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exercise calories on or off?

lizzielynnn
lizzielynnn Posts: 3 Member
in Debate Club
On or off?
Why or why not?
More likely to lose more weight if it's off or no? Or does having it on make you workout so you can eat more? Is that good or bad?

Just trying to get a discussion going to see different opinions
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Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    lizzielynnn wrote: »
    More likely to lose more weight if it's off or no?

    Yes for some people, no for others. I say no.

    Exercise burns calories. This is legitimate and real. It's like how driving your car burns gas, and after you drive you have to put more gas in your car. That's just how physics works.

    When you sign up for MFP it asks you what your current and goal weights are, and how quickly you want to get to your goal. Based on what you said, it tells you how many calories to eat BEFORE factoring your exercise in. If you use MFP correctly you're eating exercise calories back. But that's a digression, let's get back to the point. If you want to lose 1 pound per week, that gives you a 500 kCal/day deficit. If you go and burn another 500 kCal by running a 5K, your deficit is much higher, you're losing weight much faster than you wanted to, and that may have health risks and will almost certainly affect your ability to perform in the exercise you like, and to recover from it.

    It also makes you hungrier, because hunger is your body's way of telling you you need more calories. What happens when people are too hungry for too long? They binge eat, and go over their calories. Consistency over the long term is more likely to succeed, and is healthier.

    This is a pretty common misconception and I don't understand why (except that lots of apps including this one tend to over-estimate how much people burn by exercising). Would you never eat your dinner calories to lose weight faster?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited July 2016
    MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such exercise calories are supposed to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

    See also:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/search?adv=&search=exercise+calories&title=&author=&cat=all&tags=&discussion_d=1&comment_c=1&group_group=1&within=1+day&date=
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    I only eat exercise calories back if I'm hungry. I don't burn that much during exercise anyway so just class it as a larger deficit.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    On - I eat all my exercise calories back whatever my weight goal is at the time.

    Why - because I understand how both MFP and TDEE methods work. Because exercise is a normal and legitimate energy need, just like all the other energy needs of your body. Not accounting for exercise makes no more sense than not accounting for your RMR or your lifestyle.

    More likely to lose more weight if it's off or no? - Yes I would lose more weight than I want to lose or lose at a more rapid rate than is sensible or healthy.

    Or does having it on make you workout so you can eat more? - I workout because I enjoy it and because it's good for me. Losing weight at a sensible rate is certainly easier with a higher calorie goal. Feels far less restrictive.

    Is that good or bad? - What proportion of people would you estimate should do less exercise?
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Mine is on for cardio but I don't add for weight training. I do this because MFP uses the NEAT method so it's part of the design and for whatever reason the numbers seem to work pretty well for me even if I cheat some (which means of course that my TDEE is in excess of what the NEAT and calorie burn estimates for me and that could possibly due to the fact that I don't add a calorie burn for weight training). I want to lose weight at the rate I choose, not faster, in order to preserve as much muscle mass and strength as I can. And, I like the mental break of cheating a little at times.
  • spospo1
    spospo1 Posts: 433 Member
    I've read that it is an 80/20 ratio. 80% what you eat and 20% exercise.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    IF using TDEE, exercise off. If following MFP's NEAT, its on!

    A person can certainly choose not to eat back exercise calories using MFP. To create the best outcome for energy balance, eating some of them is a wise choice. If you train then this becomes more important other than just weight loss.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,973 Member
    IMO, people who refuse to account for their exercise calories and under eat, are usually the same people who complain about not losing any weight or not losing it fast enough. They also don't likely understand how MFP actually works and should inquire.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    For me, I have decided to stop logging exercise and it makes me feel better about the time I spend logging calories. It makes me feel more balanced and therefor easier to stick with it. I think there are multiple right ways and it is all about finding what works for you
  • shiroyashida24
    shiroyashida24 Posts: 19 Member
    I totally think that having exercise calories off is the way to go. I used to have mine on and eat back some of what i birned but that just made me gain so i turned it off and now im only five or six pounds from my goal weight
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    zamphir66 wrote: »
    I don't really understand *how* people are able to disregard exercise calories.

    If I went on one of my 40 mile bike rides without eating at least a few hundred extra calories -- I would have to be peeled off the road somewhere around the 20 mile mark.

    I'd say a lot of them suffer with hanger and less than optimal energy.

    I'd say a few of them are doing 15 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill while watching the TV, not @zamphir66's 40-mile bike ride.

    Don't get me wrong, 15 minutes on the treadmill is a Good Thing . . . but not eating those calories is probably not going to have massive bad consequences, unless they're already at a pretty steep deficit. Lotta folks in these parts are new to exercise, too, and working their way in gradually.

    (I'd still argue they should eat back the calories. ;) ).

    True true. Good point, as usual :smiley:

  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    I do not eat back my exercise calories. However, if I am hungry and at my calorie limit, I will absolutely eat some raw fruits and veggies guilt free.
  • Sapphire_Elf
    Sapphire_Elf Posts: 76 Member
    edited July 2016
    This is a really interesting article around the whole exercise calorie debate - I found it when I was looking for the answer as to whether I should eat my calories back or not:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/

    Still don't know whether I should or not but I am struggling to hit my calorie goal any rate even without trying to eat them back.....
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,162 Member
    Sapphire_Elf wrote: »
    This is a really interesting article around the whole exercise calorie debate - I found it when I was looking for the answer as to whether I should eat my calories back or not:

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/eating-back-calories-burned/

    Still don't know whether I should or not but I am struggling to hit my calorie goal any rate even without trying to eat them back.....

