Exercise was very hard for me at that time, so the thought of wiping out my hard work by eating back the calories, took away my motivation to exercise.

    For me, diet and exercise have different purposes. Diet creates a calorie deficit, gets in my macros, eliminates foods that my body doesn't like, and allows me to lose weight at a reasonable rate.

    Exercise makes my body stronger and healthier. Weight-bearing exercises strengthen my muscles and bones, cardio strengthens my heart and lungs, endorphins help my moods and sleep.

    For me, exercise is sporadic, and not on a regular schedule. I get it in when time schedule and my body allows. If I have managed extra exercise in one week, it may result in a better loss for that week, and I am happy. THAT helps motivate me to exercise more sometimes when I don't really feel like it.

    That said, if I happen to go over my goal a bit on a day that I have exercised some, then I don't feel bad, and it is nice to not see the red numbers.

    But if I were to 'eat back' all the exercise cals I am given, I would definitely NOT lose weight.

    For those of you who exercise regularly and strenuously, then of course you will need to eat more to stay in a reasonable calorie deficit.

    We all have to figure out a system that works for us, and can't really compare ourselves to what works for someone else.

    BTW, my weight came from becoming disabled 12 yrs ago, thereby eliminating exercise and most activity from my life, but not dropping my calories enough to compensate for it. I have made tremendous progress in my physical abilities in the past couple of years, but I know that at any time I could be back in a wheelchair again, so if I got used to eating more because of exercise cals earned, then it would be hard to cut my cals back again if I needed to and I would probably gain my weight back again. I will NOT allow that to happen!

    Many weight loss strategies include "eating back" your exercise calories, they just do it in a different way.
    The TDEE method asks for your activity level and increases calorie levels to account. You are "eating back" your exercise calorie, but they are just built in.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    On days when I don't exercise, I feel like I have to work quite hard to keep myself at my calorie goal. When I exercise, I can eat as I like to without very much effort and no feeling of deprivation. I don't think of it as 'eating back calories'. I think of it as giving myself space to eat happily. Exercise makes room for more calories. That's all it is.

    ^^this is ME :-D I do try to only eat half them back but if I'm really hungry then I listen to my body and just eat em :) I actually enjoy exercise now where I once thought it was an awful chore - people can change their habits thank goodness :-D
  • ryanosgood
    ryanosgood Posts: 28
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    This is an area that seems complicated and confusing. There are a variety of opinions across the board.

    I absolutely do NOT exercise to eat more or for a reward. It seems that even with the exercise, I am satisfied with the 2,000 calorie daily consumption. In fact, I usually only log real workouts and don't let the "UP" record walking around.

    I am worried that this is not enough to "feed the workout" but I do not go hungry and seem to have enough energy.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
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    TIL math is hard...apparently....
  • SiempreBella
    SiempreBella Posts: 125 Member
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    I have noticed that the best success stories are the people who do eat back their calories.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    it works for me. I love exercising, but i'll push myself that extra bit so I can eat something.

    Just works for me.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    This is an area that seems complicated and confusing. There are a variety of opinions across the board.

    I absolutely do NOT exercise to eat more or for a reward. It seems that even with the exercise, I am satisfied with the 2,000 calorie daily consumption. In fact, I usually only log real workouts and don't let the "UP" record walking around.

    I am worried that this is not enough to "feed the workout" but I do not go hungry and seem to have enough energy.

    Try eating only 1200 calories and having to earn the extra 800. You will find yourself working out to earn food REAL quick. hahaha
  • Eveys89
    Eveys89 Posts: 15
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    Lately I have been, and quite honestly I hate it especially when I give in to treats I shouldn't be having. Although I do believe it is fine if you do, as long as its a healthy and nutritious snack :)
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    We all have to figure out a system that works for us, and can't really compare ourselves to what works for someone else.

    Well said.... more people on mfp need to think like this
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
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    When I really needed to lose and was super motivated to do so, I didn't eat back exercise cals. It felt like I was undoing my hard work. To be honest, I really didn't WANT to eat them back (it takes 10 minutes on the elliptical to work off 1T of ranch dressing? No thanks!), so it wasn't too hard.

    2 years later, now that I'm getting closer to maintenance (and am not nearly as motivated to lose, but still need to, UGH!), I usually eat them back because in order to maintain this lifestyle, I feel like I need to indulge every once in awhile.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    The concept hasn't sat well with me since day one.
    On days when I don't exercise, I feel like I have to work quite hard to keep myself at my calorie goal. When I exercise, I can eat as I like to without very much effort and no feeling of deprivation. I don't think of it as 'eating back calories'. I think of it as giving myself space to eat happily. Exercise makes room for more calories. That's all it is.

    And if my rest day falls after leg day, when my entire lower body is hosed and exhausted and I'm famished, working "quite hard to keep myself at my calorie goal" makes absolutely no sense.

    I adopted a TDEE cut approach soon after joining MFP for three main reasons:

    1) How are you counting calories burned? MFP calculations from the generic database are sometimes ridiculously overestimated. MFP does not know the incline or speed of the treadmill or elliptical, how fit you are, or any other information except your sex, age, weight, and height. Eat calories based on MFP estimates, and you could easily erase your deficit and end up at maintenance or higher.

