Am I supposed to eat my exercise calories back?

dpatlan

I am seeing a doctor frequently, he has me on a 1200 calorie diet and encourages me to excerise which I do. I always forget to ask him if I should eat me exercise calories which I don't. I really want to try and do the best for my body and lose the weight that I need to. I really enjoy reading all the posts it encourages me as well as my friends do and I learn alot I also get lot's of great ideas.

nsanati

Well if you don't eat your calories back, you'll have a deficit and lose weight FASTER!!!

Kelly_Wilson1990

My doctor and nutritionist told me not to eat back my exercise calories. I would ask your doctor.

dargytaylor

I am still very new to all of this, but if you search that topic you will see alot of answers / opinions.

HTH

Nicole

marycmeadows

eat your exercise calories.
you don't have to eat all of them but you should eat most of them.
if you do an intense work out and burn 1000 calories, and you're on a 1200 calorie diet - you're only netting 200 calories - which is WAY too low! I try to eat within 100 calories of all my exercise calories - and I've lost 83.4 pounds so far this year!

erickirb

My doctor and nutritionist told me not to eat back my exercise calories. I would ask your doctor.

This is what they usually do, but they usually give you many more calories than MFP gives you, which accounts for the exercise you plan on doing, whereas your MFP intake assumes no exercise, even if you filled in planed exercise.

Most professionals will tell you not to eat your exercise calories back because they added it into your TDEE, whereas MFP ignores exercise and only accounts for it when you perform it. Either way should get you to the same place, assuming if you follow MFP that you eat your exercise calories.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

nekosimba

I eat some of my exercise calories back. Your body needs the extra nutrients after working out. My calories are at 1400 plus a few extra from eating back my exercise calories lost. I've been losing about 2 pounds a week doing this.

I'm happy with what I'm doing so far, I eat healthy and make sure I eat lots of protein so I'm not always hungry.

But do whatever your doctor suggests and what you're comfortable with.

erickirb

Well if you don't eat your calories back, you'll have a deficit and lose weight FASTER!!!

faster is not always better, faster weight loss may mean you are losing a large amount of lean muscle, not just the fat you are trying to lose. Slow and steady wins the race. Most likely the slower you lose the lower your body fat % will be at your goal weight.

shnazzy

eat your exercise calories.
you don't have to eat all of them but you should eat most of them.
if you do an intense work out and burn 1000 calories, and you're on a 1200 calorie diet - you're only netting 200 calories - which is WAY too low! I try to eat within 100 calories of all my exercise calories - and I've lost 83.4 pounds so far this year!

well done you!!!! that a great result keep it up i have been on here 11 weeks and always eat mine back too :drinker: :bigsmile:

kennethmgreen

eat your exercise calories.
you don't have to eat all of them but you should eat most of them.
if you do an intense work out and burn 1000 calories, and you're on a 1200 calorie diet - you're only netting 200 calories - which is WAY too low! I try to eat within 100 calories of all my exercise calories - and I've lost 83.4 pounds so far this year!

Congrats on your weight loss. Great post. Love the real world experience. I hope you post this story in every "should I eat my exercise calories back?" thread that pops up.

kiahpyr

For the most part I don't eat back my exercise calories. I've lost 12lbs, so it's working for me. I realize that once I loose more weight I may need too. I take it on a week by week basis. If you're not loosing try doing something different. What works for one person may not work for another.

Queen_JessieA

I know that here it is advocated TO eat your exercise cals back...but I honestly think I do better NOT eating them back!! Now granted, I am not going to do very many days of exercising over 500-600 cals. If I did, I would eat half back. It seems like I struggle more w/ losing now that MFP has me eating my work out cals.

kennethmgreen

Talking about eating back exercise calories without mentioning NET calories is like driving a car without peanut butter. It just doesn't make any sense.

tmm01

I try not to eat my calories back, but that very much depends on the day. For example I am on 1000 calories per day, Today I have gone for a swim and a walk burning 750 calories. I have eaten 897 calories, so only have a daily total of 147calories, which is very low. However I won't eat them back as it's now too late in the day to eat, I try not to eat after 6pm, that way I don't go to bed with a full stomach. If tomorrow I then eat my exercise calories it still means I'm in overall deficit over the week.

I know 1000 per day is low, but I don't seem to be hungry on it, and have lost 15kg since the beginning of August, so it seems to be working for me.

killagb

I try not to eat my calories back, but that very much depends on the day. For example I am on 1000 calories per day, Today I have gone for a swim and a walk burning 750 calories. I have eaten 897 calories, so only have a daily total of 147calories, which is very low. However I won't eat them back as it's now too late in the day to eat, I try not to eat after 6pm, that way I don't go to bed with a full stomach. If tomorrow I then eat my exercise calories it still means I'm in overall deficit over the week.

I know 1000 per day is low, but I don't seem to be hungry on it, and have lost 15kg since the beginning of August, so it seems to be working for me.

If you have a calorie deficit, it DOES NOT MATTER WHEN YOU EAT. So by not eating after 6pm, that's just an excuse to starve yourself for the evening. Eat something for God's sake.

SAC0O3

I say eat them back. If you lose weight too fast (dieting and working out) you might put the lbs right back on. I personally work out to 1) get stronger and 2) so I can eat more calories. (Mostly so I can eat more. I know, aren't I horrible?)

shnazzy

I say eat them back. If you lose weight too fast (dieting and working out) you might put the lbs right back on. I personally work out to 1) get stronger and 2) so I can eat more calories. (Mostly so I can eat more. I know, aren't I horrible?)

yes your horrible !!! lol:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Uerzer

My doctor and nutritionist told me not to eat back my exercise calories. I would ask your doctor.

This is what they usually do, but they usually give you many more calories than MFP gives you, which accounts for the exercise you plan on doing, whereas your MFP intake assumes no exercise, even if you filled in planed exercise.

Most professionals will tell you not to eat your exercise calories back because they added it into your TDEE, whereas MFP ignores exercise and only accounts for it when you perform it. Either way should get you to the same place, assuming if you follow MFP that you eat your exercise calories.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

+1

va_n_ok

My doctor and nutritionist told me not to eat back my exercise calories. I would ask your doctor.

I just want to WOW you on your weight loss!

ChantalAguiar

I eat most of my exercise calories back. Not only because I should but also because when I work out as hard as I do I get hungry for protien!

va_n_ok

I've always had this question too. What I try doing recently is: I go to a boot camp in the mornings and don't record that exercise (it is too hard to, too much stuff!); then (lately hardley at all) I try to run/jog in the p.m. and I DO record those. I usually eat the p.m. calories, or close to. But it makes me feel better also knowing that I burnt extra that morning. Don't know if I'm right or wrong, but it works okay for me!

va_n_ok

The pancake pictures are so cruel!! lol