Non exercise calorie eaters, please explain something to me

inktink

Why I don't eat my exercise calories back?

Because I was instructed not to from my doctor, my OB/GYN, and mainly, my dietician. In my opinion, they are the experts in their line of work ~ Human wellness & nutrition.

So, in conclusion.... Kangaroos.


That is all.

And they prescribed that you set up a standard MFP account, follow MFP's recommended caloric intake, but not eat back your exercise calories?

Actually, yes. My dietician gave me a sheet of paper with really great fitness trackers/nutrition trackers and recommended MFP as one of the highest ranked. She also said that the 'standard' calorie allowance they give me on MFP, seeing that I already had an account before seeing her, (at the time, it was 1200 calories) was way too low & that I should aim for around 1600-1900 calories a day of 'good for me' foods. She ALSO said that I should not record my exercise on MFP, in order to avoid eating back exercise calories; to use Fitocracy or MapMyFitness instead.

I appreciate you trying to call me out though.

I would like to point out that not all doctors are in fact experts, just as not all military members are good honest people, and not all old women are cookie baking, hug giving, grandmas. Their license is proof that they have LEARNED the required information for their career field, not that they will use it.

That said, when your weight loss slows down, start eating back your exercise calories, see what happens.

rrsuthy

I don't eat back my exercise calories. I tried it, I gained weight. I've been doing this for a very long time and eating back my exercise calories does not work for me.

Each body is different and reacts differently to various methods. I'm in my late 40's and when it used to take me a week to lose 5lbs, now takes me months.

TheFitHooker

Those people generally plateau, not directly from their diet approach, but due to it's un sustainability.

I didn't post fast enough. The above is for those on a harsh deficit.

I believe that plateau's are just people either not giving it their all and just getting comfortable or people thinking they have to do the same thing over and over again. I don't think it has anything at all to do with eating back your calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TheFitHooker/view/you-have-to-change-or-you-ll-remain-the-same-584922

I wrote a blog post over that.

Just because one way works for someone, doesn't mean it's for everyone. Like I said, I have been at this for 2 years steady now, and I've lost 132 lbs, never eat back my workout calories and never will, there might be a time I go a little over my daily goal, but won't eat them all back. I normally don't go over 100 more calories. This works for me, but might not work for someone else.

The people who are complaining they aren't losing weight and not eating back their workout calories and are at 1200, maybe this method isn't for them. I support whatever works for anyone, but I don't expect to get flack for what works for me. Why would I change my method if it's worked for me?

ETA:// MFP is set up a certain way but it doesn't have to be used to that method, there is no law that says we have to lose it this way or we can't be apart of this site. Sometimes things need to be tweaked to work right for us.

Hornsby

Well, I only eat my calories back on certain days. No particular reason though. Sometimes I'm not hungry so I don't eat. I go to bed with 1000 calorie deficits sometimes. I very rarely eat more than 1/4 of my exercise calories back. I have never plateaued, but I have upped my calories I get closer to my goal (I've been eating between 1600-1800 the last 1.5 months, sometimes more, sometimes less).

I don't know that there is a point in that, but I am an in betweener I guess. About 70lbs in 6 months so I'm not complaining.

inktink

I get what you're getting at. Yes you can lose weight by not eating exercise calories back, but eventually you will hit a wall. If you eat 1200 calories, but burn 1800 total through exercise and and daily life, your body will eat away at your adipose tissue. That's what it's there for, extra energy storage. At some point though (likely the point where people go "what's wrong, why am I not losing?!?!?!!") your body is going to quit using adipose tissue. That's the point where eating your exercise calories back becomes important.

Any diet/exercise plan, case in point: anorexia, can cause weight loss. That doesn't make it the most healthy, sustainable option.

But how many people actually burn 1800 or the aforementioned 2000 calories a day on an almost daily basis ?

Considering I'm 27, 145 lbs, 5'3" and work out 6-7 days a week, I do burn more than 2000 calories a day on daily basis. Your calorie burn is based on age, weight, activity level, etc.

