Major Flaw in MFP and eating back your calories?

CuteAndCurvy83

I lost 40lbs in 6 months before getting pregnant, and I ate back at least half, if not more sometimes of my exercise calories. I think it really comes down to YOUR body and how it works, eating back calories worked for me, but it may not for some others. I don't think it's a flaw it's just a general guideline that you have to tweak to see what will work best for you.

nekosimba

Never eat back workout calories! Determine your caloric goal based on your actual daily activity.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

I may not eat back all my exercise calories, but I try to eat back some of them. If I didn't I would be extremely exhausted and starving all the time. I work out up to 1.5 hours some days and burn up to 800 calories. I try to eat back my calories in high protein and fiber foods.

crobinson0923

I just subtract a calorie/min that I exercised from what my heart rate monitor says... it works for me... probably not a huge deal either way

meerkat70

I assume the exercise calories MFP calculates are NET burn but I could be wrong. The calculations are loose estimates anyway. I usually reduce the number by 10-20% to be sure.

As indeed do most sensible people....

I don't understand why people get into such a knicker-knot about this stuff. Eat. Eat enough. Don't eat too much. Rocket science it is not. (As Yoda might have said under similar circumstances.)

lunchgirlie

I always subtract the calories I would have burned sitting from what my hrm says before I log my exercise. Not that I eat them back most of the time, but I like to be as accurate as possible.

Shawna_831

Not eating back some of my calories = plateau for me

Eating most of them back = steady loss

To each their own

I'm the same way. I work out more so I can eat more and I still lose.

katinthehat444

I only add in my exercise at the end of the day - once I've finished eating. That way it doesn't skew my calorie numbers. I find that easy to keep track of.

MyFeistyEvolution

One thing I have been wondering is why MFP does not incorporate NET workout calories. Since you burn calories constantly, you need to subtract your baseline calories for that amount of time you worked out right?

Lets say someone's basal metabolic rate is 2400 calories a day. That's and average of 100 calories an hour. They work out 1 hour and burn 600 calories. MFP would tell that person that they could eat 3000 calories that day. BUT what MFP does not factor in is that, for that 1 hour they worked out, they would have burned 100 calories that hour without working out. Therefore, their net work out calories burned is 500. So, they could eat 2900 calories, and 3000 calories would actually lead to a weight gain right?

I try not to eat my workout calories, but I'm just wondering since a lot of people do. Any ideas?

No, MFP accounts for that already.
MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up to include what you would have burned doing nothing.

I agree what he said.

This is all figured in.

meerkat70

It's a major flaw IMO because you end up over eating and not losing weight and in some cases gaining weight.

The fitness trainers and nutritionists that I have seen have given me a flat 2000-2200 calorie diet. They never mention eating back my calories.

When I do eat back my calories, I fail. When I do not, I lose weight. I will stick with the results.

I wouldn't say it is a major flaw. People have lost weight on here, therefore something must be working.

Even if we do want to get all panicked about it, we are, after all, only talking about maybe a hundred calories tops per day. It's not exactly going to throw anyone over the edge, is it... ?

lscott62

I agree with you! You need to fuel your metabolism!

Jeff92se

The base amount of calories burnt while just living is already factored into the BMR calculations. You'd be adding it twice by your method.

If you don't eat your workout out calories, you are now at a calorie count lower than your 1lb/2lb per week schedule.

Can you explain this a bit more? I'm confused.

2400 calories is what you would would burn or need to burn to let's say lose 1lb per week.

Exercise 1 hour. ie.. 600 calories.

If you eat 2400 calories + 600 calories, you eat 3,000 calories and still would lose 1lb per week.

If you didn't eat the 600 calories, you NET calorie count would be 1800 calories. Or if you ate on 300 calories back, you would NET 2100 calories.

Assuming you already ate the 2400 calories + whatever calories you just burnt exercising minus the calories burnt doing nothing (2400) + whatever calories you burnt while working out = net calorie count for the day.

jacksonpt

Let's not lose perspective here people...

