To eat your exercise calories or not... that is the ??

wendyrvp

I am sticking to a fairly strict calorie guideline provided by my doctor (1100-1200). I have never heard of eating back your calories created by exercise until MFP. To me it seems like its negates the physical activity by eating more calories.

What are your thoughts? Does everyone do this?

:bigsmile:

samanthaleethomas

Nope I don't. I'm not entirely sure the concept either. I try to stay at 1300 cals a day but I don't eat back what I've exercised. If I burn a lot during the day I won't fret going over 1300 but with healthy foods.

sharonirwin

I was wondering the same thing and haven't been eating them

wellbert

Look,
If all you care about is walking on the treadmill and give ****all about conditioning or fitness - by all means. Create some crazy 1000+ calorie deficit.

If you don't want to be a sack of bones and fat when you're done - eat your exercise calories and do some training.

Nerdy_Rose

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advice.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

taso42

Eat at a deficit to your TDEE. It's up to you how to do the accounting. You can use the MFP way and take the deficit out up front, then eat back calories burned to keep the deficit steady; or you can use an estimate of your TDEE and eat at some deficit to that number, ignoring the exercise. Should work out the same either way.

docktorfokse

i believe the purpose of it is to avoid creating a deficit too large for your body to handle. I personally don't eat back calories, but I can't recommend doing so or not doing so because I don't know enough about it.

freezingmoon

as far as I know, since MFP calculates your desired fat loss initially, (i.e. my goal is 1200 a day, when my body naturally burns more than that by just being alive) it's fine to eat what you burn off exercising

taso42

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advise.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

The only conflicting answers come from those who do not understand simple math or how this site is designed to operate.

returningmyfatsuit

http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/




If you are to eat just 1100 calories a day, and then you burn 400 calories by exercise.. you are ONLY REALLY EATING 700 calories! 700 calories is not enough to sustain your body. If you are eating a low number of calories and not eating back exercise calories, you are starving your body.

This is why you eat them back.


That said, I don't make it a big goal to eat back all my exercise calories. I use them for my meals and such, and maybe even an extra snack. If I've burned 600 calories through exercise and have 250 calories leftover and I'm not hungry, I don't force them.

ryn013

I don't eat them back, it's like oh I'm going to buy these weights - but they're just going to sit on the floor in my room.

I feel like I don't get the full benefit of burning off calories if I just eat them right back. However, I like to see those calories as a 'cushion' in case I go over my usual intake that day. Also, if I truly feel hungry and realize I have no calories left - I just grab a piece of fruit, low cal and filling. It's not like I starve myself either.. So I feel it's a happy medium:)

77tes

Here is why I recommend eating back exercise calories: For me it is the secret to success. If I plan to eat out, I plan a workout in the morning so I will have lots of extra calories. I don't get discouraged because I can never have a cookie or an order of fries -- I just work out so I can "afford" them. MFP is the first time I have ever eaten back my exercise calories, and it is totally working for me. I'm losing weight (almost to my goal), I'm exercising a LOT, and I'm excited every day to face the challenge. I eat pretty clean, but I can splurge it I want to. :flowerforyou:

Good luck!

beckyinma

I am sticking to a fairly strict calorie guideline provided by my doctor (1100-1200). I have never heard of eating back your calories created by exercise until MFP. To me it seems like its negates the physical activity by eating more calories.

What are your thoughts? Does everyone do this?

:bigsmile:

your calories that MFP gives you is the base number for survival on a day to day basis for your personal activity level, minus the weight loss deficit. If you eat only that number of calories, you will likely lose weight. the food you eat within that 1100-1200 range is specifically for your basal metabolic rate. If you exercise, your body needs more fuel, because it's not going to get it from the food you eat to sustain life via your bmr. therefor, logically, you should eat back your exercise calories, because they allot the space to allow you to fuel your body to do those extra exercises. IE, to fuel your workout you must consume more calories than just the fuel required to stay alive at your current activity level. I hope that makes sense. I tend to zig-zag. Depending on the time of my workout and how hungry I am after a late evening class will determine how many I eat back.

irisheyez718

When I first started, I felt the same way you did, and didn't eat my exercise calories back. After doing a lot of reading, and great advice from friends on here, I started eating them back. As long as you are reasonably sure of the amount of calories you are burning, I think eating them back is a great thing. Since I started eating them back, I feel so much better, and I have a lot more energy for my workouts.

LemonBurns

I ALWAYS eat back my exercise calories - It's like the 'reward' for doing the exercise in the first place

CyberEd312

Spent the last 34 months eating back my exercise calories and have lost alittle weight... My BMR is 2300 (that is with a MFP 500 calorie deficit built in to lose a pound a week) and by eating my exercise calories back I am eating 3200-3400 calories a day on average (today I will finish the day at 3800 calories) and am still losing on average a pound a week.... Best of Luck to You.....

