Clarity on the Eating back exercise calories controversy

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Replies

  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
    I have a bodybugg so I know how many calories I'm actually burning in a 24 hour period. Combined with my food I just make sure I have a 1000 calorie deficit for the day. I don't have to worry about eating back calories.
  • astraldream
    astraldream Posts: 39 Member
    I'm new here but I've seen thread after thread regarding this and would like to understand why its such a hotbed topic.

    I'm working off some assumptions here because I don't use MFP to track my food because its not flexible enough for me. But if I'm getting the gist of it MFP creates a caloric deficit based on goals set by the user (it seems to be 1200 for a lot of folks). This deficit is to lose weight though diet excluding physical activity. MFP then recommends you eat back you exercise calories because they've already set in your deficit via foods.

    This seems logical to me. Is there confusion because MFP doesn't not explain the rationale behind this system? Again assuming, but if someone is eating 1200 and they are burning 400 calories a day they would only have 800 calories readily available to function on.


    This is an extreme example, but this type of behavior in competitions circles, mostly amongst women, seems to have lead to a rash of women dealing with extreme exhaustion, hair loss, depression, hormonal imbalances, huge rebounds (weight gain), cycles of binging, and metabolic damage. From what I understand stored fat is the last thing your body wants to access and simple carbohydrates is the first, so if your stressing it via physical demands and not meeting its need nutritionally your cortisol (stress hormone) levels will increase and cause your body hold tight to fat storage and even try to store more (because it thinks there is some sort of trouble coming and get into survival mode), but also start eating into the muscle.







    kiachu,, you look like you know how to minimize body fat and build muscle. What would happen to your muscle on a net calorie intake of 800?

    I know what would happen. I wouldn't get out of bed for that. Why don't other people understand it? I see people post threads about WHY are people eating back their calories. Is MFP not being clear enough regarding this?
    [/quote

    I like MFP it helps me really see how much i am eating. It is a good tool for me. But thats not to say its methods work for everyone. If this was correct surely doctors and nutritionists and health clinics and the government would be promoting it as a free tool everyone should use to get slimmer.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    The problem is that MFP is just an estimate. I can't eat my exercise calories back if I want to lose the 2lbs per week I'm trying to lose.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member

    I like MFP it helps me really see how much i am eating. It is a good tool for me. But thats not to say its methods work for everyone. If this was correct surely doctors and nutritionists and health clinics and the government would be promoting it as a free tool everyone should use to get slimmer.

    The nutritionist/dietician I see at the hospital here on post asked what I was using to count my calories and when I told her MFP she smiled. She uses MFP also.
  • astraldream
    astraldream Posts: 39 Member

    I like MFP it helps me really see how much i am eating. It is a good tool for me. But thats not to say its methods work for everyone. If this was correct surely doctors and nutritionists and health clinics and the government would be promoting it as a free tool everyone should use to get slimmer.

    The nutritionist/dietician I see at the hospital here on post asked what I was using to count my calories and when I told her MFP she smiled. She uses MFP also.

    but that is to count the calories, and like i say i think its a good tool for that, but if MFP methods were proven for evryone we would all be told to eat them back.

    Out of interest what does your nurse say to do?
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    The 2 people who are ripped advocate eating back exercise calories. Just sayin' guys. They seem to know what they're talking about.

    I'm not ripped by any stretch, but I'm 118 lbs and have around 17% body fat, I eat 'em back.

    I don't eat them back, and I have lost 56lbs so far, so I would say it's not the same for everyone. I'm not sure about the people you are talking about anyways, but sometimes people who have never been overweight don't have the best advice on how to help somebody extremely overweight lose. I have found out on this website by reading the post that there isn't some golden rule to doing this, you have to start off with a calorie deficit, and then adjust from there to what works best for your body.
  • luthage
    luthage Posts: 12 Member
    Those who advocate not eating back or having huge deficits seem to only care about fast weight loss and honestly believe the negative health effects won't touch them. Mostly because the scale is giving them the numbers they want and the hair loss hasn't been noticed yet. The weight drops steadily and the health effects slowly creep up. So they think they are just fine.

    The other camp sees it as a healthy lifestyle change. It's about being healthy, not skinny. Your body needs x amount of calories to function on a normal basis. Increase that number based on calories burned during exercise. Eat healthy. Happy body. Seems logical enough. Skinny != healthy. Skinny can be just as unhealthy as obese.

    The scale is the least accurate test of your progress. Most people gain and tone muscle while losing fat, which weighs more. Then you have water retention fluctuation that will effect it. Measurements and body fat % will give a far more accurate assessment.

    In 2 months here, I've lost a whopping 3lbs. However the 2 inches lost from my belly and noticeable increase in muscle tone tells a different story.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member

    I like MFP it helps me really see how much i am eating. It is a good tool for me. But thats not to say its methods work for everyone. If this was correct surely doctors and nutritionists and health clinics and the government would be promoting it as a free tool everyone should use to get slimmer.