The point is, you should eat at a deficit to lose weight. If you are using MFP as it is designed, you should eat back all of your exercise calories, and the ticker will reflect that. It will add calories to your "calories remaining" number when you log exercise. If you are changing settings so that you are following a TDEE plan, then no, you don't eat back calories because it's already calculated into your count.

seltzermint555

I do eat my exercise calories back, but I also under-log. I find most activities to be way off...for example if I clean my house for 3 hours I may burn 200 cals, not 600.

vjw221

so the assumption is that if you put in a goal above 1200 in MFP then you are doing TDEE? um... no

i could have a goal of only losing 1lb a week and that would put me at sedentary of 1700 a day before exercise so with the whole eating back calories i would need to eat 1700 calories + any exercise calories.

That's not what anybody said at all...

Seems like he did a pretty good job, MFP had you set up at 1200 calories + exercise calories, your dietician set you up between 1600 - 1900 calories which is eating some of your exercise calories back. You pretty much just made the OP's argument by saying your dietician agrees with what she is saying. It seems most of the people who have a problem with what the OP is saying are actually eating their exercise calories back, but just don't realize it, because it is already manually entered into what they can eat, and the ones who don't do it, that is also fine if it is working with them, but you have to admit that we see tons of threads everyweek where somebody isn't eating them back, and not losing weight.

that's basically what this is saying.

inktink

Those people generally plateau, not directly from their diet approach, but due to it's un sustainability.

I didn't post fast enough. The above is for those on a harsh deficit.

I believe that plateau's are just people either not giving it their all and just getting comfortable or people thinking they have to do the same thing over and over again. I don't think it has anything at all to do with eating back your calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TheFitHooker/view/you-have-to-change-or-you-ll-remain-the-same-584922

I wrote a blog post over that.

Just because one way works for someone, doesn't mean it's for everyone. Like I said, I have been at this for 2 years steady now, and I've lost 132 lbs, never eat back my workout calories and never will, there might be a time I go a little over my daily goal, but won't eat them all back. I normally don't go over 100 more calories. This works for me, but might not work for someone else.

The people who are complaining they aren't losing weight and not eating back their workout calories and are at 1200, maybe this method isn't for them. I support whatever works for anyone, but I don't expect to get flack for what works for me. Why would I change my method if it's worked for me?

ETA:// MFP is set up a certain way but it doesn't have to be used to that method, there is no law that says we have to lose it this way or we can't be apart of this site. Sometimes things need to be tweaked to work right for us.

TBH, I think you are seeing the results that you've seen because the more you have to lose, the quicker and easier you lose. Have you noticed your progress slow down now that you're getting into a healthier weight range?

JazzKat71

Have a Snickers!

Well, alrighty then. To everyone who had a say about my post:

You're right. I'm wrong, blah blah blah. I never looked at it that way ~ I don't agree with eating 1200 calories, burning an umpteenmillion and not eating them back. Yes, yes, I agree. Yada yada, whatever.



Now. Can we get back to Kangaroos? This thread is getting too heated.

LOL!

TheFitHooker

Those people generally plateau, not directly from their diet approach, but due to it's un sustainability.

I didn't post fast enough. The above is for those on a harsh deficit.

I believe that plateau's are just people either not giving it their all and just getting comfortable or people thinking they have to do the same thing over and over again. I don't think it has anything at all to do with eating back your calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TheFitHooker/view/you-have-to-change-or-you-ll-remain-the-same-584922

I wrote a blog post over that.

Just because one way works for someone, doesn't mean it's for everyone. Like I said, I have been at this for 2 years steady now, and I've lost 132 lbs, never eat back my workout calories and never will, there might be a time I go a little over my daily goal, but won't eat them all back. I normally don't go over 100 more calories. This works for me, but might not work for someone else.

The people who are complaining they aren't losing weight and not eating back their workout calories and are at 1200, maybe this method isn't for them. I support whatever works for anyone, but I don't expect to get flack for what works for me. Why would I change my method if it's worked for me?

ETA:// MFP is set up a certain way but it doesn't have to be used to that method, there is no law that says we have to lose it this way or we can't be apart of this site. Sometimes things need to be tweaked to work right for us.

TBH, I think you are seeing the results that you've seen because the more you have to lose, the quicker and easier you lose. Have you noticed your progress slow down now that you're getting into a healthier weight range?

I'm 118 lbs, I'm at my goal weight, my goal was 120 lbs. I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm working on toning and tightening. So to answer that question, once I hit my goal, I quit focusing on the scale. I weigh once in awhile but not like I use to. I lost my weight in a 2 year span. I lost it slow because slow is better, I went from 250 lbs to 118 lbs. I don't have much loose skin and I workout daily.

