Add in Exercise calories or not???

rdeloria · August 2011

I have been thinking about not adding my exercise calories because I think I then tend to splurge on food calories. Does that make sense?? Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/ideas about that.

rahmas · August 2011

I don't understand this....because it always adds my exercises calories burned to my calorie intake and therefore lets me eat more than my target calorie intake...is it supposed to be this way?

chatal36 · August 2011

I have also been thinking the same. I am leaning toward not eating my exercise calories since im at a plateau...

taso42_DELETED · August 2011

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

/in before the misinformation

delmore1 · August 2011

I have stopped adding in my exercise calories. I seemed to stop losing when I was eating them back. This week I stopped and I've lost a pound since. I'm not sure if that was the problem or not but at this point not eating them is working for me. I figure if I try to stick to 1200 calories a day but go over a little bit I will be okay. Good luck!

deadliftdavie1918 · August 2011

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

/in before the misinformation

^ that

Lolamako · August 2011

I don't add mine as I feel the numbers are pretty inflated/just an estimate anyways. I leave MFP at 1200 and usually eat under 1500, and workout most days. I don't like seeing that big red negative number but I had a harder time when MFP added some crazy number of calories to my day.

hatchet83 · August 2011

Erm, you dont have to eat back excersis calories. If you eat less calories than you burn aswell as eating less bad carbs the body burns fat for energy and you loose weight quicker. If you 'make up' your excersise calories you will loose weight more slowley. Its just personal preferance and whats better for you!

rdeloria · August 2011

Thanks for the replies - they help. Yes, I was thinking that weight loss might come easier if I didn't eat my exercise calories. So I think I will stop adding them.

jsstein19 · August 2011

bump

dewgirl321 · August 2011

Hilarious!

shydaisi · August 2011

I think most people who gain when they eat their exercise calories are either overestimating how much they burn during said activity or underestimating how much they are eating. Unless you are using a HRM to closer estimate the calories burned, it is very easy to overestimate (or underestimate for that matter).

That said, I only eat about half of my exercise calories. I have my weight loss goal set at 1 lb. so if I eat less, I am really only allowing for that 2 lb. loss. Plus, if the intensity of my exercise was overestimated, I don't want to eat too much and offset the burn. If I hit a stall, I re-evaluate to see whether I think I should increase or decrease my calories to get the scale moving in the right direction.

taso42_DELETED · August 2011

Thanks for the replies - they help. Yes, I was thinking that weight loss might come easier if I didn't eat my exercise calories. So I think I will stop adding them.

See you in a few months when you post your plateau or binge thread :indifferent:

rdeloria · August 2011

Thanks for the encouragement taso42...you're kindof a jerk...

Rae6503 · August 2011

This is my favorite explanation:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

taso42_DELETED · August 2011

Thanks for the encouragement taso42...you're kindof a jerk...

foodforfuel · August 2011

We love you, Taso, and your pants.

KnottyNCrotchety · August 2011

I have been thinking about not adding my exercise calories because I think I then tend to splurge on food calories. Does that make sense?? Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/ideas about that.

Sorry you have had some less than respectful responses. This is a hot topic, but it is one that no one on here can answer but you and your doctor. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered that are unique to you, how much you need to lose (different for people needing to lose 100+ than those needing to lose a few vanity pounds), how much you are exercising, how you are logging that exercise (off the machine at the gym, what MFP says or a HRM), what kinds of food you are eating (processed foods or whole foods, vegetarian, low carb) medical issues that factor into it (diabetes, thyroid to name a few) etc etc etc. MFP uses the same mathematical formula to arrive at the plan it creates for you that it does for everyone else and does not factor any of these things into it.

Do some research, play with it a little yourself to see what works for your body, and then go see your medical professional. Show them the exercise you have been doing, the food you have been eating and ask them this question.

angisnee · August 2011

I had a plateau that lasted 3 months eating 1400 cals NET (eating all my exercise calories all the time, cuz I like food). I weigh all my food, use a Polar HRM to estimate exercise cals, so I was getting pretty frustrated that I stopped losing. Got so fed up I went on maintenance most days, some still having a small 250-cal deficit. Instantly started losing weight again, although more slowly. There are many great threads with many stories like this (some of which Taso provided links to). If you're already stuck at a certain weight, eating at maintenance should only cause you to stay the same, which you are already doing, so why not try it?

rdeloria · August 2011

Thanks again to those who have posted supportive replies. I have only been at this 2 weeks and am still trying to figure a lot of things out. My goal is 20 lbs (which some would say are vanity pounds) but to me they are pounds none the less. I do not constantly indulge in unhealthy habits. As a matter of fact, I ran my first half marathon in May. I'm sorry if I sound defensive, but I don't appreciate someone assuming what my lifestyle/eating habits are.

