Is it better to not meet your calorie goal or to meet it?

mereforlife · July 2014

Quick question as a newbie to MFP. My calorie goal for the day is 1,400. I aim to lose 2 pounds a week until i get to my overall goal. Is it better to go under the goal or meet it? There was a day when I did excercise that brought my calorie goal up to around 1,800. MFP says you've earned this many calories. But why would I want to eat back the calories I just burned??

Lizzy622 · July 2014

It all depends on how well you estimate your calories and if you weigh your food. If you calculate well eat as close as possible. You should eat back at least some of your workout calories because your body needs energy to fuel your muscles. If you don't eat enough your performance will suffer and your exercises won't be worth it.

BigT555 · July 2014

first question; you want to meet it without going over. you wanna make sure your providing your body with the fuel that it needs

second question; eat half of the exercise cals MFP gives you, since they are notoriously overestimated and you dont want to cut into your deficit. you need to eat some of the exercise cals back though for the same reason as above; you need to fuel your body

brower47 · July 2014

Most exercise calorie estimate are over estimates. If you're using MFP's estimates, eat back 1/2 to 2/3 of those burns and you should be fine.

diannethegeek · July 2014

It kind of depends on your goals. Eating below your goal may allow you to lose weight faster than your 2 pounds/week goal (which is fairly aggressive anyway). Meeting your goal, on the other hand, will allow you to get enough protein, fat, and micronutrients into your day for your overall health, will help to fuel your workouts so that you can push harder and faster, may help you to lose less lean muscle mass along the way, and could make it easier to stick to your diet long term.

As for eating your exercise calories back, well, there are a lot of really helpful posts around here to try and explain why MFP is setup that way. I like this one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

sassyjae21 · July 2014

You would technically eat them back because at 1,400, you're already at a deficit.

But people who responded are right. Don't eat them all. Give yourself room for error with calculating. You're not going to be spot and are more than likely over estimating your burn and underestimating what you're eating. Better safe than sorry

Eat some of them back.

DianeinCA · July 2014

Also, two pounds a week until you meet goal is, um, highly aggressive (to put it mildly) -- depending on how much you have to lose, you might want to aim for one pound a week (which will allow you more food...or at least not to starve yourself) and lose at a reasonable rate.

wibutterflymagic · July 2014

You don't want to go too far below your calorie goal because it is already incorporating a deficit. If you don't eat back at least some of your exercise calories you will be at an even larger deficit which would be robbing your body of needed fuel. Occasionally being under goal is fine but not on a daily basis. And if you are eating super healthy then it doesn't matter if you go over your calorie goal because your body processes veggies and protein differently then carbs and sugar. You could eat 2000 cal of lean protein and veggies and still lose weight.

dopeysmelly · July 2014

^^This.

Maybe try it for a few weeks, then see how much you've lost over time and increase/decrease the amount you're eating back if necessary to match your goal?

_runnerbean_ · July 2014

Not true- a calorie is a calorie whether it comes from organic broccoli or mars bars.

martinel2099 · July 2014

If you set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week MYP is already setting you up at the goal you need to lose 2 lbs per week. I would aim to meet your calories rather than try to reduce it further. When you exercise be careful about which estimate you use, MFP is notourous for over-estimating calories burnt, like others have have pointed out you should cut that number in half. If you earn extra calories at the gym today you should use them to treat yourself. I have 45 calorie fire cracker icecream pops in my freezer that are perfect for rewarding myself on days when I have a few extra calories.

Exercise calorie tips

When doing cardio I prefer an elliptical that tracks my heart rate / adjusts difficulty based on the target heart rate i set, allows me to input my age and allows me to input my weight. I"m more comfortable with that estimate, which I've noticed to be consitantly 20-30% lower than MFP's estimate.

When doing weight training use MFP's estimate, but cut it in half or don't record it at all. Heart rate monitors aren't effective tools to measure calories burnt when lifting heavy weights.

SezxyStef · July 2014

This..esp with less than 75lbs to lose should be changed to about 1-1.5....if you lose too fast you lose a lot of muscle too...

and to repeat for emphasis...none of this...it's just so wrong on so many levels it gives me the sadz

martinel2099 · July 2014

this+++

A calorie is a calorie, you could lose weight only eating Twinkies (ignoring nutrition) if you ate at a calorie deficit. The opposite is true with broccoli, if you consume more calories from broccoli than you burn then you will gain fat because you are eating at a calorie surplus. Good luck trying to eat enough brocolli to make that happen but you catch my drift.

mgibbons22 · July 2014

I was losing like crazy not eating back my exercise, about three lbs per week, for a couple of months. Suddenly I quit losing, for about six weeks. Then I started eating back 75% of my exercise, and I started losing 2.5 lbs per week. That's me, maybe not everybody.

albayin · July 2014

I would not want to meet it but rather stay under it because I know I suck at logging. Meeting it often means going over in reality.

