Burning and counting calories

LBash03
LBash03 Posts: 72
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, my whole issue is not understanding the calorie counting and exercise. My calorie goal is 1200. If I eat 1200 calories but also burned 300 calories during a workout, do I need to eat back those 300 calories? Or do i only eat 1200, burn 300 and just stay at 900 for the day? Help!

Replies

  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Ok, my whole issue is not understanding the calorie counting and exercise. My calorie goal is 1200. If I eat 1200 calories but also burned 300 calories during a workout, do I need to eat back those 300 calories? Or do i only eat 1200, burn 300 and just stay at 900 for the day? Help!

    Others will disagree, but I suggest you start by not eating back the calories. It's easy to overestimate your calories burned and underestimate your calories consumed. Stick to 1,200 for a couple of weeks, keep exercising and see how you do.
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    MFP does tend to over estimate calories burned. If you have a heart rate monitor use that and eat the calories back (eat enough to net your BMR which you can find in Tools). If you use the calories burned calculated by the site eat 2/3s of them back.

    1,200 is really low for most people so you may need to eat even more. 900 calories for the day is not enough to sustain your body. If you eat 1200 than burn off 300 your body only has those 900 to function for the day.
  • LBash03
    LBash03 Posts: 72
    I did read that nobody should eat under 1200 so I definitely try to eat at least that. I just wasn't sure how it worked with burning calories also.
  • FitForLife81
    FitForLife81 Posts: 372 Member
    Yes eat back your calories you burn but like others said MFP can overestimate calorie burn as does the machines. I would suggest a HRM to get an accurate burn!
  • dododo123
    dododo123 Posts: 105 Member
    Eat them back, because if there is a starvation mode, that would fit in that situation as well. Furthermore, no need to starve to lose weight. I was suggested 1200 calories to lose 1 lb a day, I eat 1400-1600 without exercise and lose.
  • mayerel
    mayerel Posts: 254 Member
    I eat back about 50% of my burned calories because as others have said, MFP isn't always accurate with calories burned!
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Unless you are really tiny, you need to NET at least 1200 cals...you will lose weight if you net less than that (like 900) but the weight would mostly be muscles and not fat, and more seriously, you will damage you metabolism to no eand and set yourself up to eat very little and gain weight very fast for the rest of your life....

    Eat your exercise cals so you net up to 1200 at least.... go look at the eat more to weigh less group for more info....
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
    If you pan on eating back your exercise calories (which you should, at least some), you should invest in a heart rate monitor. They are far more accurate than the MFP database or machine counts.

    Good luck!
  • JoshuaL86
    JoshuaL86 Posts: 403 Member
    Eat back your exercise calories! MFP has you set at a deficit already, you need the food to fuel your workouts. I eat my exercise calories back everyday and I have lost 50 pounds. You may lose weight for a short time not eating them back, but it could cause you to eventually plateau ( you do not want to do that ). :D
  • medaglia_06
    medaglia_06 Posts: 282 Member
    EAT THEM BACK!!! I started by not eating back my calories and found I was starving myself (I lost for the first month, then slowed and slowed). No one should bet less than 1200 and even that is low. What you should do is find out your BMR and TDEE and net anywhere in between the two numbers. I am by no means a professional, but I have done a LOT of research and this seems to be the most accurate I can find and what has helped me the most...

    Check out this website:
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

    Start with the Military Body Fat Calculator, then do your BMR (use the Katch-McArdle Formula) and go from there!

    Everyone is different, but this has helped me... good luck!
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
    Unless you are really tiny, you need to NET at least 1200 cals...you will lose weight if you net less than that (like 900) but the weight would mostly be muscles and not fat, and more seriously, you will damage you metabolism to no eand and set yourself up to eat very little and gain weight very fast for the rest of your life....

    And from my experience, when you transistion from a VLCD (after years and years!) to eating your BMR, you will hit one heck of a plateau. Better to start off focusing on proper fuel for your body.
  • medaglia_06
    medaglia_06 Posts: 282 Member
    If you pan on eating back your exercise calories (which you should, at least some), you should invest in a heart rate monitor. They are far more accurate than the MFP database or machine counts.

    Good luck!

    And this is great advice! I picked mine up at Radio Shack (The Source) for $50 and it has a chest strap for better accuracy. You do not need to spend a lot of money on these.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You are supposed to eat them back. That is the MFP plan, which keeps you at a deficit to lose at the rate you chose. If you are not hungry you don't have to eat them all. And if you are hungry after eating them, it's okay to eat a little more. Just try to stay close enough so that if you averaged your calories over a week to 10 days, you'd be close to the MFP daily goal.

    if you are consistently too low you run the risk of slowing your metabolism and thus slowing your weight loss rate. If you eat too much you risk not creating enough of a calorie deficit to lose at your desired rate. But it doesn't have to be exact every day to see the desired results.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Unless you are really tiny, you need to NET at least 1200 cals...you will lose weight if you net less than that (like 900) but the weight would mostly be muscles and not fat,

    This isn't true. The faster you lose, the more muscle you are likely to lose along with the fat. But unless you have some type of disorder, you will still lose more fat than muscle. Even when losing slowly you are most likely going to lose some muscle along with the fat. It's natural. It's darn near impossible to lose only fat when dieting.
  • toshie333
    toshie333 Posts: 295 Member
    What r ur stats?
    I am
    22, 123 lb and 5'3. I eat 1500 cals non exercise days and 1800 on
    Gym
    Days. This allows me to lose 1lb a week. I use a body media fit and it certainly gives me less calories burnt for gym
    That my old hrm. Start by using those calories burnt x if u plateau then eat 2/3 earnt back. Etc

Categories