Do you eat exercise cals ?

size102b
size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
in Getting Started
Hi I had some nice people help me with my issues about exercise calories. Would you mind telling me what’s been most successful for you ?
1. Not eating exercise calories ?
2. Eating all exercise calories ?
3. Eating % exercise calories ?

Thanks 😁
«13

Replies

  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Eating about 50% worked for me, but this won't be useful to you because my tracker and how accurate it is for me won't tell you how accurate your method is for you.

    There is only one number that you can definitely rule out as inaccurate and that's zero calories.

    Pick an option stick with it for a month or so whilst logging your food accurately and you'll know how accurate your chosen option is. Then you can adjust accordingly.

    Thanks a lot
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
    It really depends on, how much your eating (How reliable ) and how much you are burning ( again How reliable)
    The bigger the deficit, the quicker the weight loss.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    It really depends on, how much your eating (How reliable ) and how much you are burning ( again How reliable)
    The bigger the deficit, the quicker the weight loss.

    Mines been 1100 deficits a day no fast losses for me
  • Naturally_Monica
    Naturally_Monica Posts: 335 Member
    size102b wrote: »
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    It really depends on, how much your eating (How reliable ) and how much you are burning ( again How reliable)
    The bigger the deficit, the quicker the weight loss.

    Mines been 1100 deficits a day no fast losses for me

    You said you are eating 1100 cals a day? How long have you been eating in that deficit for? And are you accurately tracking foods with a food scale, etc.?
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    It really depends on, how much your eating (How reliable ) and how much you are burning ( again How reliable)
    The bigger the deficit, the quicker the weight loss.

    The bigger the deficit can also mean muscle loss, hair loss, and lots of other nasty side effects if a person eats at too agressive a deficit for too long.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited May 2019
    size102b wrote: »
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    It really depends on, how much your eating (How reliable ) and how much you are burning ( again How reliable)
    The bigger the deficit, the quicker the weight loss.

    Mines been 1100 deficits a day no fast losses for me

    Or does that mean trying to obtain an 1100 daily deficit, or tad more than 2lb weekly loss rate?

    You have over 60 lbs to lose to make that reasonable attempt?

    If not - then you actually are what would normally be considered a fast loss. The type that usually results in the over 50% of dieters being unable to maintain/reach their healthy goal weight.

    If that is the amount of deficit - how long you been attempting that?

    And to the OP question - yes, eating back all my manually logged workouts with best estimate of calories burned.
    I'm one that figures if I'm going to spend X amount of time confirming the food side of the equation is best it can be, I can spend that much time on burning side of equation too.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,131 Member
    Estimated them carefully, ate pretty much all of them back, all through a year of losing around 50 pounds, and 3 years of maintaining a healthy weight since.
  • ighecla
    ighecla Posts: 2 Member
    I use a Garmin Fitness tracker linked to MFP. My goal is 1200 net calories per day and 1lb a week weight loss. I try to leave 200-250 of my exercise calories 'on the table' to cushion imperfections in tracking. I am consuming between 1900 and 2400 calories a day and have lost 27lbs in 25 weeks. This approach seems to be working for me and I think will be sustainable when I switch gears to maintenance weight.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I usually log more exercise than I eat. On my best days, I get all the protein I'm supposed to and keep my carbs very low.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    On average I eat about 50 % of exercise calories burned.
  • akalostangel
    akalostangel Posts: 7 Member
    I started out eating them, but found myself going over my goal, then minimally exercising so I could be under my calories. I like to eat under my calorie goal, if even just a bit, so I'd rather not include exercise calories at all and then I can be sure I am under.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I really do think that people confuse different ways to set goals.

    I've lost weight twice in my life. The first time (back in 2003), I didn't really count calories, but I estimated the calories I had been eating, figured out a way to cut out about 500 cal, and then wrote down what I ate to keep myself honest. I then worked on getting my exercise up to about an average of 500 cal/day (I ran and biked and swam a lot, trained for some running races, and then some tris, and I walk a lot in a normal day since I rarely drive anywhere). I lost about 2 lb per week (beyond when that was likely a good idea, but I didn't know better).

    This time, early on I found MFP, and asked for a goal for 2 lbs. I got 1200, which seemed shocking low (I was confident I hadn't eaten that low before, and though I was older it still seemed like a huge difference). After changing the exercise settings a bunch of times I realized it wasn't including exercise. Initially I didn't do a lot of exercise (I got my walking miles up and did some stationary biking and swimming, but nothing very strenuous and no more than about 30 min 3-4x per week). But as I got back into shape I again started doing exercise that burned serious calories, and I don't think anyone -- no dietitian or reputable trainer -- would think it was a great idea for someone to regularly eat 1200 and run 5 miles regularly, or bike 20, or do a long run of 10 miles on a weekend or what not, so of course I ate my exercise cals back. Depending on the exercise I might cut the cals or round down (running I ate about 100%).

    Soon after I started exercising a lot and consistently, I decided to add the cals to my cal goal and do a TDEE method that was more similar to my old plan than MFP's approach. But there's a big difference between eating around 1600 cal (later 1800 for a while), with a higher day on the weekend, and eating 1200 cal, and whether I was specifically logging it back or not the latter approach was including exercise.

