Eating back calories

jvd921

If I consume 1500 cals a day. Approx a 500 diet deficit. Work out 500-600 cal doing cardio. Should I eat back at least 200 calories so I dont go into starvation mode. What are your thoughts/experiences?

NorthCascades

You should eat back your calories like you should pay back money you borrow. Starvation mode (the way you understand it) is a myth. When people starve, they get skinny and sick, and then they die.

diannethegeek

You won't go into starvation mode because of a 500 calorie workout. But yes, if you're using MFP's numbers and not a custom goal, the system is designed to give you a calorie goal without taking workouts into account until you log them and then it adjusts your goal. You're meant to eat those extra calories back. Most people recommend only eating back 50-75% of those extra calories to account for any overestimations by MFP or gym machines. If you're confident you're burning 500-600 calories then you could eat all of them back.

ModernRock

That's the idea. Unless somebody is super confident in their calorie estimates, it is generally recommended to eat back a percentage of the burn. Or just estimate the burn lower and eat all of that back. Same difference.

So, in your example, at the end of that day you'd have eaten 1700 and burned 500 for a 800 calorie deficit.

Compared to just eating 1200 calories and calling it a day, you your examples allows you the pleasure of eating more, more nutrition, and the benefits of exercise.

For what it's worth, starvation mode isn't a thing. At least, not something that's going to happen to someone with weight to lose and eating 1500 calories, whether you burn and eat back 500 or not.

singletrackmtbr

I eat them all back, every time, with good results. That said exercise calorie estimates are all over the place, so it really depends upon if you can establish a reliable source of information.

sijomial

If you are really burning 500-600 cals then it's pretty odd not to eat them back to meet the goal you actually selected.
Have a think ahead to when you get to target weight, will you have to account for your exercise expenditure then or not if you want to find your calorie balance?

Forget "starvation mode" - think sustainable and appropriate calorie deficit.

alyssa0061

NorthCascades wrote: »

When people starve, they get skinny and sick, and then they die.

Yep. The more people who understand this the better off we'll all be

thelovelyLIZ

Yup eat gem back you earned them!