Do I eat back exercise calories?

Sparkle097

Mfp gave me goal of 1400 cals a day to lose weight. I’m planning to workout 4 days a week. I’m not sure how much I will burn daily. Let’s say if I burn around 100 cals, do I eat that back???

AnvilHead

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

janejellyroll

Your calorie goal is given to you with the intention that you will eat back exercise calories.

njitaliana

I don't. The only time I did was when I worked out so hard that it made me extra hungry. But, typically, I prefer to not use them. You can lose more if you don't eat them back.

janejellyroll

njitaliana wrote: »

I don't. The only time I did was when I worked out so hard that it made me extra hungry. But, typically, I prefer to not use them. You can lose more if you don't eat them back.

Someone with a relatively low calorie goal (which 1,400 is) who is working out 4 days a week should probably account for the calories burnt via exercise. There's no overall benefit to losing more weight if it leaves you hungry and with a lack of energy or if it is compromising your fitness goals.

Tama072015

If I ate my exercise calories back, I would weigh 400 pounds. They are entertainment only for me. Eating quality foods will reduce the hunger in trying to lose weight. I have been maintaining and know a number of folks in the same boat that do not eat them back and we maintain.

apullum

Yes, you do, if you are following MFP's calorie goal and assuming that your exercise calories are calculated accurately. Because many exercise calorie burns are exaggerated, we often recommend that people eat half their stated exercise calories.

apullum

Tama072015 wrote: »

If I ate my exercise calories back, I would weigh 400 pounds. They are entertainment only for me. Eating quality foods will reduce the hunger in trying to lose weight. I have been maintaining and know a number of folks in the same boat that do not eat them back and we maintain.

If you are maintaining, then you are eating back your exercise calories, whether you're aware of it or not. Maintenance means your calories burned equal your calories taken in. It is not mathematically possible to maintain yet not eat exercise calories. You're eating more and/or burning less than you think you are.

janejellyroll

Tama072015 wrote: »

If I ate my exercise calories back, I would weigh 400 pounds. They are entertainment only for me. Eating quality foods will reduce the hunger in trying to lose weight. I have been maintaining and know a number of folks in the same boat that do not eat them back and we maintain.

If eating back your exercise calories cause you to gain weight, this means that something is off in your estimates. The likely culprits: you're eating more than you think you are or you're not burning as much in exercise as you think.

It's impossible to gain weight eating exercise calories if your starting point is an accurately estimated NEAT calorie goal combined with eating back accurately estimated exercise calories (assuming that one is also accurately estimated calorie intake).

Some people find they have to make more adjustments than others in order to reach a point where they are accurately estimating. But this doesn't mean that the initial premise is faulty, some people just need more tweaking to be successful with it.

TavistockToad

sathmif465 wrote: »

Mfp gave me goal of 1400 cals a day to lose weight. I’m planning to workout 4 days a week. I’m not sure how much I will burn daily. Let’s say if I burn around 100 cals, do I eat that back???

Yes

mbaker566

yes eat them back. otherwise, your calorie deficit could be too great.
now if you are eating them back and you find you are continuously gaining weight, consider eating a portion of them back

kshama2001

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

jan110144

MFP has my calories set at 1200. I usually "earn" 600-800 exercise calories a day from exercise and eat back 250-400 of tgem. This has worked very well for me. In the 4 months I have been doing this, I have lost just under 40 pounds.

MikePTY

If you are using MFP to set your calorie goals, then you should be eating back your exercise calories. The goals they set for you are set under the assumption that you will be eating back your exercise calories. If you do not, you are under eating. If you do not like the idea of "eating back your exercise calories", you can use another method to set your goal such as TDEE, which already takes into account the exercise you do. If you use this method, then you don't need to eat them back. But if you are using MFP's goal, you need to eat them back (or at least most of them).

garystrickland357

To answer your question - yes - you eat them back. For me however it never seems that simple. First, I make errors in logging my food intake. Second, there are errors in the calorie burn amounts given for a specific exercise and duration. So if I underestimate my calorie intake and overestimate the calories burned in exercise, I can get into trouble and not lose weight.

So here's the real answer for how I do it. Log your food consumption as accurately as possible, but understand you are most likely underestimating how much you are eating - even if you are being as honest as possible. Log your exercise as accurately as possible and be aware that the calories "burned" are not likely as high as you think they are.
I eat back about 1/2 of my exercise calories and lose weight according to MFP guide. You will need to just weigh regularly and see what happens. If you are not losing weight you are not in a calorie deficit - either from food logging errors or calorie burn errors or both. Either way you fix it by eating less food.

jan110144

@garystrickland357 very well said. This essentially what I do and it has been very effective for me.

petethegamer_mfp

I try to eat within my calorie goal but know the food logging is not 100% accurate so if I drift into exercise calories I don't scream at myself. Also I know that buffer is there if I am out at a dinner or party