TeaBea

I never eat back my calories, and I'm losing weight. :-)
I don't eat then back because since I don't have a hrm I have no idea what I'm actually burning, and I k now devices tend to over estimate.

Ok - these are the kinds of responses I don't get.......

You eat 100% .............or 0% ................because there are NO numbers in between.

The purpose of FUELING workouts is eating enough for basic bodily functions (heart, lungs, kidneys) ...plus enough to maintain muscle muscle mass. I eat my exercis calories back because I want to lose FAT....not muscle.

gypsyrose64

I didn't have time to read through all the posts, but I'll just add that I was one of those people for months and months.

I've logged EVERYTHING - every. freaking. day. for a year! I've been all over the map on calorie intake, trying to find what worked for me. Tried TDEE-20%, but the moment I'd start eating back calories, I'd gain. I think part of that problem was I wasn't consistent with exercise, and to do TDEE, you have to be consistent. Even with that said, reducing goals and eating back still caused a gain.

As it turns out (for me), I had an underlying health issue (insulin resistant) and was eating at a deficit but all the wrong foods(for me). I just THOUGHT I was eating healthy, but some of it was driving my sugars through the roof. I'm starting to reverse that now with a low carb low sugar diet and hoping I don't end up with a burned out pancreas.

Point to that rant, some MFP'ers are probably walking around with (possibly unknown) health issues that make "their" journey more challenging than yours. You cannot assume anyone complaining about not losing is automatically failing because of any one specific factor. If the answer to weight loss was a "one-size-fits-all" answer or formula, then we'd all be swimwear models by now. And just because I found what works for now, doesn't mean it won't change 10x before I reach my ultimate goal.

Stage14

Those people generally plateau, not directly from their diet approach, but due to it's un sustainability.

I didn't post fast enough. The above is for those on a harsh deficit.

I believe that plateau's are just people either not giving it their all and just getting comfortable or people thinking they have to do the same thing over and over again. I don't think it has anything at all to do with eating back your calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TheFitHooker/view/you-have-to-change-or-you-ll-remain-the-same-584922

I wrote a blog post over that.

Just because one way works for someone, doesn't mean it's for everyone. Like I said, I have been at this for 2 years steady now, and I've lost 132 lbs, never eat back my workout calories and never will, there might be a time I go a little over my daily goal, but won't eat them all back. I normally don't go over 100 more calories. This works for me, but might not work for someone else.

The people who are complaining they aren't losing weight and not eating back their workout calories and are at 1200, maybe this method isn't for them. I support whatever works for anyone, but I don't expect to get flack for what works for me. Why would I change my method if it's worked for me?

ETA:// MFP is set up a certain way but it doesn't have to be used to that method, there is no law that says we have to lose it this way or we can't be apart of this site. Sometimes things need to be tweaked to work right for us.

TBH, I think you are seeing the results that you've seen because the more you have to lose, the quicker and easier you lose. Have you noticed your progress slow down now that you're getting into a healthier weight range?

I'm 118 lbs, I'm at my goal weight, my goal was 120 lbs. I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm working on toning and tightening. So to answer that question, once I hit my goal, I quit focusing on the scale. I weigh once in awhile but not like I use to. I lost my weight in a 2 year span. I lost it slow because slow is better, I went from 250 lbs to 118 lbs. I don't have much loose skin and I workout daily.

But that didn't answer her question at all. Her question was did you notice that weight loss slowed down more/got more difficult when you were close to your goal weight than when you first started losing?

piratesluver

After reading this thread... I'm starting to think I'm doing it wrong.

I eat food, look at how much I've gone over, THEN I exercise off what I've gone over. I guess that's considered eating my exercise calories, I'm just doing it backwards.

bigbyrdie

This site is a tool for keeping you on track with your personal goals. The societal programmed obsession with scale weight diminishes the ultimate goal of being healthy, feeling better, looking in the mirror and being proud of what one has accomplished.

Throw away your scale become comfortable with your body as you progress along your transformation into a healthier you. If you could only walk a quarter mile when you started your journey, and now you can walk a mile, then who cares what the scale says? If you always took the elevator, and now you walk up five flights of stairs to your office, then who cares what the scale says? If you feel better, breath better, and your clothes are starting to fit better, then who cares what the scale says.
Focus on you, focus on you, and focus on YOU! Do not believe the façade of what society programs and projects as “beautiful.” You ARE beautiful!

