Eating Back Exercise Calories

deksgrl

Good to know. I was wondering about that. Here's another question. With weight loss calculation does it take into account things like cooking and housework calorie burns? I see it listed in exercise, but was assuming a certain amount of general calorie burn with general daily activities is figured in. Does eating back exercise calories keep you from hitting plateaus??

If you set yourself to a proper activity level then you shouldn't need to log cooking and cleaning, it should be included in daily life. Realistically, the only people who should probably log that are people who are truly sedentary who barely move for whatever reason. Or if you set it for sedentary and you really are not.

Eating back exercise calories may make plateaus less. But there are a lot of other better reasons why it is smart.

Bayluvr

People just need to understand how this tool works and this method of calorie counting. You're not going to get validating information elsewhere because by and large the TDEE method is the most common method for determining calorie needs. With that method you include some estimate of exercise up front in your activity level...so it's included in your estimate of total calorie requirements from which you take your cut. Essentially you are eating you exercise calories with this method, just not deliberately...they're built into your goal already.

With MFP, it is NOT accounted for in your activity level. It has to be accounted for somewhere and with MFP, that somewhere is on the back end after you do it and log it. It's actually all very simple if one takes about 5 minutes to actually read up on this particular and specialized tool...there really is no debate when you actually understand how this tool works.

Good job OP and glad you're losing in a healthy way now.

THIS, for sure!!

seanhosford

Great post, thanks for that, as a new member I was pushing myself to have the highest net calories that I could thinking I would lose weight quicker. Your post clears all this up

Many thanks

Sean

Confuzzled4ever

Hey all I am also having issues with eating back my calories. I have my goal set at 1600 calories a day. I need to lose close to 80lbs and i severly messed up my metabolism with starvation diets. I am trying to stick with the calories but I am finding it impossible to do unless I go back to eating unhealthy. For example, yesterday I ate 1705 calories but lost 957 calories from exercise. leaving me with a net of 748 calories... and this was on a bad day (went out drinking with friends). usually I end up with way less unless i get into the cookies and chips and stuff, which i really dont want to do. Any suggestions on how to get up the calories without feeling like im stuffing myself for no reason?

I started out the same way.. i get a ton of food in now. baby steps. you can do it.

to up them, add fruits and veggies to plate and double the lean protein you eat.

Check out my diary for today and yesterday if you want to. I need to eat more to net the proper amount over all, but I started out eating less then 1000 a day and netting negative half the time.

lovelaughrun

I was eating 1100-1200 net calories a day and was losing weight too fast (4 pounds in the last few days). I think the problems is twofold.

I think the calories calculated for my exercise are too low. I have a hard time believing that a 5k run only burns 320 cal but if I put my time and pace in that's all MFP gives me.

I also think I need more net calories.

So my plan for the next 2 weeks is to set my baseline at 1600 cal (instead of the 1200 MFP was giving me) and eat half my exercise calories at minimum. I do 300-400 cal of exercise 5-6 days a week so my aim is 1800 cal a day.

We'll see how that goes, I think it is a fine tuning process for each person and what works at one weight and activity level may not work 20 pounds later with a different exercise plan.

The 320 calories for a 5km run is about correct. I have the whole heart rate/watch/foot pod set up when running and that's roughly what I burn on 5kms 320-340 calories

nsohenick

Simple question. If you eat your goal and do not exercise (because you don't feel like it) is that ok?

And for the person who believes they are burning more cals than MFP says, I hear the more you weigh the more you burn. So heart rate monitor would be more accurate. I have a fit bit and it's so easy and I love it and it syncs all my activity right to My Fitness Pal. I live in MFP

michaelraine

I have lost over 30lbs. I am now having a hard time maintaining my current weight. I get from a lot of people that I am to small and I need to eat more. I am still in the mind frame to lose weight. It is hard for me to realize it is okay to eat more. I workout every day for an hour. I have set my calorie intake to 1340. If I want to maintain my weight should I also eat back my calories that I burn? If I do that I would be taking in 1748. I am 4,10' and I weigh 100lbs. I am scared that If I eat my calories burned I will gain weight when all I am trying to do is maintain what I have worked so hard to get.

deksgrl

I have lost over 30lbs. I am now having a hard time maintaining my current weight. I get from a lot of people that I am to small and I need to eat more. I am still in the mind frame to lose weight. It is hard for me to realize it is okay to eat more. I workout every day for an hour. I have set my calorie intake to 1340. If I want to maintain my weight should I also eat back my calories that I burn? If I do that I would be taking in 1748. I am 4,10' and I weigh 100lbs. I am scared that If I eat my calories burned I will gain weight when all I am trying to do is maintain what I have worked so hard to get.

Did you change your MFP goal to MAINTAIN weight, or are you still set for weight loss?

deksgrl

Simple question. If you eat your goal and do not exercise (because you don't feel like it) is that ok?

And for the person who believes they are burning more cals than MFP says, I hear the more you weigh the more you burn. So heart rate monitor would be more accurate. I have a fit bit and it's so easy and I love it and it syncs all my activity right to My Fitness Pal. I live in MFP

MFP calculates what you need to lose weight without doing any exercise. Yes, you will lose weight if you eat that much and do not exercise. When you do exercise, you eat more.

KDar1988

I get so confused. My nutritionist said not to eat back exercise calories. For my weight, I should be losing faster but it only averages about 1 lbs a week (which I know is good). BUT, I would like maybe 2lbs a week and am most of the time not eating my exercise calories back. I will have to do some testing on the theory and see how I do.

deksgrl

I get so confused. My nutritionist said not to eat back exercise calories. For my weight, I should be losing faster but it only averages about 1 lbs a week (which I know is good). BUT, I would like maybe 2lbs a week and am most of the time not eating my exercise calories back. I will have to do some testing on the theory and see how I do.

