calorie debate. Do I eat them back after working out?

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  • kaykaylyn
    kaykaylyn Posts: 84 Member
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    There is no debate if you understand the tool you are using. MFP is essentially a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...which means when you set your activity level, you do NOT include exercise...just your day to day job and hum drum. This makes exercise an extra activity that needs to be fueled. The NEAT method is often used for people unfamiliar with exercise as it gives them incentive to get off their fat *kitten* and move...but they don't have to...they can eat those 1200 calories (sedentary) and lose weight...but if they do happen to get off their *kitten* and move they are rewarded with add'l calories. This is how MFP works.

    Other calculators like TDEE calculators incorporate your estimated exercise calories in you activity level...so you wouldn't eat them back. It works out 6 of 1 when you do it right. When I did MFP my NET calorie goal was 1850 to lose one Lb per week...with exercise I grossed about 2100- 2200 calories per day. When I switched to the TDEE method (which included my exercise in my activity level...TDEE = 2700...multiply that by 80% to get roughly 1 Lb per week loss goal...= 2,160 gross calories. See...6 of 1.

    You just need to stick with a method...some people do MFP...some people set to maintenance and try to create a deficit with exercise alone..some people do TDEE - X%...you just have to understand which method you are using and what tool you are using.
    Great explanation for anyone who is still tryi.g to figure this out. I'm replying so I can refer back to it. Thanks
  • angel5561
    angel5561 Posts: 142 Member
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    wow i finally get it lol that was the best explanation ive heard yet thank you!! ive been going by what my body tells me as far as to eat the calories back or not if im still hungry after eating the allotted calories and i have calories from exercise i will eat them as well i think its still important to pay attention to what our bodies are telling us an not just some calculator someone made up im especially hungry after i workout so i always eat afterwards and if im full and i havent quite reached my calories for the day im not going to force myself to eat its always over 1200 and ive heard that is the lowest number possible before you go into starvation mode
  • MelissaBoydston82
    MelissaBoydston82 Posts: 47
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    You don't have to eat them ALL back, but if you're working out consistently and burning calories....you need more food!

    I started eating just a little more, but keep my choices clean, high protein and high fiber....and this week it seems like I'm losing weight daily. lol.
  • angel5561
    angel5561 Posts: 142 Member
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    ok so i just calculated my bmr it says it is 1684 should i be eating that?? origionally my fitness pal gave me a calorie goal of 1350 i played around with that number after i read woman should be eating at least 1500 and anything under 1200 is starvation mode and now i aim for about 1500 calories a day this satisfies me and im not hungry after eating this many calories 99 percent of the time.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
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    That would work well if MFP used an accurate formula. To my knowledge they use a formula that shows burned calories of 3500 cal= 1 lb. of fat. However that would be more accurate if you were in ketosis. To burn a lb of fat you'd need to burn 4077 calories (453 grams x 9) (one gram of fat = 9 calories) so eating back burned calories from the workouts would really slow down the process...

    There is no need to eat them back unless you've done an intense workout where you've burned thousands of calories..

    I am eating around 1500-1600 a day & losing 3+ lbs a week while maintaining lean mass, and walked 25km today. If I ate back my calories I would have had to eat close to 4500 calories.

    This is why I think some ppl feel they are hitting plateaus. It's because they are using wrong formulas & thinking that's correct.
  • sherryapage
    sherryapage Posts: 7
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    There is no debate if you understand the tool you are using. MFP is essentially a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...which means when you set your activity level, you do NOT include exercise...just your day to day job and hum drum. This makes exercise an extra activity that needs to be fueled. The NEAT method is often used for people unfamiliar with exercise as it gives them incentive to get off their fat *kitten* and move...but they don't have to...they can eat those 1200 calories (sedentary) and lose weight...but if they do happen to get off their *kitten* and move they are rewarded with add'l calories. This is how MFP works.

    Other calculators like TDEE calculators incorporate your estimated exercise calories in you activity level...so you wouldn't eat them back. It works out 6 of 1 when you do it right. When I did MFP my NET calorie goal was 1850 to lose one Lb per week...with exercise I grossed about 2100- 2200 calories per day. When I switched to the TDEE method (which included my exercise in my activity level...TDEE = 2700...multiply that by 80% to get roughly 1 Lb per week loss goal...= 2,160 gross calories. See...6 of 1.

    You just need to stick with a method...some people do MFP...some people set to maintenance and try to create a deficit with exercise alone..some people do TDEE - X%...you just have to understand which method you are using and what tool you are using.

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