DO YOU EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES?

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WALKINGLADY14
WALKINGLADY14 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi There, I just wondered if people out there ate their exercise calories? Would be interesting to hear your views. Thank you!
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Replies

  • zainabel83
    zainabel83 Posts: 32
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    I try not to, more often than not I don't. I am looking to lose weight so I am eating less, maybe when I get to the maintenance phase I will start eating them :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Yes.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Yes. I use to when I followed MFP's caloric intake guideline. The other option is to use the TDEE method where exercise planned exercise cals are taken into account and averaged for the week so you eat the same amount everyday (more than that base cals MFP gives you) instead of less on days you don't workout, and more on days you do.

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a TDEE calculator may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Yes, I eat them! I do make sure my burn estimates are conservative, though. MFP reports excessively high numbers for some activities.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Yes, that's what you're supposed to do. Although some people only eat 1/2 of them back.
  • shaynepoole
    shaynepoole Posts: 493 Member
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    I generally don't, but I burn just a couple of hundred calories a day from walking mostly. I'm sure you can find pros and cons for both sides of the argument and I would say that you really need to see what works for you. If I did more strenuous workouts where people are logging in thousands of calories I would maybe reconsider but that is probably not going to happen for me :)
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Yes
  • kiwigal41
    kiwigal41 Posts: 1,059
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    I rarely eat them all back and I don't use the mfp numbers for calorie burns during exercise.....I have a HRM but I don't really trust that either...lol...so I don't log the full amount it says and then I don't eat that much back either.....

    for instance, if the HRM says I burned 480 doing a workout, then i'll enter about 300 in for exercise and of that 300, i'll probably eat back maybe 180-200....
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    If I'm netting under 1200, I eat some of them.
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
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    Absolutely! I wear a Fitbit and have found that it's adjustment is pretty accurate. I aim to be slightly under every day. That works better for me than TDEE-x% because my activity varies greatly day to day and week to week.
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
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    I typically eat back 50% - 75% of them every day.
  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
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    I try not to but there are days I dip into them a little.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    Yes. Engines need fuel, and MFP's numbers have a built-in deficit. I do try to leave a little margin for error, though.
  • CookieDoughYummy
    CookieDoughYummy Posts: 58
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    Yes, if I didn't I would fall over :P
  • parmoute
    parmoute Posts: 99 Member
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    I do, both because that's how I'm using MFP and because my nutritionist said to :smile:

    But, I enter them low because I know a lot of the estimates are high. Here's my conversion: 85% of cardio (running, walking, elliptical, incline treadmill, dancing, etc.) and 10% for things like yoga, Pilates, stretching, and MFPs generic "strength training" (this is mostly so that I can log having done it).

    I don't use the TDEE method because my physical activity is still extremely variable from week to week depending on what else is going on in life.
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
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    I don't usually. I would think the folks who are burning 500+ a day would have to.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    When I used the MFP numbers I did, not I use TDEE minus a percent and include my exercise in the number of the calorie goal.
  • Eli716
    Eli716 Posts: 262 Member
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    I don't usually. I would think the folks who are burning 500+ a day would have to.

    This. ^

    I usually don't, or try not to, rather, since I workout after my meal curfew that I gave myself. But, if I know that I want to eat a little more one day, I'll do some extra work for it.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I do if I'm hungry. And if I'm not hungry the day I workout, I find I might end up hungrier the next day, so I eat them then.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    No, but I don't follow the MFP method.

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