Anyone else not eating their exercise calories

Options
2456

Replies

  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
    Options
    I dont usually eat them back, but I tried eating back my exercise calories this week. I maintained my weight which was not what i was going for. Also i found myself eating random stuff in the name of eating my exercise calories back, and i ended up feeling bloated at night. I have decided to just eat healthy and listen to my body. If i am hungry, i will eat some back. I eat about 1800 cals anyways, thats not a small amount of food :-)
  • SCUBAMomofTwo
    SCUBAMomofTwo Posts: 189
    Options
    I agree that the exercise machines and the estimates of calories burned are often not accurate.

    Having said that, I DO occasionally "eat back" all or part of the exercise calories MFP assigns me, but I do so ONLY if I am hungry at the end of the day. I don't eat just because I CAN, kwim?
  • TheFearThatGaveMeWings
    TheFearThatGaveMeWings Posts: 42
    Options
    I don't, I don't exercise so I can turn around and eat it all back. That would be a complete waste... In my opinion.
  • Kandace_Riopel
    Kandace_Riopel Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    nope not here ... if i get REALLY hungry after a big workout than ill snack back a bit never more than half and i try to keep it less than 200 max each day! .
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Options
    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them. I don't eat them and I usually lose 1 pound a week. I've recently cut out potatoes, bread and pasta and I've actually lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I've been eating brown rice, gluten free pasta and just last night I baked a loaf of gluten free bread, I find it hard to have choices in meals by cutting out the bread or pasta so I decided to eat gluten free.

    Also I understand that if you are trying to build muscle then you would eat back your excersice calories. With my personal trainer I have been building muscle, toning and losing.....1 pound at a time mind you, but they say it's better for it to come off slowly. So I have finally gotten my mind to focus on the overall weight that I've lost (which I am a 1/2 pound away from my half way point) rather than a substantial amount in a short peroid of time. Now that I'm almost half way there I'm excited to lose the second half and reach my goal.
    I am a certified trainer too. What if I told you that MFP already factors in your activity level. Everything you do extra like logging cardio is putting you in a deeper deficit.

    So, eat your calories back if you care about keeping LEAN BODY MASS. Which is much more important then weight dropping on the scale.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them. I don't eat them and I usually lose 1 pound a week. I've recently cut out potatoes, bread and pasta and I've actually lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I've been eating brown rice, gluten free pasta and just last night I baked a loaf of gluten free bread, I find it hard to have choices in meals by cutting out the bread or pasta so I decided to eat gluten free.

    Also I understand that if you are trying to build muscle then you would eat back your excersice calories. With my personal trainer I have been building muscle, toning and losing.....1 pound at a time mind you, but they say it's better for it to come off slowly. So I have finally gotten my mind to focus on the overall weight that I've lost (which I am a 1/2 pound away from my half way point) rather than a substantial amount in a short peroid of time. Now that I'm almost half way there I'm excited to lose the second half and reach my goal.

    This comes up in every one of these discussions. The problem is, MPF does not use the same formula most trainers use. If you followed her calorie intake, no, you would not "eat back" exercise calories because she has already factored them in. MFP has not.

    Trainers and nutritionists typically use a formula that figures your BMR (what you burn just to survive), then factor in your daily activity (like your job) and how much/how intense you will exercise to get your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) They will then subtract an amount to create a deficit depending on weight loss goal. You don't "Eat back" calories because they are already accounted for.
    MPF figures your BMR, then factors in your daily activity (like your job) to get a TDEE. They then subtract an amount to create a deficit depending on the goal you chose. No exercise accounted for, which is why the site suggests you eat them back.

    For example, when I signed up for this site, I chose a pound a week weight loss goal. It gave me something like 1450 calories. When I worked out, I would burn around 300-400 calories. So I ate 1750-1850 calories, netting 1450 (total eaten - exercise = net)
    I started with a trainer who gave me around 1800 calories to eat and follow her exercise program. Just for fun, I kept logging my food and exercise. Guess what my average net was - around 1400.

    Same end result, different method.
  • BobbieLee1959
    BobbieLee1959 Posts: 605 Member
    Options
    Good question, but as I have not yet begun to add (intentional) exercise, I would have to say the answer is no. My SW was 286.5, so at best, exercise has been an effort. What I have done, is enjoyed the freedom to not be winded when climbing the stairs. I have found myself doing much, much more, but mostly because I can! I am very happy at this outcome of losing 10 lbs. and it inspires me to continue counting calories. I will be adding intentional exercise beginning Monday~probably in the form of walking in my neighborhood.

    I also climb a 17 step set of stairs multiple times a day, so I would say I am lightly active compared to mostly sedentary when I started the program 3 weeks ago. If it continues to get easier to move at this rate, I will be walking a mile in no time and then back to the two that I used to be able to accomplish. I keep hearing about the 30 DS and found it in a local store. Have not purchased yet, but I did buy a resistance band and will be using this in addition to the walking next week!

    I doubt that I will eat back my exercise calories or even record them (because I don't want MFP chewing me out!)

    I am currently allowed 1640 calories and have been staying slightly under that at around 1200. If am very hungry with exercise, I may increase to stave off true hunger, but definitely will be staying under the 1640 goal to maintain a weight lose mode!

