Eating back calories counterproductive to weight loss

Rworthy

I have seen so many people, including myself, who aren't sure whether or not they should eat back their exercise calories on MFP. I say NO. Here is a good article reiterating this point:

http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/secretweightlos_5.htm

Secret Weapons for Weight Loss - Don't Overcompensate for your Workouts

Hope this helps.

Nailrep

I agree with you mostly. Maybe if you burn 500 calories during a workout, you should eat 250 back. Maybe.

jram70

My rule is if I am hungry I eat most of them back. If I am not I don't. I never eat them for the sake of eating them, because I go over usually one day a weekend so it helps offset that.

RoniDoll

I agree!!! finally someone who agrees!!!

ShellyMacchi

this is equally interesting *S*

http://www.edmontonsun.com/life/columnists/cary_castagna/2011/02/25/17405911.html

rvice2

Everybody's body is different. When I wasn't eating mine back I hit a plateau. I finally decided to eat them back (some days all, some days half) and I started losing weight again.

Fat2FitChick

I eat back almost all give or take 50 or so and I am losing twice as fast. I burn about 600 calories during exercise and I eat back about 500-550 and I am burning at an amazing rate compared to when I didn't eat the extra calories.

emchamberlain

Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.

Very, very simply:

I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.

WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.

WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.

I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.

sweetheart03622

The issue with this is that MFP already calculates a deficit. Your "net calories" that you're allotted every day will allow you to lose weight even if you don't exercise. Therefore, exercising goes above and beyond, which means you can eat them back. Most diet plans do not do this, hence your article.

agdeierl

I definitely agree with "don't overcompensate for your exercise". But eating back cals isn't necessarily over-compensating. It's just partially compensating. I try to eat back about half of mine, sometimes more, sometimes less. The reasoning behind eating them back just makes more sense to me. And there's too many people here on MFP that have had success with eating them back to argue against it for everyone. It might not work for some, but it obviously works for plenty of others.

anubis609

*Do not invoke The URL...Do not invoke The URL....* :explode:

Mindful_Trent

Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.

Very, very simply:

I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.

WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.

WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.

I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.

Exactly.

Naomi91

Hmm after my nine mile run today I think I need to eat some of the extra calories.

sweetheart03622

Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.

Very, very simply:

I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.

WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.

WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.

I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.

Exactly.

And to add... I've been eating back my calories consistently (like... ALL of them), and I've lost 12 pounds in three weeks.

JenWorthen3

I think the point is whatever you do, don't let your net calorie intake go below 1200. So if you're daily allowance is 1500 and you burn 500, then be sure to eat 200 to not go below 1200. Make sense? That's just not healthy to go below that point.

josavage

I completely disagree. If you are counting your calories, being honest with your tracking, and eating healthy food, you can eat your exercise calories and still lose.

JenWorthen3

*Do not invoke The URL...Do not invoke The URL....* :explode:

They seriously need to add a "like" button to this.

eillamarie

I try to eat half my exercise calories back.

hpsnickers1

Here we go again. If you are at 1200 calorie goal and you burn 500 during exercise that will put you at 700 calories. 1200 is the baseline number for Starvation Mode. If you go under that number for too long then your body will start to adapt to the number by stopping the fat burning process for fear of famine (My 'comatose' BMR is 1188 and I'm pretty little so 1200 is a good number). Your weight loss will slow down and you can possible start gaining. I am proof of that. I gained 20 pounds in less than a year by "not eating". You eat the 500 calories to get you back up to your daily goal. You want your NET calories to stay above 1200. This is why MFP will not go below a 1200 daily goal.

Please check out the links in my signature especially the "frantic about adhering to calorie...".

Heck I upped my goal from 1250 to 1480 2 weeks ago and have dropped another 1 1/2 pounds.

Oh I don't mean too sound mean. This is the one biggest ongoing issue on this site. Some days I am under 1200. I just don't stay under for more than 2 days.

12by311

Right, but that doesn't take into account that you already have a deficit set automatically by MFP.

Very, very simply:

I need to eat 2000 calories/day to maintain my weight. I need to eat 1500/day to lose weight.

WITHOUT MFP, if I exercise 500 calories away, then eat 500 calories, I don't lose any weight.

WITH MFP, they only GIVE me 1500 calories/day to eat. So if I eat 1500 calories, then exercise 500 away, I can still eat back those 500 calories and still lose 1lb/week.

I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand.

I was getting ready to write pretty much the exact same thing.

I don't care if people eat back their exercise cals or not...I just don't understand why it's difficult to comprehend.

obifatkanobi

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

I read this quite some time ago, when I was faced with the same question. I know it differs with our opinion, and I do respect your thoughts, however, to make a good decission we need as much information as posible for every side. Personally, I try and come close to my daily goals, including exercise calories, but with some workouts, there just isn't any way possible for me to consume all my exercise calories unless I switch to a diet of sugar sweetened fat. :sick: I have also noticed that when I don't come anywhere close to consuming all my calories burned for that day, I will be extremely hungry the next day, but when I do eat back my exercise calories, I'm not real hungry the following day. As I understand it, this site is designed to tell us how many calories we can consume, including exercise calories, based on how much weight we desire to lose per week.

Again, I do respect your opinion, and only wish to give information so that everyone can determine for themselves how they want to decide.