WHY DO PEOPLE EAT BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALS?!

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Replies

  • DelilahCat0212
    DelilahCat0212 Posts: 282 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    a 19 year old "personal trainer" who doesn't know a darn thing about being "obese". Yeah. Sure.
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
    its very simple mermaid....the only thing i track is how much food i eat......period.....i workout hard and if im still hungry some days ill eat a little more....if im not i wont....im not going to eat just to fuel my "machine"...eat 1900 cals a day now and work butt off 5 days a week in gym...why waste more time than needed tracking estimated numbers

    Are you still trying to lose, or is that your maintenance number? Because if you're maintaining at 1900... that's pretty darn low for a young, healthy guy. :frown:

    I'm a fairly short 40 year old woman and I eat more than 1900 most days. Yay for a good metabolism! :drinker:



    still got about 10 more.......i will bump up when get where i want
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Why do people give a crap what other people do?

    There is a deficit built into your calorie intake if you are sent to any of the losing settings - if people want to eat their workout calories back and lose at a slower rate, that really isn't your concern.

    It is a concern if she wants to know the reason that people do it to further her own progress. Same as if I asked why in the world people would want to 'clean eat' or be a vegetarian... We ask questions to better understand things. I didn't read even ONE time the OP asking people to STOP eating their exercise calories. Maybe I missed it??? :huh:

    This particular point is one often argued about in the forums and divisive. There is no right or wrong answer so long as you are netting a healthy number of calories in a day. The concern expressed by OP is why would people possibly want to lose weight slower, which includes the assumption that people are working out to lose weight, which is misguided at best.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Why do people give a crap what other people do?

    There is a deficit built into your calorie intake if you are sent to any of the losing settings - if people want to eat their workout calories back and lose at a slower rate, that really isn't your concern.

    If people didn`t give a crap about what other people do then they would not post a question?

    So they make it other people`s concern when they ask for information or advice :-)

    OP was being a bit judgmental and also acting like everyone is here to lose weight at the fastest rate possible and everyone doing it differently is somehow wrong. She "cares" in the wrong way.

    She wasn't really asking advice - she was making assumptions and ranting without taking the time to really consider a 1.5-2 weekly weight loss isn't sustainable for most people, especially if they don't have a lot of weight to drop. OP also doesn't seem to understand that exercise isn't done solely to lose weight. Just like it isn't done solely to be able to eat more, or look better naked, or any one single thing.

    I don't know about you....but I work out solely to look AWESOME naked. :devil:
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    Why do people give a crap what other people do?

    There is a deficit built into your calorie intake if you are sent to any of the losing settings - if people want to eat their workout calories back and lose at a slower rate, that really isn't your concern.

    If people didn`t give a crap about what other people do then they would not post a question?



    So they make it other people`s concern when they ask for information or advice :-)

    OP was being a bit judgmental and also acting like everyone is here to lose weight at the fastest rate possible and everyone doing it differently is somehow wrong. She "cares" in the wrong way.

    She wasn't really asking advice - she was making assumptions and ranting without taking the time to really consider a 1.5-2 weekly weight loss isn't sustainable for most people, especially if they don't have a lot of weight to drop. OP also doesn't seem to understand that exercise isn't done solely to lose weight. Just like it isn't done solely to be able to eat more, or look better naked, or any one single thing.

    Thats what I was thinking? lol Thanks for clearing that up for me :)

    Well why don't you tell us what you were thinking?

    maybe anh we got a little towards there in the end lol! but am sure the OP will tell us what they are thinking....won`t ya hun?
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
    To fuel my body with the appropriate amount of calories and macros to keep things functioning properly so I don't make myself sick from under-eating.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Why do people give a crap what other people do?

    There is a deficit built into your calorie intake if you are sent to any of the losing settings - if people want to eat their workout calories back and lose at a slower rate, that really isn't your concern.

    If people didn`t give a crap about what other people do then they would not post a question?

    So they make it other people`s concern when they ask for information or advice :-)

    OP was being a bit judgmental and also acting like everyone is here to lose weight at the fastest rate possible and everyone doing it differently is somehow wrong. She "cares" in the wrong way.

