Yay! Another eating back your exercise calories thread!

Routerninja

Ok, I've been back working out for the last month now. started doing just cardio 5x a week but now I am seeing a trainer 3x a week for strength training and still doing cardio 2x a week for 1 hr, usually bike or treadmill.

I very rarely, if ever eat back any of my exercise calories. MFP has me at about 3100/day for a 2lb a week loss, and honestly I rarely come close to hitting that. Granted I don;t have an HRM to track exactly what I am burning for the strength training, and the cardio estimates always seem high for me, am I putting myself at any kind of risk of hampering my weight loss?

Also, I am 6'8" and 488lbs, so I am definitely in the "Morbidly Obese" range, so I know that gives me some wiggle room with calorie deficits being larger than the average bear.

Diary is open, feel free to make suggestions.

STC1188

My understanding is that MFP sets your calories to lose however much you request WITHOUT factoring in exercise. Thus, all exercise is over and above what you would need to eat to lose 2 lbs a week, for instance. Thus, if you burn an extra 500 calories a day AND only eat what MFP says, you theoretically (though rarely with any measure of consistency usually) will lose 3 lbs a week (500 cals burned a day = 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat (again theoretically) + 2 from the diet deficit).

Anecdotally, it seems like many leaner people do not do well with burning extra calories from exercise in order to create and maintain a deficit. Thus the recommendation to eat back exercise calories is more for those who are looking to preserve LBM when dieting and making sure they are receiving adequate nutrition.

I would say you are okay at your weight to not eat back those calories. You have more than enough "in reserve" to make up for any energy deficiencies. That is unless you are burning 4+lbs a week--that would be hazardous for anybody.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

Mokey41

HRM s not correct for strength training, the algorithms are set up for steady state cardio. so forget that aspect. Strength training doesn't burn a lot either so really not an issue.

At your weight you aren't doing any harm by not eating back exercise. You have a very hefty calorie budget to work with that should allow you to get all the nutrition you need without adding anything to it. You shouldn't lose more that 1% of your body weight per week so you're well on the safe side even if you lose 4 lbs a week. The exercise calories become far more important when you are trying to live on 1200 calories.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

HRM s not correct for strength training, the algorithms are set up for steady state cardio. so forget that aspect. Strength training doesn't burn a lot either so really not an issue.

At your weight you aren't doing any harm by not eating back exercise. You have a very hefty calorie budget to work with that should allow you to get all the nutrition you need without adding anything to it. You shouldn't lose more that 1% of your body weight per week so you're well on the safe side even if you lose 4 lbs a week. The exercise calories become far more important when you are trying to live on 1200 calories.

Adding to this... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1044313-this-is-why-hrms-have-limited-use-for-tracking-calories

cwolfman13

At this point I'd say that if you feel like you need to eat them back then eat them back (adjusted for estimation error)...it is the way MfP is designed. That said, enormous calorie deficits shouldn't be too much of an issue for you at this stage of the game I would think. This becomes a much more critical issue as you lean out.

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Personally I'd recommend doing that and at least netting to that number...but like I said, at this point you have the fat stores to handle a substantial deficit with minimal issue I would think.

mrsduke2924

HRM s not correct for strength training, the algorithms are set up for steady state cardio. so forget that aspect. Strength training doesn't burn a lot either so really not an issue.

At your weight you aren't doing any harm by not eating back exercise. You have a very hefty calorie budget to work with that should allow you to get all the nutrition you need without adding anything to it. You shouldn't lose more that 1% of your body weight per week so you're well on the safe side even if you lose 4 lbs a week. The exercise calories become far more important when you are trying to live on 1200 calories.

Adding to this... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1044313-this-is-why-hrms-have-limited-use-for-tracking-calories

this link above was so interesting for me - thank you!
I have just had a rant at my poor fitness buddies as I have been eating no excercise calories back, netting 900 ish a day and no surprises I now am not losing weight and feel like cr*p.
Hurrah for munching more calories!

Routerninja

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Ok, that gave me a TDEE of 4660 using the "Moderately Active" since I am working out 5x a week and a BMR of 3000.

Chevy_Quest

bump for reference

CallMeCupcakeDammit

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Ok, that gave me a TDEE of 4660 using the "Moderately Active" since I am working out 5x a week and a BMR of 3000.

You should re-figure your BMR after every 5 lbs lost, because it will change. Try NETTING 2500 cals/day and see how you do. If you're not seeing progress in a couple of weeks, tweak it a little bit.

auddii

At this point I'd say that if you feel like you need to eat them back then eat them back (adjusted for estimation error)...it is the way MfP is designed. That said, enormous calorie deficits shouldn't be too much of an issue for you at this stage of the game I would think. This becomes a much more critical issue as you lean out.

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Personally I'd recommend doing that and at least netting to that number...but like I said, at this point you have the fat stores to handle a substantial deficit with minimal issue I would think.

^I agree with that. By not eating your exercise calories back, you create an even larger deficit, which can cause a lot of people to stall. However, that seems to be more true for leaner people. I'd keep doing what you're doing and reevaluate when you get to a point where you don't lose for a month or so consecutively.

