calorie goal before or after calories burnt?

lor_68

I'm confused. If my calorie goal for the day is 1250 and I consume 1250 in a day but also exercise burning 200 calories, does that mean I can consume 200 more calories? At the end of the day after all eating and exercise, should my calorie count equal 1250?

McLifterPants

Short answer: yes you can (and should) eat back your exercise calories. You are aiming to NET your calorie goal each day.

lor_68

Thanks!

Captain_Tightpants

Yep you can eat the 200. Your deficit for steady weight loss is already built into your calorie goal. The more you exercise, the more you can eat.

ddiestler

I've never really grasped this concept to be honest. I've had a hard time with exercising at eating those calories..wonder why they set it up like this?

TeaBea

I've never really grasped this concept to be honest. I've had a hard time with exercising at eating those calories..wonder why they set it up like this?

The set up is like this because MFP does not assume you will exercise (some people can't). MFP calculates a deficit BEFORE exercise .... so IF you do exercise .... you are increasing your deficit even more.

When the calorie deficit is too large ... you run the risk of burning muscle mass along with fat.

Extra food is like the FUEL for your workouts

EnterFitness

Good question! There are several viewpoints on this so it will be interesting to read the comments. Personally, I am torn on whether to eat them back, or not. I kinda stay in the middle with compromise by eating back half.

BeckyLH

You can eat them if you want but I try not to for better results.

TeaBea

You can eat them if you want but I try not to for better results.

Eating calories back ???? ...... Many factors go int this..... it's NOT one size fits all. When I don't eat my calories back ... my weight loss stalls.

How much weight do you have to lose? The closer to goal, the more imprtant it is to eat them back.

How do you calculate exercise calories? MFP & machine overestimate calorie burns. Heart rate monitors are more accurate

Basically - start out eating a percentage back - if you are feeling fatigued (or weight loss stalls) - eat more (hunger is not the best indicator). If you are losing slower than anticipated - eat a smaller percentage.

EnterFitness

How do you calculate exercise calories? MFP & machine overestimate calorie burns. Heart rate monitors are more accurate

Thank you for that -- I've been arguing this point forever!

virichi

...im a bit lost on this one too so i just eat back half. but even with that, if her daily intake is supposed to 1250...eats back the 200 she worked off, doesnt that mean her total intake for the day 1450? Which means she 's eating more food...thus putting on weight or maintaining her weight?

mtg125

You can eat them if you want but I try not to for better results.

Eating calories back ???? ...... Many factors go int this..... it's NOT one size fits all. When I don't eat my calories back ... my weight loss stalls.

How much weight do you have to lose? The closer to goal, the more imprtant it is to eat them back.

How do you calculate exercise calories? MFP & machine overestimate calorie burns. Heart rate monitors are more accurate

Basically - start out eating a percentage back - if you are feeling fatigued (or weight loss stalls) - eat more (hunger is not the best indicator). If you are losing slower than anticipated - eat a smaller percentage.

well said, I rarely ate my calories back and for a while that was fine, but as I get closer to my goal I have found I need to eat most of them back to keep losing weight and not be tired all the time. use the note section to help you keep a log of how you feel when you eat them back and you dont. Each person is different.

susannamarie

...im a bit lost on this one too so i just eat back half. but even with that, if her daily intake is supposed to 1250...eats back the 200 she worked off, doesnt that mean her total intake for the day 1450? Which means she 's eating more food...thus putting on weight or maintaining her weight?

Nope.

Firstly, if she eats 1450 and exercises off 1250, she should be the same as if she just ate 1250 in the first place, which would result in weight loss.

Secondly, even if she were eating 200 over her goal, it probably wouldn't result in weight gain/maintaining, unless she has set a very small deficit.

Most people choose 1+ lbs/week, which gives them at least 500 calories/day under maintenance. If you've chosen 1lb/week loss, you need to eat MORE than 500 calories over your goal to gain fat.

Scorpioangel

I set my own calorie goal so I don't eat my exercise calories back but I have heard if you let Myfitnesspal do it you should.

BeckyLH

You can eat them if you want but I try not to for better results.

Eating calories back ???? ...... Many factors go int this..... it's NOT one size fits all. When I don't eat my calories back ... my weight loss stalls.

How much weight do you have to lose? The closer to goal, the more imprtant it is to eat them back.

How do you calculate exercise calories? MFP & machine overestimate calorie burns. Heart rate monitors are more accurate

Basically - start out eating a percentage back - if you are feeling fatigued (or weight loss stalls) - eat more (hunger is not the best indicator). If you are losing slower than anticipated - eat a smaller percentage.

The overestimation is exactly why I don't eat them back, when I eat them back I maintain so right now I don't but I did cut my gym workout down to every other day. It's working for me right now but I will adapt as and when.