DO NOT EAT BACK EXERCISE CALORIES!!!!!

hroush

Your nutritionist said that you must eat more than 1200 calories or your body will think it's starving, but at the same time says to not eat back exercise calories, this doesn't make sense to me. If you burn 500 calories extra, you NET 900 calories if you consume 1400, which is far below even the 1200 she warned you against. I would definitely make sure this person is suited for dealing with people that are or can be active and know how to operate the equations accordingly.

edinat

The eating back calories made no sense to me before, but after studying it a little more , it actually made very clear sense once i put it on paper.

if you eat 1400 calories and u exercise lets say 400 which is easy to burn, this is how it looks.

1400-400=1000 calories

so your body is working on 1000 calories!!!!! That means ur starving ur body, on days that i am not exercising i worry about keeping it around 1400..plus MFP includes the deficit already in the calculations. I personally like to have all my numbers green so i always leave a few calories left over, but i have quite a few pounds to loose as well.

edinat

The eating back calories made no sense to me before, but after studying it a little more , it actually made very clear sense once i put it on paper.

if you eat 1400 calories and u exercise lets say 400 which is easy to burn, this is how it looks.

1400-400=1000 calories

so your body is working on 1000 calories!!!!! That means ur starving ur body, on days that i am not exercising i worry about keeping it around 1400..plus MFP includes the deficit already in the calculations. I personally like to have all my numbers green so i always leave a few calories left over, but i have quite a few pounds to loose as well.

JennsLosing

good job going to a dietician.. I think everyone should talk to a professional, at least their doctor about a good place to start in reference to their daily caloric intake, everyone is different and everyones body works differently. This website is great but obvioulsy it cant be perfectly specific to everyone, its all up to the individual to get as specific as they want to.

Good Luck using your new information in your life, I am sure it will make the guessing game disapeare.. you should see results in NO TIME!

i had a dr tell me that calories dont matter, as long as i eat almost no carbs. i like my carbs sorry. im not going to cut them out all together. id rather work my *kitten* off at the gym and watch my calories than cut out all my carbs.

Marinita1967

I agree with becclj; I'm hypo-glycemic as well and (under the advice of my Dr) I dofind I ahve to eat back some of the calories I've burned. I can usually tell by how I feel. I suspect there's a trend and relationship to those days and what what I've eaten prior to exercising. When I get it charted I'll let you all know. Good Luck to everyone!

Sherrellynn

somedays I do and some days It all depends on what I eat during the day. I exercise different lengths of time each day so I have more calories some days then others. My dietician put me on 1400 a day but I am using the 1200 on here. only two weeks in lost 3 pounds so we will see what happens. I am thinking right now that my exercise allows me a glass of red wine in the evening

veggiepug

Oops, I meant to quote this poster

"This.

I think of how everyone says, "Oh think about the Biggest Loser contestants...they are working out all day. There's no way they are eating back all those calories." No they aren't. They are obese. They can afford to have a greater deficit.

I am not obese. I can't run 5 miles and lift and not fuel my body. I was be starving and my body would start to eat away at my muscle mass (no thanks! I heart muscles).

If you stop looking at calories like they are a BAD thing and start looking at them like the fuel that they are, you will have a different outlook once you are within normal weight range. Any professional athlete eats way more than me and his/her body is in much better shape. Why? He/She trains like crazy. Therefore that person has to fuel his/her body."

This poster is absolutely right.

Of course eating back your exercise calories in Big Macs and french fries isn't going to work. The exercise calories are there so we can refuel with balanced and nutritious food. Like this poster said, those with more to lose can afford to have a bigger deficit, but the more lean muscle your body has, and the less fat, the more your body will need some of those extra calories.

jjhanlon

Just to clarify for everyone saying what's the point of exercising if you're going to eat them back.....MFP has ALREADY figured in your 500 calorie deficit. It's already there. The weight loss is already there...so if you exercise on top of that you are creating a huge deficit potentially if you work out a lot. If you burn a lot, and then have the MFP deficit already built in, you can end up not eating enough if you don't eat some back. This is fine when you have a lot of lose, but when you start getting to a healthy weight you need to decrease the deficit or muscle will be on your body's menu. :-)

I agree...

Pebble321

Posting a blanket statement like this (in CAPS, because presumably shouting at us is good) is really not helpful.
In my opinion MFP gives a safe plan that doesn't encourage people to drop to ridiculously low calorie levels - which is the way it should be unless you are under direct instructions and supervision from a professional who knows your particular situation.

It's really not rocket science- to lose weight you need a calorie deficit. You can create that deficit by exercising more or eating less or a combination of both. MFP does it by building your calorie deficit into your daily calorie allowance. Other plans do it differently.
Feel free to do what works for you, but don't shout at the rest of us about it. Please!

LorinaLynn

I'm not sure why the OP is yelling at us.

If you aim for 1200 calories a day, do a half hour of moderate cardio exercise, burn 200 calories, and eat them back, that's THE SAME as eating 1400 calories and not eating calories back.

It's the same math. It all depends on when you add the deficit and when you add the activity level. The dietitian is taking into consideration what you'll burn through exercise before you do it. MFP just waits until you have done it.