Does your nutritionist understand that MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator and does not include exercise in its calculations?

2 pounds per week is only for people who have a lot of weight to lose, like more than 75 pounds. If you are closer to goal weight, it is not appropriate.

michaelraine

I changed it to maintain my weight.

meaganmna

I had been eating back all of my exercise calories and using the net calorie goal MFP provided for me (1210). I found that on days that I worked out (I usually work out twice a day four times a week, and once a day the other two days with Sundays off), I had no problems and wasn't hungry. However, on Sundays, when I had to stick to 1210, it was a big struggle. I saw a nutritionist two weeks ago and she gave me a simple fix... aim for 1400 as my base calorie intake on days I don't work out. On days that I work out for 1 hr - 1.5 hours, add 300-400 calories. So, I aim for 1700-1800 calories Mon-Sat and then 1400 on Sunday. I still log my exercise on MFP, but I pay attention to the total calories for food, not my net calories. We'll see how this works. So far, it feels harder on the days that I work out (because I am not eating back all of my exercise calories as I had been before) but easier on Sundays I think MFP incorrectly estimates calorie burn, so I use my HRM for most sports (except swimming).

deksgrl

I had been eating back all of my exercise calories and using the net calorie goal MFP provided for me (1210). I found that on days that I worked out (I usually work out twice a day four times a week, and once a day the other two days with Sundays off), I had no problems and wasn't hungry. However, on Sundays, when I had to stick to 1210, it was a big struggle. I saw a nutritionist two weeks ago and she gave me a simple fix... aim for 1400 as my base calorie intake on days I don't work out. On days that I work out for 1 hr - 1.5 hours, add 300-400 calories. So, I aim for 1700-1800 calories Mon-Sat and then 1400 on Sunday. I still log my exercise on MFP, but I pay attention to the total calories for food, not my net calories. We'll see how this works. So far, it feels harder on the days that I work out (because I am not eating back all of my exercise calories as I had been before) but easier on Sundays I think MFP incorrectly estimates calorie burn, so I use my HRM for most sports (except swimming).

You could also calculate your TDEE which would average your exercise over the whole week, and then take a percent cut off of that, and not log exercise.

astronomicals

This oughtta be common sense. I eat them all back and I lose plenty fast.

KDar1988

I get so confused. My nutritionist said not to eat back exercise calories. For my weight, I should be losing faster but it only averages about 1 lbs a week (which I know is good). BUT, I would like maybe 2lbs a week and am most of the time not eating my exercise calories back. I will have to do some testing on the theory and see how I do.

Does your nutritionist understand that MFP is a NEAT calculator, not a TDEE calculator and does not include exercise in its calculations?

2 pounds per week is only for people who have a lot of weight to lose, like more than 75 pounds. If you are closer to goal weight, it is not appropriate.

I'm not sure what she knows...honestly and I don't even know what TDEE means! I actually have over 100lbs to lose so the 2 lbs a week I don't think is too much. I think with so much yo yo dieting all my life, I've destroyed my metabolism as it seems I lose weight when my calories are less than 1000 a day. I'll get there, slowly but surely, I hope!

SunnysGlimpse

I've been doing the Insanity workout and in the first month, I easily burned 600 calories per workout. (Have a Polar 7 HRM) Now in Month 2 and the "Max" workouts, I am burning between 800-950 calories per workout.

I have found it extremely difficult to eat back all those calories because I always feel full from just eating around 1500 very healthy calories. (complex carbs, protein, etc)

Today is another one of those days, it's 11 PM and I'm stuffed but have only eaten 1950 total calories and burned 908 calories during Insanity Max Interval Cardio so I'm sitting at about 1050 NET.

RedArizona5

I too struggle with this I wish there could be a set in stone answer for this I mean it isn't rocket science after all:laugh: Anyways, I do it differently time to time to confuse my body to not think it'll get what it expects and plus my schedule is so spontaneous crazy, I get days where i don't eat enough (shame on me i know) and days where I eat a cow. My feelings about that are inconsistent for ex. The days I eat just right I feel sometimes proud and but other days disappointed that i COULD HAVE ate better (leaner/cleaner) same for days I don't eat enough or over eat- I sometimes feel fine and other days feel like wth? lol
Ultimately just like there are numerous ways to workout it goes for eating too. there needs to be enough excercixe-quality over quantity but most of all listening to your body-that can be difficult for some of us as it was for to learn how to listen to my muscles when running or my stomach when eating. We know better than we all like to admit-speaking for myself too- and when there are 2 people working out in the same room1. is reading on a treadmill or what have you and 2 the other is sweating bullets or looks like a hot mess. We do know who is pushing-its the one who is focused and paying attention to how much effort their is. I mean lets face it-if your not next to dying for breath before you end your workout-it could have been better!
Gotta listen to yourself it helps more than what any machine can read or not read out there. Getting back to the basics of things-work out right, eat right, treat yourself when its due:be consistent, persistent, and last but not least DEDICATED/committed- is a sure no fail plan to succeed in ANYTHING we strive for!

11T5AL1F35TYL3

I was feeling light headed too but not because of eating too little calories. It was because of drinking only water. When exercising your losing electrolytes and the little electrolytes you have left by drinking just water dilutes them, so it's good to drink a Gatorade or any other type of sports drink to replenish your electrolytes.

Dalton1720

I figured this out the hard way as well. I was only netting about 300-100 calories per day due to not eating my exercise calories back and eating to few in general. My weight stagnated for almost 3 weeks until I realized that was the problem. I started eating at least 1200-1300 calories after burning a minimum of 500 calories per day and gained two pounds back so I'm at a bit of a delay, but hopefully once my body gets used to the amount of food I'm now consuming I will get back on track. (: