Finding it hard to eat back exercise calories...

sassylilmama

Days I have a hard time I drink milk (sometimes even add chocolate syrup *gasp*) or eats nuts.

DizzyLinds

Try eating a static intake that a little higher than the MFP goal (assuming you are at 1200), try for 1500-1700 (this is guessing without knowing your stats).

For example, instead of eating 1200 + exercise cals to lose 1 lb per week, I just work out 5 days a week and eat 1700 calories a day (exercise or not)

Think this is the best way for me actually.

Rebeccawoods1

Omg, I have been doing MFp for 3 weeks now and did not know I had to eat back my exercise calories?

In fact, I have been about 150-200 cals UNDER my recommended cal intake everyday and it does say I'm eating too little blah blah.

Does MFP only work if you stick to the cals EXACTLY then? Why would NOT eating back your exercise cals matter?

jacksonpt

Omg, I have been doing MFp for 3 weeks now and did not know I had to eat back my exercise calories?

In fact, I have been about 150-200 cals UNDER my recommended cal intake everyday and it does say I'm eating too little blah blah.

Does MFP only work if you stick to the cals EXACTLY then? Why would NOT eating back your exercise cals matter?

To lose weight you need to be in a healthy caloric deficit. There are 2 ways to accomplish that:

1) Set your daily caloric intake at a deficit
This is what most people do, and is how MFP is designed to work. You figure out your daily caloric need (BMR), then set your calorie goal lower than that. For example.. if your BMR is 1800, you might set your daily calorie goal to 1400. That puts you in a caloric deficit and you will start to lose weight**. When you exercise you burn additional calories. These burned calories are not accounted for in your BMR or the calorie goal you set based on your BMR. So exercising increases that caloric deficit. The thing to watch here is how big that deficit gets. Every body responds differently, but the larger the deficit the worse it is for your body (the assumption is that the larger the deficit gets the harder it is to properly fuel your body). And this is why people recommend eating back exercise calories.

2) Use exercise to create the deficit
With this method you set your daily caloric intake to equal your BRM. Then you exercise and burn calories. Those burned calories are not accounted for when you set your daily goal equal to your BMR, and thus you end up in a deficit. The size of that deficit is dependent on your workouts. You burn 75cals walking the dog and your deficit is 75 cals. You burn 500 cals running and the deficit is 500.



**This is VERY simiplified and makes A LOT of assumptions, but is good enough for this conversation.

Rebeccawoods1

Okay thanks. Well I want to lose half a stone and MFP has recommended I eat 1300 cals a day in order to achieve this. I've been doing it for 3 weeks and have been about 150 or so cals under that most days, probably because of the exercise. But I've been quite glad as when I click on 'complete today's entry' it then tells me I'll be 110lbs in 4 weeks 'if everyday was like today' which would be great as my goal is 112 lbs so if I can lost an extra couple then brilliant.

I haven't lost much so far though after 3 weeks on it, I'm starting to feel a bit disheartened. Has anyone else had a slow start?? Also, if you stick to the calorie amount everyday but don't exercise everyday (I only exercise 4-5 times a week) will you still lose the weight? Or does MFP work by sticking to the agreed cal amount everyday AND doing say an hour of exercise everyday? I'm a bit clueless about it all!

madimolly

Hi, since i have started eating healthy and 'clean' and exercising everyday, i have found it quite difficult to eat enough calories to compensate for the calories burnt. I don't want my body to go into starvation mode as the last thing i need right now is for my body to cling to its fat resources. Any ideas for low sugar yet high calorie 'clean' foods?
Thanks

When you don't eat by your calories, how big is your deficit? What is your daily goal and what do you generally end up with for net cals?

Not eating back exercise cals isn't a big deal if the caloric deficit isn't too big.

MFP has me on 1200 calories a day and i burn on average 640 ish - on some days i even struggle to eat that because of all the healthy, low calorie food that happens to be extremely filling.. its not good but it just feels so wrong to put high calorie processed food into me just to make the calorie recommendation but i really don't want to go into starvation mode..

maryjay51

i eat six times a day with very healthy choices for the most part.. i do not eat back my workout calories but if my body needs more food i will eat more. i listen to my body . i am definitely not starving and rarely hungry . i eat six times a day regardless if i am hungry or not on a 1200 calorie a day diet .. i will add on to that if i am feeling needy

tecallahan

Okay thanks. Well I want to lose half a stone and MFP has recommended I eat 1300 cals a day in order to achieve this. I've been doing it for 3 weeks and have been about 150 or so cals under that most days, probably because of the exercise. But I've been quite glad as when I click on 'complete today's entry' it then tells me I'll be 110lbs in 4 weeks 'if everyday was like today' which would be great as my goal is 112 lbs so if I can lost an extra couple then brilliant.

I haven't lost much so far though after 3 weeks on it, I'm starting to feel a bit disheartened. Has anyone else had a slow start?? Also, if you stick to the calorie amount everyday but don't exercise everyday (I only exercise 4-5 times a week) will you still lose the weight? Or does MFP work by sticking to the agreed cal amount everyday AND doing say an hour of exercise everyday? I'm a bit clueless about it all!

MFP will tell you how many calories to eat a day to get to your goal weight by the time you want to hit it. So, if you don't exercise, just eat the recommended number of calories. If you exercise, it adds in the exercise calories as though you should eat them. So, as example: Say your body needs 2,000 calories a day to stay the same. If you eat 1,500 calories a day that's a 500 calorie deficit. In one week you have a 3,500 calorie deficit and a loss of 1 pound. If you eat a 500 calorie deficit + you workout and burn 500 calories, you have a 1,000 calorie deficit for the day. That means you have only left 1,000 calories for your body to function. That might show some initial weight loss, but eventually your body will slow down it's metabolism and adjust to only having 1,000 calories a day without losing weight -- you are in starvation mode.

So, if you don't eat back all your calories, at least don't drop below 1,200 calories. Just drink a nice protein drink after your workout and have a tablespoon of peanut butter. That should do it.

julszbe

To lose weight you need to be in a healthy caloric deficit. There are 2 ways to accomplish that:

1) Set your daily caloric intake at a deficit
This is what most people do, and is how MFP is designed to work. You figure out your daily caloric need (BMR), then set your calorie goal lower than that. For example.. if your BMR is 1800, you might set your daily calorie goal to 1400. That puts you in a caloric deficit and you will start to lose weight**. When you exercise you burn additional calories. These burned calories are not accounted for in your BMR or the calorie goal you set based on your BMR. So exercising increases that caloric deficit. The thing to watch here is how big that deficit gets. Every body responds differently, but the larger the deficit the worse it is for your body (the assumption is that the larger the deficit gets the harder it is to properly fuel your body). And this is why people recommend eating back exercise calories.

2) Use exercise to create the deficit
With this method you set your daily caloric intake to equal your BRM. Then you exercise and burn calories. Those burned calories are not accounted for when you set your daily goal equal to your BMR, and thus you end up in a deficit. The size of that deficit is dependent on your workouts. You burn 75cals walking the dog and your deficit is 75 cals. You burn 500 cals running and the deficit is 500.



**This is VERY simiplified and makes A LOT of assumptions, but is good enough for this conversation.


Thank you..this was very clear and helpful!