Do you eat calories that are added back from exercise?

MudRiverRunner · June 2016

So I've been very strict about eating my 1200 calories a day for the past 2 weeks. The first week I worked out about an hour (cardio and strength training). I didn't lose any weight so last week I started working out an hour before work and another hour after work. My weight is exactly the same. I know muscle weight might be some of it but someone suggested I wasn't eating enough. I don't feel hungry. Eating clean and my workouts are intense. Any thoughts?

BrianSharpe · June 2016

My first thought is that you're not really eating 1200 cal per day (are you weighing, measuring and logging every morsel that crosses your lips?) but another possibility is that your packing a little extra water weight in response to a new exercise regimen (part of the normal recovery response) as it's highly unlikely that you would have gained any appreciable amount of muscle in 2 weeks eating at a deficit.

saramichelle89 · June 2016

Do you track macros? Everyone's definition of "clean" is different also.. without knowing your actual weight, height and body fat there is no way to know about the calories being too high or little. 1200 is usually enough for a deficit but again, no way to tell without the specifics. What are you specifically doing for cardio and strength? Are you getting your heart rate up into max zone?

CincyNeid · June 2016

MFP is based on eating back roughly 55%-75% of your calories back. And that depends on the person in question. Some need to eat more back, some need to eat less back. And there are other reasons why you could be stagnant. Are you switching up your routine, are you switching up what you're doing? Are are you just doing the same routine over and over?

christinedegennaro7 · June 2016

Definitely try eating some of those calories back. I've noticed that when I've upped my calorie intake to 1600-1800 cals when I'm following an intense workout plan, I've seen much more consistent weight loss. It's not immediate, it's definitely slower going, but it's a healthy way of dropping the weight, and ensuring your body is getting the proper nutrients to support that type of intense output of calories. It's like using an entire tank of gas to fuel the car, but only putting in half a tank worth in when you stop to refuel. You're not going to go very far on the minimal calories. Don't go overboard, but definitely allow yourself to eat back some (maybe half?) of those calories you burn, and see if you start seeing results. Best of luck!

seekingdaintiness · June 2016

Don't eat back exercise calories. That's a myth fostered her on mfp only. It's a sure way to NEVER lose any weight.

capaul42 · June 2016

So the 38lbs I've lost is a myth? Cause I eat back my exercise calories and always have.

MFP designed their program to eat back those calories. Hardly a myth.

ndj1979 · June 2016

this can't be a serious post..

if you are eating 1200 calories AND 1200 calories is a 500 calorie deficit AND you burn off 100 from exercise why would you not eat 1300 - 100 burned = 1200 net and why would that be a myth??????????

ndj1979 · June 2016

OP - You need to make sure that you net 1200 calories a day because that number that MFP gives you already has your deficit built into it.

It has only been two weeks, and it can take up to three to four weeks for your body to adjust to the lower calories AND you are more than likely retaining water from exercising.

I would suggest getting a food scale to weigh all solid foods.

CincyNeid · June 2016

I've lost 105 pounds in less than a 12 month period. But I guess that's just a myth.

I guess you also do not put gas back in your car after you go on a long drive.

Proper Food & proper nutrition = fuel for the body. You need to replace what you burned.

Weight Lost = Calories Out > Calories In.

latineyes2 · June 2016

It is not a myth about eating calories back. Everyone who knows anything about fitness and health knows that you need to intake the correct amount of calories for weight loss and that includes adjusting for working out, or as some of you put it "eating back your calories". You just can't go over board and think you burned 500 calories and now you get to eat 500 more calories.

1st check your MFP settings. Did you input your weight and lifestyle activity properly. I am allotted 1200 calories but I also purposely have mine set for a sedentary lifestyle. So if I decide to do absolutely nothing and sit on my lazy butt, I can still lose weight if I only consume 1200 calories. If I exercise lightly, I try to stay around 1250-1300 calories and if I exercise intensely, I consume between 1400-1600 calories depending on how intense the workout was and I still lose weight.

If you aren't losing, it could be a number of factors: 1. how/what you are eating (ie: too much protein or too many carbs, etc. 2. you aren't eating enough to have weight loss and your body is compensating. 3. your "fat" could be turning into muscle - have you measured to see if you've lost inches? 1 lb of fat = 1 lb of muscle, but muscle takes less space, so are you losing those inches? 4. Are you drinking enough water? Contrary to popular belief, you need to consume a lot of water to flush the toxins out.

Worse case scenario, consult with your doctor or nutritionist to be sure you are staying healthy. Good luck!

TeaBea · June 2016

Wow - bold statement considering that this contradicts how the website was designed. Google NEAT - non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

OP - MFP gave you a calorie deficit BEFORE any exercise was entered into the calculation. So ideally, you eat the number MFP assigned - your 1200 + all your exercise calories & you get the weekly weight loss you signed up for.

