Should I be eating the calories I have burnt off???

brutalbaby

So my calorie goal per a day is 1200, I stick to this most days if not I only go over a little bit. I do Turbo Fire for work outs and can burn up-to 1184 calories per a class when doing class 55ez. Now should I eat these calories back to help me loose weight? My real question is, that recently I have lost 12lbs and a total 6inches all over but haven't lost any more pounds in the last week and a bit... is this due to my calories?

brutalbaby

By the way I am 23 years old, if that helps lol

amanda3588

You will see a lot of mixed answers on these forums, but my best advice I can give is to start with eating back half of your calories burned and see how that impacts your weight loss.

crafterpaula

depending on how high the burn is , for example 1100 I wouldn't eat all of those calories back but i would eat at least 1/2 back because with that kind of exersize you need to eat more than 1200 or your bodies going to think it is in starvation mode so eat 1/2 to 3/4 back but I would not eat more than 1800 though ;this is what you should do try next time you exersize try eating 1/2 back and see what happens you might be surprised ! I know I was i eat my calories back and the next day the scale tells me i lost ,not much a oz or so but loving it . hope it helps you !:bigsmile:

UnleashingLovely

Half is usually good.
But got to goals on here and set it to maintain just so you can see how many calories it would take to stay at your current weight and just make sure to always stay under that. :ohwell:

rainbowbow

You should always eat exercise calories back as you are already on a caloric deficit. A small to moderate deficit is more likely to stop a plateau and sustain weight-loss.(it may also keep muscle loss at a minimum)

Although, I'd like to mention I highly doubt you are burning that many calories. That doesn't seem accurate to me.

jawheb

I can only tell you what works for me, and that
is that I do eat back my calories. Clean calories!
It's real important for you to find out your BMR so
you know how many calories you need to eat everyday.

SomeoneSomeplace

I eat back half mine normally. I think I'd have a hard time eating as much as you're burning off. Sometimes I eat all of them and then some. MFP already has us set at a deficient even without exercise.

I am not familiar with that program but do you wear an HRM? It seems like you're burning an extremely high amount of calories if you're only doing 1 hour sessions. I would get an HRM to be sure that you're burning what you think you are. That way you can know you're not over-eating.

If I go for a long run and burn 650 calories plus chances are I won't eat all mine back. On a day where I do a shorter run and only burn 200 calories I may not eat them back at all. It honestly depends. But for you I would def eat more because you're burning a lot of calories and need the extra fuel

brutalbaby

Ok guys thanks for that, I will eat half back and see how that goes.

Does any one else have other advise?
Extra info:
I eat most days in the week healthy, its only on some weekends I will 'over indulge' slightly but even still I NEVER go over 2000 calories!

ErinBeth7

You will see MANY different answers to this. Some will say it makes absolutely no sense to eat back what you burn off...like its counter-productive. Others will say absolutely because you must "eat more to weigh less." I agree that you should eat back your exercise calories if you're only eating 1200 to begin with. I don't think anyone should be eating below 1200 calories. It isn't recommended.

Not to mention if you really do burn 1184 calories...you're only netting 16 calories for the day. EAT THEM BACK, for sure.

brutalbaby

And yes I do have a heart rate monitor. Not entirely sure if its really that accurate though. But turbo fire is a very high cardio program, it uses a lot of HIIT workouts.

TrixieMarie

I try to stick with the calorie count that is recommended but 1200 is hard, so I only go over if I am legitimately hungry. But I try not to go over by too much. maybe 100-150 max.

sleonardbranson

I do turbo fire as well....and on the the 55 easy, I burn about 600 calories....On the other turbo fire dvd's my calorie range is between 400 - 600 calories...maybe check your HRM.....Your calorie burn seems very high....It takes me two hours to burn that many calories and that would include a turbo fire workout, treadmill 2 miles, elliptical 2 miles, and weights......just sayin


Just ordered Les mills Pump...says it does burn 1000 calories in an hour...I hope so:)

jawheb

BMR is not something you wear. It's your
Basel metabolic rate. It's how much you burn
from just sitting sleeping breathing and bodily
functions. There's BMR calculaters all over
the internet. You just plug in your numbers and
it tells you exactly how many calories you need
everyday.

socdocme

Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, therefore relying on the scale to tell you how much fat you are losing as you gain muscle won't give you an accurate reading. In all likelihood you are losing more fat weight and gaining more muscle weight than can be measured by a simple scale. Still good reason to be happy and motivated! :-)

jillybeanruns

1100 calories for 55EZ is very high, inaccurately high. My average for that program was 354/session (~120 pounds when I did it). I can see someone burning double if they still have weight to lose or don't have a great fitness level, but 3x that seems grossly inaccurate.

