Eating calories back?

proudmama2boys
proudmama2boys Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to MyFitnessPal & I heard that all of the calories that you burn doing exercise - you are suppose to eat back?
Is this true? Can someone please explain to me the proper way to do this because I have already lost a lot of weight using another method and now I'm wanting to count calories for the last 15-20 pounds. Thanks in advance! Any advice is welcome good or bad, I'll learn from it!

Replies

  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    If you use the calorie amount MFP gives you-let's say 1200, then you need to eat back some of the exercise calories because 1200 calories per day already includes a deficit. I usually eat back 1/2-3/4 of my exercise calories. If I'm still hungry, I eat back all my exercise calories. Doing this, I have lost slowly but steadily and I'm just a couple of pounds from my goal.
    I feel energetic, well-nourished and happy.
    I eat veggies, fruits, beef, poultry, fish, beans, nut butters, eggs, ect.
    I also eat chocolate and other treats.
  • proudmama2boys
    proudmama2boys Posts: 3
    Thanks so much & Congratulations on your weight loss!
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
    I don't eat back calories, in fact, I don't even log exercise. My calorie goal is 1600 so even if I do exercise and don't eat back calories, I'm usually still above 1200 which is good enough for me.

    If you are at 1200-1400, I would suggest eating back 1/2 of the exercise calories though.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories or you create a larger deficit than the one that has been set for you. If you have an accurate way of determining your true burn (eg.by using a heart rate monitor) then I would eat all of your exercise calories back. If you are using MFP's calculations I would aim to eat half to three quarters of them, as this site tends to overestimate them.

    I have eaten all my exercise calories as determined by Fitbit from day 1 and it certainly hasn't hampered my weight loss :drinker:
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    I eat back 200-300 of my workout calories. Otherwise my net calories are too low.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    This is the best explanation I've ever found for your question: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

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