    I love the support and inspiration of all of you as I seek to reach my goal! Thank you all!
  • FireTigerSoul
    FireTigerSoul Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    I don't eat back my exercise calories...I feel I'm doing fine without eating them back. I'm losing weight, and I can feel a difference in my muscles. I might try eating some of them back if I plateau, but for now...no.
  • yuckidah
    yuckidah Posts: 290 Member
    Options
    I never eat them back. To me in negates the point of exercising if you're going to consume the hard work afterwards, lol.
  • armaretta
    armaretta Posts: 851 Member
    Options
    MFP already sets you up for a deficit without exercise unless you have it set up for maintenance or make it account for an active lifestyle... so you're not really defeating the purpose by eating your exercise calories. You should think of it as fuel for your next workout. Most dieticians and trainers who are telling you not to eat the exercise calories don't realize that MFP already sets you up for a deficit NOT INCLUDING ONE MADE BY EXERCISE.
  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
    Options
    I dont eat excercise calories.

    Too much room for error
  • Jmbean84
    Jmbean84 Posts: 261 Member
    Options
    So glad I found this forum! After I entered my exercises for today, mfp gave me an extra 600+ calories and I already am always under my normal calorie goal by like 600-700 and full so, I didn't get it. Will stick to what I am doing for now and maybe stop logging my exercises on here!
  • Rachiewoowoo
    Rachiewoowoo Posts: 142
    Options
    It depends on the amount of calories you have already intaken or need to intake.

    For example, if I'm at the end of my day, and find that I only have 10 or so calories left, I might do some walking and bump that up to 110 calories left. It's a self-esteem/ego booster to see that you stayed under by that much; therefore, I wouldn't eat them back in this situation.

    Most of the time, I exercise to give more leeway for my daily calorie intake (aside from exercising to tone up). I really don't specifically look at my exercise calories and go: "Oh, let's eat back half of this!" or "Yay, now I can eat exactly this amount of calories more!"

    I just get a general sense of "okay.. I can eat a little bit more today", rather than THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE CALORIES EATTTTTTTTTT
    :laugh:
  • buttercup922
    buttercup922 Posts: 16
    Options
    I always under eat what it tells me to, otherwise I wouldn't loose anything. I loose about 1 lb a week and that is when I consistently eat about 500 less calories a day than this program tells me (but I never go under 1350 calories or so). I think what's important is what types of food you're using to fuel your body. Get lots of healthy food in you so you feel good and have energy. If I'm ever hungry or feel like I'm dragging, which isn't often, then I make sure I:
    1) eat often enough.
    2) eat good healthy food.
    3) rest if I haven't slept well to recover after workouts.
  • junyr
    junyr Posts: 416 Member
    Options
    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them

    Did you also tell your trainer that MFP has a deficit built into what it calculates your daily caloric intake should be? )This is assuming you did the setup to lose weight and not maintan when you started this using the site.)
  • imaheal
    imaheal Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    No, I don't eat them, but I do let my 10 calorie coffee mate creamers and my 2 1/2 calorie sugarless gum go towards them. That way I don't record calories for them.
  • pg1girl
    pg1girl Posts: 268 Member
    Options
    I do not eat the extra calories awarded for exercise. I figured, what would be the point of exercising at all...just to eat more? The point of exercising is to burn the calories I eat, not let me eat more.
    I think that anyone eating the extra Cal's awarded would put on weight or just not lose any.
    Good luck in your quest.

    I exercise for health primarily, not so much to lose weight. I eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories, mostly because MFP has me eating 1360 calories a day so if I didn't eat them back, I'd be living on 860 calories a day, which isn't healthy at all :( I never let myself get below 1200 but that is just a personal preference.

    This! Me too. It is depriving your body of much needed nutrition to not eat back the majority of them!
  • pg1girl
    pg1girl Posts: 268 Member
    Options
    I dont eat excercise calories.

    Too much room for error


    Not if you are using a hrm!
  • pg1girl
    pg1girl Posts: 268 Member
    Options
    I have a personal trainer and because I'm always reading about people eating their excersice calories back I asked her about that and she told me if I wanted to maintain my weight then to eat the calories but if I'm trying to lose (which I am) then not to eat them. I don't eat them and I usually lose 1 pound a week. I've recently cut out potatoes, bread and pasta and I've actually lost 4 pounds in 5 days. I've been eating brown rice, gluten free pasta and just last night I baked a loaf of gluten free bread, I find it hard to have choices in meals by cutting out the bread or pasta so I decided to eat gluten free.

    Also I understand that if you are trying to build muscle then you would eat back your excersice calories. With my personal trainer I have been building muscle, toning and losing.....1 pound at a time mind you, but they say it's better for it to come off slowly. So I have finally gotten my mind to focus on the overall weight that I've lost (which I am a 1/2 pound away from my half way point) rather than a substantial amount in a short peroid of time. Now that I'm almost half way there I'm excited to lose the second half and reach my goal.
    I am a certified trainer too. What if I told you that MFP already factors in your activity level. Everything you do extra like logging cardio is putting you in a deeper deficit.

    So, eat your calories back if you care about keeping LEAN BODY MASS. Which is much more important then weight dropping on the scale.

    So true! Thank you for posting this. It freaks me out to see how people deprive their bodies of proper nutrition!
  • Tubby2Toned
    Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    Always. But I am trying to gain muscle mass while losing fat. I'll let you know how it goes. I have lost 8 lbs in less than a month am VERY conservative in the amount of calories I credit myself back from exercise though. MFP over estimates a lot of exercise calories... I research and make sure it's correct, and then even go a little under.

    I also am basically trying to just lose a tubby belly, not an extreme amount of pounds. For those trying to lose over 50 lbs or so, I cannot comment. It might indeed be better to just lose those pounds. Eventually though, it will need to be about maintaining muscle mass IMO.

Categories