Why Eating Exercise Calories is so important.

azazelrabbit

So what should I do if I'm eating back my exercises calories and my weight loss slows/stalls?

Generally it's because your metabolism has dropped because your calories were still low.
Try upping your calories a little at a time and see how that goes.

chunk1691

im gonna try it, thankyou.

whitetiger011680

I've been waiting for someone to explain this. Thanks! :flowerforyou:

edited to add: I've changed my food diary now to let MFP tell me how many calories I should be eating instead of deciding for myself. I haven't had a hard time losing with what I've been doing, but I don't want to sabbotage my matabolism and have to starve myself when I reach my goal just to maintain. Thanks again for clearing this up for me.

paruls86

I often hear people asking why eating your exercise calories is a good thing?
These people think 'That's extra calories burned, so that will speed up my weight loss.'
Well, yes and no.

The thing is, your body needs fuel.
Your metabolism, typically around between 1200 and 1800 calories, are the calories that your body will burn, during the day, every day. Even if you sat around on the sofa, or slept, or were in a coma. You would need this to allow natural processes like hair/nail growth, skin replenishment, organ function, etc to continue.
That's why it's very dangerous to eat anything under 1200 calories!

So, lets take the average 1500 calorie metabolism.
- If you live a sedentary lifestyle (desk job or no exercise), you would probably only burn 300 - 500 calories in a day by moving around. So you need 1800 - 2000 calories to maintain.
A significant amount of the population leads a sedentary lifestyle, so most doctors recommend 2000 calories a day is good.
- If you live a lightly active lifestyle (job involving some walking or some exercise (1/2 days) then you'd burn around 500 - 700 by moving around. So you need 2000 - 2200 to maintain.
- If you are quite active (some manual labour or exercise 3 - 5 days/week) then that's probably 700 - 900. Thus, you need 2200 - 2400 calories to maintain.
- And if you are very active (manual job or exercise 6 - 7 days/week) then you're burning around 1000. So, you need about 2500 calories to maintain.

This is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (or TDEE)

MFP will set your deficit at what you want 0.5/1/1.5/2 lbs/week or -250/-500/-750/-1000 calories below your TDEE.

Simples, right?

Well, ish. Let's take an average scenario:

--

Meet Jane. She weighs 200lbs, and wants to lose 50lbs.
Jane has a metabolism of 1500. She leads a sedentary lifestyle, so she burns about 2000 calories per day.
Jane wants to lose 1lbs/week

MFP calculates Jane's calorie intake and deducts 500 calories. She will require 1500 calories to lose 1lbs/week.

But Jane decides she will start running.
Jane burns 400 calories when she runs for 30 minutes.
She does not eat back those 400 calories.

Jane is now NETTING 1100 calories.

*NET = Calories Consumed - Calories Burned from Exercise
You're NET should equal your CALORIE GOAL to achieve weightloss.

Because of the extra activity, 400/1500 of the calories consumed have been burnt by Jane. That means the body must function on only 1100 calories per day to allow natural processes like hair/nail growth, skin replenishment, organ function to continue.

THUS, Jane's metabolism drops* to meet her NET calories (1100).
NB* This may take several weeks and will not respond to occasionally high deficits.
Over the same period of time, Jane's body will respond to the huge caloric defecit and try to preserve the body, by burning Jane's muscle rather than her fat. The number on the scale drops, but Jane does not seem to get any skinnier.

Now she burns 1600 calories on sedentary days, and 2000 calories on exercise days.

When Jane has lost 50lbs and returns to normal eating, she can only eat 1600 calories on sedentary days or she will gain weight again.

HOWEVER. If Jane decides to eat back the 400 calories:

She continues to lose 1lbs/week
Her metabolism will increase because (a) she is exercising (which increases the metabolism) and (b) because she is eating 1900 calories (the more calories she eats, the more her metabolism is raised.)
However, her NET calories remain at 1500, so she achieves ideal weightloss.
When Jane reaches her goal of 150lbs, her metabolism will be faster so she is able to eat more than 2000 calories to maintain her weight.

--

Do you see? But eating back her exercise calories, Jane is able to continue her weightloss without damaging her metabolism for the future.

Exercising and then eating back your calories is just about the best thing you could do for your weightloss. It raises your metabolism, allows you to eat more, and helps to tone/build muscle rather than burn it so you don't get that flabby look of loose skin.

I really hope this helps someone.

I know the maths but cant seem o eat my calories back last few days since I have upped my cals from 1200 to 1400 coz... there isn't enough space left in my tummy when I am eating healthy coz m not hungry anymore...
I guess this means i can sneak in some potato wedges on odd days...

Celeigh12

Wonderful explanation! Thanks!

Ghewlett

Happy to give it a go if it means I can eat more!! Thanks for posting

Lab2809

Finally! A well worded explanation. Thanks a bunch.

lenya_maria4516

This is an EXCELLENT explanation. It's really helpful to know that eating this way not only affects you during weight loss, but also once you have reached your goal. I think this is where a lot of people, including myself, would go wrong and wonder why I wasn't able to keep the weight off.

I sometimes don't eat ALL of my calories back, leaving maybe 30 or so, but I'm sure I can find something to top me up!

Thank you so much for this! I will be sure to share it with my friends x

Woooolywool

Bump! This is awesome! Thank YOU so, so much for posting this, I found it really useful and interesting, and will be sure to revert back to this post when I'm struggling. Thanks again.

x

lillydlc

So what should I do if I'm eating back my exercises calories and my weight loss slows/stalls?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience


Thanks to the OP for keeping this topic on the agenda!

Carim007

Extremely clear explanation about ... Why Eating Exercice Calories is So Important !!!

Brilliant !!!

Thanks a lot !!!

CariadsDreams

explained brilliantly, fab post

suvernscorpio

This really needs to be made a sticky so everyone reads it. It's written very well. Can someone do that? Who are the Mods on here?

Like most people I've read this stuff before but after a while I forget it and the odd day I still have calories left, I feel proud., which is stupid. I also need reminding a lot why to bother exercising in the first place!

Thank you again

tycholien

I can vouch for this from experience that my weight loss had stalled but I've increased my intake and it has started to go down again. It seems to defy logic which is why I had an issue with trying it before, but it does seem to work.

Thanks for the post.

Matt_Wild

I don't agree with this myself. Whilst I get my guys I coach to eat back a small amount of calories, it is nowhere near what is suggested here (I'll get them to have 25g whey and 25g malto post work out, around 200 calories). Also the MFP settings are appaling for those wanting to keep muscle - it suggests for me 128g of protein. Load of rubbish. If you wanna get skinny fat, crack on with the MFP suggested figures.

PeggyWoodson

Please tell me what OP is? I'm still new here.

MrsJ2006

Great information, thanks for sharing!

HorrorChix89

Please tell me what OP is? I'm still new here.

Original Post or Poster

PALady4JC

bump

PALady4JC

I am working with a nutritionist and asked her recently whether I should eat back my calories. Her answer was "not yet, not until you're closer to maintenance". I have about 125 pounds to lose. I'm going to print and show her OP's explanation. Thanks for posting!