Do you eat all of your exercise calories back?

silencioesoro

I personally don't, but then again, I usually never eat all my calories. However, there are days where I absolutely need a peanut butter sandwich after a really good cardio workout. Just listen to your body is what I can tell you.

KBoddu

Make sure to get a HRM to get a better calorie burn estimate. I eat out all of the time so, you doing that shouldn't matter. It hasn't hindered my weight loss yet.

I do not eat back my calories from exercise because I am heavy enough to be able to take a higher deficit right now, but once I get to a certain point I think you start having to eat some back. I have seen a lot of people that only eat half of their calories back and have great success with that.

Good luck! Don't get discouraged... It hasn't been that long and you won't lose like crazy every single week. You are on the right path just keep it up.

sassy1grl

i try to eat all my exercise calories back. it has been working for me. good luck to you

shopwithkoupons

No I do not eat my calories back. The first thing I did when going on a "diet", which I do not call it a diet, I call eat eating healthier. Go to healthyweightforum.org. It will give you the amount of calories to eat based off how active you are. I am very active so instead of me putting in moderate or heavy. I chose light to give me enough instead of to much.

If you look at how much of each category (fruit, vegetable, grains, dairy, and protein) you should be fine. Cick here it will show you how your plate should be set up for eat meal.

http://www.healthytimesblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Your-Daily-MyPlate.jpg

If you go out to eat on the regular, try drinking water instead of tea. Try a salad without ranch, french, or honey mustard dress (use balsamic vinegar or italian dressing). Do not get cheese, bacon bits, etc.. You just want the all the vegetables.

Try grilled chicken instead of fried. Etc.

I hope this helps. Try to burn at least 300-400 calories a day with various activities.

xyz68x

As a rule ... no. It does make me feel better though if I go over my calorie goal.

bmqbonnie

I don't eat all of mine back. I figure chances are that I underestimated some calories, and I don't have a HRM so the calories burnt are probably pretty optimistic too. Plus I want to have a little wiggle room- I work at a restaurant and frequently have a fry here or wing there when it's available and I don't want to worry about logging every single little thing.

So I usually try to be 100-200 under my calorie goal to be sure that I'm really under it. It kind of depends on how hungry I am too.

Most of the time if you're doing a little bit of light cardio you burn like 200 cals in which case it isn't a huge deal if you don't eat them back. If you burn a ton though you absolutely should eat most of it back. Overall, this isn't an exact science and you should do what feels right and is proven to work.

joannadalina

Hi --

I have done a lot of research about this. Some people do, some people don't. I have decided that I will. Of all the reading that I've done, this is my basic understanding of how eating back exercise calories work:

The amount of calories (roughly) you should eat a day is your weight multiplied by 10.
I weigh 218 lbs, so 218 x 10 = 2,180 calories a day (just to function).

One pound is 3,500 calories. So in order to lose one pound a week you should burn / have a deficit of 500 calories a day. MFP takes that deficit into account already by subtracting 500 calories a day.
So 2,180 - 500 = 1,680.

So, supposedly, if I eat my 1,680 / day then I should lose 1lb / week. Thus far, I have.

When I exercise, for example, if I burn 300 calories that day exercising, then I've earned extra calories to eat, 300 calories worth. So if I don't eat those 300 calories back, then I would be eating 1,380 calories (1680 - 300 = 1380).
I've read a lot that if you don't eat enough calories than your body may go into starvation mode which may slow down your overall weight loss b/c your body is basically holding your fat hostage in a sense, LOL.

I am already eating 500 calories less than my body needs a day so I decided to eat back my exercise calories to keep an even 1680 / day.

I've also read a lot that MFP tends to over estimate calories burned, etc. So I tend to leave some calories left over, 100-200 / day, just in case, but if I am hungry, then I eat.

It really depends on you. I've read a lot of different perspectives on it. But I figured since I am already eating 500 calories less, then for the most part I eat back my exercise calories.

A healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs / week. There was one week where I tried to test this theory and NOT eat back my exercise calories, and I actually gained a 1lb that week. When I started eating them back I continued to lose a 1 pound / week.

Best of luck
Joanna

wow ok so lets try this :

i am 117 lbs x 10 ... 1170 calories

1170 - 500 = 670 calories

every other day i workout and burn about 700 to 800 (i use a HRM)

i understand where you are coming from but i think its a really unhealthy way of calculating for girls that don't have much to lose ( i still have only 3-4 lbs of fat to lose)

if i were to follow that i would be dead withing a year !

Hi --

Yes obviously this wouldn't work for you, you weigh 117 lbs. Eating 670 calories a day would be horrible for you.
I was just giving my thought process and what works for me based on the research / reading that I've done.
Please do not think that I am telling you to eat 670 calories a day. That would be incredibly ridiculous.

Best of luck,
Joanna

imhungry2012

You can't out exercise a bad diet. Your sugar intake is likely sky high.

I suggest eating your exercise calories back. To me it just makes sense unless your overall caloric intake is really high (ex. my BF's is 3000 calories a day, he doesnt really eat much of his exercise cals back).

