bit confused about eating back exercise cals????

LauriesTrying2BeFit

ok so iv been using this site afew weeks now and i have just checked my reports and even tho im getting between 1300-1600 cals my net cals are never over 1200 and some days are at 900.
will this not just make my body go into starvation mode?
im really trying to eat more as want to lose some more weight i havent gained or lost this week and im sure its due to not eating enough.
should i try to eat more?
i always have at leats 100-200cals left at end of each day.

dianeellen2

There is some interesting stuff in the furoms about eating enough and i think they have a point - mainly to do with starvation mode and reduced metabolism if you dont eat enough.

Try having a milky bed time drink and a couple of digestives to up your calories.

I was sceptical at first but it does work - if you keep your calories to around 1200 (ensure that you account for exercise calories too)

It also means you can be motivated to exercise if you want a treat (i am going to Pilates class tonight because i want the mince pie i was given yesterday and i know the calories will even out)

Add me as a friend if you want support and encouragement

Diane

LauriesTrying2BeFit

so do you eat your exercise cals back? i am eating around 1400cals a day but then i usually burn around 400 a day too. so should i eat an extra 200cals? sorry if i sound dumb i just want to see some losses!

IronSmasher

MFP is set up so that you will have a 500-1000cal a day deficit according to your goals and required calories for daily activity.

Exercise is dealt with separately, so if you burn and enter calories as exercise, you're supposed to eat those calories in order to maintain the desired deficit.

BobbyClerici

Yes, you need to eat more -- more is less when it comes to weight loss, exercise and being healthy.
BUT NOT TOO MUCH - lol And YES, you eat back your exercise calories, because your log is set for weight loss already.

Our food diaries and exercise logs need to be tweaked to fit each one of us, but once we discover that number of calories which represents weight maintenance, that's when we can take charge. And if it takes a few weeks for those just starting for their bodies to catch up, fine. Severe dieting may have stifled metabolism but only for a season.

We take ownership of the process by setting goals based on losing a pound each week. And we must be sure we eat as close to our calorie goal as we can to realize that loss without going too far in restricting food intake to the point of metabolic shutdown.

Make the process fun, and share your daily results - browse other people to get some great ideas. Find a group of ladies just where you are - remember to include some who are much further along to remind you of where you are heading.

You can do this!

Shredded2011

Don't worry about it too much.
I used to have a fit over it all.

Whether your body goes into starvation mode or not or into ketogenesis it doesn't matter.

It only affects the rate that its lost and the optimum way.

Everyones obsessed with the optimum way.

Any way of losing the weight is great.

Aim for the cals that the site gives you. If you go over alot excercise.

If your under don't worry about it. You may go into starvation mode but the lost calories cancel it out in a roundabout way.

Its sugars and flours and bread that tend to be a pain. XX

ashnm88

I try my best to have my net cals at 1200 at the end of the day after exercise.

cuelgirl

This is an interesting topic... since I really didn't know what to do either with this... my net calories are usually around 900-1000 a day... and maybe thats not enough... I will try to increase that by eating some fruit and see what happens... I'm a newbie to trying to lose "my way"... and want to make sure I do it right by staying healthy in the process...

ryvenna

honestly, i don't freak out too much if i'm below my calorie count, especially if i am FULL. if you force yourself to eat back those calories, you're going to expand your stomach, which will interfere with satiety on other days. i also realize that on some days, i eat over my 1200 calories, so if i do intense exercise one day and burn 1000 calories and then eat 1500 calories (net calories = 500), i don't get worked up over it.

have you heard of zig-zag dieting (if not: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm)? zig-zag dieting tells you what you need to eat to lose weight, but it shifts around your calories so your body doesn't ever get accustomed to a certain calorie count... so, no weight loss plateaus! if you avg my calorie in take per week, i probably eat around 1200 calories a day, but i NEVER eat exactly 1200 calories every day.

my food diary's open to anyone who wants to take a glance at it. :]




p.s.
when i first joined mfp, i also had weeks where i didn't lose any weight, despite my calorie deficit + exercise. it was disheartening... but now that my body's getting used to my healthy lifestyle, the weight has been dropping off. don't worry if you don't get super-immediate results. give yourself 2 months before you re-evaluate.

edit:
ALWAYS eat at least 1200 calories of food. even if it nets to be less than 1200, with exercise, giving your body that many calories helps tremendously. otherwise, if you eat really low calories per day, when you end up eating 1200 calories or so, your body's more likely to store fat/glycogen.

sunnyskyjb

Great explanation, Bobby! Thanks!!

Yakarobed

If you have trouble getting in your calories and are exercising regulary, you should try to add a couple ozs of protein each day. Protein helps keep you full and helps the body build muscle.

If you are eating low-fat versions of foods, try using the regular versions for a few more calories.

