Do you eat your exercise calories?

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  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    The MFP system is set up for you to eat them, so if you're on some other program, do as you please.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    Basically, if you are using the calorie limit given to you by MFP then you should eat back your exercise calories. If you've calculated your own and factored in exercise, then you wouldn't eat them back.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Yup. I eat every last one of them, usually... sometimes more.

    ^^This is me too!

    I found out early on that I am one of the lucky people that HAD to eat my exercise calories otherwise my weight loss stalled.

    That being said, everyone is different so everyone's weight loss is different. If you haven't been eating back your exercise calories (but still eating enough to fuel your body) and are losing weight, then continue with what you are doing. If you feel tired/rundown or your weight loss stalls, then trying eating back at least 1/2 of the calories you burn.

    The hardest part of any weight loss program is figuring out what does and doesn't work for you. Sometimes you have to experiment to figure out. And never look at a gain as a failure, but as another step in the learning process. :flowerforyou:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I eat back every single exercise calorie for 3 reasons

    1. I am trying to lose FAT, not just weight. If my calories are too low ... I lose muscle too.
    2. I use a heart rate monitor, so I know my calorie burns are not grossly exaggerated.
    3. That is how MFP is designed. The calorie deficit is built in before exercise. Not eating them back is INCREASING the deficit (see reason #1).
  • michellematteson
    michellematteson Posts: 134
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    My reply from another post:

    Short answer: yes and no.

    Long answer: I have MFP set to lose a half a pound each week. Right now that is 1770 calories per day, and I eat up to that each day. I generally do about 200-300 calories burned through exercise each day. I see those calories as making my weight loss go faster so I don't eat them back. So in essence, if I loose a half a pound each week, I'm on goal, if it's a full pound lost, then the hard work with exercise is worth it.

    Now, over time I have found that if I burn more, like 400+ calories in a day, I drop below my BMR and I'm flipping starving the next day. It makes it harder to stay on my goal. One week I actually lost 1.8 pounds by not eating my exercise calories like I normally do, but I was very hungry and tired for most of the week. So the faster weight loss comes with a the chance of overeating and being miserable. I rather stick with staying above my BMR and be happy.
  • stephvaile
    stephvaile Posts: 298
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    Okay, my BMR is 1730 (according to various websites) and MFP gives me 1200 per day so I am already 500 odd less per day.

    So are you guys saying that for you, if you eat your exercise cals you don't lose anything even though your cals have already been adjusted by mfp to allow weightloss?

    Kinda new and a bit confused lol

    Cheers x
    mfp as you realise as already taken calories of for you to lose if you are uncomfortable only eat half back but if you don,t eat any then you will not be getting enough to support your exercise and we all know exercise helps burn calories more effeciently
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    Just wondering? I've done 750 cals today in exercise and am really reluctant to eat them!!!
    Hell yes, I eat all my exercise calories, have lost 21 lbs and never had to go hungry. Don't make things harder than they have to be.
  • GingerRunner
    GingerRunner Posts: 69
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    I eat back every single exercise calorie for 3 reasons

    1. I am trying to lose FAT, not just weight. If my calories are too low ... I lose muscle too.
    2. I use a heart rate monitor, so I know my calorie burns are not grossly exaggerated.
    3. That is how MFP is designed. The calorie deficit is built in before exercise. Not eating them back is INCREASING the deficit (see reason #1).

    Word
  • samantha0176
    samantha0176 Posts: 67 Member
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    i do, i just started 1.5months ago and my scale is finally moving in the right direction....also when i was going for 1200 cal i was always starving and was able to do it for more than few weeks with no loss and then i'd go crazy on a binge spree because i was not eating much, depriving myself, and not losing ....so i gained...and so on...

