Why do we eat back calories?

T1DAnna

I'm new to the site. Let me state that first and foremost. I am very confused on why we need to eat back or exercise calories. No one eats back their calories on "The Biggest Loser." I had never heard of eating back calories until I came here.

crystalflame

You've told MFP you want to lose weight at a certain rate. It calculates a deficit for you. If you work out, you've created a larger deficit than you need to lose weight at your desired rate. Don't look to The Biggest Loser as an example - that's not healthy, not sustainable, and a majority of the contestants gain weight back.

More info on eating exercise calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

WaterBunnie

If you do a search topics for exercise calories you will find plenty of threads arguing both ways! It's essentially so that you can learn to eat more when you need more and keep enough nutrients coming in to keep you healthy. You also don't want to fuel exercise by breaking down lean muscle which can happen if you lose too quickly.

RGv2

You've told MFP you want to lose weight at a certain rate. It calculates a deficit for you. If you work out, you've created a larger deficit than you need to lose weight at your desired rate. Don't look to The Biggest Loser as an example - that's not healthy, not sustainable, and a majority of the contestants gain weight back.

More info on eating exercise calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

^^^This..

MFP has the deficit built in as though you were not going to exercise. I have a goal of ~1670 calories. If I didn't eat at least some of my exercise calories back I'd be netting 800-1000 calories per day. It would be impossible to sustain that.

eahill4

I never eat back all of my exercise calories. I keep it at less than half. So far it has worked for my weight loss

cmcollins001

First...get The Biggest Loser mentality out of your head. Unsafe weight loss over unrealistic time frame without any realistic long term sustainable plan.

Second, the way MyFitnessPal works is that you have a calorie deficit set up to begin with, so anything you do to increase that deficit is more than you need.

Example:

You're MFP goal is 1500 calories a day. This is set up for you based on the information you put into MFP when you set up your account. Lets say you want to lose 2 lbs a week, which is 7000 calories, or 1000 calories a day.

If you reach your goal on food alone, you will lose weight.

However if you exercise, which is suggested and recommended for body composition, you have your food intake of 1500 - 300 calories in exercise (example number) and now you net 1200. Now you have a deficit for the day of 1300 calories instead of the healthy 1000 calories.

So:

1500 food -300 exercise = 1200 Net

If you eat back your 300 burned, then you have

1200 Net + 300 in more food = 1500 Which is your actual goal for the day.

You want to NET as close to your goal calories as possible.

csheltra26

You've told MFP you want to lose weight at a certain rate. It calculates a deficit for you. If you work out, you've created a larger deficit than you need to lose weight at your desired rate. Don't look to The Biggest Loser as an example - that's not healthy, not sustainable, and a majority of the contestants gain weight back.

More info on eating exercise calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

This

run2bfree

I never eat back all of my exercise calories. I keep it at less than half. So far it has worked for my weight loss

This. I never eat back calories.

Ready2Rock206

No one eats back their calories on "The Biggest Loser."

Biggest Loser contestants also severely dehydrate themselves, workout for 8 hours a day and lose their weight in all sorts of unhealthy ways. Most of them also seem to gain the weight back after the show. I really wouldn't look to them to be your role model for how to lose weight. MFP is a more healthy and sustainable method of weight loss.