    The nutritionist/dietician I see at the hospital here on post asked what I was using to count my calories and when I told her MFP she smiled. She uses MFP also.

    but that is to count the calories, and like i say i think its a good tool for that, but if MFP methods were proven for evryone we would all be told to eat them back.

    Out of interest what does your nurse say to do?

    She told me to eat 1800 calories for now (I was only eating 1600 before and hit a plateau for 6 months). I started losing again when I upped my calorie intake. I usually hit the 1200 net, but not always. I am going to talk more with her about it at our next appointment. I do eat between my BMR and TDEE though. At 1600, I was eating just below my BMR.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member

    In 2 months here, I've lost a whopping 3lbs. However the 2 inches lost from my belly and noticeable increase in muscle tone tells a different story.

    :smile:

    This made me smile because I have literally only lost 4lbs in the last 2 months yet I have lost 7 inches from my body total as of this past weekend.
  • brandichula
    brandichula Posts: 24
    ok after reading everyones thoughts, opinons, ideas.. i am even more confused. My math is perfectly fine, but Im confused on my plan now. My goal is 1200 calories. But burn average 400-500 w/ exercise. Should I eat back the 400-500 calories to maintain what I want to lose?? Ive heard both sides yes/no....
  • astraldream
    astraldream Posts: 39 Member
    ok after reading everyones thoughts, opinons, ideas.. i am even more confused. My math is perfectly fine, but Im confused on my plan now. My goal is 1200 calories. But burn average 400-500 w/ exercise. Should I eat back the 400-500 calories to maintain what I want to lose?? Ive heard both sides yes/no....

    In my opinion if you are hungry i would eat some back. if not dont do it and make yourself feel ill.
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    ok after reading everyones thoughts, opinons, ideas.. i am even more confused. My math is perfectly fine, but Im confused on my plan now. My goal is 1200 calories. But burn average 400-500 w/ exercise. Should I eat back the 400-500 calories to maintain what I want to lose?? Ive heard both sides yes/no....

    LOL It does get confusing. Even I, who have been doing this for quite some time, question myself and see the nutritionist even after my doctor told me they don't see why I want to see a nutritionist at all. If you are only eating 1200, I would say at least eat some of them back. What they are trying to tell you is that you should net 1200 calories a day meaning if I eat 1200 a day and i workout and burn 600 I should eat that back. If I eat 1800 a day and I work off 600, I am netting 1200 still so i'm good not to eat them back if I don't want to. :)
  • astraldream
    astraldream Posts: 39 Member
    ok after reading everyones thoughts, opinons, ideas.. i am even more confused. My math is perfectly fine, but Im confused on my plan now. My goal is 1200 calories. But burn average 400-500 w/ exercise. Should I eat back the 400-500 calories to maintain what I want to lose?? Ive heard both sides yes/no....

    LOL It does get confusing. Even I, who have been doing this for quite some time, question myself and see the nutritionist even after my doctor told me they don't see why I want to see a nutritionist at all. If you are only eating 1200, I would say at least eat some of them back. What they are trying to tell you is that you should net 1200 calories a day meaning if I eat 1200 a day and i workout and burn 600 I should eat that back. If I eat 1800 a day and I work off 600, I am netting 1200 still so i'm good not to eat them back if I don't want to. :)

    I think this sounds sensible
  • Drop_it_Like_Its_Hawt
    Drop_it_Like_Its_Hawt Posts: 226 Member
    I used to have an all or nothing approach to dieting (either going so extreme that I lose a bunch and regain it, or giving up entirely and slowly gaining anyway), so right now it's ALL about moderation. Therefore, I kept my weight loss rate low in the first place at 1.5 lbs. per week, and decided to eat no more than the calories listed pre-exercise, no matter how much more I burned with exercise later. So if I happen to have an active week and burn a little more, great - I've got plenty of fat reserves to burn off. I don't look at those calories I burn from walking, biking, etc. and think "Hey, I get to eat all that now!" I think of it as "Hey, I'm going to lose weight that much easier!" Otherwise, "eating back" just becomes some legal loophole to eventually end up cheating on the diet again.

    Disclaimer: I know that method isn't for everyone, so I'm not trying to preach it as "the only way" - that's just what's been working for me the last month.
  • sethharmon
    sethharmon Posts: 10
    Oye! This drives me nuts.

    You exercise? EAT IT BACK! Simple. The end.

    The confusion comes in when someone logs dusting for 20 minutes as "Cleaning, light moderate effort" for 30 minutes, and it says they burn 200 calories. They eat the 200 calories and then say "But, I thought I was supposed to eat my calories back!" Yeah, if you had actually burned 200 calories, you would be golden. But you probably burned 60-100. If you had been running up and down the stairs, and vacuuming, and moving things, and making beds, and logged it for the right amount of time, you would be spot on.