Never surrender, never quit, never forget, and never compromise! Your goals are YOUR goals, and do not let the distractions of scale weight denigrate your path to a healthier happier you.

KateK8LoseW8

I eat some of them back, but not all. Some days it wants me to consume 2,300 calories, and I just can't eat that much with the foods I have in my house. I'll have to eventually, but I'll start eating full calorie yogurt, peanut butter, cottage cheese, stuff like that, so it will be easier. Right now it's just too much. I rarely go above 1800 calories.

TheFitHooker

Those people generally plateau, not directly from their diet approach, but due to it's un sustainability.

I didn't post fast enough. The above is for those on a harsh deficit.

I believe that plateau's are just people either not giving it their all and just getting comfortable or people thinking they have to do the same thing over and over again. I don't think it has anything at all to do with eating back your calories.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TheFitHooker/view/you-have-to-change-or-you-ll-remain-the-same-584922

I wrote a blog post over that.

Just because one way works for someone, doesn't mean it's for everyone. Like I said, I have been at this for 2 years steady now, and I've lost 132 lbs, never eat back my workout calories and never will, there might be a time I go a little over my daily goal, but won't eat them all back. I normally don't go over 100 more calories. This works for me, but might not work for someone else.

The people who are complaining they aren't losing weight and not eating back their workout calories and are at 1200, maybe this method isn't for them. I support whatever works for anyone, but I don't expect to get flack for what works for me. Why would I change my method if it's worked for me?

ETA:// MFP is set up a certain way but it doesn't have to be used to that method, there is no law that says we have to lose it this way or we can't be apart of this site. Sometimes things need to be tweaked to work right for us.

TBH, I think you are seeing the results that you've seen because the more you have to lose, the quicker and easier you lose. Have you noticed your progress slow down now that you're getting into a healthier weight range?

I'm 118 lbs, I'm at my goal weight, my goal was 120 lbs. I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm working on toning and tightening. So to answer that question, once I hit my goal, I quit focusing on the scale. I weigh once in awhile but not like I use to. I lost my weight in a 2 year span. I lost it slow because slow is better, I went from 250 lbs to 118 lbs. I don't have much loose skin and I workout daily.

But that didn't answer her question at all. Her question was did you notice that weight loss slowed down more/got more difficult when you were close to your goal weight than when you first started losing?

The only time my weight loss stalled is when I stopped focusing on losing the weight. When I was working out side my house, I stopped working out and the weight stalled. I quit working outside the house, started focusing on eating clean and focused on working out and those last 10 lbs flew off. So to answer that, no it didn't stall until I quit trying.

dondenno

Ok, I'm new to all of this. Could someone explain what "eat all your exercise calories back" means? I consume around 1800 calories a day and am just about to start an exercise program. So since I already consume a good amount of calories, what is meant by "eating your calories back"? I guess I am just ignorant of this concept.

ash8184

Well, I think you're right, you should probably just concern yourself with your own routine and methods.

I would imagine there are numerous reasons people don't always eat their calories back from exercise. For those who have a higher calorie intake as it is, 1800+, I can imagine that you could feel like you're eating enough within that and trying to consume more when you're not hungry would feel pointless and uncomfortable. I also think that MFP can overestimate on calories burned for certain exercise so perhaps people are worried about that aspect. I am sure there are a multitude of other reasons.

I actually think it's so rude to suggest people who don't eat their exercise calories back are so stupid or naïve that they assume MFP is "sabotaging" their weight loss.

Haha, I knew I would get a response like this. Should I add a disclaimer? I'm sure not EVERYONE refuses to eat back their exercise calories because they are 'stupid' or 'naive' enough (your words) to think MFP is sabotaging them. But believe me, I see it a lot. 'I don't see the point' and 'why would you burn calories only to eat them again' are common responses.

To each his own. Bariatric surgery patients and those on medically supervised weight loss programs usually don't eat exercise calories back. I am usually pretty active (3 miles/day or cross fit) and have lost by not eating my calories back. However, I am working on building muscle mass to bump up my metabolism so that when I'm not this active, I don't gain. I think everyone's different, but point taken... people having trouble definitely need to try different methods in order to achieve success.

SchroederNJ

"Well, I think you're right, you should probably just concern yourself with your own routine and methods"

^^This