Eating Exercise Calories???

littlememo

Hi
I know this has probably been discussed before but after doing some research there seems to be mixed messages about whether you should eat the calories earned through exercise?
Surely you shouldn't cos then the exercise has more impact, but then why does it add it to your total calorie allowance?
Em xx
:huh:

flygirl75

I'm glad you asked that!! I thought I was suppose to eat those calories earned... Thats probably why I haven't lost any weight!! Uuhg! This is so hard! But I will get there!! I'm determined. Learn something new every day!

Dave198lbs

Hi
I know this has probably been discussed before but

nahhh

MelanieAG05

I have my cals set to 1490 to lose half a pound a week and don't eat all my exercise cals back - maybe a third to a half. But only if i am hungry.

mhankosk

Not this again...

Shweedog

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

bpurc22

You will lose more quickly if you DON'T eat your exercise calories back. You'll probably lose "weight" at 1.5x the pace.

Then in two months, you'll stop losing weight. You won't know what to do, so you'll try to increase your cals to break a plateau. But then your body stores as much as possible (which is a lot, since it now works extra efficient from the little cals you gave it).

Eat your exercise cals PLEASE. You will be so much better off in the long run. You will look better, and be happier, and have more energy, and have more muscle mass (which leads to a higher metabolism, so you can EAT MORE)

jennalink807

I eat mine back. Some don't. I do it to minimalize the loss of lean mass. I'd rather loose more fat and slowely then just see the number on the scale go down quickly and end up damaging my muscles. I've only lost 7lbs since october, but my BF% has gone from 29.5 to 23

eschwab855

Hi
I know this has probably been discussed before but after doing some research there seems to be mixed messages about whether you should eat the calories earned through exercise?
Surely you shouldn't cos then the exercise has more impact, but then why does it add it to your total calorie allowance?
Em xx
:huh:

Eat your exercise calories it is set up in that you eat your exercise calories if not your body will go into the dreaded starvation mode and you lose nothing the only 2 topics that people seem to ask and never use the search on here is "eat my exercise calories" and "starvation mode" Flygirl this is not hard it really is very easy and gets easier as you go dont get discouraged

Moonbeamlissie

my opinion.... you know everyone has one.... I only eat them if I am hungry. This system is not perfect and it relies on me to put the correct information into the system. I can put in my food and my calories burned but what if my best guess is not accurate? Therefore I eat when I am hungry and if it tells me I didn't eat all my calories for that day than so be it. If it tells me I have went over thats cool too. I try to be very accurate. I mean I use a scale and I do own a HRM but still, I just prefer to eat when I am hungry and just leave it at that. No sense in stuffing my mouth full of food because at the end of the day it says i have 500 calories left. I feel it will all even out in time anyway.

sweetendeavor

eat your calories back. you need the energy. but don't eat all of them back, just most. leave a few.

laineylynnfit

See this discussion:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/206951-asked-my-trainer-re-eating-back-calories

Moonbeamlissie

You will lose more quickly if you DON'T eat your exercise calories back. You'll probably lose "weight" at 1.5x the pace.

Then in two months, you'll stop losing weight. You won't know what to do, so you'll try to increase your cals to break a plateau. But then your body stores as much as possible (which is a lot, since it now works extra efficient from the little cals you gave it).

Eat your exercise cals PLEASE. You will be so much better off in the long run. You will look better, and be happier, and have more energy, and have more muscle mass (which leads to a higher metabolism, so you can EAT MORE)

Just as a note... this may happen to SOME people but I have been at this for a year now and have NEVER experienced this. I am almost 80lbs down and my muscle mass is just fine and I rarely eat my calories back and when I do it is usually a small portion of them.

erickirb

If you are following MFP's recommended caloric intake then you should be eating them as MFP is set up this way for a reason. If you inputted your own caloric intake that took into consideration your exercise then don't eat them back.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

surfrgrl1

True that it gets asked a lot, but I'm gonna answer anyway!

Last month, I bought an HRM, and was trusting the burned calories shown, and was eating 100% of those calories back. After a week or two, I wasn't seeing any improvement in the scale, (not that I should depend only on the scale, but I was doing a lot more exercising than before since I had bought my new toy) Anyway, I decided to eat back about 2/3 of what my HRM tells me I am burning and it seems to be making the difference.

I having my settings at 1/2 pound loss per week, doing this slowly and carefully.

I've been told to eat them back, been told not to eat them back, and in the end, I think we each have to do some trial and error to see what works for us.