    MFP CAN overestimate your calories burned, which is why people use Heart Rate Monitors (commonly referred to as HRM). I personally don't have one. I eat my exercise calories. I'm honest with the intensity of the intensity of my workouts. I lose weight like it's going out of style.

    FUEL YOUR BODY PEOPLE!

    <<like>>
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
    it's a hot bed because of people who think their way is the only way. I have done just fine without eating back my exercise calories and have tried eating them back only to gain or stall out. I know of other people who have shared that experience. I also know of people who swear they never lost a pound until they started eating their exercise calories back or stalled until they started eating more. I don't see it as a controversy so long as both sides of the isle can accept that we don't all have to take the same road to success.

    This. We are not machines, and our bodies don't all work exactly the same. Do what works for you, but by all means eat more calories if you can & still lose weight.
  • brandichula
    brandichula Posts: 24
    Thanks everyone!!! Lol think I get it!!! I will listen to my body and if it burned off and I feel hungry I will fuel back up!!! Thanks for ALL the advice!!!
  • sydnisd183
    sydnisd183 Posts: 247 Member
    OP, you look like how I want to look. How did you do it? Thanks

    Melissa
  • aegisprncs
    aegisprncs Posts: 236 Member
    I was on a plateau for two (2) months eating my 1200 calories. I am happy to say that that plateau has crashed and I am losing weight again and it's ALL thanks to eating my burn calories! And I don't ever feel hungry.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    OP, you look like how I want to look. How did you do it? Thanks

    Melissa



    She does look FABULOUS! I bet she eats her exercise calories, lol.
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    I think if people are logging 850 calories for an hour of exercise, that may be why they are hesitant to eat all of those calories back.

    I want to know how people are burning that much in one hour.


    The more you weigh, the more you burn in a workout. So obese people burn more calories in an hours workout.
  • liss125
    liss125 Posts: 77
    I think if people are logging 850 calories for an hour of exercise, that may be why they are hesitant to eat all of those calories back.

    I want to know how people are burning that much in one hour.


    The more you weigh, the more you burn in a workout. So obese people burn more calories in an hour.

    But how many obese people can keep the intensity up for a full hour or more to earn these huge calorie burns that I often see in these posts? A 250 pound person can walk for an hour, but a 600-800 calorie deficit sounds too high. I don't know, I just think some people think cardio burns more than it actually does; and it's the averages on this site that misleads them.
  • liss125
    liss125 Posts: 77
    I think if people are logging 850 calories for an hour of exercise, that may be why they are hesitant to eat all of those calories back.

    I want to know how people are burning that much in one hour.


    The more you weigh, the more you burn in a workout. So obese people burn more calories in an hour.

    But how many obese people can keep the intensity up for a full hour or more to earn these huge calorie burns that I often see in these posts? A 250 pound person can walk for an hour, but a 600-800 calorie deficit sounds too high. I don't know, I just think some people think cardio burns more than it actually does; and it's the averages on this site that misleads them.

    Sorry I messed up the quotes and don't know how to fix it :P
  • smiler_87
    smiler_87 Posts: 26
    I haven't ate back mine the last two nights and I ate most of them tonight... but I plan on having a cheeky night tomorrow so hopefully it'll even itself out!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    The 2 people who are ripped advocate eating back exercise calories. Just sayin' guys. They seem to know what they're talking about.

    I'm not ripped by any stretch, but I'm 118 lbs and have around 17% body fat, I eat 'em back.

    I agree......I also eat them back........served me well!!
  • vguynes
    vguynes Posts: 753 Member
    Bump
  • pinthin87
    pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
    I think this is a hot button topic because everyone loses weight differently. People think there is some type of magic formula but in truth we are all different. However, being healthy is something I think everyone should take into consideration. It really isn't healthy to be set at 1200 execise and burn 500 and then not eat back those cals. The net calories left is too low and no one can survive like that!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    MFP also confuses what they are doing, because during your Diet/Fitness profile setup - you do indeed enter exercise goals, minutes and frequency.

    And there is no explanation that it is only your Activity level, with no exercise included, that forms the basis for where the deficit is taken from.

    Not sure how badly the app does it during setup, but that is a confusing idea to begin with, compared to most other sites that do indeed include planned exercise in the daily figure before taking the deficit.

    Or even better, let you pick your motivation.

    Exercise more to get to eat more, and keep your deficit.
    MFP method to log and eat back exercise.

    or

    Exercise to what you planned because you are already eating more, and want to keep the deficit.
    With reminder perhaps to drop so many calories of your eating goal from workout until you've done it.
    Then you could have reminders setup to annoy you to workout.

    But frankly, it seems like everyone on MFP is great about doing their exercise. In fact, probably more than they'll be able to maintain for long-term.

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