As cupcake said, be sure to recalculate as your weight drops.

toutmonpossible

Don't worry about not having a heart rate monitor, its best use is as a tool to check your heart's response to exercise, not as a calorie burn estimator. 3100 calories for someone of your weight is more than enough -- that's a lot of calories. Your body has plenty of built-in fuel to tap into. If I were you I would never eat exercise calories back.

Weigh your food, stick to your calorie goal, weigh yourself regularly so you can make adjustments if necessary, exercise. If you are accurate and not suffering from another health condition you should lose weight.

If possible, consult a doctor, a Registered Dietician, and a physical therapist. At your weight you may have special needs.

psuLemon

Generally the biggest issue with not eating back exercise calories is the increase chances of muscle loss but being morbidly obese, you have enough fat cells to provide energy for a good amount of time. In fact, it's one of the few times a lower calorie diet is beneficial as it can get you out of the harmful zone quicker. You eat 2000 calories a day and plenty of protein, so I wouldn't stress it until you get more lean and closer to a normal weight zone.

Heck, being morbidly obese, you actually have some opportunity to gain some new lean body mass during your weight loss program.

toutmonpossible

You eat 2000 calories a day and plenty of protein, so I wouldn't stress it until you get more lean and closer to a normal weight zone.

People of the OP's weight have successfully and healthfully lost weight on far fewer than 2000 calories. It helps to get a diet tailored to the individual and some medical supervision.

Mokey41

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Note that you have to know your BF% accurately or it will be wrong and may even still be because those calculators aren't very good when you get outside the normal ranges. Also, you don't need to feed excess fat and you will undoubtedly lose some lean body mass as you lose weight because you just won't need it anymore to drag the fat around. I'd take any BMR number you get with a grain of salt as being what you need to eat.

psuLemon

You eat 2000 calories a day and plenty of protein, so I wouldn't stress it until you get more lean and closer to a normal weight zone.

People of the OP's weight have successfully and healthfully lost weight on far fewer than 2000 calories. It helps to get a diet tailored to the individual and some medical supervision.

You can say the same thing about any person on this board. If he was eating 800 calories, I would highly agree with you but 2000 calories is a good amount of food, especially for someone morbidly obese. I am guessing, I fail to see your point.

Mr_Knight

At your caloric intake and size, there is no compelling reason to eat back exercise calories.

Mr_Knight

Have you ever calculated your BMR? Use the Katch Mccardle formula that utilizes your LBM (you will have to know your BF%)...other BMR calculators are going to use total mass and therefore numbers get skewed when you're severely overweight/obese/morbidly obese, etc...you don't need to feed that fat mass as part of your BMR.

Ok, that gave me a TDEE of 4660 using the "Moderately Active" since I am working out 5x a week and a BMR of 3000.

You don't wan to do that, it's just asking for an early stall.

The "Moderately" descriptor is very misleading, what it really means is that your fitness is at the approximate level of running 5km in 35 minutes. You won't be "moderately active" until you are "moderately fit".

Routerninja

FYI: I am supervised by my doctor and trainer, they keep a pretty close eye on my food, which is why I log EVERYTHING. The trainer got me on the protein bars and shakes to up my protein without adding a lot of extra calories. The desired effect is that this will aid muscle growth. My average seems to be netting around 2000 which I feel ok with.

I'll continue the way I am going and re-evaluate if I hit a stall. I only weigh once a week, otherwise the scale stresses me out, so I will see how I'm doing on Monday. was up a few pounds this week, but inches were down so that's hopeful.

CallMeCupcakeDammit

FYI: I am supervised by my doctor and trainer, they keep a pretty close eye on my food, which is why I log EVERYTHING. The trainer got me on the protein bars and shakes to up my protein without adding a lot of extra calories. The desired effect is that this will aid muscle growth. My average seems to be netting around 2000 which I feel ok with.

I'll continue the way I am going and re-evaluate if I hit a stall. I only weigh once a week, otherwise the scale stresses me out, so I will see how I'm doing on Monday. was up a few pounds this week, but inches were down so that's hopeful.

The scale is not always your friend, but the measuring tape is!

psuLemon

If you dont want to do bars or shakes you can increase stuff like chicken, turkey or any other white meat. Many are low calories and high in protein. Even lean steaks can work.

cwolfman13

FYI: I am supervised by my doctor and trainer, they keep a pretty close eye on my food, which is why I log EVERYTHING. The trainer got me on the protein bars and shakes to up my protein without adding a lot of extra calories. The desired effect is that this will aid muscle growth. My average seems to be netting around 2000 which I feel ok with.

I'll continue the way I am going and re-evaluate if I hit a stall. I only weigh once a week, otherwise the scale stresses me out, so I will see how I'm doing on Monday. was up a few pounds this week, but inches were down so that's hopeful.

yeah, i think you're good for the moment. Like I said earlier, it's when you start to really lean out that issues arise...it's kind of frustrating because when you get to where I am now with about 10 - 15 (pure vanity) Lbs to go, you just can't sustain deficits like that and losing is excruciatingly slow so process and fitness really become the focus.