    Of course, I knew my logging was not way below what I was actually eating, so I can see the approach of extra cals to make up for that. I don't think any experts should assume someone will log badly in advance, as many of us do not.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    I exercise a lot, because I enjoy it. If I don't eat back the calories, I get really hungry and have less energy. I am also a lot more likely to binge. Since most of the exercises I log are easy to compute (walking, running) I eat 100% of those calories. Other exercises are less reliable (i.e. yoga, calisthenics, stationary bike) so I eat about 3/4 of those calories. I've been maintaining my weight for several years.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,404 Member
    edited May 2019
    kimny72 wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    I don't eat any of my exercise calories. The estimates can be off and when I do eat my exercise calories I find myself going over or stressing about it, so I just don't eat them. I have them turned off, so I don't even see them. I try not to eat all of my calories. I try to leave ~200-300, I figure my accuracy can't be spot on when logging, so these allow me to account for that. I will say, I don't stress about leaving calories though, If I'm having a hungry day I may eat up to my calorie limit. I've found the best thing for me is to set it and then basically forget it until I reach my short term goals and reset my calories and macros.

    Sure estimate can be wrong. There are ways to validate them though. But you know you burn SOME calories, right? So choosing zero is the one number that is definitively wrong.

    Yes, I'm well versed in CICO. I've met with trainers, nutritionists, and dietitians, and they all recommended not eating the exercise calories. Yes, I have a Fitbit that estimates my calories burned. I just use my exercise calories as a sort of padding towards my deficit. I have a training plan from the personal trainer, I've lost 43 pounds in 4 months, losing at a decent pace, without binge-ing, or feeling deprived.

    So your trainer and dietitian told you to use the MFP goal but not use it as MFP intends you to?

    I'll add that 43lbs in 4 months is quite an aggressive rate of loss and would be undereating for the majority of people, so what you're saying is kind of supporting the argument that you should eat back exercise calories. Since you seem to be working with a team of professionals I'll assume it is fine for you, but most people aren't and should not be losing anywhere near as fast.

    Congrats on your progress BTW :smile:

    Thank you! :smiley: No they recommended MFP as a quick and easy way to log my food, but I don't use the goal it sets. I use calculations which takes into account the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation to calculate my BMR, then I calculate my deficit and macros using the equation/guidelines they gave me for the macros. I have the premium version of MFP so I can override its goals and put in my custom ones. (I'm a dorky accountant, so I have spreadsheets that now do all these equations and math for me haha). The calculators are available online and I found free web guides to setting up the macros that actually explained why we set them up that way, vs. continuing to pay someone to set them up for me.

    It's only 2.6 pounds a week, so it's not that aggressive. We set it up that I should lose .65-1% of body weight per week, as long as I stay within that range, I'm good. If after 3-4 weeks my progress isn't where it should be, either losing too much or too little, I make tiny adjustments. We're focusing on fat loss, while minimizing muscle loss, so my workouts are a good mix of strength training and cardio.

    I'm not saying that not eating them is the only way to go. I think weight loss, while at its core is CICO, is very individualized; every person has to find what works for them. My mom doesn't count calories, she does Keto and has lost a good amount of weight. Some people mentioned here they ate them and lost, some didn't and lost. I think at the end of the day you have to remember that none of us gained this weight quickly, we won't lose it that quickly and we have to find what works for us individually so this can truly be a lifestyle change, not another failed "diet." So take the time to experiment on eating them or not eating them. Take 2-4 weeks to see how your body responds and do what works best for you!

    See, the bolded is the key though. You ARE eating your exercise calories - they are already included by those calculators. They use TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which includes your expected intentional exercise. We are saying that if you use the MFP calculation (which is NEAT, not TDEE, and does not include exercise yet) you should eat back your exercise calories.

    If person A has a TDEE of 2000 cals and burns 200 cals per day at the gym, and wants to lose 1 lb per week, a TDEE calculator will give them a calorie goal of 1500 calories, MFP will give them a calorie goal of 1300 cals. MFP expects them to log their exercise (200 cals) whenthey do it and eat those calories back.

    I'm guessing based on what you're saying that you are currently 250+lbs, but many people simply don't have that much weight to lose. For the majority of dieters, especially female dieters, consistently maintaining a 1,000+ deficit is risking under-eating. A female TDEE of greater than 2300 cals is just not that common.

    Mifflin St Jeor *is* the calculator MFP uses, just to clarify.

    I think @movgrl1 will be changing how she calculates once she gets closer to her goal. ALL the calculators are off at the margins of Obese and Underweight. So I'm willing to bet my Little Debbies that she'll be eating exercise calories once she gets within 20-30 pounds of a healthy BMI.

    I under ate for a while too. All was well, till it wasn't. It worked great while I had a lot of body fat to use as fuel, but I crashed eventually and had to be more reasonable.

    We almost all learn the hard way, but I'm guessing as she gets closer that 1% of body weight loss per week will get harder and harder if she doesn't eat those exercise cals.