The only difference is that if you hit snooze one too many times, or get home from work too late, and don't do any exercise, you'll still lose at the same rate following MFP's calculations.

beccyleigh

when I lost the first 89lbs, I did it on zero exercise & still had a terrible diet but I ate a lot less cals than before so the weight came off. I eventually stopped losing & started gaining in Jan this year... my body had hit it's wall. Without eating a more balanced healthier diet & without exercise nothing was going to happen. I no longer had the leg room for a huge deficit so now have to stay within my allowance or else I wont lose.

As I work out 4-5 times a week & burn 500-600 cals per workout, I have to give something back. My body has to have it's fuel. Shame I didn't find this site 4 years ago as I would probably be at my target weight now but never mind, I sussed it out now

ajbeans

THANKS, BUT I'VE LOST 25 POUNDS EATING BACK MY EXERCISE CALORIES SO I'M GONNA KEEP DOING IT.

And please don't yell. :flowerforyou:

PJilly

I'm not sure why the OP is yelling at us.

If you aim for 1200 calories a day, do a half hour of moderate cardio exercise, burn 200 calories, and eat them back, that's THE SAME as eating 1400 calories and not eating calories back.

It's the same math. It all depends on when you add the deficit and when you add the activity level. The dietitian is taking into consideration what you'll burn through exercise before you do it. MFP just waits until you have done it.

The only difference is that if you hit snooze one too many times, or get home from work too late, and don't do any exercise, you'll still lose at the same rate following MFP's calculations.

What LorinaLynne said.

Suziq2you

I'm not sure why the OP is yelling at us.

If you aim for 1200 calories a day, do a half hour of moderate cardio exercise, burn 200 calories, and eat them back, that's THE SAME as eating 1400 calories and not eating calories back.

It's the same math. It all depends on when you add the deficit and when you add the activity level. The dietitian is taking into consideration what you'll burn through exercise before you do it. MFP just waits until you have done it.

The only difference is that if you hit snooze one too many times, or get home from work too late, and don't do any exercise, you'll still lose at the same rate following MFP's calculations.

Agreed.

seasonalvoodoo

I just want to explain a couple of things about training for doctors, dietitians, and the basis for standard recommendations. Typically speaking, doctors do not have any education on exercise and nutrition. At most they may have taken a single basic nutrition class. Dietitians coursework focuses on the average person (IE: sedentary) with various metabolic diseases. They are not typically given education in exercise or how to fuel for it. The average client that either doctors or dietitians work with are sick, sedentary people who need to lose weight. For this type of patient, there is a standard recommendation so that it is easier on doctors and dietitians to work with large numbers of people. Doctors are usually the ones who stick to the 1200 or 1500 calorie recommendations because they haven't been taught how to calculate individual calorie needs. Dietitians have those formulas and can determine individual calorie needs which is why the OP's dietitian said 1400 instead of a standard 1200 calories. Unfortunately, the formula they are taught doesn't usually take into consideration any form of exercise because their standard client is sedentary or in some cases completely bed ridden. They don't need to know how exercise effects calories because they don't usually work with people who exercise. There are specialty courses that can be taken to expand on the knowledge of dietitians into more of a sports nutrition scope of practice so that they can handle the needs of exercising clients or athletes. Unless your doctor or dietitian has taken coursework in sports nutrition, they will say not to eat exercise calories because they are sticking to the recommendations and formulas they know, not realizing the effects of exercise on calorie needs. Sports nutritionists are taught that the 500, 1000, etc. calorie deficits aren't correct for most people who exercise because of having to fuel the activity. We're taught to eat a minimum of 80% of the energy expended, including exercise, so that the body will want to maintain it's muscle mass and release fat stores.

So, while I applaud you for getting advise from a professional, I'd recommend asking the professional you choose about their nutrition and exercise education. If they haven't taken some course work in exercise physiology or sports nutrition, they need to step back and work with the clients they are trained to work with and leave the exercisers to those of us who specialize in their specific needs. Each individual should base their choice of professional on their individual needs. If you aren't going to exercise, then by all means a standard dietitian is the way to go. But if you are going to focus on diet AND exercise, please find a professional in your area that can meet your needs.

Quoting this just because it is a really great post.

That said, I eat all of my exercise calories (or at least I try very hard to do so) and it has not hindered my weight loss in any way.

FairyMiss

I dont know when i try to eat most or all of mine i gain weight, really eed to stop listening to people

Dtho5159

Good luck with whatever you try to do.. Ive lost 49.2lb eating back my exercise calories so I think I'll stick with what works for me

CeejayGee

Sometimes I eat my calories back and sometimes I dont. Usually I find a happy medium where I have a post-exercise snack that replenishes me and consumes some of them back. But, the last 14 days I've been way too strenuous - exercising most days and not eating my calories back. Well, the body can't live on 1300 calories if you're also burning 500+a day too. I ended up majorly wearing myself out, ending up in abad mental place, and it took a day of rest and a 13 hour sleep to regain my energy! So not doing THAT again!

crystalslight

I've lost weight eating back my BFing calories and exercise calories. I would be STARVING if I didn't. Doing it this way makes it easier for me to stay on track. The days I exercise, I'm so much more hungry. If I didn't have those calories to eat I'd feel deprived and would probably give up. I think it's whatever works best for you. Good luck with your weight loss!! And getting healthy

LaurnWhit

I didn't eat my exercise calories back when I weighed 264 but I hit a wall at 180 and started eating back at least half my exercise calories and even upped my calories and 30 pounds fell off!! Now I'm stuck at 150..... so it's where you are in your eat loss....