Good luck and enjoy your journey!
:flowerforyou:

Jewelz_87

I never eat back my calories I earn by working out. I try to eat around 1200cals a day. My workouts usually yield around 400cals, so my total net calorie is around 800cals. This gives me the best results. I feel healthy and happy. If I eat back those 400cals then my intake is around 1600cals a day…way too many for my body type. I’ve heard from many doctors and many healthcare specialists and the always say that your total calorie intake (your net calories after food and workout) should be lower than your initial food calorie allowance for the day. As long as I get all my proper food groups and nutrients in my 1200cals it would be counterproductive for me to eat pointless calories just to make my journal balance. I tried both ways (eating my calories back and not eating them back) and I had the best results with not eating back my workout calories. I just stay focused on getting my 1200cals and within that, all the nutrients that I need in order to feel healthy and strong before and during my work outs. I see the calories I burn in a work as extra bonuses towards my weight loss goal!

_HeathBar_

Bottom Line: EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES!

erickirb

You will lose more quickly if you DON'T eat your exercise calories back. You'll probably lose "weight" at 1.5x the pace.

Then in two months, you'll stop losing weight. You won't know what to do, so you'll try to increase your cals to break a plateau. But then your body stores as much as possible (which is a lot, since it now works extra efficient from the little cals you gave it).

Eat your exercise cals PLEASE. You will be so much better off in the long run. You will look better, and be happier, and have more energy, and have more muscle mass (which leads to a higher metabolism, so you can EAT MORE)

Just as a note... this may happen to SOME people but I have been at this for a year now and have NEVER experienced this. I am almost 80lbs down and my muscle mass is just fine and I rarely eat my calories back and when I do it is usually a small portion of them.

Have you had your BF% tested? If not how do you know that you did not lose muscle?

If you have a lot to lose you can get away with larger deficits, but to meet your weekly weight loss goal on MFP you must eat them back, otherwise you may lose faster (faster is not always better), you may end up losing lean muscle, have less energy then if you ate the recommended intake, etc.

HauteP1nk

If your calories are already being restricted to a pretty low number here on MFP I would say yes you should eat back what you burned.

For example, say your daily allowance is 1200 calories per day but you exercised and burned 300-500 calories.... This means you only really 'consumed' 700-900 calories. That is WAY too low and can eventually lead to long term side effects - i.e. mess with your metabolism....storing of fat....lightheadedness.....headaches....heart probs, digestive probs, anemia, etc.

Since your calories are already minimized I would suggest you eat back what you burn.

erickirb

I never eat back my calories I earn by working out. I try to eat around 1200cals a day. My workouts usually yield around 400cals, so my total net calorie is around 800cals. This gives me the best results. I feel healthy and happy. If I eat back those 400cals then my intake is around 1600cals a day…way too many for my body type. I’ve heard from many doctors and many healthcare specialists and the always say that your total calorie intake (your net calories after food and workout) should be lower than your initial food calorie allowance for the day. As long as I get all my proper food groups and nutrients in my 1200cals it would be counterproductive for me to eat pointless calories just to make my journal balance. I tried both ways (eating my calories back and not eating them back) and I had the best results with not eating back my workout calories. I just stay focused on getting my 1200cals and within that, all the nutrients that I need in order to feel healthy and strong before and during my work outs. I see the calories I burn in a work as extra bonuses towards my weight loss goal!

the 1200 cals that MFP gives you is to lose your goal amount of weight with no exercise, once you exercise your body requires more fuel.

sabrinalg

You have to find what works for you. Everybody is different so it's different strokes for different folks. Personally, I'm one that can't eat back my exercise calories. I've tried it and it doesn't work for me.

_HeathBar_

I never eat back my calories I earn by working out. I try to eat around 1200cals a day. My workouts usually yield around 400cals, so my total net calorie is around 800cals. This gives me the best results. I feel healthy and happy. If I eat back those 400cals then my intake is around 1600cals a day…way too many for my body type. I’ve heard from many doctors and many healthcare specialists and the always say that your total calorie intake (your net calories after food and workout) should be lower than your initial food calorie allowance for the day. As long as I get all my proper food groups and nutrients in my 1200cals it would be counterproductive for me to eat pointless calories just to make my journal balance. I tried both ways (eating my calories back and not eating them back) and I had the best results with not eating back my workout calories. I just stay focused on getting my 1200cals and within that, all the nutrients that I need in order to feel healthy and strong before and during my work outs. I see the calories I burn in a work as extra bonuses towards my weight loss goal!

Have fun starving yourself.

reese66

Hi
I know this has probably been discussed before but

nahhh

LMAO

Michelle650

I always maintained that you shouldn't eat them back! I was eating a steady 1,200cals per day and exercising 3/4 times a week. I lost some weight which was great, but then I started to pleatau. It wasn't until my sister came home after spending last summer in France. We are both on here together and we're once similar weights! Before she left, she weighed about 159lbs and I weighed 163lbs. I worked my *kitten* off for those 3 months, watching what I ate and ensuring I exercised regularity. She on the otherhand are pasta and bread on most days and walked a lot. She was eating back her exercise calories almost always and I almost ever ate mine back. When she returned home I weighed 160lbs, a measly 3lbs loss in 3months, she on the otherhand weighed 148lbs. A whopping 11lbs loss! Slightly jealous!