    now at about 1500-1700calories i feel satisfied, i have been on it since may1st...and still going ! i lost 5lb of the 7 i gained from my last cazy eating spree and 7 inches...and i think i can definalty maintain this for a long time....it has been 6wks and i am still going strong...o i eat a peice of cake and chocolate bar here and there..i go with the 80/20....but nothing crazy...this is the first time i was able to stick to it for more than 2.5wks....i am losing 1/2 a week and i am happy with that...i need to lose 15lb to get to my goal...slow and steady wins the race, right?:o)
  • steph124ny
    steph124ny Posts: 238 Member
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    I eat them back because I would be a miserable witch if I didn't. I could NEVER maintain 1200 calories a day for the rest of my life, so I'm not going to try that now. I net around 1450 a day which is a number I picked based on my BMR and TDEE. There are other websites that can calculate that for you. I'm comfortable with the amount I'm eating and I'm still losing. Slowly losing....but losing. I have to do this forever, so I'm not going to make myself miserable and hungry all the time, kwim?
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    The site is designed to eat back your calories. You should follow the advice of the site and monitor your progress over a few weeks (not days). If you are losing, then keep it up. If you are not you could consider eating back 1/2 the calories or so. Keep in mind that the calorie burn calculation of the machines is probably 30 to 50% greater than actual. So if the treadmill says 150, it is likely closer to 100. Your 750 may be 500.

    ^^^^This! MFP's calculations are based on the theory that you will eat back any exercise calories earned. I always eat back my calories! There is a caveat - If your calculations are wrong and you are not logging your calorie intake correctly or not estimating your calories burned correctly.....this can throw off your over all end result.
  • stephvaile
    stephvaile Posts: 298
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    I eat back every single exercise calorie for 3 reasons

    1. I am trying to lose FAT, not just weight. If my calories are too low ... I lose muscle too.
    2. I use a heart rate monitor, so I know my calorie burns are not grossly exaggerated.
    3. That is how MFP is designed. The calorie deficit is built in before exercise. Not eating them back is INCREASING the deficit (see reason #1).
    i agree you may lose weight initially noteating your cals ack but this is a long term thing so as long as you have set mfp correctly eating them back should be no problem
  • SmudgerSmithRhino
    SmudgerSmithRhino Posts: 96
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    Hell yeah I eat them back, I earned them, they are the ones that taste the best!

    You are already in a deficit by having such a low goal, so you should eat the calories back. Yes you'll lose weight faster by being so far in deficit, but not in a healthy way. You didn't put the weight on overnight so don't expect to lose it overnight.

    Eat your exercise calories, nom nom nom!
  • SmallMimi
    SmallMimi Posts: 541 Member
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    I don't always eat 100% my exercise calories back. Most days I would have a hard time consuming that many healthy calories. I'm still trying to drop weight so, I eat enough to not feel hungry and have the energy to do my normal workouts.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Yeah, I eat my exercise calories and all of those from people who don't eat theirs too :tongue:
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I don't, I asked my doctor for a plan for me and she told me not to eat the exercise calories, so I go by what she says for me to do!

    ^^^This. My doctor said the same thing!
  • charanne52
    charanne52 Posts: 88 Member
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    According to what I've read if you eat below your BMR you will lose muscle along with fat. If you eat at your TDEE level you will maintain your weight. As I am nearly 60 I can't afford to chance losing muscle so I will eat back my exercise calories to ensure I end up above my BMR (mine is 1592) and below my TDEE (mine is 1910).
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
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    Okay cool, I'll try to eat at least a few hundred of them but not all as like other people have said, sometimes the amount burned is not quite right on here and I wouldn't want to go over.

    Was just thrown by the first few people who replied and said they didn't lose if they ate them :-/
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I don't, I asked my doctor for a plan for me and she told me not to eat the exercise calories, so I go by what she says for me to do!

    ^^^This. My doctor said the same thing!
    Please be aware that most diets give you a calorie allowance based on your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which includes your average exercise calories over the week. MFP does not include your exercise calories in what it allows you to eat, it only calculates your activity level based on non-exercise expenditure, hence you eat back your exercise calories and still remain at the calorific deficit you set to lose X lbs a week. Your doctor will probably not be aware of how MFP works.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    Just wondering? I've done 750 cals today in exercise and am really reluctant to eat them!!!
    hell no... not if the goal is to lose weight

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