Who does not eat back exercise calories???

lauristewart

I do not eat mine back. I zig zag my calories and eat the amount I am supposed to eat per day. I eat from 1400 to 1800 on varying days. I usually burn from 400 to 500 calories of exercise 6 days a week. I am losing great. I have had some bumps a long the way, but in general, my diet is working out great! There are days when I feel hungry, but not most days. I am almost to my goal and should be there within a month maybe.

getfitdiva

I eat about 1/3-1/2 exercise calories back most days. If it's a crazy burn day like +1K I cannot eat that much.

I just feel more flexible when I work out and eat when I'm hungry. It definitely worked at the beginning. I've hit a 3rd plateau. I always evaluate then and may have more rest days or higher calorie days.

NoAdditives

I don't. I normally burn 800-1000 calories a day, and I just could never eat that many additional calories! I eat 1200... ya ya I only net a few hundred, bad me. But it's working I've lost 11 lbs. in the past 45 days. 157 down to 146, so I'm gonna stick with it and if I plateau I'll re-evaluate.

I can pretty much guarantee that you won't see a loss for very long. Plenty of studies have shown that the bigger the calorie deficit the harder it is to keep your initial loss off. You may lose a lot of weight in the beginning but once you increase your calories your body will rebound and you'll gain again. That's why so many dieters experience a yo-yo effect.

The best way to lose fat is to get yourself into habits you can live with for the rest of your life. Eat a healthy, balanced diet with the occasional treat, and get plenty of exercise both from the gym and from your everyday life. Take the stairs, park farther away from the grocery store, just generally stay active. Of course, in order to burn fat you'll need to have a calorie deficit but it doesn't need to be huge. 200-500 calories less is really all you need. You'll keep your body healthier that way.

bakogwtw

I eat mine...it motivates me to exercise more. I haven't lost weight quickly...lost roughly 24-26 pounds (depends on the day; my weight fluctuates 1-2 pounds every day) since January, but I met my goal weight over a month ago (22 pounds). I don't have any cravings, and enjoy eating out with friends. Exercise allows that without the guilt. However, my daily calorie "budget" was 1200. When I run 8+ miles, 1200 calories leaves me very hungry, and weak. I think it depends on your calorie budget and what exercise you are doing, and what your eventual goal is.

kaitimae

Great question, I want to see how many people are losing if not eating back their exercise calorie. That is such a confusing topic. I have been eating some back and my weight loss is going by REAL SLOW. I would love to have a simple formula for losing weight...Help

Slow is good! The slower it comes off the more likely it is to STAY off. And the simple formula for losing weight? Do what MFP tells you to do. Seriously - it really doesn't get any simpler.

That said - I don't have anything to say to the OP really. I eat mine. Always.

NoAdditives

Yeah I don't eat back my cals either. I figure it wouldn't help much with my goal of LOSING weight. There have been a few times that it's worked as a cushion but more not than has. I've lost nearly 40lbs and feel great. Still have about 50lbs before goal but I know I'll get there. But again, it's what works for YOU and not me. So try it out but give your body enough time to allow what you choose to work.

It does actually help and it does work. MFP already gives you a calorie deficit, there's not reason you need to make it bigger by not eating your exercise calories. If you're eating at your maintenance calories not eating exercise cals is fine, but if you're at a deficit you should eat them.

lovebug1982

I do eat some if im hungry but I don't normally

beckyinma

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Depends on it. I'm still alive.

Ditto.. I find myself zig-zagging. Today I burned almost 1000 calories, and it's only after lunch. There's no way I can eat another 1400 calories for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow, is an off day, I may only burn 200, in which case I probably will eat them back.

Dean31

I tried to not eat mine back at first and I felt like CRAP. I couldn't do it. I'd literally get sick. It seems to work for a lot of people though. I'm sure it makes a difference with how much you have to lose too. I've never had that much to lose, and I usually work out pretty hard, so I think my calorie count would be severely low if I didn't. My body sends me VERY clear signals that it is not at all happy if I don't eat my calories back.

You have to keep in mind too though that it also depends on your net goal vs. what you've ate and burned. If you have a goal of 1400 cals (like me) and you eat 2000 cals that day, but only burn off 600 cals through exercise, then you've only managed to set your net back to 1400. You'd NOT eat back any of those calories because then you'd go over your goal again. On the other hand, if you've burned 700 that day then you'd eat back 100 (which will put your net at 1400-your goal). SO, it's really not as simple as "do or don't I eat them back," ya gotta do the math to see where you are (which MFP does for you if you use it like it's intended)!

neva4saken

i do not eat mine back either, its worked great with my weight loss and have not stumped me at all, I still have plenty of energy and the point for me was weight loss so after i had my meals and done my workout i do not eat back those calories because my focus is weight loss and yes it says you are under calorie goal but i think it's what ever works for you along with what you are eating .. calories from a grilled 3oz chicken breast is a lot different than calories from McDonald cheeseburger... lol :-)

andiimarie

I don't eat my exercise calories. I went through a nutrition class at the health system I work at and I meet with a dietitian regularly. The dietitian told me that unless I am extensively exercising (not just a half hour to an hour a day) I don't need to worry about eating what I burnt during exercise. I try to stay close to eating 1300 calories per day and if I exercise I may go up to 1400. I am a slow loser, and I gain if I eat more than 1400 on average.

