"Earned" calories/Exercise question

bioteachsm

I just started using mfp about a week ago and I have a question about the exercise calories you burn that get added to your total daily intake. My daily allotment is 1200 calories to lose weight. If I burn 300 calories riding the bike, it gives me 300 extra calories to eat. This may be a silly question, but doesn't that defeat the purpose? I'm eating back what I just burned. Shouldn't I remain at 1200 for the day AND exercise?

pinktoesjb

if you eat 1200 cals and do nothing all day, you will still lose weight. By eating back exercise calories you avoid starving your body and losing lean muscle mass as well as fat.

If you want a set calorie goal without taking off exercise calories google TDEE then set your calorie goal manually. 1200 a day plus moderate exercise is likely to be too little calories unless you are teeny tiny person!

dlr165

I have the same question.

diannethegeek

MFP sets your goal a little lower than other calculators assuming that you'll log your exercise and eat back the extra earned calories. This calorie goal already has the deficit you need for weight loss built into it. When you exercise and burn more calories than MFP's calculations planned for you, you make that deficit larger, possibly larger than your body wants to handle safely. If you're letting MFP set your goals, then yes, you're meant to eat at least a portion of them to help keep you at a healthy deficit. If you're setting your calorie goals through other sites/calculations then it will depend on how they're set.

With the caveat that MFP or gym machine readouts have a tendency to overestimate the calories burned during certain activities. A lot of people choose to eat only 50-75% of those earned exercise calories just in case of any inaccuracies. Pay attention to how you feel, your energy levels, mood, gym performance, etc.

More info: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

Liftng4Lis

With the caveat that MFP or gym machine readouts have a tendency to overestimate the calories burned during certain activities. A lot of people choose to eat only 50-75% of those earned exercise calories just in case of any inaccuracies. Pay attention to how you feel, your energy levels, mood, gym performance, etc.

More info: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

Awesome info, thanks!

bioteachsm

Thank you all. This definitely helps!

montanasnowflake

Why would it be assumed that MFP and exercise machines OVER estimate the number of calories you burned?
Is there a link you can post for a study showing that? An article from a fitness mag or website?

MKEgal

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

I just started using mfp about a week ago and I have a question about the exercise calories you burn that get added to your total daily intake. My daily allotment is 1200 calories to lose weight. If I burn 300 calories riding the bike, it gives me 300 extra calories to eat. This may be a silly question, but doesn't that defeat the purpose? I'm eating back what I just burned. Shouldn't I remain at 1200 for the day AND exercise?

Yes, it does defeat the purpose.
My doctor told me not to eat exercise calories, ignore "net".
You can see how well that's working for me.

But I'm concerned that you're trying to eat only 1200 cal.
Are you fairly short, aiming to weigh 120 lb?
If not, you've probably missed something in setting your goals.

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

This might help too:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

Kate7294

Why would it be assumed that MFP and exercise machines OVER estimate the number of calories you burned?
Is there a link you can post for a study showing that? An article from a fitness mag or website?

I know I've been using the elliptical at my gym. Burned around 290 calories in 34 minutes. MFP tried to give me over 450 calories burned. So yes I go by the machine versus eating 450 calories I didn't burn. Also when we lose weight we burn less. I personally don't eat back my calories. If I'm hungry I might eat some back but my settings is at 1440 so that tends to be plenty. I started at 1590.

mochasmommie7193

Why would it be assumed that MFP and exercise machines OVER estimate the number of calories you burned?
Is there a link you can post for a study showing that? An article from a fitness mag or website?

I don't know if there is an article from a magazine or website, but there is definitely a big difference in my calories burned when using my HRM with a chest strap, and going without. Without the HRM, it shows me burning quite a bit more.

thegreatcanook

I don't eat back my calories earned unless I get close to 1000 . Then it is better to up your daily calories by 200-300 rather that trying to eat an extra 700 in a day.

fattymcrunnerpants

Up to you and your body. I wasn't losing eating back calories. So I stopped.

bioteachsm

Yes, I am fairly short (5'4'') and aiming for 140. 1200 is the result I got from MFP when I entered all my information. I have to admit, I am starving in the afternoon and getting headaches. Yesterday I ate back about half of the 300 I burned on the bike and I felt much better. If I do eat back some calories, it will be with healthy food, not treats.