  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited May 2019
    cmriverside wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    movgrl1 wrote: »
    I don't eat any of my exercise calories. The estimates can be off and when I do eat my exercise calories I find myself going over or stressing about it, so I just don't eat them. I have them turned off, so I don't even see them. I try not to eat all of my calories. I try to leave ~200-300, I figure my accuracy can't be spot on when logging, so these allow me to account for that. I will say, I don't stress about leaving calories though, If I'm having a hungry day I may eat up to my calorie limit. I've found the best thing for me is to set it and then basically forget it until I reach my short term goals and reset my calories and macros.

    Sure estimate can be wrong. There are ways to validate them though. But you know you burn SOME calories, right? So choosing zero is the one number that is definitively wrong.

    Yes, I'm well versed in CICO. I've met with trainers, nutritionists, and dietitians, and they all recommended not eating the exercise calories. Yes, I have a Fitbit that estimates my calories burned. I just use my exercise calories as a sort of padding towards my deficit. I have a training plan from the personal trainer, I've lost 43 pounds in 4 months, losing at a decent pace, without binge-ing, or feeling deprived.

    So your trainer and dietitian told you to use the MFP goal but not use it as MFP intends you to?

    I'll add that 43lbs in 4 months is quite an aggressive rate of loss and would be undereating for the majority of people, so what you're saying is kind of supporting the argument that you should eat back exercise calories. Since you seem to be working with a team of professionals I'll assume it is fine for you, but most people aren't and should not be losing anywhere near as fast.

    Congrats on your progress BTW :smile:

    Thank you! :smiley: No they recommended MFP as a quick and easy way to log my food, but I don't use the goal it sets. I use calculations which takes into account the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation to calculate my BMR, then I calculate my deficit and macros using the equation/guidelines they gave me for the macros. I have the premium version of MFP so I can override its goals and put in my custom ones. (I'm a dorky accountant, so I have spreadsheets that now do all these equations and math for me haha). The calculators are available online and I found free web guides to setting up the macros that actually explained why we set them up that way, vs. continuing to pay someone to set them up for me.

    It's only 2.6 pounds a week, so it's not that aggressive. We set it up that I should lose .65-1% of body weight per week, as long as I stay within that range, I'm good. If after 3-4 weeks my progress isn't where it should be, either losing too much or too little, I make tiny adjustments. We're focusing on fat loss, while minimizing muscle loss, so my workouts are a good mix of strength training and cardio.

    I'm not saying that not eating them is the only way to go. I think weight loss, while at its core is CICO, is very individualized; every person has to find what works for them. My mom doesn't count calories, she does Keto and has lost a good amount of weight. Some people mentioned here they ate them and lost, some didn't and lost. I think at the end of the day you have to remember that none of us gained this weight quickly, we won't lose it that quickly and we have to find what works for us individually so this can truly be a lifestyle change, not another failed "diet." So take the time to experiment on eating them or not eating them. Take 2-4 weeks to see how your body responds and do what works best for you!

    See, the bolded is the key though. You ARE eating your exercise calories - they are already included by those calculators. They use TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which includes your expected intentional exercise. We are saying that if you use the MFP calculation (which is NEAT, not TDEE, and does not include exercise yet) you should eat back your exercise calories.

    If person A has a TDEE of 2000 cals and burns 200 cals per day at the gym, and wants to lose 1 lb per week, a TDEE calculator will give them a calorie goal of 1500 calories, MFP will give them a calorie goal of 1300 cals. MFP expects them to log their exercise (200 cals) whenthey do it and eat those calories back.

    I'm guessing based on what you're saying that you are currently 250+lbs, but many people simply don't have that much weight to lose. For the majority of dieters, especially female dieters, consistently maintaining a 1,000+ deficit is risking under-eating. A female TDEE of greater than 2300 cals is just not that common.

    Mifflin St Jeor is the calculator MFP uses, just to clarify.

    I think @movgrl1 will be changing how she calculates once she gets closer to here goal. ALL the calculators are off at the margins of Obese and Underweight. So I'm willing to bet my Little Debbies that she'll be eating exercise calories once she gets within 20-30 pounds of a healthy BMI.

    I under ate for a while too. All was well, till it wasn't.

    We almost all learn the hard way.


    Ah, is that one the BMR calculator, not TDEE? Shoot. I get them confused. Sorry @movgrl1

    OK, so the first paragraph of my post might not apply depending on the math you did after you got your BMR :lol:

    But the rest still applies. And I agree, when you have a lot to lose it's easier to put the pedal to the metal and still eat a good balanced diet. It's when you approach a healthy weight and your TDEE starts to drift down that those exercise calories are the difference between tolerable and mass destruction! And honestly, most of the posters who ask this question are women with a modest amount of weight to lose, who can't afford to leave 250 cals on the table.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    I usually eat 50ish percent of them unless I'm really hungry, like today. I ate 2700 calories, burned 800ish through exercise supposedly, and had 160g of protein--this is a fair amount more than usual but my body seemed to want it and I don't feel overly full. If I wasn't quite so hangry today I'd probably have aimed for about 2200-2300. Yesterday I didn't exercise and ate 1800 or so pretty easily.

    (my goal is maintenance/recomp)

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