Logging Exercise and Eating earned calories

4bugsmama

I have been working out but not eating back my calories, so looking at my reports, it doesn't show that I've been working out at all. I just don't want to have to eat those earned calories. I am consistently losing (so far) about a pound a week. Question is: do I need to log my exercise or is it no big deal to not? TIA

guslandrum

I eat back almost all my workout/cycling calories most days. I still lost weight at or faster than set in MFP. If you accurately track your intake, and don't overestimate your workout calories, you'll be fine. I generally burn about 10,000 a week cycling. Those go into MFP. My weight training, 3-4 times a week, I don't track.

wildrosewood

Oh, you can log them and not eat them back; I do that every once in a while. Just make sure that the number you have left over equals your workout calories (or close to them).

wildrosewood

Basically, I try to log exercise so I can keep track of how active I am, and get back on track if I start to slack.

BrianSharpe

Eating back your exercise calories is a personal choice. If you decide to eat them back be cautious inasmuch as most of us will underestimate our intake (unless you're one of those really disciplined people who actually weighs and measures everything) and it's not unusual to overestimate our calories expenditure from exercise (MFP's estimates are notoriously high as are many cardio machines and HRMs)

The only time, in my opinion, it becomes more important is if you're training for an endurance event. Long runs & rides need fuel and it's hard to adequately prepare for a race on too big a deficit.

Personally, I'd log my exercise as a benchmark (the same way I keep my Garmin files to track improvements) but if you're losing about 1lb a week I wouldn't change too much.....hard to argue with success!

nordlead2005

You don't have to eat back exercise calories, but then you aren't using the tool as designed, which is fine. The key is understanding what you are doing and making sure it is healthy.

For example, if you set your goal in MFP to 1lb/week and you aren't eating back exercise calories but losing 1lb/week, then something is off. Either you aren't logging properly, your activity level is off (you set it for active, but lightly active is more appropriate), or something.

So, I log exercise and eat it back and get the results I expect. Someone else may use TDEE - 10% and doesn't eat back exercise calories and gets the results they expect. Both solutions are fine.

steuartcj

Isn't this all just a moot point seeing as so much of the data is just estimated. And no I don't eat back my exercise calories.( just my choice, no judgement intended here.)

Yi5hedr3

Don't log exercise....much better off!