Eating back calories - Professional opinions

delania

I think my main point got lost somewhere along the way. Let me reiterate, I have a nutrition degree. I understand the theory of eating back calories. And I know that it makes sense to some and not to others. Does anyone know of a PROFESSIONAL posting, article, book, etc (by a doctor) that discusses eating back calories? If not, then a lot of this seems to be opinion based on website postings and forums such as this one.

ProTFitness

Ok then all I have to say is if you have a Degree in Nutrition then you should know this Answer

LoveMy3Boys

I have very little knowledge of all this.

However, 1200 calories is the min amount of calories a person should consume. Most people can't survive off of 1200 alone... to maintain you would likely eat more than that. So, when you burn say 300 calories, then technically you are only consuming 900 so you need the extra 300 to be back at 1200. Essentially, your body is burning calories all day and burns the 1200 that you eat so you need to replace the extra burning through exercise.

marianmaj

Amen Sister! You should NOT feel stupid! This is a very complex thing and not easy to explain or understand. I have been a Cerified Personal Trainer for over 20 years and if I ever spoke to a client like that I would be OUT OF BUSINESS and OUT OF MY MIND! UNless you get hooked up to Max Vo2 machines on a treadmill you will never really get the correct answer to your Q...some people burn more fat others burn more carbs....it is a mystery unless you get tested. But just relax and follow a clean diet of real foods and no refined carbs and you will be great!

myofibril

I know that this topic has been beaten to death, but here is my dilemma: I have a degree in nutrition and the "rules" state that a woman needs 1200 calories of food per day, period. There is no mention of eating back exercise calories. I've searched the web and cannot find any professional articles or sites that talk about this idea one way or the other. Does anyone know of any such article, or has anyone spoken to a professional about this topic?

Thanks, Delania

Well, I'm not an expert by any means but I have had a love affair with health and fitness for many years now. I have not come across this idea before until posting here.

From what I know you don't really need to eat back your exercise calories. I think people confuse eating a low calorie diet which is nutritionally deficient and therefore harmful and eating a well balanced diet but then adding cardio to ensure a negative calorie balance which can be very effective.

The 1,200 calorie guideline is a good one as generally the individual has a margin of error to ensure they are getting sufficient nutrients from their food intake. However, I would like to point that medically supervised VLCD's are nutritionally complete at 800 calories.

I guess some people presume that you somehow exercise out the nutrients you have consumed but that is generally not correct as they are absorbed by the body save for that which you lose through transpiration (ie sweating.)

Of course there are many good reasons for eating much more than 1,200 calories if you are approaching normal weight. However, there is no harm in my view of not eating back your calories say if you are on 1,700 calories yet burn 700 calories through exercise leaving a 1000 calorie balance.

monylove311

@ProTfitness - Thanks! I didn't understand either. Now I do. I think it was the term "eat calories back" that confused people. I thought I needed to stay under my 1200 to lose weight and I was happy when it was under after I exercised, but now I see I was wrong.

Thanks to everyone who was helpful without the snottiness. Really, is it that hard to be nice. To the snotty folks, no one made you respond to the post in the first place.

Good questions folks! Keep it up!

delania

Amen Sister! You should NOT feel stupid! This is a very complex thing and not easy to explain or understand. I have been a Cerified Personal Trainer for over 20 years and if I ever spoke to a client like that I would be OUT OF BUSINESS and OUT OF MY MIND! UNless you get hooked up to Max Vo2 machines on a treadmill you will never really get the correct answer to your Q...some people burn more fat others burn more carbs....it is a mystery unless you get tested. But just relax and follow a clean diet of real foods and no refined carbs and you will be great!

Thank you. That is a truly HELPFUL answer.

delania

Well, I'm not an expert by any means but I have had a love affair with health and fitness for many years now. I have not come across this idea before until posting here.

From what I know you don't really need to eat back your exercise calories. I think people confuse eating a low calorie diet which is nutritionally deficient and therefore harmful and eating a well balanced diet but then adding cardio to ensure a negative calorie balance which can be very effective.

