Eating back exercise calories vs. Not eating them back ...

mamahix

What is the purpose of eating back exercise calories when the main goal is to burn more calories than you consume to loose weight, right? I don't understand. Can someone please explain why (or why not) you should eat back the exercise calories.
thanks!
Melissa

pictureperfect101

Yeah, I have the same question

TK421NotAtPost

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

mamagooskie

there are TONS of topic posted daily about this....if you do a search you will find pages of them.

anyway I eat my exercize calories because I am hungrier when I workout and I need to feed the muscles I am working so hard to build. The MFP has a built in deficit that it sets for you when you start up and this has allowed me to lose over 100 lbs even though I eat my exercize calories so no it does not defeat the purpose.

My motto is I WILL WORKOUT FOR FOOD!!

pauljsolie

Your metabolism will shut down and you won't lose anything. The dreaded PLATEAU. That alone has undone more people than anything else and it is so simple to avoid.

fatboypup

i dont eat mine ....... no plateau yet

SheilaSisco

i dont eat mine ....... no plateau yet

"YET" being the operative word...

hotpinkduck

he's lost 82 lbs, if he hasnt plateaued yet, chances are he's doing something right

mamagooskie

i dont eat mine ....... no plateau yet

I hit my first plateau around the time I lost 100lbs. Shocked me that it took so long......and eating more allowed me to get past it!!

ladyhawk00

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

^^^^ This is a must read...

MFP is different than many calorie counters/weight loss programs, or the way that many trainers set up a plan. These other plans take your “intended exercise” and use that to create a deficit, keeping your daily cal goal static. Therefore, with other plans, you would not replace calories you burn through exercise. MFP is different and you CANNOT compare them, unless you’re prepared to do some calculations to get apples vs. apples and not apples vs. oranges.

MFP was designed with the idea that many people can't exercise regularly, or at all, due to physical limitations or time or whatever reason. They also recognized that most people set up an exercise plan with good intentions, but as we all know, what’s planned is not necessarily what actually happens every day. So they built the site to allow for weight loss with or without exercise.

MFP creates a BUILT IN CALORIE DEFICIT, based on your loss per week goal, regardless of exercise. So when you log exercise, cals are added back in to keep that deficit stable. If you don't replace those cals, you've made your deficit larger than you (presumably) intended. A larger deficit does not necessarily mean faster/more weight loss; it is usually unhealthy and unsustainable and most often backfires, leading to feelings of deprivation, binges, irregular blood sugar levels, lack of energy, slower metabolism, loss of muscle mass, quitting, and weight regain.

People with little fat stores need a more conservative deficit and usually do better eating at least some of them back.

For people with large amounts to lose, it is less critical to eat all of them, as their bodies can withstand a slightly larger deficit. However, there are other risks to consider, such as sufficient macros and micros, and the psychological impacts.

For some more general info:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

ItsMeMaryW

I use them because after working out I am hungrier but hardly ever eat them all back. Nice to have those extras for cushion. I hate plateaus so its better not to eat to little, got to keep tricking your body...

Lleldiranne

MFP already works a deficit into your daily goal. If you tell it you want to lose 1 lb a week, it will set your goal about 500 cal below what a person your size and activity level would generally need to maintain. Then you burn more calories exercising, and it drops even lower. Not a bad thing, unless you consistently too far below. If your body isn't getting enough energy (that's what calories are!) it can't keep doing everything.

The other risk of a reduced calorie diet is that it's harder to get all the nutrients you need. Even fewer calories makes it even harder. Solutions: make sure all your calories "count" (eat good food with lots of naturally occurring vitamins) and/or take a multivitamin supplement.

mamahix

I have been eating back some of them but I didn't understand why I needed to. Thanks for all the info! I am relatively new here and trying to do the best for myself!

fatboypup

i dont eat mine ....... no plateau yet

I hit my first plateau around the time I lost 100lbs. Shocked me that it took so long......and eating more allowed me to get past it!!

if I dont hit it till 100 that will be great because thats my goal loss