Does anyone else eat back all the calories they burn from ex

ashleylaurenpage
ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
I like the site, but I don't like how it adds the calories your burned from excercise to the amount of calories you're allowed to eat for the day. Because, then I find myself eating back all the calories I worked off. I feel like I am excercising just to eat more during the day. Is this ok, as long as I am still within my goal for the day? Is it normal to eat back the calories you burn off? Thanks for the help.

Replies

  • apsmith51
    apsmith51 Posts: 48 Member
    I eat back most of mine...is what makes it worth exercising :)
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    I'd suggest you do a "search" on the subject. It is a matter of much Debate on the MFP site and has been asked, answered, and beaten to death so many times.
  • ashleylaurenpage
    ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
    oh sorry. i should have figured others have asked this before.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Eating my exercise calories was the whole reason I got interested in exercising. :) I've always eaten back all or most of mine, and haven't had any trouble losing (until recently, but I haven't been on my game with eating right OR working out lately, so it's my own fault).
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    it gets asked about ten times a day here. some ppl eat them all, some don't. i mostly listen to my body. some days i work out i'm hungry then others. most times i try and re-eat about half my burned calories. if you already have MFP set up to lose a pound or more a week, you are already at a caloric deficit, so you will still lose weight if you come under your goal.
  • gmann1973
    gmann1973 Posts: 247
    I eat as many of mine back as I can. but a lot of times that puts me over 4000 cals a day and cant get them all in
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
    I eat back most of mine...is what makes it worth exercising :)
    i agree.1200 calories isnt enough for me
  • ashleylaurenpage
    ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
    yeah that makes sense. i feel like i can have a little extra to eat if i excercise so it kind of motivates me.
  • Ashley121205
    Ashley121205 Posts: 131 Member
    I eat back some usually but not all. You need to re-fuel your body.
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
    I do eat my calories back, most of the time, except when I dont feel hungry.
  • ashleylaurenpage
    ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
    yeah my calorie deficit is set to 750, so even if i eat back all the calories i burned off and stay within my goal i'll still be at 750 deficit. i love food wayyy to much. that's why i excercise, so i can eat a little more lol. i can actually eat 1640 calories w/o excercising, so it's not too hard.
  • CoachNYLA
    CoachNYLA Posts: 129
    If you want to maintain your weight, then that could be an option for some.

    If you are looking to change your body composition (fat loss), it is counter productive to eat the additional calories AND think about the motive behind that thought process anyway....I would think that kind of thinking would keep someone stuck to the food.

    Workout and burn off some of the fat in your fat cell and hey, lets eat what we just burned off! Hummmm, I don know....

    It's a personal choice I guess...depending on your goals.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    yeah my calorie deficit is set to 750, so even if i eat back all the calories i burned off and stay within my goal i'll still be at 750 deficit. i love food wayyy to much. that's why i excercise, so i can eat a little more lol. i can actually eat 1640 calories w/o excercising, so it's not too hard.

    wait... what exactly is your daily calorie goal?
  • ashleylaurenpage
    ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
    is there anyway to not have MFP add back the excercise calories...so i don't get tempted to eat them back?
  • ashleylaurenpage
    ashleylaurenpage Posts: 8
    my daily calorie goal is 1640 w/o excercise...that creates a deficit of 750 calories
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    I do not eat mine after talking with my nutritionist and doctor. Both told me I did not need too.
  • mhig011975
    mhig011975 Posts: 181
    nope, I sure don't. If I did, I would never lose weight, I would gain weight.
  • gracielee1
    gracielee1 Posts: 71 Member
    I agree with you about not being too thrilled about calories burned added to your daily food intake. It throws me off a little as well. I agree that it's what makes exercise more worth it because then I get to indulge just a little more at lunch; but if you're looking to lose weight you need to be increasing your exercise and lowering your caloric intake. Figure out how many calories you need to consume to get through the day and make sure to set a specific daily exercise schedule as well. And just stick to it.

    For example, if you need only 1260 calories to eat per day, then stick to it. Keeping a log through this website helps you to monitor yourself.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    is there anyway to not have MFP add back the excercise calories...so i don't get tempted to eat them back?

    Nope. This would be advocating undereating:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/326446-the-option-to-not-have-your-exercise-calories-added-into-dai?page=3

    Whether you eat them or not is your choice, but MFP is specifically designed to give you a calorie goal to lose weight before exercising, so when you exercise you create a deficit above and beyond the healthy one that MFP has already given you. So, if you choose not to eat them you need to either do the math yourself or just not enter the calories burned.

