people who DO NOT east back their exercise calories---

maillekelly

Hello, is there anyone online that does not eat them back? My daily intake of calories is 1200, I work out and probably burn about 400, which makes me 'net' calories around 800 cals per day. Now people KEEP telling me to eat back my calories, but some people have said they don't and still lose weight.

ANyone here who don't eat them back and are losing weight fine?

Talk to me!
x

heathersmilez

The people who succeed but still don't eat them all back are usually obese, it takes much much longer to hit starvation mode.

You should be eating at least 1/2 to fuel your body.

Others who don’t eat them back are very very petite like 5’ and under so 1000 net cal days are normal for them. 800 cal net days are NOT.

hush7hush

Well I don't eat them back.
And I haven't had a problem with it yet.
But then again, I'm not saying that you shouldn't eat them back either.
I guess it depends on what your net ends up being.
You have to try different things to see how they work for your body.
What works for one person isn't going to work the same for the next.

makeachange22

i dont think ive been eating them back, i eat my normal food days , i maybe eat less that a quarter of them back on occasion and so far ive lost 20lbs ...

stefraab

I eat a portion of them back usually. So far it's been working alright for me...
I'm always above 1200 though, even without eating back all of those exercise calories.

wvmark41

I usually eat them back and I'm still losing weight. I found I lose the most weight when I exercise and eat back MOST of the calories (say 90%). I still have a high level of energy throughout the day which I'm sure keeps my metabolism high to keep burning the calories.

I hope you find something that works well for you.

BioQueen

I start off planning that I won't eat them back. However, I am at college and I never know when I am going to stay up later than expected. If I feel hungry after dinner, I will eat up to half of them back. Most of the time I don't really have a problem with feeling tired or fatigued. I do what my body tells me while eating at least 1,200 calories a day.

hummzz

I don't eat mine back unless I want something more than my daily cals allow. I'm considered obese so it may not affect me as it does someone else. My best advice to you would be to do what works for you. We all have different body types, different needs and different metabolisms so what works for me may not work for you.

SoFancySoBlessed

I SAY IT DEPENDS....SOME DAYS I DO SOME DAYS I DONT AND I HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTANT IN MY LOSES.....YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW HOW YOUR BODY WORKS.....IT WILL ALL BALANCE OUT!

Oompa_Loompa

I work out just so I can eat more lol.

katheern

I asked my nutritionist about this and she said that you don't have to eat them back, but you should listen to your body. If you are getting hungry then make sure you eat (of course make sure it's still healthy!). I usually don't eat them back but on some days especially after a hard workout I will need to eat a little bit more to make sure I'm not too hungry. I will usually fill up on something like steamed veggies.

FrenchMob

You'll lose weight for awhile, but then you'll stall out when your metabolism adjusts itself for the lack of calories.

savlyon

I think it depends on your weight. I am obese (almost not, but not quite yet) so I burn calories fast--it's easy to burn up 1000 in an hour and a half or so. I do not want to eat 2200 calories a day. (NO WAY!)

I try to stick around 1200 calories consumed regardless of what I exercise, but if I have a great workout I know that my body is going to need some more protein and calories just to function. When I get to where I work hard and can only burn 500 calories I probably will eat them back.

david081

My net is usually negative. I don't eat back my exercise calories as I do about 2000 a day on average and it would be impossible - 'Oh, I've done a lot of exercise today I'll have 4 big macs'... Since January I lost 24lbs and have six to go. I do however take a relaxed attitude to the 1200, and will exceed it a bit if I have 'earned' a lot of cals and I feel hungry. Some days I don't hit 1200 and get a ticking off from MFP, I guess what's important is what works for YOU!