HOWEVER, there are lots & lots of estimations going on.....so conditions are not ideal.

1. Your activity level (without exercise) is actually a range, not 1 number. You may be on the high end, you may be on the low end. Some people are optimistically wrong.

2. Food you log. We all think we measure correctly. We all think we choose proper items from the MFP database. WRONG. Do you use a food scale, measuring cups, or eye-ball. There are plenty of YouTube videos proving people measure foods incorrectly. Many entries in the database are garbage.

3. Exercise - heart rate monitors are designed for steady state cardio. That's what they estimate best......notice estimate best. Calorie burns are wicked hard to pin down.

4. Weight loss isn't linear. There will be weeks when you ate under goal. Weeks when you should have lost weight. Yet the scale doesn't reflect that. Water weight fluctuations....high sodium. sore muscles, time of month.

5. Consider 1200. It's a default minimum. It's not a guarantee of your weekly goal. It's just as low as MFP will go. Perhaps a 1,000 daily calorie deficit is actually less than 1200. MFP bottoms out here to make sure you meet nutritional minimums.

It's all estimates.

Maxematics · June 2016

This advice, as well as your entire profile, is a mess. I'm 5'3" and went from 139 pounds to 109 pounds eating back the exercise calories Fitbit gives me. Your profile says "You don't need a food scale. People who say this are lying through their teeth. Just measure properly. Just eat less calories." I'll agree that a food scale is not necessary, but I'm willing to bet the lack of using one led to you eating more than you think which is why you saw no success eating back exercise calories. If none of that applies to you, then you have no right shooting down the way MFP was designed to be used, as you don't have the experience to back up your claims like many of us do. If people took your advice, the majority of them would crash/binge due to hunger. I'm hoping most people wouldn't take advice from someone who claims to be "desperately seeking thinness", although I do appreciate the possible Desperately Seeking Susan reference. Your whole internet persona reeks of disordered thinking.

ChelzFit · June 2016

CincyNeid · June 2016

I never said that.

I'm going to ask that you remove it from quotes.

French_Peasant · June 2016

I am saddened to hear that, much like Santa Claus, the 25+ lbs I lost eating back almost all of my exercise calories is just a myth. I better change out of the size 6 pants I was able to fit in today before I get trapped!

JustMissTracy · June 2016

I try to eat about half back, not always successful tho.

quiksylver296 · June 2016

sarahlifts · June 2016

I don't eat mine back. I only track my steps by iOS not my work outs. If I go over by 100 calories I don't feel badly. By walking alone 16-20,000 steps per day I get 500-600 extra calories.

Plenty of ppl here eat back some percentage of their calories and lose. I don't eat mine back bc my deficit is not that deep. I maintain at about 2200 cals and my deficit is set to 1700.

Machka9 · June 2016

I have to eat my exercise calories back ... some of them ... I need the fuel!

kbmnurse · June 2016

I have eaten back calories in the past with little results. This time I am not eating back calories. I am sticking to 1200-1300 cal daily. Let's see what happens.

MeanderingMammal · June 2016

Personally I burn at least 1000 calories on most of my sessions. On Saturday I burned 4000.

Given that my daily goal is in the order of 1800-2000 before exercise are you seriously suggesting that I shouldn't eat back what I expend?

Machka9 · June 2016

And yet I somehow managed to lose 25 kg. Hm. Must have been a miracle.

scorpio516 · June 2016

1200 is 1200 because that's what is shown to be the least amount of fuel an adult human can survive on over time. 1200 isn't enough to survive on for many too - a 6'3" 20 year old would be malnourished on 1200 KCal.

I would never go under 1200 for an extended period of time. But, it also is tied to estimating - I. E. Everyone overestimates burns while underestimating consumption.

BrianSharpe · June 2016

Strong (and incorrect) statement. If you have your activity set at sedentary your target net calories already has a deficit built in. Exercise caution when eating back exercise calories as may HRMs & machines overestimate the expenditure.

^ from seekingdaintiness's profile........I guess the world is full of liars, so how does one "measure properly" without a scale? Solely on volume?

TeaBea · June 2016

I agree a scale is best for accuracy. But I do see how some people can lose weight without one. My decades experience of dieting is proof.

If your deficit is large enough and you are off on your measurements.....you still manage to lose weight. But as we get closer to goal a large deficit isn't healthy. My last "major" diet without using a scale.....I sat at the same weight for 5 weeks. Normal plateau - I thought. Nope, I WAS OVER EATING. I'm a very experienced cook and thought measuring cups should be good enough, but sadly they're not. 5 weeks of frustration........

Do you eat calories that are added back from exercise?

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