How much of my exercise calories do I eat?

Hana_TF22

I've been searching for an answer but haven't found a definite answer. So MFP recommends to eat 1200 net calories per day. Say I burn 300 calories. My question is do I eat all those 300 calories or 3/4 or 1/2? Plz halp

Lillymoo01

To start with how aggressive are your goals as 1200 calories is not a lot for the average person? It is normally the amount needed for weight loss for someone who is shorter than average who doesn't have much to lose and those that are on the more mature side of life. If you have selected 2 pounds a week to lose it is too aggressive and can lead to some long-term problems. It can also make it much harder to stick with your calorie deficit because your body will fight you every step of the way against this loss. Hence the binge, restrict cycle that many become trapped in. Slow and steady wins the race for long-term success.

Now to answer your question. Many machines and apps (including MFP) overestimate the calories burned with exercise. This is why eating back 1/2 to 2/3 is often recommended. The best thing to do is to start with eating back 1/2 for a month at least (you want at least one period cycle to determine average weight loss) and if you are losing faster than predicted then increase it to 2/3. If you are really lucky you may even be able to increase this further the following months

middlehaitch

Start with 100%.
Monitor over 4-6 weeks then adjust by a consistent percentage if you are not losing at the rate you entered.
Unfortunately all websites inc MFP and devices give estimates. Your own results over time will give you your calorie burn.
I was lucky, the MFP burn worked for me and came within 20 cals of my own numbers (except Zumba). So I just rounded up and used the average for everything once I hit maintenance.

Cheers, h.

fitoverfortymom

In a perfect world, all of them. All bodies are different, so it takes experimentation. I tend to eat most if not all of them and still lose.

amy19355

I am fairly new to this game, and am experimenting with anticipating my calorie burn and eating in advance.
My preference is not to eat much after work, but that’s my gym time, so it’s a compromise i’m Trying to see how it works. Sometimes i still need a protein bar to feel nourished for the day, but mostly an apple sufffices for a post workout refresher.

About the 1200 calories, i started there also, and while i lost 2lbs a week on average, after 2 months i chose to slow it down because of all I have read here and otherwhere about minimum requirements for healthy outcomes. I’m working my way up to 1800-ish as my maintenance level, and currently at 1500 a day.

There isn’t any one answer that works for anyone all the time; I find it more useful to evaluate my progress (or lack of) over a few weeks or month at a time.

Good luck to you and good fitness to us all!
Amyfb

SpyLuna

MFP set me at 1290 cals to lose 1.5 a week and I have 80 to lose (obese) and I set it to active because I work out 5 times a week now. I'm 5'1 so I am no where near "average". I don't eat my exercise calories back because everywhere I read it says most of the time those are overestimated and being so short and allotted so few calories to begin with eating even a mere hundred or two over would ruin any progress I'm making. So if you're short and on 1200 I'd say no don't eat them but if you're tall and on 1200 you could get away with a couple extra hundred on days you work out.

shadow2soul

SpyLuna wrote: »

MFP set me at 1290 cals to lose 1.5 a week and I have 80 to lose (obese) and I set it to active because I work out 5 times a week now. I'm 5'1 so I am no where near "average". I don't eat my exercise calories back because everywhere I read it says most of the time those are overestimated and being so short and allotted so few calories to begin with eating even a mere hundred or two over would ruin any progress I'm making. So if you're short and on 1200 I'd say no don't eat them but if you're tall and on 1200 you could get away with a couple extra hundred on days you work out.

Technically you are eating some of your exercise calories. You included them in your activity level.

MFP wants you to pick the activity level that describes your daily life outside of exercise and then log the exercise to eat a bit of what you need to fuel those workouts. Plus it keeps your deficit from getting to large.

If you included your exercise in your activity level setting don’t eat them back.

If you set up MFP as intended (not counting exercise in activity level) eat some back. You can start with 50% if you feel skeptical. After 4-6 weeks look at your average weekly loss. Did you lose more than expected? You can eat more than 50%. Did you lose less, maintain, or gain? Eat less than 50% and double check your food logs for inaccuracies (not all database entries are correct....green check mark doesn’t mean it’s right....and your method of judging portion sizes should be considered)

Personally I eat all of mine and lost over 100lbs doing so. I balance my calories by the week so I can have cake at birthday parties or a drink with my SO on date night. It keeps me on track for my goals and allows me to have little indulgences.

kshama2001

Hana_TF22 wrote: »

I've been searching for an answer but haven't found a definite answer. So MFP recommends to eat 1200 net calories per day. Say I burn 300 calories. My question is do I eat all those 300 calories or 3/4 or 1/2? Plz halp

MFP only recommends 1200 calories per day if a woman chooses the most aggressively rate of loss possible. Are you sure 2 pounds a week is appropriate for you? How tall are you?

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), 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. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

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

shadow2soul

kshama2001 wrote: »

Hana_TF22 wrote: »

I've been searching for an answer but haven't found a definite answer. So MFP recommends to eat 1200 net calories per day. Say I burn 300 calories. My question is do I eat all those 300 calories or 3/4 or 1/2? Plz halp

MFP only recommends 1200 calories per day if a woman chooses the most aggressively rate of loss possible. Are you sure 2 pounds a week is appropriate for you? How tall are you?

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), 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. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

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

I think this should be rephrased to “if you choose a goal that is to aggressive for what you have to lose and your activity level”.

I say this, because I get 1200 if I set mine to Sedentary and 1lb per week loss.

Lillymoo01

kshama2001 wrote: »

Hana_TF22 wrote: »

I've been searching for an answer but haven't found a definite answer. So MFP recommends to eat 1200 net calories per day. Say I burn 300 calories. My question is do I eat all those 300 calories or 3/4 or 1/2? Plz halp

MFP only recommends 1200 calories per day if a woman chooses the most aggressively rate of loss possible UNLESS YOU ARE SHORT. Are you sure 2 pounds a week is appropriate for you? How tall are you?

Sorry, but I had to fix this because even at 1/2 pound a week loss MFP will give me 1200 calories as I am only 4'11 and it irks me when people generalise with statements like this. It is best to determine their height and weight before making these assumptions in my opinion.

sijomial

All of your actual exercise calories - which may not be the same as all of your estimated calories.
That's where the eat a proportion recommendations come from but personally I think that's a poor choice compared to making reasonable estimates appropriate to your exercise routine in the first place.

Start with 100% - especially as you are on such low calories already.
If you don't get the expected results than look at both your food logging (by far the most significant factor) and exercise logging accuracy.

jan110144

I was set at 1200 calories by MFP. This is way too little given the amount I exercise. So, I eat back exercise calories and try to keep my "net" calories around 1000 (that usually means I am eating 1400 to 1500 calories). So far, after 3 months, I fell good, have lots of energy and am lising at a decent rate.