Who still loses weight by eating back the calories they burned off from exercise?

Summerweightlosscollege
Summerweightlosscollege Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to start eating back the calories i burn off, but i feel like then my workout goes to waste (especially when it is just cardio). However I feel extra hungry after I come back for a jog. Does anyone continue to eat their exercise calories and still lose weight? Let me know!
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Replies

  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    Yes absolutely, or I might literally die.

    But I don't eat what MFP lists. I estimate most my exercise at 50 to 75 calories per 30 minutes depending on activity. Some of the exercises in the MFP database are way out of portion. Some people eat back half of what MFP says.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,156 Member
    I always ate back most of my exercise calories and lost weight. Mfp is designed for you to eat them back. If you got your goal from mfp then your deficit is built in and not eating the exercise calories will increase the deficit which is not really a good thing. If you used a tdee calculator to get your goal then it is already including exercise calories so you should not add them again because you are already eating the exercise calories. That is why Tdee calculator will give you a higher goal than map gives you. Your tdee goal should be about equal to tour map goal + exercise calories.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited June 2017
    Yup, lost 80 lbs eating the calories MFP gives me, plus my exercise calories. I lost at the expected rate, sometimes even a tiny bit more.
    I like the point mentioned above about how fit people eat and train, and I completely agree. Under fueling your body is not a good fitness plan.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    I eat them back but I always lowball whai did. I count a 60 minute class as 45 or my hike as a slow walk
  • TigerLily100
    TigerLily100 Posts: 81 Member
    I eat back if hungry, if not I don't bother.
    I have a fitbit, but I think it over estimates my calories burned, although a bit early to say as I'm only about 2 weeks in.
    I just can't believe the calories it gives me some days, and for what seems so little effort - way above my BMR.
    So am being cautious at present, but open minded to changing my views on it if the weight loss increases. I only want to lose at 1lb a week and no greater.

  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I have always eaten back my exercise calories, with one important caveat: I use a couple of methods of estimating calories, choose the lower amount, and completely ignore MFP's exercise database, which inflates exercise calories ridiculously. While I was losing weight, I averaged about 450 exercise calories a day (cycling, running, and hiking—I try to do something active every day, and on weekends I'll go for 2-4 hour bike rides, sometimes longer), so if I didn't eat them back, I would have been hungry and crabby (hangry) all the time, and I would have lost weight far too quickly.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,091 Member
    Yes.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    Just be sure your activity level is set on "sedentary" regardless of what your non-exercise activity level is. And then like many others here....I eat back around 50% or so of my exercise calories if I think the calories awarded are accurate. I also use Fitbit (which always allows me significantly less than mfp)...but again, considering that FB slips out of place, can't know that I'm lifting weights, but not moving around a lot...etc.

    An hour of Strength training or lifting weights might *for example* show FB that your HR is 130 or so. It might show the same HR for a leisurely walk and award significantly more calories for the walk because of "steps". But steps don't equal effort or resistance. Nor can FB guess "afterburn" or muscle mass in calculations.

    So there's a lot of factors to consider yourself on how much to eat back and definitely consider your muscle mass and factor in strength training vs cardio when eating back calories. I am set up for 2lbs per week weight loss, but have lost 20 lbs since March 15th. So not quite 2 lbs per week.

    But I'm doing 65% or more strength training, so those missing lbs are likely muscle gained. Your scale won't reflect that, either. I was a Size 12 and 172lbs in March and now a Small Size 8 and 151lbs. But when I tell someone I'm 151lbs they look shocked because I look more slender than that (muscle/fat loss).

    All of these trackers and apps are a big help, but you still have to account for your body and learn and adapt what is most effective for your body as far as the end result you want.

    TL;DR Version: When in doubt....drink a protein shake instead of a meal to be sure you're not eating back too much and manage hunger/keep carbs in check. Add BCAAs (to water before and during workouts) to retain muscle in case you're not eating enough calories back.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I eat it all back.

    I used to not eat any exercise calories back until I did that for six months, got really really sick and it took eight months to recover. I was netting less than 500 calories a day and some days a negative net amount after exercise. Lost a ton of weight but I will never ever do that again.

    Now I eat it all back and still lose between 0.5 and 1.5 pounds weekly. It works. It feel healthier and the pounds are vanishing. Love eating my exercise calories!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I log 75% of the time i spend working out and eat those calories. I've been doing this over 2 years and its what works best for me.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,091 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »

    One further thought: You say "I want to start eating back the calories i burn off, but i feel like then my workout goes to waste". Workouts never go to waste. They make you more fit. They improve your mood. They can help other aspects of your health, such as blood pressure or blood sugar. Even some cardio can help with preserving existing muscle as you lose fat, even if it's not quite as good for that as weight training is. They help build the habit of being active, which will help you keep weight off more easily once you reach goal weight.

    ^^Exactly this. In fact, workouts that you don't fuel -- well, they may not be a waste, but you won't get the full benefit, because you won't have the energy to put full effort in, and your body won't have the energy and building materials to repair and build muscle.