I think you just need to work with your body to find out what works best for you but in doing so be mindful that your body needs fuel in the form of nutritious food to stay running.

Crystal3004

i eat some of mine back but not all...im trying to get down as much as possible so i want to keep the cals down.

Buddie616

I have never eaten mine back! I have lots of energy and I kept losing and havn't gained either!

nikkif87

I eat some of mine, and I lost 12# in the first 4-5 weeks. Fell off the wagon for a bit, but now I am back on. I usually burn 500-700 calories with my workout. If I am not hungry, I leave them, you just have to find what works for you.

myiceisonfire

I don't eat mine back, never have. I don't see the point. I've lost an average of 1.5lbs a week without hardly working out. Now that i'm working out a lot I still don't eat them back & I never feel drowsy & weak.

Aegelis

Add me to the choir, I don't count exercise. I don't exercise hard like I used to, but any calories burnt on walking, physical work at my job, etc. are considered 'bonus'. I lose about a pound a week.

mscoco10

i don't eat mine unless i'm hugry or i'm going out. i'm losing about 1.5lbs a week.

EmilySG2011

I'm seriously thinking about not---I think sometimes the calories burned are not always accurate--so I am going to try this without eating them back.

FairyMiss

my mother's brother's cousins' ex-wife's brother in law does not

bethanyranes

I don't, and I have been doing well. I am sure to aim for at least 1450 if I can (that's my MFP goal), but sometimes I don't get there, and I'm just not hungry. I never let my food calories drop below 1200, though. Sometimes if I want to splurge on something high-calorie and terrible, I'm sure to exercise a bit more than usual so I can create a cushion for the extra input! So far I seem to be losing 2-lbs/week pretty consistently (I track my deficits daily, but I only weigh-in like once per month).

Angelamu77

I only eat them back if I am hungry.

channa007

I don't eat mine either.

nikkif87

my mother's brother's cousins' ex-wife's brother in law does not

:laugh:

blisterpeanuts

I usually eat back about 1/2 to 3/4 of my exercise cals, but I don't trust my calorie estimates and so I usually leave a couple hundred calories on the table.

I figure, a deficit of 200 or 300 isn't going to push me into starvation mode.

Tomorrow we're planning to go to an Old Country Buffet in our neighborhood; it's one of those places where your kids can scream as loud as they want and no one seems to mind. I'm going to burn 1000 cals or so in the morning and then will eat guilt-free at night.

I have found when I eat every exercise calorie, I end up feeling full all the time and I don't lose weight. I need to feel a little bit hungry at least part of the day in order to really be burning fat. That's just me, though. Others may differ.

rodneyderrick

If you have a hard time staying on a diet in the first place, it's probably better to eat back your exercise calories. If you're in the game for life, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It depends on the individual. When a person is new to the weight-loss game, I tell them to eat those calories back, because I simply don't want them feeling like they're starving to death. It's all fun and games until you catch them behind the refrigerator with a ten-foot hoagie with a look of guilt on their faces. So, if you have been on this site, or any site, for awhile, and you haven't been eating back your exercise calories, good for you. Stay in the game for life. And if you've been munching back those calories after you've done your furious workouts, but still in the game, good for you too. We're all stroking this baby a little differently, but losing, and that makes it all good.

DanaM810

So the last time I lost a lot of weight, I never ate back my exercise calories unless it was that TOM and I was extra hungry. But, the body burns, I believe, an extra 300 calories a day during your TOM.

My last go around, I would do at least an hour at the gym, and on most days, I would go rollerblading outside for an hour too, and I only ate around 1200-1300 calories a day. I lost about 40 pounds in 2.5 months so it definitely worked for me. In my opinion, the point of exercising is to lose weight faster. We can only eat so few calories in the day, so the only other way to lose weight is to exercise. To eat those back would take away one of the major benefits.

EuroDriver

i eat back 1/4 or 1/3 of my exercise calories and im doing great and feel great lol

mosneakers

Is it weird that I'm more hungry (and usually end up eating more) on days that I don't exercise (or burn as many calories). It's ok if I'm a freak, you guys can tell me. :huh:

Hellbent_Heidi

Is it weird that I'm more hungry (and usually end up eating more) on days that I don't exercise (or burn as many calories). It's ok if I'm a freak, you guys can tell me. :huh:

Don't endorphins curb appetite? If so, that makes perfect sense that you're more hungry when you don't workout!

chrymyrs

I am very curious as to what the nutritionist says. I've been eating my calories back sometimes, but wasn't sure if I should or not.