eating the calories you burn off

Options
2

Replies

  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    Better to eat them as much as possible - itll pay off later when you're able to do longer/harder workouts
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    I don't like to think of it as eating the exercise calories back. I just see it as being able to eat more, the more I exercise. Many people don't consider their BMR, which is the calories you already burn just by doing nothing. So mine is about 1668. If I exercise and burn 300 more calories, my total burned comes to 1968. If I eat the basic 1200, I'll have a deficit of 768, which would lead me to lose weight a little faster I guess. But if I choose to "eat back" or have an extra 300 calories that day, I my deficit will be lower (468), but I'll still lose. It just depends on your goal.

    Yes, the issue really gets bad if you burn 500-1000 cals and you only have a little bit of weight to lose. If your deficit is too large and you don't have a lot of fat stores your body will break down muscle to use as fuel and to lower your BMR so that your fat stores last longer (survival reasons)
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Options
    My opinion on this differs from the popular opinion on this board. If you feel like you're getting enough food and nutrition without eating back your exercise calories, there's no need to eat them back. If you're burning 800 calories in exercise a day and starving all the time, that's another story.. but for a lot of people, eating back your exercise calories is just an excuse to eat more. Not necessary.

    ETA: Also, unless you're using an HRM when you exercise, we have a tendency to overestimate calorie burn as well as underestimate calorie consumption. Eat back your exercise calories and there's a good chance you'll go overboard. If you do eat them, maybe stick to half of your burn.

    Smart Girl!
  • kkutch
    kkutch Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
    Options
    My opinion on this differs from the popular opinion on this board. If you feel like you're getting enough food and nutrition without eating back your exercise calories, there's no need to eat them back. If you're burning 800 calories in exercise a day and starving all the time, that's another story.. but for a lot of people, eating back your exercise calories is just an excuse to eat more. Not necessary.

    Not a healthy view of fueling your body at all. View the food as fuel, if you burn more fuel, you need to fill the tank of you will run out.

    Your body has fat stores for fuel. It burns them when it runs out of calories from outside sources. Hence, we lose weight when we create a calorie deficit. As long as you are getting your required nutrients and enough calories to cover your BMR plus average daily activity, you will be absolutely fine. Ask a doc.

    yes and the amount you need is a Net amount. If you eat 1600 and your BMR is 1500 that is irrelevant if you burn 2000 from exercise as you would be in a negative net calorie situation. Net calories are what matters, not total caloric intake.

    I have days where my net calories are negative. I don't recommend that for anyone, of course. But in my case if I'm training for a marathon and running 20 miles on a given day, your theory would require me to eat 3500 calories that day just to stay out of the red in net calories. 3500 calories in a day is in no way feasible for me. As a general rule, I think people who exercise regularly should take in more calories than those who don't, but I think a concrete, "always eat back your calories" approach just isn't necessary.
  • youuluvashh
    youuluvashh Posts: 247 Member
    Options
    I was told that if you are trying to lose a serious amount of weight you do not eat them back.... but if you are trying to maintain your weight you would need to eat those calories back!!

    actually eating them back will not cause you to maintain your weight as the calories MFP gives you are already to lose weight, so eating them back will just cause you to lose your goal amount of weight, and it was your goal for a reason.

    It seems almost impossible to eat all your calories back and i would feel like im over eating... I understand that MFP automatically counts a deficit but if i eat 1200 calories and then burn 800 your telling me i would have to eat 800 MORE CALORIES?!???
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    I do cuz Im also training for a marathon - there's no way you can get any decent amount of mileage in if you're eating 1200 cals a day!
    I was told that if you are trying to lose a serious amount of weight you do not eat them back.... but if you are trying to maintain your weight you would need to eat those calories back!!

    actually eating them back will not cause you to maintain your weight as the calories MFP gives you are already to lose weight, so eating them back will just cause you to lose your goal amount of weight, and it was your goal for a reason.