I would say eat 1/2 back.

tashjs21

Yes

AmyFett

1200 is the minimum, and if you're burning off that much at once, why wouldn't you eat at least some back? Just kind of common sense, no?

dr3wman

Dont force yourself to eat back calories if your are not hungry. The majority of the time, calorie burn estimations are very innacurate. IMO, people should not log calories burned by exercise and should just eat at maintinance on exercise days

ericsperling

My calorie deficit is 500 cal/day and I usually burn 200 cal/day with exercise (walking). I eat all of my exercise calories back and have been losing 1 lb every 9 days. I've lost 57 lbs in nine months. I'm a male age 44 and live a sedentary lifestyle with a desk job.

Important!!! You need to eat before you exercise. The body needs fuel to ignite the fat burning process.

Jelleebean

i saw this example used a while back, and it made perfect sense...

you fill your gas tank in your car.. you drive til it's almost empty... will you be able to drive the same distance wtihout refueling?
no, you need to refuel, or else you'll break the engine down.

if you get a crazy burn in your workout.. eat'em back, you earned it... mfp already factors in a deficit for the day/week. if you're hesitant, eat back about 75%... just choose wisely.

TeaBea

So my calorie goal per a day is 1200, I stick to this most days if not I only go over a little bit. I do Turbo Fire for work outs and can burn up-to 1184 calories per a class when doing class 55ez. Now should I eat these calories back to help me loose weight? My real question is, that recently I have lost 12lbs and a total 6inches all over but haven't lost any more pounds in the last week and a bit... is this due to my calories?

Yes MFP (as designed) ... expects you to eat them back. MFP does not assume that anyone will exercise. That 1200 calories is a NET number. Calories in (eaten) vs. calories out (exercise PLUS daily living)

I eat every single calorie back & it works for me ..... however

1. I use a heart rate monitor (with a chest strap) & my exercise calories are accurate

2. I have my activity level set to sedentary and only log "workouts" ... not vacuuming the house, or walking the dog. If your activity level is higher than it should be .... you could already be accounting for workouts

3. I may lose weight slower than some .... but I want to lose fat NOT muscle. Very calorie restrictive diets will have you burning muscle .... this defeats working out. I would rather lose slower if it means keeping more muscle.

Start by eating at least some of them back. If you feel fatigued or run down (hunger is not a good indicator) ... you should eat more.

ohnuts14

You will see a lot of mixed answers on these forums, but my best advice I can give is to start with eating back half of your calories burned and see how that impacts your weight loss.

I agree with this. This is a huge debate on the website, and a lot of people will tell you a lot of things. Try it out, see what works for you. When you're exercising a great deal, you're going to feel hungrier. If you're already at 1200 for the day, and you still feel really hungry, that's perhaps a sign that your body is asking for more food. So just try it out, and listen to your body's needs.

WickedSpinSistr

I tend to eat mine back because I am starving, and because I burn nowhere near 1000+ calories in a single workout. The most I burn is 500 calories during an hour-long spin class. If I were to burn 1000+ calories per day in tracked exercise and not eat at least some of it back I am not sure I'd manage to get up a flight of stairs. lol

WickedSpinSistr

And it doesn't have to be a hard set rule. If you're hungry eat some/all calories back. If you're not hungry don't force yourself to eat something just because you said you would. Some days you may be hungrier while others not so much. Listen to what your body tells you and be prepared by having healthy options nearby.

secretlobster

If your goal is set to 1200 calories (the minimum allowed by MFP), I would suggest eating them all back.

If you are burning 1100 calories in a workout but eating 1200, you are netting 100 calories for the day. If this is typical for you, it is not only dangerous, it's also going to bring your fat loss to a grinding halt.

jpdemont

I can't believe that you are burning 1000+ calories in your workout. Therefore, I wouldn't eat them back.

I would believe that you are burning about 400 calories. Tops.

flslp87

i just asked this same question net vs exercise and now am trying to figure out how to eat back when I work out later in the day w/o eating 1K for dinner and going to bed really full....

And I do TF and wear my HRM and only burn about 580-620 w/ the 55 one (my fav) so I'd say you have an error somewhere....

Jacwhite22

how are you estimating your calorie burn? I have a very hard time believing you are burning > 1000 Cals / class.

TeaBea

i just asked this same question net vs exercise and now am trying to figure out how to eat back when I work out later in the day w/o eating 1K for dinner and going to bed really full....

And I do TF and wear my HRM and only burn about 580-620 w/ the 55 one (my fav) so I'd say you have an error somewhere....

Plan on eating more on days you know you will be doing cardio. The calories don't have to be eaten "after" the workout. I have a higher calorie breakfast & a higher calorie dinner on those days ..... my workouts are always after work.

alexis831

You will see a lot of mixed answers on these forums, but my best advice I can give is to start with eating back half of your calories burned and see how that impacts your weight loss.

Like how he put it! I think your calorie burn is too high for what you have listed. See if you can get a HRM. Mine said I was not even burning 300 calories on the P90X Kenpo and the averages are around 600+.

For me personally, I would wait it out though… sometimes people hit a straight line for a week or two then jump down. I was eating around 1100-1200 and I hit my flat line weeks. A week or 2 is not a plateau….and you can be loosing inches too. Get a body fat tester and a measuring tape. Its better then a scale!