Thompsonbae

Okay so for the last 3 weeks I've been getting yelled at cause I'm having a hard time eating 1200 calories. Then on top of that I'm supposed to eat what I get back from exercizing.......seriously? So this week I did and guess what.......I didn't lose!!! I gained .4 of a lb, but I gained. ugh!!!!!! So, no I'm not gonna do it again.

mmb1007

I definitely eat them - if you go back to the recommended amount of calories/day set by MyFitnessPal, that's what was set to help you lose a specific number of pounds per week whether its 1/2 to 2lbs/week. When you exercise, you burn more calories than what you typically do each day so it gives you some "extra's" to eat.

engineman312

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advise.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

ditto

izzydino

I eat mine... nom nom..

kprangernix07

Nope. My nutritionist told me it sabotages your diet. the only way I have sucessfully lost weight, is to eat 1300 on days I dont exercise, and bump it up to 1400-1500 on days that I do (per her advice) that way I always have a deficit, but I'm still giving my body adequate nutrition. You have to work a billion times harder to burn calories than if you dont eat them!!! Calorie restrictions to lose weight, exercise for overall wellbeing and toning of muscles! Thats what I'm goin with! And it works!

returningmyfatsuit

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advise.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

The only conflicting answers come from those who do not understand simple math or how this site is designed to operate.

THIS.

Nerdy_Rose

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advise.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

ditto

He's lying. His abs are quite a bit more defined than mine.

wendiv130

You don't want to slow your metabolism down either by not eating back any exercise cals. It doesn't negate the work that you've done. You are conditioning your body and you want your metabolism to be effective all day. If you don't eat back the exercise calories, then to me, what's the point in exercising? You won't be giving your body what it needs to build muscle and stamina and keeping that metabolism going all day.

sydneysida

Agree, this is something that confused me too. I have been 'flexible' about this but in general have NOT eaten my exercise calories although I do track them. Have tried to read up about this but can't find anything that really helps. A lot of literature talks about burning calories and that burning extra calories is really important but they never really address how they count and what you do with them. I've been at it for 4 months now and whenever my calorie consumption goes over about 1500 whether or not I have burnt more my weight bounces up.
-25lbs

Vivaladziunia

Thats exactly how I feel. Its like going to the gym trying so hard to get in a good workout then eating. I feel guilty eating after a workout....I think everyone is different. A lot of people say its better but I guess it depends on how someone feels about it. To be honest I've never heard of eating back calories til today!

engineman312

You're going to get a lot of conflicting advise.

I always ate mine back, at least half or more, and I'm almost at goal and I have moderately defined abs.

ditto

He's lying. His abs are quite a bit more defined than mine.

true

irisheyez718

Nope. My nutritionist told me it sabotages your diet. the only way I have sucessfully lost weight, is to eat 1300 on days I dont exercise, and bump it up to 1400-1500 on days that I do (per her advice) that way I always have a deficit, but I'm still giving my body adequate nutrition. You have to work a billion times harder to burn calories than if you dont eat them!!! Calorie restrictions to lose weight, exercise for overall wellbeing and toning of muscles! Thats what I'm goin with! And it works!

Wow, I guess your nutritionist knows more than my scale! I wonder how in the world I've gone down 4 pant sizes eating them back? Who knew?!?

wendyrvp

Thanks for posting the links. So much to learn.

taso42

Nope. My nutritionist told me it sabotages your diet. the only way I have sucessfully lost weight, is to eat 1300 on days I dont exercise, and bump it up to 1400-1500 on days that I do (per her advice) that way I always have a deficit, but I'm still giving my body adequate nutrition. You have to work a billion times harder to burn calories than if you dont eat them!!! Calorie restrictions to lose weight, exercise for overall wellbeing and toning of muscles! Thats what I'm goin with! And it works!

Wow, I guess your nutritionist knows more than my scale! I wonder how in the world I've gone down 4 pant sizes eating them back? Who knew?!?

Actually if you look at the numbers, she is roughly doing the same thing as "eating back exercise calories", and netting around 1200-1300 every day (perhaps a bit less than 1200 on exercise days).

Same thing, different way of accounting.

irisheyez718

Nope. My nutritionist told me it sabotages your diet. the only way I have sucessfully lost weight, is to eat 1300 on days I dont exercise, and bump it up to 1400-1500 on days that I do (per her advice) that way I always have a deficit, but I'm still giving my body adequate nutrition. You have to work a billion times harder to burn calories than if you dont eat them!!! Calorie restrictions to lose weight, exercise for overall wellbeing and toning of muscles! Thats what I'm goin with! And it works!

Wow, I guess your nutritionist knows more than my scale! I wonder how in the world I've gone down 4 pant sizes eating them back? Who knew?!?

Actually if you look at the numbers, she is roughly doing the same thing as "eating back exercise calories", and netting around 1200-1300 every day (perhaps a bit less than 1200 on exercise days).

Same thing, different way of accounting.

True, I guess I was more disagreeing with the "You have to work a billion times harder than if you don't eat them". I should have just quoted that part. I feel that I CAN work harder, because I do eat them, if that makes sense at all :-)