Very best regards, David

cng1117

i was eating them back, but then wasn't losing weight, just maintaining, so now I only eat some of them back, and my weight is dropping again.... but i usually listen to the way i feel. if i feel hungry or weak or just "not good" then I eat more, if I feel fine and have energy and don't feel like i need to eat, then i don't. like hush7 said, there is no one magic rule or magic number that will apply the same way to everyone, you just experiment and see what works for you and don't worry about what other people say... unless you plan on eating just crackers and water, then you should listen to what people say lol..... like right now, i'm about to have me some turkey and and black beans even though I already ate lunch cause i just finished working out and my tummy is GROWLING like a hungry bear in the forest. :happy:

Sezmo83

Right now I'm not attempting to eat my exercise calories back but with how little I move around when I'm not exercising I have a feeling MFP may be over estimating how many calories I'm burning. Sedentary doesn't quite begin to describe my lifestyle, it's more like comatose to be perfectly honest. Once my general exercise level picks up (which it will definitely do when I move and can leave the house) I'll eat at least some of them back.

SabrinaJL

I don't eat them all back, but I've been making sure I've netted at least 1200. I'm thinking of just eating 1200 and not eating any exercise cals back for the next 2 months. We're going to visit my parents in the summer and being there, all my good habits fall by the wayside. I'm trying to get down to under 200, hoping that if I'm there (which I haven't been in more years than I can remember), it will be incentive to eat right and exercise. I am really obese so I figure doing it for 2 months shouldn't be that big a deal.

MyaPapaya75

I dont eat them..BUT if I'm really hungry when my calories are used up 1200-1400 daily then I eat fruit or small salad

ratkaj

I used to not eat them back and I was losing weight much slower than I did when I was eating them.... choice is up to the individual

godroxmysox

I have not ever eaten my exercise calories, but I have been looking into this. Most people seem to take a strong stand on one side or the other, so it's tough to decide what is true =\

SarahofTwins

Sometimes I eat those cals back I've burned but most of the time I don't. I just listen to my body on whether it feels hungry or not...I drink plenty of water also. I know alot of people say to eat them back but I'm not sure if I agree with it, but thats just my opinion. Whatever works for them

AUPerry

I don't concentrate on eating them back. Developing calorie fixations like that can be unhealthy.

Eat when you're hungry and log it.

It usually works out. Your body is smarter than MFP

JennsLosing

i normally eat about half back, mainly because ive seen that MFP overestimates calories burned, and i dont have a HRM nor do i want to invest in one. Ive lost a total of about 20 pounds since jan first, but didnt start using mfp till the end of jan...

fteale

I eat back most, I usually net around 1000 ish. I get too hungry otherwise. It was ok for the first few weeks, but now, I need those extra calories.

ImperfektAngel

Not eating back calories worked for me up until I went below 200lbs. I was stuck at 197 for the longest time :-/ Came here read about eating back exercise calories and decided to try it, the scale finally started to move again, very slowly but its moving! My daily calories change according to how much fat I have to lose, i make sure to adjust every few pounds I lose.

maryh1974

I eat most of them back , I don't want my body to go in starvation mode..and also don't want to lose all the energy I have

Nomomush

I do not eat back my exercise calories. My trainer said doing so defeats one of the benefits/purpose of exercising...burning more calories than you consume. I am doing just fine, losing from 1.5-2.6lbs per week. I just had my check up with my doctor and he said I am doing just fine and agrees with the no eating back the calories.

TerraGirl17

I had my meeting with my personal trainer yesterday and he has suggested I up my calories to 1800/day and eat that everyday even if i am not exercising. Therefore on a day when I do exercise (at least 5 days a week) my net will be around 1300 cals for that day but on the 2 days where I don't exercise my cals will be 1800 net. I trust him completely, I have lost 20 lbs since Jan 1st and all the advice and routines he has set for me have worked great!!

TurtlesRule

I used to eat them the second I stopped BAM! The lbs dropped like a sack of potatoes to each his(or her) own :happy:

RoadDog

It has no signifigance in my intake. I try to stay between 1200 and 1500 calories, irregardless of my exercise calories.

maillekelly

Thank you for your replies, I think I'll see how it goes with not eating them. I am listening to my body, and I am never hungry! If my tummy was rumbling i'd probably sway more towards eating them up, but right now I feel fine, I'll see what the scales say tomorrow, if I have maintained again, I will try and eat them back x