The final answer to the extra calorie debacle?

im2lexi4myshirt
im2lexi4myshirt Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I feel like this is talked about a lot but I keep getting mixed signals. I'm going to try to explain what I think I'm doing to lose weight and it'd be helpful of you all could correct me if I'm mistaken.

So what I've gathered is that MFP gives you a calorie number that is already at a deficit, the amount of deficit depending on the weight you want to lose. You just eat all of those calories because it is lower than maintenance. However, when you exercise, you burn calories. Because you are eating at a deficit, it is healthy and practical to eat those calories back to reach your net. Eating back all the calories will still aid in weight loss.

Is this correct? Because I feel that if you don't eat all of the exercise calories back you will be putting your body in starvation mode. Thanks!

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    That is how MFP is set up, yes, but be careful about overestimating your calories burned through exercise.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    You've come to this tool and chosen to use its guidelines. You are correct in your statement in the second paragraph.

    However, "Starvation Mode" is a very complicated concept. Here, this is the best researched thread on Adaptive Thermogenesis ("starvation mode").

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Your assessment of how it all works is correct. Be wary though of eating all exercise calories back unless you are really sure you burned that. Most calculators including MFP estimate on the high side and also make sure what you call exercise is exercise. Going for a run, brisk walk, workout DVD, all exercise. Cleaning your house, getting groceries, shopping at the mall, not exercise.

    Starvation mode is not something you need to worry about unless you plan to eat less than 500 calories a day for many months.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    That is how MFP is set up, yes, but be careful about overestimating your calories burned through exercise.

    Yes this^ But "starvation mode" as stated above is much more complicated. The important thing is slower weight loss while eating nutritionally balanced diet along with some exercise will help you retain the most muscle (LBM) while losing. If you lose muscle, you will not burn as many calories (in general). This is why crash dieters gain back what they lost plus some more when they return to old eating habits.
  • unFATuated
    unFATuated Posts: 204 Member
    Yes, in general you should eat them back, especially if you have a large deficit to begin with. However, as a couple of people have said, MFP tends to overestimate calorie burns, so use a HRM to calculate your burns and just choose an activity which matches what the HRM says. For instance, when my HRM said I burned 400 calories doing whatever I was doing, I would just pick a cardio exercise and play with the time until it equalled 400 cals. I used to only enter about 3/4 of the calories too, and only eat those back, just to allow for any miscalculations with cals burned or food.

    If you're using MFP's database for calories burned, maybe eat back about half, just to allow for its overestimations.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I think it depends on what exercise you are planning to do. When I use my Polar HRM for very brisk walking it matches almost exactly what MFP says is burned so when I was actively trying to lose weight I ate every single very brisk walk calorie back and lost weight. I guess it also depends on if have your calorie goal set correctly too though.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    Huh, MFP always underestimates my burns.
  • christinemadden0223
    christinemadden0223 Posts: 175 Member
    Everyone says eat em back and I agree- just wanna add that its not JUST calories- keep in mid that some foods have sodium and fats (trans fats for example) etc that you might not want to go over either, so eat back the cals but make sure the other nutrients fit your goals too!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Everyone says eat em back and I agree- just wanna add that its not JUST calories- keep in mid that some foods have sodium and fats (trans fats for example) etc that you might not want to go over either, so eat back the cals but make sure the other nutrients fit your goals too!

    Actually, from a weightloss perspective it IS just about calories.

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