Say you maintenance calories are 2,000, eating 1,500 calls will hopefull allow a 1lb loss per week. Them calories will cause you to lose weight, but healthily. If you exercise ontop of that, you need to add those calories back on in order to keep your body functioning and energised in order to exercise. Your calorie deficit is already built in, therefore those extra calories you burn, you must eat......you still have that deficit!

You could on the otherhand eat your maintenance calories and have no calorie deficit. You can make the deficit by exercise alone. Here you don't eat back your exercise calories because you had no calorie deficit to begin with before exercise.

Hopefully this helps!

cressievargo

I never eat back my calories I earn by working out. I try to eat around 1200cals a day. My workouts usually yield around 400cals, so my total net calorie is around 800cals. This gives me the best results. I feel healthy and happy. If I eat back those 400cals then my intake is around 1600cals a day…way too many for my body type. I’ve heard from many doctors and many healthcare specialists and the always say that your total calorie intake (your net calories after food and workout) should be lower than your initial food calorie allowance for the day. As long as I get all my proper food groups and nutrients in my 1200cals it would be counterproductive for me to eat pointless calories just to make my journal balance. I tried both ways (eating my calories back and not eating them back) and I had the best results with not eating back my workout calories. I just stay focused on getting my 1200cals and within that, all the nutrients that I need in order to feel healthy and strong before and during my work outs. I see the calories I burn in a work as extra bonuses towards my weight loss goal!

This makes no sense. Even a toddler requires more than 800 calories per day. You are totally NOT understanding what the doctors are saying. They are referring to your BMR and eating less than that to lose weight. The 1200 cal MFP gives already takes that into account (regardless of body type). Long term you are mostly likely going to slow your metabolism burn, muscle instead of fat, and end up on a major plateau.

MissMalinSara

If you are following MFP's recommended caloric intake then you should be eating them as MFP is set up this way for a reason. If you inputted your own caloric intake that took into consideration your exercise then don't eat them back.

As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1750*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

^^ THIS:)

erickirb

You have to find what works for you. Everybody is different so it's different strokes for different folks. Personally, I'm one that can't eat back my exercise calories. I've tried it and it doesn't work for me.

If this is the case then either:
You are under estimating how much you are eating (not weighing solids or measuring liquids)
You are over estimating your calories burned (not using a HRM, or fitbit device to calculate)
You have a low amount of lean muscle (lower BMR then MFP predicts)
You have a thyroid or other hormone issue,
Or you have a combination of any of the above.

If you are doing, and everything above checks out, then you should be losing on average exactly what MFP predicts as the only thing left is the math.

criscricket

You will lose more quickly if you DON'T eat your exercise calories back. You'll probably lose "weight" at 1.5x the pace.

Then in two months, you'll stop losing weight. You won't know what to do, so you'll try to increase your cals to break a plateau. But then your body stores as much as possible (which is a lot, since it now works extra efficient from the little cals you gave it).

Eat your exercise cals PLEASE. You will be so much better off in the long run. You will look better, and be happier, and have more energy, and have more muscle mass (which leads to a higher metabolism, so you can EAT MORE)

I am week 6 and gained 1.2 I do no eat all my exercise cals just some, and not every day. SHould I be eating all..?? every day??

ebaywidow

I do moderate exercise most of the week & do an incredible kick your butt group 2x a week. On the days that I do the extensive exercise, I wasn't eating my calories back & found myself starving the next day (which of course, I ate & ate). Eat your calories back to a point to prevent sabotaging yourself. If I eat back some of my calories, I'm not as likely to eat everything in sight the next day. I'm not losing as fast as I would have hoped but I am melting away inches which is totally cool too!!

Ladyiianae

You will lose more quickly if you DON'T eat your exercise calories back. You'll probably lose "weight" at 1.5x the pace.

Then in two months, you'll stop losing weight. You won't know what to do, so you'll try to increase your cals to break a plateau. But then your body stores as much as possible (which is a lot, since it now works extra efficient from the little cals you gave it).

Eat your exercise cals PLEASE. You will be so much better off in the long run. You will look better, and be happier, and have more energy, and have more muscle mass (which leads to a higher metabolism, so you can EAT MORE)

Yep...in a nut shell!

bosleysaf

By the look of it everyone is different. My calorie in take should be about 1500 per day, so as I train every single day I put my calories at 1200 and the 276 I gain back from one class makes up as near as dam it to my 1500. I always eat under my calories but not by much on average about 185 I have left most days.

This is my second week on MFP and I lost 3lbs in my first week so a total of 8 so far!

This is how I have been doing it, some people will agree some wont I guess it is personal preferance.

Feel free to add me if we are not friends already for extra support!