4 weeks is not that long, don't get discouraged just make better choices when you can especially when eating out.

Happymelz

We dont have to eat the same food. 1500 calories is 1500 calories whether you eat homemade or fast food. What I was trying to say is that your calorie count is more than likely not accurate. So before you worry about eating back exercise calories, you should try to get a more accurate count of what you are eating.

Btw, mfp deficits are designed to eat back the calories you exercise off. I eat mine back and have lost 30 lbs in 1.5 months.

Thank you.

Happymelz

Thank you all for the help!

amyelyseneer

I don't yet. I know how the math works for the numbers now (I think) but so far I have only been able to hit that "You need to eat this much to fuel your exercise and not being dead hobby" number once, I'm usually under goal by about 200-400.

I am getting a little better, i am trying to have a more substantial breakfast, for instance, (this is having the unfortunate side effect of me skipping lunch cause I am just not hungry again til dinner time) but it is helping me get closer tot he goal calorie.

I'm not much help to your question tho, because I am not weighing myself, except once in a very great while (every 2 - 3 months) cause A) I don't own a scale and I am going by measurements

So I can't really say for sure if the calorie goal is affecting weight loss for me, BUT I have lost several inches off the various parts I am tracking measurements for. Hope that helps you with your question!

(p.s. I eat out a lot too, especially for supper, there's healthy things you can eat most places and some things you think are going to be vile piles of calories and fat turn out to not be, most restaurant websites list nutrition for their menu now, so you can pick out what fits your diet beforehand)

sklebar

Okay, this is coming from someone who eats out occasionally and also from someone who has lost weight quite easily and also maintained for some time quite easily. So if you'd like more honest advice, let me know, but looking at your diary, etc. I kind of already know what the issues are.

Shaquana2

I just started a couple of days ago. I eat some of my calories when i want to reward myself but i stil dont over do it because Ihave extra calories. But its hard getting those exercise calories off so i defintely dont wanna eat them. I wouldnt for the most part. But i think its up to you. Try a different alternative. Hope's this helps

kayei

I eat mine back, because I have my calories set to 1200. I currently walk 2-3 miles a day on average, so that's roughly 300 cals below what I need to eat. But I also vary my calorie intake up to 1500 a couple days a week (thats not including the calories burned during work outs) to give my metabolism a boost and so my body doesn't think I'm starving. Plus I have 1 cheat day on the weekend. I don't go crazy on that day, but I do eat what I want without worrying about it. I just track those calories, and I usually still go for a 1.5 mile walk on my cheat day, because I enjoy my walks.

sklebar

I think you would notice a huge difference if you started making small changes to your diet at first. Just gradually introduce more whole foods, rather than the sugary aspects of your diet. I did this and it helped heaps. Like instead of peanut butter or jam, I switched to piccalilli or even just a teaspoon of honey. Instead of ready meals, I make my own stuff and take it to work. If you have a microwave at work, then bring in eggs and scramble your own or dress salads in a herb, salt, pepper and lemon mix instead. It all starts to add up to healthier eating and you will notice a big change in being able to lose weight. Have a white coffee instead of iced tea or water with a bit of squash. Try Sainsbury's for healthier choices, like chicken tikka pieces with a greek feta cheese salad. It's still on the go and less than 400 calories. Instead of chocolate bars, try Belvita breakfast biscuits. I have those when I'm doing a heavy workout and even though they are still processed or sugary, it's low in calories.

Animetuc

I simply use my exercise calories as a cushion. I don't eat all of them back I use them so that there is enough wiggle room for "seconds" if it comes to that. I always leave some unused to help with the EOW deficit.

Happymelz

ALso...I realized that people on MFP can't see what I see on the app.

I actually had a NET of 1267 calories yesterday. And made better choices.

(YES I ate processed foods. Because I live in the real world with a full time job, husband, business, etc.)

I will report back after next weigh in.

Littlestandrews

Yes and No.
I have a decent system set up for myself but I realize it wouldn't work perfectly for you. You could tweak it based on your height/weight.
Because I am just shy of 5ft and I weigh less than 150lbs, I am one of those few people who is actually able to live off of 1200 calories a day when dieting. Depending on which site I go too, my TDEE is between 1750-1900 calories per day. I run or walk every day but I don't consider a 2 mile walk much exercise (I have a desk job).
On days where I run (3-4 miles 3x a week), I eat 1350 calories.
On days where I don't exercise (other than my walk), I eat 1200 calories.
I'm never hungry but I'm relatively small compared to most people so I burn less calories running than most other people would. Hope this helps!

nikkylyn

If I'm hungry I do.

Happymelz

For anyone who is interested still...I was down to 163.2 this morning, which is 5 lbs lost in 5 weeks. I'm guessing that my .1 loss on Saturday was partially because of my sodium intake the day before. (Chinese food TWICE in one day.)

Thank you for your help. Looks like what I'm doing isn't that bad after all, since I'm right on track.