SideSteel

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

I just started using mfp about a week ago and I have a question about the exercise calories you burn that get added to your total daily intake. My daily allotment is 1200 calories to lose weight. If I burn 300 calories riding the bike, it gives me 300 extra calories to eat. This may be a silly question, but doesn't that defeat the purpose? I'm eating back what I just burned. Shouldn't I remain at 1200 for the day AND exercise?

Yes, it does defeat the purpose.
My doctor told me not to eat exercise calories, ignore "net".
You can see how well that's working for me.

But I'm concerned that you're trying to eat only 1200 cal.
Are you fairly short, aiming to weigh 120 lb?
If not, you've probably missed something in setting your goals.

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

This might help too:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

^ Within that post you are linking (the sexypants thread) please see the section on exercise calories.

I will try to further explain it here, as to why it does not necessarily defeat the purpose of exercise.

As you know, fat loss occurs when total calories burned is greater than total calories eaten, over time. Now obviously we shouldn't just stop eating entirely, so it stands to reason that we probably don't want to go too low with our intake for possible negative effects it could have on things like muscle maintenance, nutrient density of the diet, and long term compliance to a calorie deficit (honestly this one is huge).

So that being said, we probably want to eat "a bit less than we need" but not "too low". (You'd still lose weight if you select a target that is too low but in the long term it's not a good idea).

So a good question to ask may be "where is a good spot to stick my calorie intake".

Myfitnesspal asks you a bunch of questions about your intake and your activity level and it makes a recommendation on calorie intake. However (even if you skip the rest of what I wrote above please read this twice) it does not make any adjustment to your intake based on your exercise habits. Myfitnesspal gives you a caloric intake assuming you are not on a formal exercise program.

This is exactly why you should be eating back exercise calories, in theory, IF you are using Myfitnesspal's default intake recommendations.

Example:

MFP tells me that in order to lose weight based on my stats I need to eat 1500 calories.
I then go out and start exercising and I burn 600 calories/day.

If I DO NOT eat back those exercise calories, I'm creating a very large energy deficit. If I DO eat back those exercise calories, I am now right back to the calorie deficit that MFP told me to be at, precisely because the recommendation it gave me did not include any energy expenditure from exercise.


Now all of that being said, there's further complications with this in that most estimations of exercise expenditure are on the high end, so in practice some people may choose to eat back a set percentage of calories burned during exercise.

Finally your doctor, and pretty much everyone who isn't using Myfitnesspal's guided intake recommendations, who claims that eating back calories burned during exercise "defeats the purpose" they would be correct. Because external calorie estimation devices typically include an overall activity factor that bumps up your calorie intake (in other words, it includes an exercise component on the front end).

This is an important clarification to make specifically in the MFP forums, because many people here are using MFP's guided method which means in some capacity they probably SHOULD be eating back a portion of the calories they burn during exercise.

bunnylion

Why would it be assumed that MFP and exercise machines OVER estimate the number of calories you burned?
Is there a link you can post for a study showing that? An article from a fitness mag or website?

Machines, MFP etc. use formulas to calculate the calories burned. These formulas are fairly generic and how much they over/under estimate depends on the formula used. One of these formulas was for example deducted from a study with a few young, male athletes. If you are not a young, male athlete burns calculated from that formula will have little to do with your real burn.

Also keep in mind: When you just sit on your couch watching TV you might burn around 80 cals per hour. If you go on a bike ride you might burn something like 500 cals per hour. The calories you have 'earned' by exercising instead of sitting therefore are only around 420.

bioteachsm

Great explanations! Thank you.