Eat burned exercise calories?

cailynnn99

I'm just starting back and have been trying not to eat the extra calories I earn from working out, but read one person saying you should eat those calories. Is this true? What do you guys do?

Cahgetsfit

If you use the generic MFP guides then yes - eat them back - maybe not the whole lot of them, but half (because of the tendency to over estimate burns). MFP is designed for you to eat back calories.

if you use TDEE calculations (NOT MFP) then don't eat them back. I prefer TDEE because then I know exactly how much I need to eat each day regardless of how much or how little I exercise.

kami3006

This is an excellent video explaining why you should eat them when using MFP's numbers:

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

Panini911

if you are using the calories recommended by MFP yes it is meant to eat back those exercise calories as the deficit is ALREADY included in the initial calorie goal.

see link in post above.

NorthCascades

I just got home from a four and a half hour ski. Cross country, on flat ground, 20 scenic miles, because it was a perfect day and I had to. I don't know exactly how many calories I burned, but I know it wasn't 0. My HRM says 700 per hour, I'm figuring 500 to be conservative. Anyway to answer your question, I'm either going to have tacos or pasta, and then mint chocolate chip ice cream while I go through the pictures, and I'm still going to lose weight.

MikePTY

MFP is made for you to eat your exercise calories back. At least most of them (sometimes they can be overestimated, so some people prefer to eat 50%-75%). If you use another formula like TDEE, then your exercise is already accounted for, and you wouldn't eat them back. However, your goal under TDEE would be higher than your MFP goal, because it calculates your general exercise level as part of your base calories.

For you when starting out, I'd stay with your MFP goals and eating back your exercise calories. If after a while of doing this, you decide that another method is better, you can switch to that, but I'd stay on this one for now. Regardless, your exercise needs to be accounted for somehow.

sijomial

I eat them all back - just as you will have to when you get to goal weight.
The exercise database often isn't the best to estimate them though, that depends to a large degree on your particular exercise routine.

The over-riding issue for me is that exercise should be for life, not just for the period of your weight loss.
Do more and get to eat more and its opposing twin when you move less you need to eat less are valuable lessons for successful maintenance at goal weight.

cwolfman13

cailynnn99 wrote: »

I'm just starting back and have been trying not to eat the extra calories I earn from working out, but read one person saying you should eat those calories. Is this true? What do you guys do?

First, ask yourself this...if you weren't supposed to then why in the world would MFP give you those calories?

If you set up MFP as intended, exercise isn't included in your activity level...it is unaccounted for activity and your calorie target is your deficit for weight loss without any exercise whatsoever. The way you account for this additional activity with MFP is by logging it and then MFP gives you additional calories. You just have to be careful not to overestimate...but fueling your fitness is kind of important.

SarahObrien2017

I am somewhat in the same boat. I burn 1000 a day with HIIT and I also weight train 6 days a week and I track my cals and try to stay at about 1200-1400 am I doing this right? I have about 15 more pounds to lose and it’s like I stay the same weight for like 3 weeks at a time then I’ll randomly lose like 2-3 pounds. I drink a gallon of water a day and take protein. I keep my carbs to mostly at lunch. I need help!

sijomial

SarahObrien2017 wrote: »

I am somewhat in the same boat. I burn 1000 a day with HIIT and I also weight train 6 days a week and I track my cals and try to stay at about 1200-1400 am I doing this right? I have about 15 more pounds to lose and it’s like I stay the same weight for like 3 weeks at a time then I’ll randomly lose like 2-3 pounds. I drink a gallon of water a day and take protein. I keep my carbs to mostly at lunch. I need help!

No you aren't burning 1000 calories with HIIT.
Either because what you describe as HIIT isn't (extremely likely as it's recently become a meaningless advertising label attached to just about any exercise that isn't steady state) or because you are using an incredibly inaccurate method of estimation. Where are you getting those numbers from? What exercise are you doing (HIIT isn't an exercise it's an exercise modality) What duration?

I you are losing on average under 1lb a week (ignore the non-linear nature of your loss) then you can see plainly that your numbers don't add up.

Your water intake is irrelevant for weight loss as is carb timing.

TavistockToad

cailynnn99 wrote: »

I'm just starting back and have been trying not to eat the extra calories I earn from working out, but read one person saying you should eat those calories. Is this true? What do you guys do?

yes eat them, they taste the best!