    She wasn't really asking advice - she was making assumptions and ranting without taking the time to really consider a 1.5-2 weekly weight loss isn't sustainable for most people, especially if they don't have a lot of weight to drop. OP also doesn't seem to understand that exercise isn't done solely to lose weight. Just like it isn't done solely to be able to eat more, or look better naked, or any one single thing.

    I don't know about you....but I work out solely to look AWESOME naked. :devil:

    I do it to be able to lick extra melted chocolate off of my hus.... nevermind. :devil:
  • wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)
    I'm 6ft and you weigh more than me? Sorry, but judging by your profile pic I call BS.

    Ill post a pic of the scale just for you :)
    No seriously where are you carrying it? I'm not talking a little more than me, it's 19 lbs.

    Wow. As a 5'2'' woman who also weighs 168, I wonder if you're a total stick at 6'?
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.


    Please don't litter the thread with this nonsense. Someone might actually think you are being serious! :noway:

    DO NOT EAT ****TY CALORIES PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES, IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY FOOD!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)
    I'm 6ft and you weigh more than me? Sorry, but judging by your profile pic I call BS.

    I hate it when men compare their weight to women - and then have the gal to call us liars. :explode:
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Why do people give a crap what other people do?

    There is a deficit built into your calorie intake if you are sent to any of the losing settings - if people want to eat their workout calories back and lose at a slower rate, that really isn't your concern.

    If people didn`t give a crap about what other people do then they would not post a question?

    So they make it other people`s concern when they ask for information or advice :-)

    OP was being a bit judgmental and also acting like everyone is here to lose weight at the fastest rate possible and everyone doing it differently is somehow wrong. She "cares" in the wrong way.

    She wasn't really asking advice - she was making assumptions and ranting without taking the time to really consider a 1.5-2 weekly weight loss isn't sustainable for most people, especially if they don't have a lot of weight to drop. OP also doesn't seem to understand that exercise isn't done solely to lose weight. Just like it isn't done solely to be able to eat more, or look better naked, or any one single thing.

    I don't know about you....but I work out solely to look AWESOME naked. :devil:

    I do it to be able to lick extra melted chocolate off of my hus.... nevermind. :devil:

    I would do it so that he could lick melted chocolate off of me and take sexy pictures while doing it!! Hot body+hot chocolate=mmmm :love:
  • Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    Oh please...I burned an extra 1500 cals yesterday and a further 1400 today. If I didn't eat back my calories (or some of them) I'd be exhausted. I really need to concentrate whilst working, I cannot afford to be hungry/tired.

    I love the word 'whilst,' and hardly anyone ever uses it. Thanks! :flowerforyou:

    For me, I sometimes eat them back, and sometimes I don't. Depends on how hungry I get. Everyone's metabolism is different, and the MFP tool is just an estimate of several estimates - the chances of it being right on the money for how many calories you need are astronomically low. You need to monitor your progress and eat back calories if it makes sense for you. I have a pretty slow metabolism, so I almost never eat back a lot of my exercise calories, and I'm just fine. Some people just need to eat more, and others less. It's different for everyone. Just be sure you're tracking what you take in, how you feel, and whether you're making progress or not. Adjust from there.
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
    Becuase I am supposed to net 1400 calories a day. I burned 851 calories (per my HRM) last night. So.. if I only ate 1400 calories yesterday I would have a net of 549 calories. That's not safe. I have to eat at least some of those back.

    I had a week or two of overexercising and undereating.. it was not fun, afterwards I was lightheaded, dizzy, weak, and my brain was fuzzy.. I won't do that to myself again. Also it actually STALLED my weight loss.

    Besides, I workout to feel healthy too, not just to lose weight.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.


    Please don't litter the thread with this nonsense. Someone might actually think you are being serious! :noway:

    DO NOT EAT ****TY CALORIES PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES, IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY FOOD!

    so skinny cow is out, but Edy's is in? Did I get that right?
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

    Use the Military Body Fat Calculator to get your body fat %.
    Then use the BMR calculator.
    It will give you a chart. Pick your activity level, eat that amount of calories and don't eat back your exercise calories.