    It seems almost impossible to eat all your calories back and i would feel like im over eating... I understand that MFP automatically counts a deficit but if i eat 1200 calories and then burn 800 your telling me i would have to eat 800 MORE CALORIES?!???
  • kkutch
    kkutch Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/

    I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    Damn 20 miles a day.... how many of the exercise calories do you eat back then?
    My opinion on this differs from the popular opinion on this board. If you feel like you're getting enough food and nutrition without eating back your exercise calories, there's no need to eat them back. If you're burning 800 calories in exercise a day and starving all the time, that's another story.. but for a lot of people, eating back your exercise calories is just an excuse to eat more. Not necessary.

    Not a healthy view of fueling your body at all. View the food as fuel, if you burn more fuel, you need to fill the tank of you will run out.

    Your body has fat stores for fuel. It burns them when it runs out of calories from outside sources. Hence, we lose weight when we create a calorie deficit. As long as you are getting your required nutrients and enough calories to cover your BMR plus average daily activity, you will be absolutely fine. Ask a doc.

    yes and the amount you need is a Net amount. If you eat 1600 and your BMR is 1500 that is irrelevant if you burn 2000 from exercise as you would be in a negative net calorie situation. Net calories are what matters, not total caloric intake.

    I have days where my net calories are negative. I don't recommend that for anyone, of course. But in my case if I'm training for a marathon and running 20 miles on a given day, your theory would require me to eat 3500 calories that day just to stay out of the red in net calories. 3500 calories in a day is in no way feasible for me. As a general rule, I think people who exercise regularly should take in more calories than those who don't, but I think a concrete, "always eat back your calories" approach just isn't necessary.
  • kkutch
    kkutch Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200
  • Vivian_Phoenix
    Vivian_Phoenix Posts: 68
    Options
    If I feel extra hungry I will..if not I dont force myself
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    You have to do custom settings and change the goal calories...
    no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/

    I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

    2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
    Options
    Damn 20 miles a day.... how many of the exercise calories do you eat back then?

    Haha not 20 miles a day, but a 20-mile day about once a week. 4-8 miles most other days. On a 20 mile day, I probably eat an extra 5-700 calories.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Options
    Eating back my exercise calories (and lifting heavy) has given me a better body
  • kkutch
    kkutch Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/

    I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

    2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    dang! i want this weight off and it's gonna go so slow wanted most of it off before Christmas. my fiance is losing much faster than me but he's 220 lbs
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
    Options
    no matter what i change my lbs/week goal to it stays at 1200

    MFP won't give you a goal lower than 1200 (that's the lower limit on the site). People who are really overweight can safely lose weight at a faster rate, but people that are already close to or in their healthy weight range generally need to lose weight slower for it to be healthy and sustainable. You don't have a whole lot of weight to lose so your daily calorie needs are already lower than say a 200 lb person looking to get into their healthy weight range. I know what it's like to want to get to your goal as quickly as possible, but there are limits to what the body can safely do.

    Good luck to you - this site is a great tool for helping you reach your goals.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
    Options
    Also, you may want to consider whether what you really want is to 'lose weight' or if you want to be smaller and in better shape and look better. Sometimes you can get into smaller clothing and look better by working out your muscles to get definition without necessarily having to drop a lot of LBs. Some people on this site who were already at or close to their healthy weight range have had really amazing results by focusing on exercise to build/define muscle rather than focusing on the weightless aspect. I don't know your personal situation, just something to consider. :-)
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Options
    Set the MFP settings too 2 lbs a week - I've eaten prob 75% of my exercise calories and still lost 17 lbs since I started MFP a month ago. I know I'm a guy but at that setting you'll still lose much faster than 0.4 lbs a week.
    Thank y'all!! lots of good reasons still not sure because it says i will only lose .4 lbs a week and i want to lose more and I figure if I am not hungry I should not eat more. maybe I will just eat them back if I feel hungry. Still confused about what is right for being 5ft and my goals :/

    I do have it set at 2 lbs but somewhere i saw it saying that i would only lose .4lbs

    2 lbs is not realistic for how much you have to lose and MFP will not put you under 1200 Net. Where you are only 5ft you may be able to get away with 1000 Net or so, but with the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5lbs/week which would be a Net of 1150 given your stats.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    dang! i want this weight off and it's gonna go so slow wanted most of it off before Christmas. my fiance is losing much faster than me but he's 220 lbs

    The slower the better..lol...I'm giving myself until spring to lose 9 lbs...

Categories