ShaSimone

Check out some of the tools like the BMR calculator which will tell you what your basic metabolic rate is, that's what your body is/should burn daily without factoring in exercise.
When MFP calculates your weight loss goal it doesn't factor in the calories from exercise. Some people eat the back some don't. I use mine as a daily calorie cushion so I can have a small treat if I so desire, and if not I don't...Like Dutch Chocolate Blue Bell Icecream last night. And I didn't have to obsess/kick myself, etc. I digress
So once you know where your BMR is, keep your calorie intake below that, eat at least 1200 calories a day (net is something else) and let the pounds fall where they may,

RosieO

I just met with a nutritionist yesterday. I have the same problem - not eating enough. She gave me some good ideas to get "good" foods in for the day with more protein than carbs or fat, like adding a glass of milk in with a meal or snack. Or adding some string cheese in with your fruit snack. Also, adding peanut to a piece of whole wheat toast is good, or just grabbing a handful of nuts to get those extra calories. We looked back at my Fitness Pal log and the weeks I lost the most were the weeks I ate at least my 1200 calories, loaded with protein type foods and snacks. Hope this helps

tattooedtwiin

I never eat my exercise calories back, and have lost 52 pounds. No, I haven't gone into starvation mode either.:grumble:

PepeGreggerton

I don't agree with the 1200 calories thing, how is it the same for someone who is 5'4" vs someone who is 6'4 two people that will have two totally different lean body masses? The human body is designed to store excess calories as fat for periods with little or no food.

PepeGreggerton

Another thing people often forget is to subtract the calories they burn every hour just sitting on their butt, for me it's about 70 calories. So If I burn 300 calories exercising for an hour I have to take away the 70 calories I would have burned anyway leaving me with 230. The whole point in exercising is to create a calorie deficit not to let you do more of what makes us fat.

newmercies7

i agree, do not eat your calories back...If I did that I wouldn't lose weight. I suppose it all depends on an individuals matabolism, though. I'm finally beginning to lose weight again. At first, I was eating my calories back and it just wasn't working for me. I also have to eat at 1200 calories a day, I go over a little, but if I eat the right things and small amounts and often, this seems to work best for me.

TigersFanIndy34

I've noticed this is a hot button topic but here's how I personally do it.... if I'm hungry I eat more and if I'm not then I don't.

If I have a big dinner planned where I know low calorie eating will be a struggle sometimes I just don't eat exercise calories for a bit and that way if I'm slightly over one day I don't sweat it.

However sometimes if I eat really clean I'm just not hungry (the foods are so filling) so I don't sweat if I net under.

As long as you aren't depriving your body of nutrients or exercise 10 hours a day just to eat more - both are extremes. I think for most of us it's just about listening to our bodies and knowing some days we will be more hungry then others, more active then others etc...

lizziebeth1028

YES PEOPLE! Eat your exercise calories back! If you are netting less 1200 your body is not getting enough nutrients! Everyone's metabolism is different, you may have to tweak the numbers a bit. But if you are just starting out, please go with what MFP recommends, they have built a deficit in your allotted calories already, so yes eat your exercise calories back!!

PepeGreggerton

YES PEOPLE! Eat your exercise calories back! If you are netting less 1200 your body is not getting enough nutrients! Everyone's metabolism is different, you may have to tweak the numbers a bit. But if you are just starting out, please go with what MFP recommends, they have built a deficit in your allotted calories already, so yes eat your exercise calories back!!

I'd buy that if you were say at or below 5% body fat for men or 10% for women.

mrsdizzyd84

Seems the two camps are pretty evenly divided. Some say ALWAYS eat your calories back. Some say NEVER eat your calories back. I figure the truth is somewhere in the middle.

So, I split the difference. I eat some of my calories back, but I stop eating if I am full. I usually burn between 350 and 500 calories on exercise days, so I usually end the day with a 200-300 calorie deficit. Sometimes it is a lot more, sometimes it is a lot less. I'm losing my weight, so it's obviously working for me.

maurilax

Starvation mode is fake unless you dont have fat to burn on your body. talk to your doctor if you are concerned about this

Also, you definitely should not eat back all of your calories from exercise if only for this reason.

lets say you work out for 1 hour and burn 500 calories,
in that hour had you been sitting on your butt you may have still burned 50 -100 calories just from your body living.
the site does not account for the difference so when you enter 500, you really only burned a net of 400 because the site already gives you those 100 calories in your daily total.

for this reason i tend to eat back about half of my exercise calories.

seems to work

Edit I didnt realize someone else already pointed this out. But it seems to get forgotten all of the time so its worth repeating.

shellyk33

Hi there, I am confused too! I am not seeing any results and I think maybe I'm eating too much? MFP says to consume 1200 calories a day. If I go running and burn 400 calories, does that mean I can actually eat 1600 calories? Or should I still only consume the 1200? Ah! Sorry if I sound completely inept, but losing 7lbs is the most maddening thing ever! Thank you!

PepeGreggerton

Starvation mode is fake unless you dont have fat to burn on your body. talk to your doctor if you are concerned about this

Also, you definitely should not eat back all of your calories from exercise if only for this reason.

lets say you work out for 1 hour and burn 500 calories,
in that hour had you been sitting on your butt you may have still burned 50 -100 calories just from your body living.
the site does not account for the difference so when you enter 500, you really only burned a net of 400 because the site already gives you those 100 calories in your daily total.

for this reason i tend to eat back about half of my exercise calories.

seems to work

Edit I didnt realize someone else already pointed this out. But it seems to get forgotten all of the time so its worth repeating.

