So confused about eating back your burn off calories

hottottie11

I don't eat my cals back and here's why:

According to the Harris Benedict equation for calculating calorie needs:

my BMR is

665 + (9.6 x W) + (1.8 x H) - (4.7 x Age) = 1479---My daily calorie expenditure if I laid in the bed all day

W = weight in Kgs

H = Height in cms ( 1 foot = 12 inches, 1 inch = 2.54 cms)

Age = Years

Activity Level:

* Sedentary - none or very little exercise = BMR X 1.2
* Light activity for average of 2 days/week = BMR X 1.375
* Moderate activity level exercising 4 days/week = BMR X 1.5 <---this is me before I join MFP
* High activity levels exercise & sports more than 6 days/week = BMR X 1.7
* Higher activity levels = up to 2 x BMR

My activity level is Moderately active, meaning I work out at least 4 times a week: 1479 x 1.5 = 2218.5 is my calculated daily calorie expenditure.

so I eat 1500-1700 per day for a deficit of 518.5 to 718.5

If I work out as usual, 4 days a week, that should not be seen as "extra" to my normal routine. MFP doesn't distinguish between that. Thus I don't eat back my exercise calories

If I did for example, 2218.5 (my maintenance given my lifestyle) - 1500 (what I ate) = 718.5 calorie deficit....I go to the gym and burn 600 calories( as apart of my normal moderately active lifestyle)....if I ate back my calories...it will bring me up to my maintenance: 1500 (what I ate) + 600 (exercise calories I decided to eat back) = 2100....2218.5-2100 = 118.5...my new deficit.

I used to eat my exercise cals and wondered why I was only losing 2 lbs a month.

Now I believe you should eat back your cals if you have a sedentary lifestyle and you began a new workout routine, but being activity is part of my regular routine so I don't eat them back. Now if I worked out more than what I usually do in a week, then I may want to eat those cals back.

I don't think MFP takes that into account.


I hope this makes sense....

Just work with your body, don't starve yourself. Eating it back works for some and not for others, we are all individuals with individual calorie needs. These calorie "standards" don't work for everyone....not everyone has a maintenance of 2000...some people can eat less than 1200 and be ok...it all depends on your needs.

ladyhawk00

I don't eat my cals back and here's why:

According to the Harris Benedict equation for calculating calorie needs:

my BMR is

665 + (9.6 x W) + (1.8 x H) - (4.7 x Age) = 1479---My daily calorie expenditure if I laid in the bed all day

W = weight in Kgs

H = Height in cms ( 1 foot = 12 inches, 1 inch = 2.54 cms)

Age = Years

Activity Level:

* Sedentary - none or very little exercise = BMR X 1.2
* Light activity for average of 2 days/week = BMR X 1.375
* Moderate activity level exercising 4 days/week = BMR X 1.5 <---this is me before I join MFP
* High activity levels exercise & sports more than 6 days/week = BMR X 1.7
* Higher activity levels = up to 2 x BMR

My activity level is Moderately active, meaning I work out at least 4 times a week: 1479 x 1.5 = 2218.5 is my calculated daily calorie expenditure.

so I eat 1500-1700 per day for a deficit of 518.5 to 718.5

If I work out as usual, 4 days a week, that should not be seen as "extra" to my normal routine. MFP doesn't distinguish between that. Thus I don't eat back my exercise calories

If I did for example, 2218.5 (my maintenance given my lifestyle) - 1500 (what I ate) = 718.5 calorie deficit....I go to the gym and burn 600 calories( as apart of my normal moderately active lifestyle)....if I ate back my calories...it will bring me up to my maintenance: 1500 (what I ate) + 600 (exercise calories I decided to eat back) = 2100....2218.5-2100 = 118.5...my new deficit.

I used to eat my exercise cals and wondered why I was only losing 2 to 3 lbs a month.

Now I believe you should at back your cals if you have a sedentary lifestyle and you began a new workout routine, but being activity is part of my regular routine so I don't eat them back. Now if I worked out more than what I usually do in a week, then I may want to eat those cals back.

I don't think MFP takes that into account.


I hope this makes sense....

It will work this way, IF you do "your own" calculations this way. But MFP calculations are set up in such a way as to allow for weight loss even if you don't exercise. They did it this way for a reason - so that people who do very little or irregular exercise will still know what their daily cal goal should be and can track their exercise day to day, giving more accurate information.

So, with the way that MFP works, you are not supposed to include your purposeful exercise in your daily activity level. Daily activity level is meant to include what you do on a regular basis for work and daily living like watching tv, walking around the house, doing laundry, and whatever your job entails. Because purposeful exercise - which should challenge you and make you sweat - burns more cals than just walking to the mail box, it should be entered separately. Ideally, we want to use as accurate a measure as possible for those cals, such as a machinge or HRM that take into account age, height, weight, intensity. This also allows you to track your exercise and is intended to account more accurately for how many calories are burned each day, rather than just an estimated average. Also, it's usually pretty motivational for most people to be able to log their exercise each day and get support for doing so.

hottottie11

Ok that makes so much sense to me now. I didn't realize MFP was set-up that way and I like to track my execise for motivation purposes. I just don't like the net cal at the end of the day, because it makes be feel like I should eat them and I really don't think I should.

ladyhawk00

Ok that makes so much sense to me now. I didn't realize MFP was set-up that way and I like to track my execise for motivation purposes. I just don't like the net cal at the end of the day, because it makes be feel like I should eat them and I really don't think I should.

I know it's hard to get past that common idea "I have to eat less to lose weight so I want to eat as little as possible". But remember that MFP includes a built in deficit for you each day, regardless of exercise. When you choose your loss goal, say 1 lb per week, MFP then subtracts 500 cals from your maintenance cals to give you a deficit.

