Can I eat back some exercise calories while eating at maintanence?

FitnessGirl11mfp

I'm thinking I know the answer, but just checking. If I am eating at maintenance, can I eat back some of my exercise calories and not gain weight?
I'm 5'3 and about 136.6 lbs. I am still trying to get down to 130 but decided to just take a break and/or take it slow.

froggysfriend

Makes sense to me that you can, as long as food and exercise are accurate - which can be tricky!

nxd10

I eat back all the exercise calories I'm hungry for. It's particular helpful in maintenance because sometimes you're hungry and really need them or you'll lose too much. If you do that, set activity to sedentary.

llbrixon

I do this all the time, so on some days when I exercise I can eat more

sijomial

If you wish to maintain weight then you MUST eat them back - otherwise you would be in a deficit.

Whether you are separating them as "exercising calories" or they are wrapped up into your daily allowance exercise does actually burn energy and that energy output has to be balanced by energy input.

Time to think ahead how you personally intend to maintain weight, a set daily calorie allowance (TDEE method with an average exercise estimate) or a variable allowance where you estimate on the day.

BTW you can also lose weight eating all your exercise calories of course, I did - it's how the site is designed after all.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

You are technically supposed to eat them all the time. The only reason to NOT eat them all is if you feel like the numbers are too high due to bad estimating, or maybe you aren't counting accurately so you are giving yourself room for error.

kgirlhart

If you got your goal from mfp then you should eat your exercise calories.

cwolfman13

FitnessGirl11mfp wrote: »

I'm thinking I know the answer, but just checking. If I am eating at maintenance, can I eat back some of my exercise calories and not gain weight?
I'm 5'3 and about 136.6 lbs. I am still trying to get down to 130 but decided to just take a break and/or take it slow.

Ummm...if you're getting your targets from MFP, you'd be in a deficit and lose weight if you didn't eat them back...you're supposed to eat them back regardless of your weight management objectives with MFP's methodology...

karl317

I'm no expert, but I think the way most fitness apps lump in "exercise" calories to your total "eatable pool" is wrong for some people (and I wish it was configurable). Study after study state that exercise is a downright terrible way to lose weight - yet for some reason all the major fitness apps handle it this way without giving the user any choice in the matter. MFP, and also the Fitbit app, arguably the two biggest ones, both do this.

I log and weigh everything religiously. But if I eat more than a couple of hundred of calories into my "exercise" calories, I start gaining - and that's regardless of how many exercise calories I have (I average between 600-1000/day, mainly 3.2mph treadmill on an incline). If I stick to my "Leftmost" number in MFP and ignore exercise calories, it's pretty much dead on.

Conversely, I know someone who eats every last one of her exercise calories and doesn't gain as a result. I absolutely hate that about her, but I married her anyway

TavistockToad

Have you eaten exercise calories so far as you've been losing weight?

DisruptedMatrix

yes. I lost 9lbs in a week occasionally eating into my exercise calories.

FitnessGirl11mfp

TavistockToad wrote: »

Have you eaten exercise calories so far as you've been losing weight?

It was kind of off and on depending on what was going on that week. For example, if I went out to a restaurant or ate in the local cafe which is often as it's close to my work, I wouldn't eat them back because I'd estimate what I was eating. Or sometimes I would just feel full by the end of the day so I wouldn't eat them back, but now I make sure to eat at least half back.

FitnessGirl11mfp

karl317 wrote: »

I'm no expert, but I think the way most fitness apps lump in "exercise" calories to your total "eatable pool" is wrong for some people (and I wish it was configurable). Study after study state that exercise is a downright terrible way to lose weight - yet for some reason all the major fitness apps handle it this way without giving the user any choice in the matter. MFP, and also the Fitbit app, arguably the two biggest ones, both do this.

I log and weigh everything religiously. But if I eat more than a couple of hundred of calories into my "exercise" calories, I start gaining - and that's regardless of how many exercise calories I have (I average between 600-1000/day, mainly 3.2mph treadmill on an incline). If I stick to my "Leftmost" number in MFP and ignore exercise calories, it's pretty much dead on.

Conversely, I know someone who eats every last one of her exercise calories and doesn't gain as a result. I absolutely hate that about her, but I married her anyway

Thank you for the well thought out response :-) It definitely depends on out estimations for sure. THAT'S awesome that your wife eats them all back and doesn't gain weight!

FitnessGirl11mfp

cwolfman13 wrote: »

FitnessGirl11mfp wrote: »

I'm thinking I know the answer, but just checking. If I am eating at maintenance, can I eat back some of my exercise calories and not gain weight?
I'm 5'3 and about 136.6 lbs. I am still trying to get down to 130 but decided to just take a break and/or take it slow.

Ummm...if you're getting your targets from MFP, you'd be in a deficit and lose weight if you didn't eat them back...you're supposed to eat them back regardless of your weight management objectives with MFP's methodology...

Thank you. Yea I am eating back around half of them now. Before it would depend on how I felt about my estimations if I ate at a restaurant or something.

FitnessGirl11mfp

Thsnk you all for your responses & advice :-) it was very helpful!