    You probably realize this, but many people seem not to: If you've let MFP set your calorie level, and you told it you want to lose weight (whether 2 pounds a week or half a pound a week), then your deficit is already built in to your calorie goal.

    The article you linked is a good & sensible one, and helpfully recognizes that the deficit can be created by eating less, exercising more, or a combination. Sometimes things from outside MFP say "never eat your exercise calories" and people here believe it, not understanding that MFP is designed to work differently from some other similar tools.

    If you're at a conservative weight loss rate (half a pound a week or something), and exercising only a hundred or two calories, not eating them back is probably not a huge error . . . but exercising a lot on top of a fast weight loss rate is really not a good, healthy idea at all, unless a person is very significantly obese. (By "a lot" of exercise, I mean several hundred calories routinely, if those calories are estimated reasonably accurately.)

    If you're having trouble eating enough, consider adding a bit of some very nutritious and calorie-dense food, like (say) nuts or avocado. I hope we all want to strong & healthy while losing weight!
  • Sapphire_Elf
    Sapphire_Elf Posts: 76 Member
    I did know that about mfp, mostly because I've seen a few threads where ninerbuff mentions it - it's the tools based on TDEE where exercise is already accounted for, yes?

    I'm currently walking a couple of miles a day plus which I am doing beachbody Chalean Extreme and T25. Having thought about it I'm going to set my calorie goal to 1600 a day. So this is my 1200 that mfp gives me for weight loss plus an additional 400 for exercise. i hope that 400 should cover a 25 minute HIIT workout and a 35-40 minute weight session (t25 is 6x a week, Chalean is 3x). So I won't now log it separately unles I do anything over and above, like the 2 hours horse riding I will be doing tomorrow :) on my rest days I will eat less than the 1600.

    Is my thinking about right or total nonsense???
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,162 Member
    Sapphire_Elf wrote: »
    I did know that about mfp, mostly because I've seen a few threads where ninerbuff mentions it - it's the tools based on TDEE where exercise is already accounted for, yes?

    I'm currently walking a couple of miles a day plus which I am doing beachbody Chalean Extreme and T25. Having thought about it I'm going to set my calorie goal to 1600 a day. So this is my 1200 that mfp gives me for weight loss plus an additional 400 for exercise. i hope that 400 should cover a 25 minute HIIT workout and a 35-40 minute weight session (t25 is 6x a week, Chalean is 3x). So I won't now log it separately unles I do anything over and above, like the 2 hours horse riding I will be doing tomorrow :) on my rest days I will eat less than the 1600.

    Is my thinking about right or total nonsense???

    Conceptually, it sounds sensible enough, but I'm not the right woman to ask. I used MFP as designed: I set my basic activity based on my daily routine non-exercise life (adjusted as needed so that my actual loss matched my targeted loss rate), then separately added intentional exercise (estimated conservatively) and ate it all back. In maintenance, that's still my basic approach.

    Also, I'm not at all familiar with those forms of exercise, and I don't know how big you are, so I don't have any way to know whether 400 is a good exercise estimate, or not. You could try it for a month, and see how the results come out (obviously, adjust sooner if it becomes evident it isn't working). Sorry - wish I could be helpful!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @Sapphire_Elf.
    You could just enter your exercises into MFP and using their NEAT method the eat 59-75% of them back. MFP tends to over estimate the calorie burn for some exercises so adjust as needed.

    Use an online TDEE calculator IIFYM, scoobysworkshop, fitness frog, sailor rabbit. And include all your exercise. This will spread your burn over the week so you don't go up and down on your cals. This works best for a stable routine.

    Or from the data you have in MFP extrapolate what you actually burn then you can use that information to account for your calorie burn by either TDEE or NEAT.
    The nice thing about working out you own calories is that it takes into account any logging foibles you may have.

    I think just adding 400, unless you have a good reason to know that it is a good approximation, will lead to a lot of calorie adjustments over time.

    Cheers, h.
  • Sapphire_Elf
    Sapphire_Elf Posts: 76 Member
    Thanks both, very helpful. I will have a think on best way :) for info, Ann, I'm 43, female, current weight 156 lbs, want to lose about 30 lbs. Chalean Extreme is weights based, lift heavy as you can go for 12 reps etc. T25 = jumping about like a total idiot for 25 minutes, no breaks.
  • Lazz5k
    Lazz5k Posts: 251 Member
    i don't log my exercise calories burned.. otherwise i would eat them ALL back.
  • bibliocephalus
    bibliocephalus Posts: 74 Member
    I lost 60lb at a 1lb a week goal on MFP and ate back my excercise calories, I would have been too hungry all the time and would not have succeeded otherwise. HOWEVER, I verified the calories MFP said I burned with other calculators on line. Some of the figures (particularly the elliptical numbers) are really inflated- that one is almost 50% higher than what both the machine, and other exercise calorie calculators said. I went with the lower figures. Walking calories on MFP are accurate.
  • _annevalerie
    _annevalerie Posts: 17 Member
    Personally I don't like adding the exercise calories because it causes me to eat more even when I'm full

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