Do you eat back exercise calories?

Welshcake81

Hi everyone. I am a 35 yr old female and have 2 stone to lose. I exercise/walk most days and wondered if I should eat back the extra calories earnt?. I'm 5ft 8 and wondering how I can make 1260 last a day. Many thanks in advance I really want to shed these pounds this time x

Katimira

My understanding is that yes, you can eat back the exercise calories. At least that's how I've been doing it and I'm happy to report I've been slowly losing weight.

kgirlhart

I do. Mfp is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories. If you are worried that they are overestimated you can start by eating half and then in about 4 weeks reevaluate. If you are losing faster than expected eat back more if losing slower than expected eat back less. If you used a TDEE calculator for your goal then do not eat back exercise calories. But if your goal came from mfp you should at least eat back some of them.

CafeRacer808

Yes, you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories on MFP. That said, many people advise eating 50-70% of those calories because calories burned calculations often inaccurate.

plucini4

What is TDEE?

kgirlhart

TDEE is total daily energy expenditure. It is a formula that takes your BMR plus activity level plus exercise to see how many calories you need each day. Mfp uses NEAT which just considers BMR plus activity. Then if you exercise you add that and earn more calories.

lady_ghost

No I feel like if I got one of those calorie burned bracelets I'll just become obsessive. I eat the same everyday. I don't want ro be adjusting my diet on here all day long

kgirlhart

lady_ghost wrote: »

No I feel like if I got one of those calorie burned bracelets I'll just become obsessive. I eat the same everyday. I don't want ro be adjusting my diet on here all day long

That is fine if you have a consistent level of activities and exercise. If you want to eat the same every day then use a TDEE calculator for your goal. But if you have inconsistent exercise and activity it is nice to use NEAT because you eat more on days you burn more and less on days you burn less.

NancyYale

I don't eat them as part of my food plan, but I on the days I earn them, if I am a little hungry I sometimes eat a few. I go by how satisfied I am for that day.

They give me a little more flexibility if I need it.

I only exercise moderately. If I was training seriously, I would do it differently and I would make sure to eat more of them.

TavistockToad

Welshcake81 wrote: »

Hi everyone. I am a 35 yr old female and have 2 stone to lose. I exercise/walk most days and wondered if I should eat back the extra calories earnt?. I'm 5ft 8 and wondering how I can make 1260 last a day. Many thanks in advance I really want to shed these pounds this time x

Yep, eat them, they taste the best!

Vanilla_Lattes

I do or I'm hangry and then binge so...

ice826

It IS easy to become obsessive with these tools. At least for me. I am using MFP as more of a friendly helper and reminder. I do cardio and weights in my exercise routine. Yes, I do eat back some of the calories I used up in exercise. However, I also know that it is extremely hard to track calories burned from lifting weights. Since I cannot identify/track those calories, I know that my total calories burned is more than just my aerobic/cardio activity. Long story short, utilizing MFP as a guideline, I allow myself a little freedom in calorie consumption.

Arizona_C

I'd say eat them back if you are hungry and need them, if you are not, don't.

When you have been tracking for a while, you'll see if you lose weight with a regularity that suits you.

Losing weight is important if you are overweight, but losing weight in a way you feel confortable about is just as important.

Try both, see what suits you. In terms of feeling well and in terms of losing in a way you feel good about.

kshama2001

MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

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

successgal1

At 1260, you're going to NEED recovery calories. I'm at 1200. Without eating enough you may develop cravings as your body cries for food.

I find it helps to choose nutritionally dense foods at such a low daily calorie allotment. You may find it easier to ease up on your weekly weight loss goal if you're hungry. You'll still lose, just slower but more sustainably.

DanLoginov

Welshcake81 wrote: »

Hi everyone. I am a 35 yr old female and have 2 stone to lose. I exercise/walk most days and wondered if I should eat back the extra calories earnt?. I'm 5ft 8 and wondering how I can make 1260 last a day. Many thanks in advance I really want to shed these pounds this time x

As long as you're in a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight. You should be fine if you log and get required amount of calories in each day.

lemurcat12

MFP sets your goal assuming that you will eat exercise calories back. There are ways to get a goal (from a TDEE calculator) that has exercise already built in and just eat the same every day, but at 5'8 with a goal of 1260, I'd definitely eat exercise calories back. I'm only 5'3, and I started at 1250 and ate exercise back and lost fine. I now do the eat the same every day thing, but my goal is much higher.

spiriteagle99

I eat back the calories that are from intentional exercise (running, exercise bike, aerobic dvd, walking the dog) but not the calories that come from random steps through the day. As a runner, training for a marathon, my calorie need changes on a day to day basis. I eat a lot more on my long run days and medium long days than on rest days or short run days. It has worked for me. I lost the 10 pounds I needed to lose in about 11 weeks, despite overindulging a bit over the holidays.

riffraff2112

personal choice. Some people do, some people eat back a fraction (half is common), and some don't.