Non exercise calorie eaters, please explain something to me

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  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,358 Member
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    plus mfp tends to over estimate exercise calories so ive heard

    Use a heart rate monitor.

    They are not that accurate either, specially when you are mostly doing strength training.

    What kind are you using? Polar Ft4 seems to be pretty close, but I don't eat back my workout calories so I am not someone you might want to take that advice from
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    I've seen many different people lose tons of weight by not eating their exercise calories back. What works for some may not work for others. I personally feel like I'm starving if I don't eat them back, but I rarely eat all of them.

    Some that use the TDEE method never eat their exercise calories back because it's already accounted for in their activity level. There are different reasons people don't eat their exercise calories.

    I'm willing to bet 90% of those people needing help because they are not losing weight are either 1) eating more than they think they are, or 2) overestimating their calories burned. In either case, it doesn't matter if they eat their exercise calories or not. As long as a deficit is there, they will lose weight.

    ETA: Bottom line: Not losing weight and not eating exercise calories are two mutually exclusive traits.

    I've been eating my exercise calories back since I started on here and it's worked fairly well. However in the last few months I've hit a bit of a wall and I believe some of it is just brain drain from juggling what I burn for how much more I can eat each day. I'm not saying it doesn't work, I just need a break from it and want to try something new. I'm trying the TDEE method starting today, eating 200-300 less calories than my TDEE which already has my activity built in. I know there's debate on whether you should eat your TDEE or if it's OK to go a bit lower like I'm trying. It still gives me plenty of calories and my net each day should be about the same as it's been or more. If I feel like it's not working I'll up my calories to TDEE and see how that goes.
    I would totally agree with the poster above and add that not everyone's brain works the same way. I can see how either approach would make sense to different people. You get to the same place just from a different angle.

    Actually, in order to lose weight, you must eat less than your TDEE. I think you mean that there's debate on whether or not you should eat at or below your BMR. In that case, yes, there's tons of debate on that.

    Sounds good to me! I posted that I was going to do this and some people told me I should eat my TDEE, maybe they were getting it confused with BMR...at any rate I'm confident that 15-20% below my TDEE will be fine.
  • laratonacoco
    laratonacoco Posts: 22 Member
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    I fast for one whole day, every other week and that's helped me lose weight faster.
  • sepulchura
    sepulchura Posts: 95 Member
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    I know, I know. I should not concern myself with other peoples methods and should just concentrate on my own.

    However, I would say 90% of the threads I read that say 'help, I'm not losing weight!' are made by people that are not eating their exercise calories back

    Please could someone explain to me why you would join a website designed to help you lose weight, with many, many successful members, and trust this website to give you your daily calorie amounts, your macro targets, and to provide the nutritional information for thousands of different foods, yet when it tells you to eat your exercise calories back, said website is obviously out to sabotage your weight loss?

    Please, for the love of God,

    images_zpsf9ce10bf.jpg

    My "avoiding it being a TL;DR reply": I am fat and I am driven to be "not fat", so I'm hesitant to eat even when I exercise.

    Longer reply:

    A few reasons: 1) I have someone discouraging me from eating beyond 1600 calories per day and feeling fairly certain I should be lowering it even more even though I'm 6'0" and starting this at 227.6 pounds, 2) I am routinely challenged on my calorie logging despite trying to be extremely strict about it, so nevertheless I tend to try to err on the side of strictness and 3) I actually am not very hungry at all due to eating frequent small meals, taking high quality vitamins and trying to make sure I eat some food with a lot of nutrition value. So part of me says, "hey I'm happy, not feeling hungry, have plenty of energy and optimism, why eat more?"

    I'm weighing in Sunday morning to see if this is all working, you may be right and I may be failing to eat back calories enough on days I exercise. We'll see.
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
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    When I see ppl eating less than 1200 I want to scream. Im like eat people. Im specfically talking about ones who eat 800 or less.

    But you can only do so much. Some wont listen no matter what you say.
  • FizikallyFit
    FizikallyFit Posts: 180 Member
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    I exercise and eat back my calories so that I at least net 1200. Is there something wrong with that? I have been losing, when I stop losing I will up the net. Cuz that seems to be the trick. Right?
  • grapeeyes1
    grapeeyes1 Posts: 237 Member
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    I eat back mine. Sometimes I won't if I am not hungry. Other times, I would like to have some naughty high calorie food, and I will earn it through exercise. Seems to be working for me.
  • Feisty_one
    Feisty_one Posts: 81 Member
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    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.

    well said!
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    I think this is the most popular thread I've ever posted. :laugh:
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I think this is the most popular thread I've ever posted. :laugh:

    Are you satisfied with the answers you received?
  • TheNewDodge
    TheNewDodge Posts: 607 Member
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    I eat everyone else's exercise calories back for them
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
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    OK normally I dont rant or say anything but you cannot tell another person how to lose weight. I have lost 53 lbs by not eating back my calories workout,I maintain when I eat them back. Now go find something better to do with your time and stop beating this thread to death. :flowerforyou:
  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
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    plus mfp tends to over estimate exercise calories so ive heard

    It does, that's why when people ask, I say eat half. It tells me I burn nearly 500 calories in half an hour of swimming! :huh:


    Which is one reason exactly why I changed my goals to not include any exercise and put in a bit slower weekly loss goal and try to eat to that level regardless of the exercise I do a day ... which is moderate and not every day. MFP was saying I burned over 400 calories by doing moderate intensity stationery biking when the machine I used said I'd only burned about 200 ... and I was showing huge deficits because of it. It just seemed too confusing to me ....
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    The Bigger the deficit, the bigger the lose

    True! ...............if you're not concerned about body FAT % this is a good strategy.

    I personally want to lower my body fat % .............but that's probably just me :huh:
  • IanBee93
    IanBee93 Posts: 237
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    Because the exercise calorie count on here, overestimates. Why would I risk overeating? Mind your own business.
  • Feisty_one
    Feisty_one Posts: 81 Member
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    I eat everyone else's exercise calories back for them

    hahahahahaha
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    I think this is the most popular thread I've ever posted. :laugh:

    Are you satisfied with the answers you received?

    Some of them. It's mostly full of butthurt and people not understanding the point. I did get some nice PMs though.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Some of them. It's mostly full of butthurt and people not understanding the point. I did get some nice PMs though.

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  • acdc27
    acdc27 Posts: 5 Member
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    Well I'm a pretty big guy and I get over 2k calories a day. I also do a good bit of cardio and somedays burn almost 1000 calories of cardio no way I'm eating another 1000 calories. I'm losing steady weight so works for me.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I do the TDEE -15%. I understand what you saying and agree!! :bigsmile:

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