    I just looked at that and it is insane. I'm at a healthy BMI and used to be a dancer so know how much I should weight when I am lean and muscular at this height.

    According to that calculator, at the HIGHEST end of healthy fat percentage, I'd have a BMI of 19. That is, indeed, what I weighed when I was dancing 4-6 hours a day six days a week. But it sure wasn't the high end of healthy - it was skinny - even my dance instructors told me so.

    I used the BMR calculator on F2F to see what it would give me.

    For "Extremely Active" it says I should eat 3291 (that's total calories, not net).

    I just went back over the 4 weeks prior to this one to see what I've actually been totaling. 4359 average intake.

    That's a difference of 29902 over the 4 week period. I am pretty sure that I have not gained the 8.5 lbs I would have gained with a surplus that large.
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)
    I'm 6ft and you weigh more than me? Sorry, but judging by your profile pic I call BS.

    Ill post a pic of the scale just for you :)
    No seriously where are you carrying it? I'm not talking a little more than me, it's 19 lbs.

    Wow. As a 5'2'' woman who also weighs 168, I wonder if you're a total stick at 6'?
    Far from it which is why I can't understand why she weighs 187. You can see from my profile pics I am not a stick.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    Oh please...I burned an extra 1500 cals yesterday and a further 1400 today. If I didn't eat back my calories (or some of them) I'd be exhausted. I really need to concentrate whilst working, I cannot afford to be hungry/tired.

    I have had a headache all day. I have been hungry hippo too. Now, I am about to fall asleep at my desk, which NEVER happens anymore.

    I looked at my intake yesterday. I only netted 800. No wonder I feel like **** today! It must suck to always feel like crap by not eating enough! I'm not sure why someone wouldn't want to fuel their body properly?
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    If you don`t want to follow MFP then why be here?



    track food intake

    track food intake good answer! but if you track it and not follow the recommendations...why bother tracking? Why would you track calories etc?


    its very simple mermaid....the only thing i track is how much food i eat......period.....i workout hard and if im still hungry some days ill eat a little more....if im not i wont....im not going to eat just to fuel my "machine"...eat 1900 cals a day now and work butt off 5 days a week in gym...why waste more time than needed tracking estimated numbers

    That`s great news that this is working for you :-) but in the `estimated numbers` is this the same cals you are tracking in your work out routine? What I am trying to get over is many people rely on MFP to help them lose/gain weight and if you follow the numbers then it can be a great tool.

    So if you as a fit young man track stuff on here and can find it in yourself to admit that it is a good tool then it is helpful to new people.

    Am pleased you eat when you are hungry ;-)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.


    Please don't litter the thread with this nonsense. Someone might actually think you are being serious! :noway:

    DO NOT EAT ****TY CALORIES PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES, IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY FOOD!

    so skinny cow is out, but Edy's is in? Did I get that right?

    Skinny Cow products are my new BFF! F*** anyone who disrespects that product! :grumble: :mad: :angry: :explode: :tongue:
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member


    I will disagree with you. In front of me is my weight loss spreadsheet for the last year. In which, I lost 75.6 pounds of fat and gained 2.8 pounds of muscle.

    Yes, people normally DO lose muscle, but that is because they don't work out and they don't fuel the machine properly. My diary is open, feel free to look. I eat back my exercise, and I lose weight.

    All the proof I need.


    actually it depends more on how you were before you stared losing weight. people who never lifted or worked out can build some muscle. people who have will lose. i was in the latter group (i've always weight lifted since i was a teen) and even though i still followed a strength training program, i lost muscle mass. mainly because the amount I had to begin with my body couldnt support it any longer since i wasnt eating maintenance.

    Agreed and the study quoted spedifically mentioned that no measures were taken to preserve LBM - i.e. no resistance training etc.
  • GlitterMamma11
    GlitterMamma11 Posts: 143 Member

    Your deficit should come from your TDEE, not your BMR. If your BMR is 1700, a sedentary TDEE is 2040, so your deficit at 1200 cals is actually 840 cals, not 500. And most people have higher TDEE's than truly sedentary.

    This is the most helpful piece of info I've found on this subject. Thank you! Now I GET it! :happy:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)
    I'm 6ft and you weigh more than me? Sorry, but judging by your profile pic I call BS.