The 1,200 calorie guideline is a good one as generally the individual has a margin of error to ensure they are getting sufficient nutrients from their food intake. However, I would like to point that medically supervised VLCD's are nutritionally complete at 800 calories.

I guess some people presume that you somehow exercise out the nutrients you have consumed but that is generally not correct as they are absorbed by the body save for that which you lose through transpiration (ie sweating.)

Of course there are many good reasons for eating much more than 1,200 calories if you are approaching normal weight. However, there is no harm in my view of not eating back your calories say if you are on 1,700 calories yet burn 700 calories through exercise leaving a 1000 calorie balance.

Again, thank you for a helpful answer. It is true that you do not exercise away your nutrients and that is an important point.

To all those who feel the need to be snotty or rude, I hope you never have a question that you want an answer to.

delania

Ok then all I have to say is if you have a Degree in Nutrition then you should know this Answer

I'm asking this as politely as I can, please DO NOT reply to any of my posts in the future. I was asking because I did NOT know the answer and I was looking for a professional source. You are not it.

nancym221

Perfectly explained and understood. Thanks. Can we be friends.

TrainerRobin

I know that this topic has been beaten to death, but here is my dilemma: I have a degree in nutrition and the "rules" state that a woman needs 1200 calories of food per day, period. There is no mention of eating back exercise calories. I've searched the web and cannot find any professional articles or sites that talk about this idea one way or the other. Does anyone know of any such article, or has anyone spoken to a professional about this topic?

Thanks, Delania

Maybe this will help. Not directly on point, but it may help you answer your question to some degree.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

javamom

I understand the MATH of weight loss and BMR's and all of that. What I am asking is, if I burn 500 calories during exercise, WHY is it bad for me to only eat 1200 calories (example, I rarely eat that little or I feel tired)? WHAT is wrong with trying to lose more than a pound a week?

I think it is frowned upon because your body only really has 700 calories left to work with if you eat 1200 and burn 500. My understanding is that your metabolism will slow down under 1200 net calories.

grumpz

Ok then all I have to say is if you have a Degree in Nutrition then you should know this Answer

I'm asking this as politely as I can, please DO NOT reply to any of my posts in the future. I was asking because I did NOT know the answer and I was looking for a professional source. You are not it.

Hang a sec.....I thought you were the professional. It's a public forum, people are going to make comments you dislike or disagree with. Just move on and don't read it if it offends you this much.

simplywriting

Ok then all I have to say is if you have a Degree in Nutrition then you should know this Answer

I'm asking this as politely as I can, please DO NOT reply to any of my posts in the future. I was asking because I did NOT know the answer and I was looking for a professional source. You are not it.

Hang a sec.....I thought you were the professional. It's a public forum, people are going to make comments you dislike or disagree with. Just move on and don't read it if it offends you this much.

In fairness, a degree in nutrition is not exactly the same thing as a degree in weigh management or something along those lines. I have taken courses in nutrition and we have never discussed calories vs. exercise, so I can see someone being able to ask a valid question. I think the way the person responded was actually VERY rude, whether she IS a professional or not. Oh, and she didn't mention being offended, I think she in fairness, simply asked for no more responses to her questions. Yep, it's a public forum... she can do that too.

ProTFitness

Amen Sister! You should NOT feel stupid! This is a very complex thing and not easy to explain or understand. I have been a Cerified Personal Trainer for over 20 years and if I ever spoke to a client like that I would be OUT OF BUSINESS and OUT OF MY MIND! UNless you get hooked up to Max Vo2 machines on a treadmill you will never really get the correct answer to your Q...some people burn more fat others burn more carbs....it is a mystery unless you get tested. But just relax and follow a clean diet of real foods and no refined carbs and you will be great!

I Have Never or Will ever speak to my clients in what ever way you may be thinking. Very few trainers will go over nutrition with there clients or very little. I am very detailed and as helpful as I can be with my clients as well as being a supportive trainer to help them achive there goals and learn how to FEED there body the right way, I may not have been in the game as long as you but I have been for 7 years and you never quit learning or educating one self on it..