This guy gets it!

IronSmasher

With a 1000cal a day deficit, you'd have to really mess up your exercise calorie estimate to not lose weight.

PepeGreggerton

With a 1000cal a day deficit, you'd have to really mess up your exercise calorie estimate to not lose weight.

Agreed

dlyeates

I don't know the research and I don't pretend to be an expert but I can tell you about my experiences.

First, I haven't exercised in a while but have been continuing to lose weight on diet and calorie counting alone.

When I was exercising I realized that I was losing weight faster when I ate my exercise calories back. The best answer that I got to why this is possible (I was firmly in the camp that believed if you cut more calories you would lose faster) is that MFP already provides the deficit in calories required to lose weight and if you exercise then your deficit may be so great that your body holds on to fat because it's not sure if there will be enough food in the future (starvation mode).

I ate the calories back and I lost more weight.

Starting at Thanksgiving (due to travelling and inability to really exercise) I upped my calories to only losing 1 lb per week (around 1480 calories). I lost 2 lbs over Thanksgiving and the week after. I was shocked. Well I dropped it back to the 2lb/week weight loss (1200 calories) and didn't lose much and even gained 1 lb after I missed my evening snack and was WAY under calories. I'm also in really lazy mode and not exercising!! This week I increased it back up to 1480 calories and I'm losing more than 1 lb/week already. It goes against everything I've ever been taught and have believed in but my scale isn't lying to me!!!!

Good luck figuring out the balance for you!!!

luinecuwen

This is the way I understand it:

BMR x Daily Activity Level + Calories Burned During Exercise = Calories needed to maintain weight

For example: 1,500 x 1.2 + 500 = 2,300 daily caloric need

To lose 2 pounds per week, reduce your caloric intake by 1,000 calories

2,300 – 1,000 = 1,300 calories per day to lose weight

In this calculation, exercise calories are already factored in.

There is a BMR calculator on this site but it does not account for normal daily activity (ranges from 1.1 to 1.4 depending on your activity level - a google search will probably turn up a chart or something. I got mine from my Certified Fitness Trainer materials that I recently ordered).

The BMR calculators and the activity level factors are only estimates. Some people may find that they need to up their caloric intake a little and some people may find they need to lower it some (just don't go below 1,200). I've played around with my caloric level until I found what works for me. I use a heart rate monitor when I exercise to get a more accurate reading on the calories that I'm burning but, even then, I don't believe it is an exact number. Again, I just experimented until I found what works best for me now.

I spent several months not really paying attention to what I ate (my diet has been terrible - fast food and junk food - boo!) and as a result, I've gained a lot of weight even though I exercise at a high intensity level. I don't feel I've worked out unless I'm dripping with sweat I got lazy thinking that all the exercise I was doing was an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. I found out that it just doesn't work like that for me. I may not like it but reality is what it is. From this experience, I decided to go back to keeping a food and exercise diary. I was talking with a trainer at my gym and she told me about this site.

I've been tracking my calories and exercise for the past 2 and half weeks and have lost 5 pounds which is about right. I do not "eat back" the exercise calories that I burn. My thought is that if I find that I'm losing more than 2 pounds per week, I'll up my caloric intake a bit. If I'm not losing 2 pounds per week, I'll cut back on my calorie intake. I believe that keeping a diary is so important for this reason. You can tweak what you're doing as needed. I think that I sometimes fall into the trap of "one cookie won't hurt me" and before I know it, I've eaten the whole box. Keeping a diary keeps me accountable.

I do a circuit training/interval routine in the morning using body weight exercises (takes about 30 min) and I do 30 minutes of interval training on either the elliptical or treadmill in the evening. I use my heart rate monitor to ensure that I'm keeping my intensity level high and not just going through the motions. I do this 5 days per week. I'm two weeks into this plan and I like the results I'm getting.

What I've learned is that everyone has an opinion on what the best way is. I think you just have to experiment and find what works best for you.

ereidj

Absolutely. Do not eat your exercise calories back. Starvation mode is mostly (not entirely, but mostly) a myth. If you're exercising vigorously, you're keeping your metabolism up, and that's the most important thing about exercise.

As a recent article posted here showed, exercise alone rarely gets people to lose weight. And most people (and most tools, MFP included) VASTLY overestimate the number of calories burned from exercise.

Eat at least 1200 calories a day, but don't eat back your exercise calories, you're just begging for trouble.

morgthom75

I say, if you're hungry, eat them back. If you're not, don't. If you're in between, eat some back. The main thing is that at the end of the day, your net is under the goal set for your caloric deficiency. Then you're golden.

conniehv40

I have been asking myself this S A M E question since I joined 10 days ago. If I am to eat approximately 1500 calories a day to lose 1/2 pound a week AND I put in my exercise, it adds back the calories!

Aren't we supposed to keep at 1500 AND lose calories by working out?

I am not sure how this works exactly?

great question!