  • loulouowens
    loulouowens Posts: 103 Member
    Im still not eating my fitbit adjustments. Becuase today for eg i have done no specific exercise, but had a busy day and done 13000 steps im set to sedentry so fitbit and mfp has given me an positive adjustment of 400 calories.
    I just dont eat them becuase i feel like i will sts or gain if i do! Now if i got for a run or a specific hike then i will eat half of those.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    For purposes of hypoglycemia prevention post workout, yes. I eat what I need and leave the rest on the table. Doctor doesn't have a problem with what I'm doing and I'm still losing.
  • victorias36
    victorias36 Posts: 28 Member
    I have actually gained weight eating back my exercise calories. I tried it for a week just to see and I gained weight. I have learned to eat back only a small portion of them because exercise calories are not always accurate. Even my Fitbit gives me too many calories so I just modify. Everyone is different. I wish I was one of those that could eat back all of their calories, that would be awesome!!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,176 Member
    edited June 2017
    One thing I want to clarify (underline): What matters is your actual loss rate. Any of the calculators, including the ones built into MFP, just give you an estimate to start out with.

    The calculators are based on the average results from large research studies. Most people are close to the average (i.e. there's a small standard deviation, statistically speaking), but a few people - like 1 in 20 - can be quite quite far from the average.

    After the first month of consistency (maybe 6 weeks for premenopausal women), ignore the 1st couple of weeks (because water weight is weird at first), look at the average loss per week from the later weeks, and adjust eating to a healthy loss rate.

    The question isn't whether you can eat back exercise & still lose weight. Everyone can . . . if their tracking is accurate and their base calories are estimated reasonably accurately in the first place.

    P. S. If you're not tiny, are tracking eating accurately and consistently (no unlogged "cheat days"), and can't lose at the MFP minimums (1200 for women, 1500 for men), talk to your doctor.
  • xandra47
    xandra47 Posts: 121 Member
    I didn't at first, but now I try to eat back around half the calories I burn. The weight seems to be dropping quicker now that I fuel up properly.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    victorias36 wrote: »
    I have actually gained weight eating back my exercise calories. I tried it for a week just to see and I gained weight. I have learned to eat back only a small portion of them because exercise calories are not always accurate. Even my Fitbit gives me too many calories so I just modify. Everyone is different. I wish I was one of those that could eat back all of their calories, that would be awesome!!

    I think we all have the issue with apps and fitbit having a lot of variety in calories burned during specific exercises, especially branded classes and things fitbit can't log.

    I reiterate that everyone needs to set their activity level on both mfp and fitbit to "sedentary" just to be safe, since it will assume the lowest BMR.

    And I added a shortcut to my phone to this chart that has literally every possible activity and calories burned based on weight and intensity. I use it to compare to MFP, Fitbit, and Samsung Health awarded calories to help adjust the averages. It's really comprehensive as a quick reference guide.

    http://www.statisticbrain.com/calories-burned-during-exercise/
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited June 2017
    WendyLeigh1119 wrote: »
    I reiterate that everyone needs to set their activity level on both mfp and fitbit to "sedentary" just to be safe, since it will assume the lowest BMR.

    No. If a person is genuinely active, they do NOT need to set their activity level to "sedentary".

    As long as you have negative adjustments enabled, it makes ZERO difference what activity level you choose on mfp if you have an activity tracker synced. At midnight, it will credit you with exactly the same number of calories burned regardless of activity level chosen.

    That's coming from someone who is set to "active", has a synced FitBit and loses weight exactly as predicted from calorie intake and FitBit burns.

    Your BMR is calculated to be the exact same value regardless of activity level chosen. Your predicted calorie burn varies based on activity level - but you only start getting credited with "extra" calories after you've burned more than you "should have" for that activity level. And with negative adjustments enabled, mfp actually "takes away" calories if you've been less active than you "should have" for your chosen activity level.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    A person who is nervous or worrying about eating back calories can be assured that if they're anything above "sedentary, but have it set on "sedentary"....they can safely eat back whatever extra calories they've earned from exercise and still lose weight. Some people diet, but don't exercise and their non-exercise level (such as their jobs or chores or whatever) vary greatly day to day. People who have exactly the same activity level at work, school, and home everyday wouldn't be confused about how many calories to eat back anyway.

    And I'm well aware of Fitbit's negative calorie adjustments. Those are frequently wrong, too. I can't wear my fitbit when I swim laps or even during heavy punching/kicking sessions. Fitbit often cannot properly log certain workouts or need manual entry (which is all guessing). Even Fitbit lists the many sport's and activities that aren't accurate. Heart rate isn't very accurate and that's all they use to calculate. It doesn't know your workload vs muscle mass to figure out how hard you're working.

    Even worse....people who have naturally very low or very high heartrates get bizarre resting readings and changing the Exercise Zones only helps during "moderate to heavy" access. My fitbit tells me that on days I don't exercise, I can only eat a total of 650 calories daily. So no. Trusting the negative adjustments is much more complicated than what I initially suggested.

    Which is what virtually every website and forum suggest people do, btw. Set both fitbit and mfp to "sedentary" AND allow negative adjustments and then you're sure you're always safe to eat back 100% of calories and still lose your set lbs goal.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,976 Member
    Raises hand.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • dale050467
    dale050467 Posts: 38 Member
    I eat back 50%

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