    Ill post a pic of the scale just for you :)
    No seriously where are you carrying it? I'm not talking a little more than me, it's 19 lbs.

    Wow. As a 5'2'' woman who also weighs 168, I wonder if you're a total stick at 6'?
    Far from it which is why I can't understand why she weighs 187. You can see from my profile pics I am not a stick.

    For one, women carry their weight differently than men. For two, women don't lie about their weight unless it's to say they weigh LESS, not MORE. Only a man would think that a woman has lied about her weight to make herself heavier. :noway:
  • StevenDial
    StevenDial Posts: 25 Member
    wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.


    Please don't litter the thread with this nonsense. Someone might actually think you are being serious! :noway:

    DO NOT EAT ****TY CALORIES PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES, IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY FOOD!

    so skinny cow is out, but Edy's is in? Did I get that right?

    LOL That is what I was thinking too!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    wow - i'm so glad i checked in with this board. it all makes more sense now. i totally didn't get the "earning back calories" thing. now I'll eat that Skinny Cow ice cream guilt free! Life is too short not to have ice cream once in a while. i guess it's all about choices.


    Please don't litter the thread with this nonsense. Someone might actually think you are being serious! :noway:

    DO NOT EAT ****TY CALORIES PEOPLE! IF YOU ARE EATING BACK EXERCISE CALORIES, IT SHOULD BE HEALTHY FOOD!

    I drink wine, eat burgers and french fries, eat chocolate, eat ice cream. It worked well for me until my BIL died and I started eating those things and losing track of my macros. However, my experience is that as long as I hit my macros first, I can do with ever I want with the rest of my calories and still be successful . . .
  • Maybe I can give you my opinion? The reason I eat some of my calories back is usually because I have run up an appetite exercising. I try not to eat them all. Sometimes its just nice to eat extra and splurge. Other times, I won't be hungry so, I won't eat any of my earned calories. Ironically, those aren't always my days that I drop a lb either so, there's no rhym or reason, sometimes we just want to eat. ;)
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?

    Im 5'5, 187 lbs.
    Im supposed to be 140lbs MAX (according to my doctor)
    I'm 6ft and you weigh more than me? Sorry, but judging by your profile pic I call BS.

    Ill post a pic of the scale just for you :)
    No seriously where are you carrying it? I'm not talking a little more than me, it's 19 lbs.

    Wow. As a 5'2'' woman who also weighs 168, I wonder if you're a total stick at 6'?
    Far from it which is why I can't understand why she weighs 187. You can see from my profile pics I am not a stick.

    For one, women carry their weight differently than men. For two, women don't lie about their weight unless it's to say they weigh LESS, not MORE. Only a man would think that a woman has lied about her weight to make herself heavier. :noway:
    Why make this a gender issue?
  • Cherryblosm3
    Cherryblosm3 Posts: 106 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    Oh please...I burned an extra 1500 cals yesterday and a further 1400 today. If I didn't eat back my calories (or some of them) I'd be exhausted. I really need to concentrate whilst working, I cannot afford to be hungry/tired.

    I have had a headache all day. I have been hungry hippo too. Now, I am about to fall asleep at my desk, which NEVER happens anymore.

    I looked at my intake yesterday. I only netted 800. No wonder I feel like **** today! It must suck to always feel like crap by not eating enough! I'm not sure why someone wouldn't want to fuel their body properly?

    Maybe its not that we dont "want to fuel their body properly" but that we're uneducated. HENCE the reason i posted this topic. And instead of getting indepth answers, I get attacked.

    Not once did i say DONT eat back your calories. Im simply asking WHY you would if you just worked so hard to burn them off.
    Im also not saying to lose as fast as possible (as i stated 1.5lbs-2lbs a weeks which is healthy) and that I just work out lose weight.

    I love having words put in my mouth :)
  • LisaWilson2012
    LisaWilson2012 Posts: 118 Member
    I eat half to all of mine back and lose just fine.

    The reason I exercise is so I can eat more and still lose.

    So do I...!
  • Be careful with the Skinny cow. It has tons of high fructose syrup which can make ou pretty I'll. It does me anyway.