Eating Back Exercise Calories Question

ShannK210

Now that I'm in a comfortable place, I would like to increase calories to stop losing inches/weight so I don't get too thin. I've been using MFP's maintenance calories of 1690 and ate back all my exercise calories but found out that they weren't my real maintenance calories, and I am still losing. So I've decided I would increase them by 50 calories every 2 weeks, so it's slow to minimize weight gain. Here's my question: Should I eat back all my exercise calories? For example, if I burned 204 calories today and upped my them from 1690 to 1740 calories, should I eat those 204 calories in addition to the 50 calories? I've never done this before, and I'm a little scared, so I'd appreciate any advice.

caesar164

If you don't eat them back, you'll still be at a caloric defecit, and thus, continue to lose weight.... Since your eating at maintenance, an exercise will put you at a defecit, so if you don't want to lose anymore, you should eat them back.

DianeinCA

A popular topic around these parts: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

ShannK210

Thanks, guys! That's what I figured, just wasn't 100 percent sure.

SKME2013

I think this boils down to trial and error. How are you calculating your exercise calories? I use a heart rate monitor and mine are pretty accurate, nevertheless, I do not eat all of them back.
Stef.

rsclause

Depending on how much weight you lost you may want to start over and input your stats again. Make note of your existing numbers before you do so that any changes will be noticed. After that you just need to "tweak" and adjust to find that perfect number.

nxd10

You are increasing from your baseline to see if that stops your weight loss. That means change from current practice. If you're eating exercise calories back now, you should continue to do so.