Valrotha · July 2014

You want to eat back your calories because MFP already has you eating at a deficit. With no exercise, my goal is 1500 calories (during a no-exercise week, my BMR is just over 1700 calories), so if I do 200 calories of exercise that pushes my daily goal up to 1700. I'm still staying at a deficit. When you burn more calories through exercise, you need to replenish some of what your body used in terms of carbs and such.

I'm no expert, but having tried just staying at my normal calorie goal and not eating back the calories I burned through exercise, I get really lethargic and sluggish after about 3-4 days of that. My wellness coach and personal trainer both said to eat back the calories I burn through exercise, and that seems best for me. Overall, however, listen to your body. As time goes on you'll get a better idea of what works for you and what you need to be doing.

wibutterflymagic · July 2014

Sorry but you are incorrect. That seems to be a big concensus here on MFP, but until you do your own research or are working with a certified trainer you wouldn't know any different. I didn't until I got a trainer. When you eat carbs if you aren't using them right away with activity they will be stored as fat. Your body breaks them down into glucose and that is a fast use energy source. If it's not used quickly.....fat. On the other hand protein is used for long term energy. So even if you are eating low calorie but it's filled with carbs you can still be storing fat because you aren't using the energy quick enough before your body breaks it down into glucose and stores it. Why do you think people have a "sugar rush" after eating a candy bar or other processed carb laden food? Because it's our bodies processing that food and giving you the energy at that moment. So, by eating lower carbs and more protein and veggies your body is using the already stored body fat for energy instead of using the carbs you just ate which makes you lose weight even if your calorie intake is a little higher.

eggomylegos · July 2014

Feed your body. Being at too large of a deficit will make you feel terrible. The scale often stops moving as a result. Read this for more info.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

Personally, I calculate my TDEE and consume enough calories to stay at a healthy deficit. Using that method I try to reach my calorie goal every day but not go over it. It is basically eating back exercise calories without doing additional daily calculations. Here's a link to some info if you are interested.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/931670-bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide

Aaron_K123 · July 2014

I'm not sure I am understanding your question right. You are asking if it is better to attain a goal or not attain it? Its better to attain your goal, yes.

hj1119 · July 2014

:noway: :noway: :noway:

martinel2099 · July 2014

Sorry you are wrong. I've sited the below article for your viewing pleasure. Your body will turn any excess calories you consume into fat regardless of whether it comes from carbohydrates, protein or fat.

Do Carbohydrates Turn Into Fat?
by Jessica Bruso, Demand Media
http://livehealthy.chron.com/carbohydrates-turn-fat-3548.html

While carbohydrates don't magically turn into fat on their own, your body turns any excess calories you consume, whether they come from carbohydrates, protein or fat, into body fat as a way to store them for future times of need. To avoid this, either consume fewer calories or exercise more to balance your daily energy needs with the amount of calories you consume.

Sugars, starches and fiber are all carbohydrates. Starches and fiber are formed by combining multiple sugars. Once you consume carbohydrates, enzymes in your body break them down into glucose or other sugars that can be turned into glucose, except for fiber. People don't have the proper enzymes to break the bonds plants use to form fiber, so this type of carbohydrate passes through your digestive tract mostly undigested and thus isn't turned into fat.

Carbohydrate Use
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of energy since they are more quickly digested than proteins or fats. Glucose molecules can pass through your intestinal walls and into your liver and bloodstream, making them easily accessible for use by your cells. Although fiber doesn't provide energy, it helps keep your digestive tract functioning properly and may lower your risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Related Reading: Can Protein Turn into Stored Fat?

Carbohydrate Storage
Your liver can store extra glucose in small amounts, but only about what you would use in a day or two. Any carbohydrates consumed above this amount are turned into body fat as a way to store them more long term. Should your body run short of fuel, it can break down this fat to provide it with energy.

Choosing Healthy Carbohydrates
Between 45 and 65 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Opt for whole grains instead of refined grains and fruits and vegetables instead of sweets. If you choose mainly carbohydrates that are low in energy density, meaning those that don't have a lot of calories per gram, you'll be able to fill up on fewer calories and be less likely to consume too many calories. As long as you don't consume excessive amounts of calories, the carbohydrates you consume are unlikely to be turned into fat.

mereforlife · July 2014

Hi all---Just logged on to see if perhaps anyone out there read and answered my question and found so many responses with lots of great information to consider. It's definitely making more sense now--- I will eat back a good portion of those earned exercise calories. Thanks to everyone! Great community!

Is it better to not meet your calorie goal or to meet it?

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