When you log exercise, MFP then adds in cals so that the 500 cal deficit remains, and stays consistent from day to day. If you don't eat those cals too, you've just made your deficit bigger. Eating those cals keeps your deficit and your weight loss steady and at a healthy rate, to minimize muscle loss.

hottottie11

I feel better knowing how MFP is really set up, but I prefer to use calculations much like the Harris-Benedict. It make more sense to me because using MFP methods and misunderstanding their activity level had me overestimating what I needed to eat and I was wondering why I wasn't losing any weight as fast as I want to. See my original reply, I was eating back my cals and getting a smaller deficit because of this misunderstanding.

millerll

hottottie11 - while your method is essentially correct, it is NOT the method MFP uses to calculate a goal calorie level. Your method already accounts for your PLANNED exercise, therefore, you DON"T need to eat your exercise calories back, since they're already in your goal. If you ate them, you'd be eating them twice.

MFP calculates your goal WITHOUT factoring in exercise. It only asks for your average activity level - not your gym time. The goal MFP gives you is to lose weight WITHOUT exercising. If you exercise, you will use even more calories, and could end up at too low a level for adequate nutrition. That's why many people recommend to eat your exercise calories. Otherwise, if you work out hard, you could end up with WAY too big a deficit. The key to eating back exercise calories is to make sure you're eating good, nutritious calories. Gym time is not an excuse to eat a gallon of ice cream! The intent is to replenish vital nutrients used up in the gym while still maintaining the deficit needed for weight loss - HEALTHY weight loss.

Yes, if you don't eat your exercise cals, you'll probably lose weight faster - for a while. Most people eventually plateau and the weight loss stalls. Meanwhile, you've put yourself in danger of malnutrition - not good.

And, yes, the people on Biggest Loser don't do it this way. But, they are morbidly obese to start with, and people with that high a percentage of body fat can sustain MUCH higher calorie deficits than can the average person without damaging their metabolisms. So forget BL- it's a reality show, not real life.

Another thing to keep in mind is that all this assumes you're estimating your daily exercise calories and activity level and food calories PERFECTLY. Of course, that's never the case. Even the best heart rate monitor has some error. And even if you weigh your food, no food database is perfectly accurate all the time. That's why many people get by just fine by only eating a percentage of their exercise calories. A lot of factors can affect the bottom line.

I usually recommend that people start by following the guidelines MFP gives you. Give it a month, and then see if your weight loss is meeting your desired goals. If not, then you can consider adjusting it. Too many people are too hasty and don't give the program time to work. Your body needs a few weeks to get used to a new eating and exercise plan. Hope this helps clear it up a little.

millerll

Ladyhawk - I didn't mean to steal your thunder! You posted while I was typing mine, and I ended up saying the same thing. You said it a lot more succonctly, though!

hottottie11

hottottie11 - while your method is essentially correct, it is NOT the method MFP uses to calculate a goal calorie level. Your method already accounts for your PLANNED exercise, therefore, you DON"T need to eat your exercise calories back, since they're already in your goal. If you ate them, you'd be eating them twice.

MFP calculates your goal WITHOUT factoring in exercise. It only asks for your average activity level - not your gym time. The goal MFP gives you is to lose weight WITHOUT exercising. If you exercise, you will use even more calories, and could end up at too low a level for adequate nutrition. That's why many people recommend to eat your exercise calories. Otherwise, if you work out hard, you could end up with WAY too big a deficit. The key to eating back exercise calories is to make sure you're eating good, nutritious calories. Gym time is not an excuse to eat a gallon of ice cream! The intent is to replenish vital nutrients used up in the gym while still maintaining the deficit needed for weight loss - HEALTHY weight loss.

Yes, if you don't eat your exercise cals, you'll probably lose weight faster - for a while. Most people eventually plateau and the weight loss stalls. Meanwhile, you've put yourself in danger of malnutrition - not good.

And, yes, the people on Biggest Loser don't do it this way. But, they are morbidly obese to start with, and people with that high a percentage of body fat can sustain MUCH higher calorie deficits than can the average person without damaging their metabolisms. So forget BL- it's a reality show, not real life.

Another thing to keep in mind is that all this assumes you're estimating your daily exercise calories and activity level and food calories PERFECTLY. Of course, that's never the case. Even the best heart rate monitor has some error. And even if you weigh your food, no food database is perfectly accurate all the time. That's why many people get by just fine by only eating a percentage of their exercise calories. A lot of factors can affect the bottom line.

I usually recommend that people start by following the guidelines MFP gives you. Give it a month, and then see if your weight loss is meeting your desired goals. If not, then you can consider adjusting it. Too many people are too hasty and don't give the program time to work. Your body needs a few weeks to get used to a new eating and exercise plan. Hope this helps clear it up a little.

Thank you so much for this understanding lol...I was killin myself trying to figure out why I was losing so little weight lol

ladyhawk00

I feel better knowing how MFP is really set up, but I prefer to use calculations much like the Harris-Benedict. It make more sense to me because using MFP methods and misunderstanding their activity level had me overestimating what I needed to eat and I was wondering why I wasn't losing any weight as fast as I want to. See my original reply, I was eating back my cals and getting a smaller deficit because of this misunderstanding.

That's fine to use your calculations if you're more comfortable with them. Just make sure to make those allowances for how MFP calculates. You can manually enter your own cal goals, deficits, etc. And just FYI, MFP uses the Mifflin - St. Jeor formula for BMR.

ladyhawk00

Ladyhawk - I didn't mean to steal your thunder! You posted while I was typing mine, and I ended up saying the same thing. You said it a lot more succonctly, though!

Haha, no problem. You brought up several helpful points I didn't get into. Well said. :flowerforyou: