eat back the calories burned?

tammy_lng

So i eat the calories allowed but MFP keeps saying I am not eating enough. Should I eat back the calories I burn?

brittaney0625

There is a huge debate on this.

I don't know which is the right way to do it.

I don't eat mine back.

Aaron_K123

Yes you eat them back. If you want to lose 1 pound a week MFP will say how many calories you should eat to establish a 500 calorie daily deficit without exercise.

If you exercise you should eat what you burn back in order to maintain your goal 500 calorie deficit. If you do not then your deficit will be larger than you intended.

laciemn

I would say you can safely eat back part of the calories burned, but it's doubly good if you don't. Basically, it's like, if you make more money...you can spend more money, but if you don't spend it, you can save even more money! So, if you don't eat it back, you can lose weight faster! However, sometimes eating a few hundred more calories can greatly increase your workout ability, making you able to burn more calories! So it depends. Maybe eat half/some of them back if you are already on a low calorie diet. Otherwise, it probably won't affect your performance.

cara4fit

If one is post-menopause, one might not be able to eat back all one's calories. Some unlucky post-menopausal souls really do have to stick to 1200 or less, even with being active, AND be low-carb besides. However, it really depends on how one's body responds anyway. Try both ways. For pre-menopausal people, I think there's more leeway. JMHO here.

lioness803

MFP is set up with your deficit already included...so yes, you eat them back. Most will recommend about half of them to cover overestimation of calorie burns.

chism21

I focus on eating my calories of the day, if I still feel hungry I will eat at 35% of my exercise calories

AmyRhubarb

Why do you suppose they would add them back to your goal if you weren't expected to eat them?? Sorry, but this question gets asked CONSTANTLY - baffles me that so many start using a program without understanding how it works.

But yes - as others have said, eat them back. Food is fuel, and your body needs it. Your daily goal has you at a deficit before exercise - burning off more cals and not eating them back leaves you with a huge deficit - no bueno - which is why the program tells you you're under eating - you are! Eat them back and you're back to the original goal and same deficit that you had before the exercise - well fueled and still losing weight.

Follow MFP - if your info and goals are set up accurately and reasonably, then you're on your way to losing weight. Good luck!

Sobus76

My experience has been that if I don't eat some back when I burn a lot, my weight loss will stall out. So I eat some back now.

hayleyinshape

I set my calorie goal a little lower than MFP suggests, and then eat them back. Starvation mode is kind of crap in my opinion. But you should absolutely be eating your goal at minimum, though.

alicekelli

my experience: it took me about 6 weeks to lose the first 5 pounds and then once is started eating the exercise calories back, the weight came of steadily and is still coming off... if you are at a 1200 net and you exercise 1000 calories, EAT THEM! you are still only netting 1200 calories and you are not "starving" yourself! exercising gives you a better body, lets you eat more food and gives you energy! go for it! just do try to make sure you are logging both properly.

MargaretSobers

First decide how much calorie you want to gain or these calorie will effect to your weight or not. Then you can take the calorie necessary for you, firstly decide what is your goal weight and then start doing exercise to 4-5 times a week, some days you will take the weight training, some times you can do cardio, if you can burn the extra calories from your goal then you can eat back the calories you burned previously.

patriciapowerswilliamson

I ate and drank 1900 calories yesterday and then burned 750 from spinning and walking 4 miles. My calorie goal was 1200 so MFP showed me that I "over ate"...

Saramelie

I don't eat them back for now, because I have 1800 per day already. Once it goes down, I will see if I need them to not be starving...

tammy_lng

Thank you I will be eating them back!

Mykaelous

So i eat the calories allowed but MFP keeps saying I am not eating enough. Should I eat back the calories I burn?

I don't eat mine back because most estimates for calories burned are terribly incorrect unless you are an Olympic athlete(studies used to estimate calories burned generally used college athletes not regular joes). That said if you were to eat back the calories I would suggest only eating half of them back if weight loss is your goal.