Some Topic on the message boad gets Beaten to Death. That is all I was trying to get across

bowserette

This is a question I've been wondering, too. I had never heard of eating back exercise calories before this site, and I, too, am looking for a scientific basis on this. No offense to everyone on the forums, but you don't always get the most reliable information here. I will look further into it.

luv2ash

I understand the MATH of weight loss and BMR's and all of that. What I am asking is, if I burn 500 calories during exercise, WHY is it bad for me to only eat 1200 calories (example, I rarely eat that little or I feel tired)? WHAT is wrong with trying to lose more than a pound a week?

OK, the theory is that if you eat less than 1200 NET calories your body is NOT getting its desired nutrition to keep you healthy and fit.

Also, if you eat less that 1200 NET for a sustained time then you're going to lower your metabolism eventually, thus making it easier to regain weight in the future when you start to eat 'normally' again.

You CAN lose more than 1lb per week (and indeed you can set your goals on MFP to lose up to 2lbs max). But they say its impossible to actually lose MORE than 2lbs of FAT per week. So, if you're losing more than 2lbs on the scales its going to be lean tissue/muscle/water.

I hope that helps

Good luck :flowerforyou:

I have to disagree, based on my own experience. I am doing Medifast diet, and this diet puts you in a mild state of ketosis, therefore, we are burning fat, our body is looking for fat. I get plenty of protein and I eat 800-1000 calories a day plus burn about 200-350 a day in exercise. I am currently building muscle and losing inches and have lost 68 pounds. My body looks the best it ever has.

darrenw74

I understand the MATH of weight loss and BMR's and all of that. What I am asking is, if I burn 500 calories during exercise, WHY is it bad for me to only eat 1200 calories (example, I rarely eat that little or I feel tired)? WHAT is wrong with trying to lose more than a pound a week?

OK, the theory is that if you eat less than 1200 NET calories your body is NOT getting its desired nutrition to keep you healthy and fit.

Also, if you eat less that 1200 NET for a sustained time then you're going to lower your metabolism eventually, thus making it easier to regain weight in the future when you start to eat 'normally' again.

You CAN lose more than 1lb per week (and indeed you can set your goals on MFP to lose up to 2lbs max). But they say its impossible to actually lose MORE than 2lbs of FAT per week. So, if you're losing more than 2lbs on the scales its going to be lean tissue/muscle/water.

I hope that helps

Good luck :flowerforyou:

You should check out this show called biggest loser
I think the point is that it's not necessarily healthy to lose more than 2 per week, and keep it off.

TrainingWithTonya

I think the confusion comes from your having a standard nutrition education instead of a sports nutrition education. There are actually several different areas of study within the nutrition discipline. In my nutrition minor, we're looking at various aspects of nutrition including the standard dietitian track, sports nutrition, weight loss, and nutritional therapy for various medical conditions. My certifications, however, are specific to sports nutrition and that is the track I plan on taking for my masters. But I've noticed that in the standard tracks and even the weight loss and nutritional therapy tracks they don't always talk about adding exercise calories. However, I have heard all about adding in the exercise calories in several of my classes. Here are some references for you that might help you clear up the confusion in coming from a standard dietitian track.

Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport by Melvin H. Williams pages 445 to 446 (Ninth Edition)

Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Girard Eberle, MS, RD pages 9 to 10

Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark, MS, RD pages 221 to 222 (Third Edition)

My opinion is that Nancy Clark's book should be a must read for all nutrition students. She gives lots of examples of people who've eaten "correctly" and haven't seen the results they want because of not eating for their activity.

Doberwomann

I hope im not going to get shot down for saying this but wouldnt it be better to take it a day at a time and see how your body reacts to the amount of calories your eating say eat more if you lose too fast or eat less if your not losing any. Is all the mathematics totally necessary. *Runs Away Quickly*