Rae6503 · August 2011

Thanks again to those who have posted supportive replies. I have only been at this 2 weeks and am still trying to figure a lot of things out. My goal is 20 lbs (which some would say are vanity pounds) but to me they are pounds none the less. I do not constantly indulge in unhealthy habits. As a matter of fact, I ran my first half marathon in May. I'm sorry if I sound defensive, but I don't appreciate someone assuming what my lifestyle/eating habits are.

Actually since they are your last 20 "vanity" pounds, it's better to aim for a small calorie deficit (like 250 calories) otherwise you risk plateaus and even worse, muscle loss. No one wants to be skinny fat. Not eating exercise calories will make your deficit pretty big.

Misiaxcore · August 2011

Thanks for the replies - they help. Yes, I was thinking that weight loss might come easier if I didn't eat my exercise calories. So I think I will stop adding them.

See you in a few months when you post your plateau or binge thread :indifferent:

^this

Misiaxcore · August 2011

I plateaued for 3 weeks, half of which I tried not eating my exercise calories back. I was not losing. I was actually gaining a bit. Then I uped my calories for 3 days and immediately saw a drop in the scale. Then I dropped my calories back down to try and zigzag somewhat, and that didn't work all that well either. So now I've uped them again by setting myself to lose 1lb a week. Already seeing a drop.

Your calorie deficit can't be too big, or else your body starts holding on to everything.

KelieHerrera · August 2011

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

/in before the misinformation

Yes, but...playing Devil's Advocate here...one of the problems is that people may not be inputting their exercising calories properly, so they end up overeating. MFP overestimates calories burned by quite a lot from what I can tell, so if you are relying on that, and then eating the calories back, you may be going over. Right?

taso42_DELETED · August 2011

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

/in before the misinformation

Yes, but...playing Devil's Advocate here...one of the problems is that people may not be inputting their exercising calories properly, so they end up overeating. MFP overestimates calories burned by quite a lot from what I can tell, so if you are relying on that, and then eating the calories back, you may be going over. Right?

Quite right.

But I think that just clouds the whole debate. I think as a first step, each person needs to understand the basic notion of calories in vs calories out. Once they have that in their pocket (and frankly it's not rocket science here), they can compensate for bad calorie estimates by only counting half the exercise calories, or using an HRM or BodyMedia device, or tweaking their daily calorie allotment manually.

So yes, people's estimate might be off, but that's no reason to dismiss the whole concept.

It's like, I can't do long division in my head. That doesn't mean long division is invalid.

jamiealdridge02 · August 2011

I have been thinking about not adding my exercise calories because I think I then tend to splurge on food calories. Does that make sense?? Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/ideas about that.

It does make sense. If I eat back all of my calories I don't lose. If I am really hungry, I eat some of them back, but never all of them. I've heard some people say to eat them all back, but like you, I tend to splurge on my exercise calories so it works best for me to not eat them. I also figure this gives me a cushion in case I underestimate calories in a meal out or something.

KelieHerrera · August 2011

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/

/in before the misinformation

Yes, but...playing Devil's Advocate here...one of the problems is that people may not be inputting their exercising calories properly, so they end up overeating. MFP overestimates calories burned by quite a lot from what I can tell, so if you are relying on that, and then eating the calories back, you may be going over. Right?

Quite right.

But I think that just clouds the whole debate. I think as a first step, each person needs to understand the basic notion of calories in vs calories out. Once they have that in their pocket (and frankly it's not rocket science here), they can compensate for bad calorie estimates by only counting half the exercise calories, or using an HRM or BodyMedia device, or tweaking their daily calorie allotment manually.

So yes, people's estimate might be off, but that's no reason to dismiss the whole concept.

It's like, I can't do long division in my head. That doesn't mean long division is invalid.

I definitely didn't mean not to do it at all, I just worry about eating all of them back because of faulty estimation, etc. I'm new at this and trying to find my weight loss groove. I've started weighing my food lately even to try to be as accurate as possible.

Any suggestions on HRMs? I mostly use my elliptical machine at home which shows much lower calories burned than MFP does, but when I go hiking, for instance, there is no good way for me to gauge how many calories I burned accurately.

Add in Exercise calories or not???

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