    So you get a heart rate monitor. Well, is that accurate either? Probably not - it's not a direct measure of calorie burn but a mathematical equation based on your heart rate and other factors. Heart rate monitors are also designed to measure calorie burn during steady-state cardio. If I do intervals, which I often do, I don't trust the calorie burn results. If I work out under physical stress (high heat, for example) or emotional stress, my heart rate will be higher for reasons unrelated to my physical exertion. When I lift weights, which is my primary work in the gym, the calorie count will not be accurate. Heart rate monitors are a training tool, in my opinion, and an excellent motivator - but not an accurate calorie counter.

    2) It will never feel right to me to adopt an "I ate a row of thin mints; now I have to run 7 miles" attitude. It feels like a binge/purge model to me, and I don't care for it. It doesn't encourage a healthy relationship between my body, food, and fitness. It leaves people questioning why they should work out at all if they just replace the calories. Fitness is a part of my life to make me as healthy as I can be, not a method of earning more sustenance. I realize not everyone has this attitude toward food, but you don't become 300+ pounds, as I used to be, without some dysfunction. "Eating exercise calories" was not compatible with the lifestyle I wanted to achieve.

    3) I prefer a static calorie goal, whether it makes sense to others or not. If I don't exercise for a day, I don't want to feel hungry all day and "punished" for not exercising. I like to plan my food for the day the night before or even several days out. I like having a goal that isn't dependent on what my HRM says I burned.

    133 pounds down, this method worked. I'm also using it to maintain.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    I'm intrigued - Does this work for you in terms of motivation? YES

    Do you feel like a rodent in an exercise wheel trying to earn food ? NO

    Do you punish yourself for overeating by racking up some exercise calories to neutralise it? NO

    Do you resent having your exercise efforts wiped out by "eating back" ? NO

    Are you driven to regular exercise to accommodate your overeating ? I EAT AT THE LEVEL THAT MY EXERCISE AFFORDS ME. I DON'T OVEREAT OFTEN.

    Or is the extra food a reward for something you enjoy doing anyway ? ITS FUEL FOR WHAT I AM DOING REGULARLY
  • MyseriMapleleaf
    MyseriMapleleaf Posts: 81 Member
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    I don't look at as 'eating back my calories' per se.

    I <know> that if I exercise and don't have a high enough caloric intake, I will be cranky, lethargic, ILL and might even go into the biological state of 'starvation mode' and won't lose at all.

    On days I know I'm hitting the gym, cleaning a house, going for a long walk/jog I eat accordingly before hand so I have the nutrients and energy to complete my tasks without side effects.

    This is all a huge psychological battle.. but you have to keep the physical facts in mind to keep your health in check during your journey to a new lifestyle.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I have noticed that the best success stories are the people who do eat back their calories.

    That depends on the pool of people you are looking in. My friend list is full of success stories from women who DON'T eat back their calories. Of course my FL is mostly 40+ yo women, who had more than 50 pounds to lose. Many of them have lost and kept off over 100 pounds, while not eating back their calories.

    For the younger, more active crowd, (especially those who lift heavy), eating at a higher calorie level, whether it is the TDEE or eating back method, seems to work better for most of them.

    It all comes down to creating a calorie deficit. Whatever way you do that, will result in weight loss.

    The "psychology" of all this is finding what works for you.
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
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    I'm intrigued - Does this work for you in terms of motivation? not particularly, I've exercised for almost 9 years

    Do you feel like a rodent in an exercise wheel trying to earn food ? - never, i enjoy all my training

    Do you punish yourself for overeating by racking up some exercise calories to neutralise it ? - nope some food makes me feel ill, so will stick with a higher deficient one day and just increase calories the next day to negate it.

    Do you resent having your exercise efforts wiped out by "eating back" ? - not all benefits of exercise cant be counted by calories burnt, i do it for other problems and benefits too

    Are you driven to regular exercise to accommodate your overeating ? - no, see point #2 I am driven because I want to improve myself in terms of endurance, strength and my asthma

    Or is the extra food a reward for something you enjoy doing anyway ? food is fuel, not a reward, i am not a dog that needs treats to stay 'good'
  • Shoechick5
    Shoechick5 Posts: 221 Member
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    For me this isn't just a quick fix to getting smaller, it's forever. I could not exist on 1,200 calories forever. That's completely unrealistic. Life happens, parties happen, eating out with friends happen. I eat back my exercise calories for fuel firstly because I'm darn hungry after a good workout and secondly, I earn my treats. If I want to go out on Friday night and have fish and chips and a beer how am I supposed to do that on 1,200 calories? I need to earn it. Depriving yourself and living like a rabbit will backfire. You won't stick to you long term.
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
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    As a research scientist by profession, I am very data-driven. I understand how the MFP BMRx[Activity Level Modifier] is supposed to work to help you set your calorie goal, but I totally get why it is confusing to so many people.

    My strategy is pretty simple. I tell MFP that I am sedentary (even though I am far from it), and then I log *all* my exercise to get an accurate assessment of my calorie burn for each day. Hence, I always "eat back" my exercise calories, because if I don't, I would be at a *huge* calorie deficit, and I simply don't have that much weight to lose. I look at it as work-out fuel. I'm happy to stay at a gradual weight loss pace to help maintain my lean muscle mass. It's working really well for me!

    (I've actually have a spreadsheet where I track a lot of additional "fitness parameters" in parallel with MFP. I've found MFP's sedentary burn rate is a little low for me. The K-M model, that calculates BMR based on lean body mass, appears to be more accurate in my case, FWIW.)

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