We're talking about what? 100 cals for most people? And even that might be high.

Do you really think your food log (cals consumed) and exercise logs (cals burned) are accurate enough that you're not missing 100 cals here or 100 cals there over the course of time? Do you really think that at the end of each and every day your totals are correct to within 100 cals?

I doubt it.

Worry less, exercise more, eat better.

onefitdiva

I eat back my exercise calories. I lost 42 lbs. in 4 months doing it. And I also continue to do it even with the elevated calorie allowance in maintenance and have not gained any back in 8 months.

iceqieen

personally after I got my HRM I log my net calories, not my total burned calories for the exercise.

so for every hour of exercise I take away 100 cal from the total burned. It's not accurate, but close enough for me.

NoAdditives

Never eat back workout calories! Determine your caloric goal based on your actual daily activity.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

Not everyone can lose this way. I have to eat back ALL of my exercise calories or else I don't lose any weight.

Trill_Shantel

Bump to read laTer

3dogsrunning

It's a major flaw IMO because you end up over eating and not losing weight and in some cases gaining weight.

The fitness trainers and nutritionists that I have seen have given me a flat 2000-2200 calorie diet. They never mention eating back my calories.

When I do eat back my calories, I fail. When I do not, I lose weight. I will stick with the results.

Grr. I just typed this then lost the page. So typing again.

FItness trainers and nutritionists use a different formula than MFP. They actually do have you eat back your exercise calories, they just build it into their number.
They figure your BMR (basic rate you burn just to live), then factor in daily activity (like how active your job is), then anticipate how often and how hard you will work out each week. They then take that number, subtract a modest amount to create a deficit, and there is your number. Exercise calories included.
MFP figures your BMR and your daily activity but does not account for exercise, which is why the site is set up to tell you to eat them back.
In the end, it is usually pretty much the same.
For example, MFP gave me a number of like 1400 for a pound a week. I went to a trainer for a workout program and she gave me a goal of around 1700. I kept tracking on MFP. When I put in all my food, and log my exercise, guess what I end up netting, 1400. So it didn't matter if I ate 1400, then an extra 300 for my exercises, it came out to the same thing.

There are a number of reasons why you could be "failing" when you eat your calories back. You will fail following a trainer or nutritionist if you don't maintain the level of activity anticpated. No method is perfect.

ETA -
If you are going by the nutritionist or trainers numbers and eat back your exercise calories, then yes, you may gain weight, since it has already been accounted for.

ZyheeMoongazer

Everyone is different. All the scientific formulas all the calculators are all just best guesses. Eating back your exercise calories is a big topic in these forums and everyone has their opinion on it. I personally always eat back most of my calories. If I didn't I would be very hungry and unhappy. It may work for a while but isn't how to want to live my life long term. And that is what this is about, changing my lifestyle not a short term diet.

The best advice anyone can give you is to find what works for you. If you look under the goals, you can use Custom instead of Guided to adjust your goals manually instead of using the MFP suggestions. Experiement on your own or talk with your doctor and set the calorie and nutrient goals that work best for you.

dobenjam

It seems like most people don't understand your question. the way I read it is if MFP or the machine says you burned 600 calories is that already taking out the "maintenance" calories or is that just the additional calories. I don't believe MFP or the machines calculate the net, just what was burned during that hour. So, yes the amount burned is over estimated. I believe MFP overestimates in general but that's just me.

Either way as long as you are losing there is no need to change the process. It isn't an exact science because there is a lot of guessing going on for BMR, Calories burned, Calories consumed, etc. If it isn't working, change it up.

spicy618

personally after I got my HRM I log my net calories, not my total burned calories for the exercise.

so for every hour of exercise I take away 100 cal from the total burned. It's not accurate, but close enough for me.

^^^^^ THis is what i do also.

For every hour that i workout, i deduct 100 calories from what my HRM recorded as my total burn. Just to be safe

Also, I'm one of those who eats back almost every exercise calorie. I lost over 35 pounds and now that I'm in maintenance, I'm maintaining it. :flowerforyou: