Eating back calories

Lexismamma

Does everyone eat back their exercise calories? My goal is 1200 calories a day and I usually burn 300-500 calories a day from exercise. I do eat back most because I feel like under 1200 is bad.

Also, do you guys count alcohol in your calories for the day? I do because even though its empty calories..its still calories.

stealthq

I don't eat back exercise calories, but my exercise is lifting and walking, so that doesn't burn a ton. If I did, it'd probably be an extra 100 Cals a day. Not enough to bother with when I don't have much of a deficit anyway

And yes, you have to account for alcohol. Got a calorie? Count it.

stacyhaddenham

Alcohol can have a ton of calories, hence the term "beer belly", so best to count it.

To eat or not to eat back exercise calories is one of the most debated topics on the forums. As near as I can tell it is a matter of personal preference.

diannethegeek

MFP is designed for you to eat back your calories. Why else do you think it would add them when you log exercise? I'll add the caveat that this assumes you've set your profile up accurately and have a fairly accurate estimate of the number of calories you burn. MFP/gym machines may overestimate some exercises.

cwolfman13

To eat or not to eat back exercise calories is one of the most debated topics on the forums. As near as I can tell it is a matter of personal preference.

It's not really debatable when you understand how this tool works...it is a NEAT method calculator...there is no debat, with a NEAT method calculator you account for exercise after the fact and eat those calories back...

the reason it is so "debatable" is because people don't bother to learn this tool or how to properly use it. They're accustomed to TDEE calaculators which includes the exercise activity upfront. If people took about 1/2 a second to actually learn this tool, it wouldn't even be a discussion. Also, a good dictionary comes in handy for people who forget what the definition of the world GOAL is.

cwolfman13

MFP is designed for you to eat back your calories. Why else do you think it would add them when you log exercise?

Secret MFP sabotage...secretly they don't want you to lose weight...LOL

34blast

Yes it is designed to eat back your calories. This is the most easy and straight forward fool proof way.

However, if you get very scientific. You can work out a system were you don't eat back all your calories. I have a friend that does it this way. Instead of mentioning that he wants to lose 2 pounds per week like me, he marks only 1 pound per week. On the days he does little exercise, he tracks the calories exactly as MyFitnessPal app expects. But on days he does cardio, he burns roughly 500 calories but eats the same. So he is 1000 calories under his maintenance calories that day, instead of 500. Why does he do this? Because he also tracks protein, potassium, vitiamin A, vitiamin C, etc. He is insistent upon getting the protein and other nutrients and finds it easier.

I just do the 2 lbs per week and sometimes eat up to 500 extra. I'm insistent upon each day getting certain level of nutrients Calcium, Vitamin A, C, etc and especially protein. I'm concerned only with fat loss and losing as little muscle as possible. So far so good, I'm still losing 2 lbs per week. But I would be okay, if I only lost 1 pound per week. I see it as a marathon and not a sprint. So far I'm keeping my muscle according to body fat analysis with calipers and body fat scales. I do 2 or 3 days of strength training and about 3 days of 30 - 40 minutes of cardio.

berrydana7

i am also wondering the same thing. i exercise a few times a week and i was wondering if i should eat it back or make the calorie deficit larger? my current calorie goal is to eat 1134 calories a day. if i exercise and burn 400 and do not eat back my calories, i would be eating around 700 calories per day which will not suffice my daily needs. but i feel like if i do eat back the calories i burnt, it is kind of pointless exercising in the first place...

CyberEd312

Yes I eat mine back and Yes I count my beer and empty calories?? I'll have you know my beers have 6 grams of carbs per serving!! :drinker: ROFL

Lexismamma

I sadly switched to vodka. I love and I mean love beer. I miss it. But when I drink its vodka. Hope it works!

chezjuan

When I started MFP, and throughout all my weight loss, I ate back my calories, and lost about what MFP said I should each week. Now I'm on maintenance and have switched to TDEE, so the calories are already accounted for and I do not eat them back anymore. I find it easier to have a single number to shoot for every day than to vary it by 500 or more. I had kept track of my burns for a couple of weeks before the switch, and the average daily calories ended up being about the same using TDEE as the MFP set for sedentary + eating back exercise.

As for alcohol, I account for every drop - I even made a "drinks" category in my diary. Generally, it is for alcohol but I also add the Chai my wife makes every day, as well as the odd glass of milk or cup of coffee I don't have with a meal.

snejkaxo

I am using TDEE now, which means the daily calories count already includes moderate activities. I still record my exercises, just for bragging rights, but I ignore the NET, and go strictly by food calories amount. It works better for me this way, because the number is constant, so it´s easier to plan food, to hit the number as close as possible.

lebbyloses

I mostly don't, but I would if I got more intense exercise. For a while I didn't even record exercise, because I think the MFP estimates are pretty exaggerated, and I don't want to eat away my deficit while thinking I somehow burned 450 calories in half an hour. Now I'm thinking I want to track my workouts, so I'm manually resetting the calories burned to 2 so I have a record but I don't have numbers floating around confusing things. However: I'm not doing anything long or intense. If I were to run more than 5 miles (as opposed to the 2 miles I've been doing), I would start eating some back, because you're asking for an injury if you run long distances without the proper fuel.