    Here are some more posts you might want to read, and then make your own decision since everyone has their own opinions.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/326446-the-option-to-not-have-your-exercise-calories-added-into-dai?page=3
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/230930-starvation-mode-how-it-works
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
    Always! If I burn 500 cals and I am supposed to eat 1400...I would be well under the 1200 cal minimum. My body would start eating itself after a month or so because it would not be getting enough nutrients. It's simple...MFP already has you in a deficit...why create a bigger one and have your body not function properly?
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    I always eat most of mine back - it means I can vary my meals more with my limited cooking imagination! On days I exercise I have more flexibility. Plus I find I'm more hungry if I've exercised.

    I try not to eat quite all of them back, because I dont have a heart rate monitor and I dont think the mfp estimates are accurate for me, but at least two thirds of them.

    Don't think of exercise as just so you can eat more though. Done right and often enough, it should lower your body fat percentage, and exercise your heart, which reduce your risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses. Also, the higher muscle to fat ratio you have, the more calories you burn, just by living.
  • Getting_Fit_4_Life
    Getting_Fit_4_Life Posts: 401 Member
    I had initially try eating back some and most of my workout calories, but I worked against me and I gained weight. For the last 3 months I DO NOT eat back my workout calories and am losing. I am not starving either. You might have to try both ways and see what works for you. There is a lot of different opinion about this issue on this site. Don't be pressure to do one or the other. Try and see what works for you. For ME eating back did not work for me. Good luck with your weight loss journey :)
  • Fredrigo
    Fredrigo Posts: 134 Member
    I've had the success I've had by sticking as close to that goal as I can I might stray by 100 calories over or under on any particular day but I definitely count my exercise. You might need to adjust your activity level if your feeling hungrier or not hungry compared to your daily calorie goal.
  • gracielee1
    gracielee1 Posts: 71 Member
    Having a deficit is not a bad thing, that's what gives you the edge to lose the weight and shrink your measurements. But if you feel like you're going to pass out because you're still hungry, you'll still be ok.
  • Kelly50054
    Kelly50054 Posts: 141
    Nope, I do not eat my back. :)
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
    Having a deficit is not a bad thing, that's what gives you the edge to lose the weight and shrink your measurements. But if you feel like you're going to pass out because you're still hungry, you'll still be ok.

    But the deficit is already built in. There is no need to create a larger one. Read through some on these:



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    ~~~~~~~~~
    Banks two threads "Newbies" and "Newbies 2nd edition"
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/new/9614-newbies-please-read-me

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
    ~~~~~~~~~
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6832-eating-all-of-your-calories-bmr

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8977-your-body-s-thoughts-on-calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/777-why-is-starvation-mode-so-bad
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    ......and if you still can't sleep:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/8199-off-to-a-slow-start-actually-still-at-starting-gate

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6737-true-confessions-from-a-slow-learner

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9007-bmr-ma-because-of-the-answers-to-the-questions
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Having a deficit is not a bad thing, that's what gives you the edge to lose the weight and shrink your measurements. Eating like 1,260 Calories then going for a run and burning like 300 calories, is not going to kill you.
    \

    Except that that means your net calories are 960, which isn't even enough to fuel your basic bodily functions - brain activity, kidneys, liver, heart, etc. We are not all the same height and weight. A very overweight person can get away with a larger deficit for a longer time with fewer negatives than a person with ten or twenty pounds to use. .5-1 lb/week loss is generally considered healthy. Mathematically, that works out to a weekly deficit of 3,500 calories. Those who have their goals set to 2 pounds a week, and are not small, are given a 7,000 calories weekly deficit. That's a pretty big deficit. The daily calories MFP gives only fuel their day to day living. If a person is eating only enough calories to fuel their basic bodily functions plus their basic daily activities, then exercises and adds 500 calories, you are taking away 500 calories to support your body's other activities. But yes, everyone is going to make their own decision, and people may legitimately find that it works best for their body to only eat a portion of them, but they're still eating some to fuel that extra activity. In the end, if you don't want to eat them, don't eat them, but it's good to figure out your own calculations to figure out how big a deficit you actually have daily, and what is recommended to healthfully fuel your basic bodily functions (basically, though it's not entirely accurate, your BMR)plus what you need beyond that to at least make sure you are getting the nutrition you need.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
    oh sorry. i should have figured others have asked this before.

    No need to be sorry. The reason it is asked so often is that no one seems to have the right answer. We are all feeling as you do.
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
    I ALWAYS eat mine back because if I don't, I don't lose much if anything at all. You'll have to experiment and see how it affects you though since everyone's different.
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