Those who eat back exercise calories?

mazmataz

I usually don't eat them back...the reason being is that I can be an angel all week and then a proper demon at the weekends, so I like to 'save' them to cushion my weekends - and also to account for the above, inaccuracy in intake and burn. Also the reasons I aim for 200 calories short of my TDEE-20% each day.

If you're doing TDEE - 20% you wouldn't eat back exercise calories because an estimate of them is included in your TDEE upfront when you set your activity level. With MFP, exercise is accounted for on the back end after you do it and log it...this is why you get extra calories and eat them back with MFP...you have to understand what method you're using. Failure to understand your method will result in it "not working"

I fully understand the method I'm using, I'm a fairly intelligent girl capable of reading, processing information and such. My TDEE-20% is set to lightly active as my exercise routine is often inconsistent due to my busy schedule..however most weeks I do manage to fit in 4+ workouts a week, but I can't rely on that. Just because I don't follow the prescribed textbook explanation doesn't mean that it's nonsense. In fact for the first time in my life I have found a system that works, and that's because it's unique to me, and I've spent months tweeking, using trial and error to find something that does work, for me.

KANGOOJUMPS

pop tarts are the best to eat back

DianneP6772

I find that i do eat about 50-70% of my exercise calories back. I do exercise a lot ~ usually 1.5 to 3 hours a day. I vary it a little bit.
I cycle - pushing myself about 5-6 days a week at a pace averaging 15 - 16.5 for 1 to 1.5 hours. I then have gardening - pulling weeds, picking up sticks and clipping hedges. On days i do this it is usually for 1-2 hours. And i am playing tennis again about twice a week for 1.5 to 2 hours. I know that MFP overestimates calories burned, so for the gardening and tennis - i often count about half of the time actually spent and for cycling i count the next lower average on MFP charts. If i do an avg. of 15.3 - i count it as 12-14mph. Even after all this, i think it could be elevated, so therefore i only use 50-70% of the exercise calories.

I often do extra exercise - just to EAT my Treats! Its ok with me - i love my treats. I find this has all worked and i do hit plateaus along the way. When this happens i try to change up my routine somehow.

But i don't usually go hungry - and i am not usually overfull. So find what works for you. It will - good luck on your journey!

kluvit

Yes, lost and kept off all of my weight eating back exercise calories. I was sooo hungry in my 1200 calorie days, that being able to eat more was a motivator to MOVE! I didn't/don't necessarily eat them all back on a daily basis, but I'm pretty close to even on MFP calculations by the end of the week.

seanevan10

Didn't read all the replies, but yes, eating back exercise calories has worked great for me so far. But I do not eat all of them back. And I also have a HRM.

Here's how I figure out how many calories to eat back. It's a bit complicated, but it works.

First I determined my sedentary TDEE which is 1916. Then I subtracted 15% to get 1629. I set my daily calorie goal to 1600, just to make it simple.

When I do a workout, I take the calories burned from my HRM and subtract my TDEE. The calculations on those INCLUDE your TDEE, so you have to subtract it. So my sedentary TDEE is 1916/24 hours in a day = ~80 calories an hour.

So if I work out for 1 hour and burn 500 calories, then I subtract 80 from 500 to get 420. Then I subtract 15% from the 420 (this keeps me at a 15% deficit). Essentially I am eating at TDEE-15%, but since my workouts are so irregular and I don't know how much I will burn from one day to the next, I chose to do it this way.... SEDENTARY TDEE-15% + Exercise - 15%.

Clear as mud probably, but it has been working great for me! I've lost almost 20 pounds since June and a whole lot of inches!!

I know this one requires a bunch of math, but this is the best way I have seen to understand it. And realize why I am stuck where I am. Thank you!!!

feelin_gr_8

Since this is in the "success" area, more asking for those who have had success, and less about debating if you should or shouldn't....I'll chime in. I've lost about 18 pounds since 7/25/13 (hoping for 20 when I step on the scale tomorrow) and I eat back most of my calories. I like to see 100-200 calories left over at the end of the day (wiggle room in case I didn't measure something right or a restaurant was off on their calories). Sometimes it's only a couple calories though. Either way, I exercise to make a good habit, and so I can eat more so I'm not starving and I can still enjoy good foods (not just rabbit food). I DID however manually move my daily calories from 1560 to 1500 to help lose a bit more because I was a bit stagnant. I'm considering a goal of not eating back my calories 1x a week but I don't think I'd ever do it every day.

contingencyplan

The calorie goal MFP set for you already has a deficit built in. If you eat back your exercise calories that deficit is still there. The exercise you do is not to promote weight loss but other health benefits. The deficit alone is what handles the weight loss.

never thought about it that way! it does have a deficit so may as well eat them back. I guess it could work by eating maintenance cals and exercising but not eating those back right

yup.

vanessalillian82

Like other posters have said, I set my activity at zero and then manually add in exercise. I generally eat back some or all exercise calories because your body burns a certain amount of energy each day, and exercising burns more still, so to hit your nett calories you should theoretically be eating them back. BUT! Be aware that MFP seems to over-estimate the calories you burn in exercise. I generally log about 10-20% less than what I actually do, just to be on the safe side.

Makoce

I set my activity to sedentary -- and have eaten every last one since I started.
I am now 50LBS down. The majority of the reason I exercise is so I can eat more.

diadia1

I eat back all of my calories. I'm not dieting - I'm changing my lifestyle. And that lifestyle now includes a permanent level of movement and fitness. Which, in order to do well, requires eating. I regularly run 4-6 miles, hike 10+ miles, etc. - if I don't eat most of that back, I won't have any energy at all to do that sort of exercise.

exactly this.
I run too and i training slowly for an half in next spring. So i need to fuel my body properly. Fitness is now my goal rather than losing weight but weight will come off because i run!!!
I notice that i am most of the time always hungry if i don't eat back my exercise calories.
But I only have 15 lbs more to lose to be at healthy BMI so i should also only lose a 0,5 lbs/week. So in order to do that i need to eat back most of my exercise calorie and also have a job where i pretty much walk all the time!

BlueBombers

every last one, its the only reason I exercise.

^ This.....but I do exercise because I find it a HUGE stress reliever

shadow2soul

Yes I eat them back. My daily calories generally vary from 1500 on a lazy day to 2000+ on an active day. My average intake is roughly 1886 calories per day.

Results after 87 days of using MFP:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1011152-87-days-of-using-mfp-p-lots-of-pics?hl=87+days
Results after 191 days of using MFP:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1100730-191-days-of-mfp-47-8lbs-lost-35-2lbs-to-go?hl=191+days#posts-16987716

aimiekundert

I have heard sucess stories both ways. I had to play with it a bit, but I am to the point where my excersize is pretty steady, so I normally eat back half of my calories. Ish. Had to play with it a bit - too little, and I want to sleep all the time, too much, and I gain weight like no tomorrow. I imagine it's different for alot of people.