Who does not eat back exercise calories???

AimingHighWeighingLow

I don't eat them back. But if I was hungry....I would!

I have lost 14lb in less than 5 weeks and was only just overweight when I started. BMI was c.26, Now its 24.02.

mrivera713

My nutritionist advised that I do not eat back my exercise calories. I've lost a total of 13 lbs since May 21st. (VERY SLOW Start at first, I use to hate exercise and good food) I would dare say that I should actually count from July when I really started giving this any tiny bit of effort...

erickirb

My nutritionist advised that I do not eat back my exercise calories. I've lost a total of 13 lbs since May 21st. (VERY SLOW Start at first, I use to hate exercise and good food) I would dare say that I should actually count from July when I really started giving this any tiny bit of effort...

And she probably gave you a higher intake than if you entered your info into MFP. MFP may give you 1200, but she probably would give you 1500+, which would account for the exercise and would be similar to eating 1200 and eating your exercise calories.

h3h8m3

I don't, well, not really. It's always nice to know that if/when I go over my calories I have those exercise calories as a buffer, but I aim to hit my pre-exercise number every day.

I burn 500-1000 calories a day. I've lost 102 pounds in about 4.5 months.

My expectation is that it'll slow down eventually, as I'm getting closer to my goal, and then I'll see about upping my calories if and when that happens.

psuLemon

So I went through a lot of these response and a lot of people don't eat their exercise calories but most of the people that responded aren't close to their goal. Simple put if you want to look like an athlete, you need to eat like one. That means feeding your body so you aren't losing muscle. I hate to tell people, but if you don't fuel the fire, your body will search for other places to fuel the fire. Once your energy is utilized from the fat stores, your body attacks the muscles (one reason why runners have very small and lean muscles). Smaller muscle means a slower metabolism and less control over your bodily functions. I factor my exercise into my TDEE and deficit so I eat them back. I have 12% body fat (down from 18%) and eat 2700+ calories a day.


So if you really want to know if your method is working. Do this. Get some body calipers. test your body (6 spots: chest, abs, hips, waist, back of the arm and area right below your butt). Do your normal routine for 60 days (working without eating exercise calories). After 60 days, test your body again. Also durin this time frame, use a tape measure to measure your major area's as well and weigh yourself.

During the next 60 days, eat your exercise calories back and keep with your routine. After 60 days, re-measure.

I bet that you will lose more body fat by using the second method. Heck, look at this thread. You will notice every women or men with low body fat eats a lot of calories. The heavier you are, the more your body can sustain a lower calorie diet. The skinnier you are, the more it retains the fat to keep your body movin.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/282320-caloric-intake-body-fat

ilikejam33

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)!

Great reply. I see this topic over and over and the one thing people always forget is that you have to consider what your net is to begin with. My net is set to 1200cal (to loose 1 lbs a week) I burn between 300-600 cal a day. MFP and every doctor and dietician I have met with advised me to never go below 1200 net. Its dangerous for your body. So I make sure I stay above 1200.

You may loose by dropping down to 600 net but what else are you loosing? Speaking as someone who spent a many years with an eating disorder, lots of other body functions get compromised, and many of them you cant see without a blood test and take a very long time to recover from. Be careful everyone, talk to your own doctor and do what they say is best for you

graysmom2005

I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

greeneyed84

I have to eat most of mine back b/c if i don't my body will hurt b/c it's so hungry & then i binge....

albayin

When I started out I didn't eat exercise calories back and I worked out a ton...I lost weight quick. Since then I have been more of a yo-yo'er on my calorie intake and because of this sometimes I am eating calories back and sometimes not. Sometimes that's on purpose and sometimes not. There is no magic answer. The MFP formula is a generalization like anything else. We are all unique individuals and our bodies react differently. My advice is always to try different routines till ya find what works for ya, then when it stops working, try something else.

ditto!

cuddlyrunner

I've weighed in at slimming world tonight so I have eaten all my calories and all my exercise calories today. Most days I don't eat them back. However, if I felt weak or hungry I would do so.

jaygirl3

i dont eat mine too

katedonn5

I don't record my exercise so I don't know what calories I can eat back. MFP isn't very good with the lifting exercise tracking anyways so it's difficult. I say it's not worth eating back on a regular basis.

tyadrake

I don't either, I stick pretty close to the 1200 mark. However, after getting home from the gym, sometimes I'm not that hungry and have to force myself to eat up to the 1200 mark. On other days it just allows me to have an extra glass of wine or a 55 cal beer (or two) :drinker:

Garrett1234

I do if I'm hungry, but I don't make a point of trying to.

CalamityCat

I do it a bit odd, I eat about 75% of them and also deduct 10% off the predicted work out numbers. So I make sure I am under in work out calories, as I do worry they get over estimated!

hperowl

I don't eat mine unless I'm hungry. My calorie goal is 1600 and I work out at least an hour every day and I've lost 23 lbs since the end of June. I'm meeting with a nutritionist this afternoon and plan to ask about the eating back exercise calories thing - I'll post back with what she says!

I would love to hear what the nutritionist says! I am on a 1200 cal diet and I try not to eat back the calories I burn off exercising. I don't usually feel hungry between meals and I try to save my 'big' meal for dinner. I am averaging a 2-3 pound/week weight loss. Honestly, when I started MFP I didn't even know you were supposed to eat back the burned off calories. Any new info would be appreciated!

Hellbent_Heidi

I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!

stelid

I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!

I agree with you. I don't eat back all my exercise calories (I eat more than 1200 generally, but not much more) and this is the first time I have lost any weight in 5 years. I also weight train, swim, and run--I have noticed some definite toning so I doubt I am losing lean muscle.

killagb

I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!

Actually what it is...is that the larger and more overweight that you are, the larger deficit of calories your body can tolerate. So if you are getting to those last few pounds, eating more is a lot more important compared to just starting out with many pounds to go.

Enforcer25

I don' really plan this either way, if I eat them back I don't worry about it, most days I don't, but sometimes I do. I'm pretty standard on what I eat, so I know what I'll have left over every day.