"Eating back" Exercise Calories - Simple breakdown

bek416

Thank you for the information, I was definitely under the wrong impression. Seems a little strange that we get commended for being under our calorie goal on mfp then though.

I had this very question the other day - asked it in my feed... I don't know about a deficit under your intake but OVER 1200 calories, but I do know MFP doesn't commend you for being under 1200 calories, it tells you you are eating TOO FEW calories. Your calories IN, AFTER all deficits should be 1200 *at the least*. I finally learned this by asking a dietician. Anyone netting under 1200 will see weight loss stall or even gain. And let's not get started about the lack of muscle mass...

HotrodsGirl0107

I think that is a great plan for maintaining your weight loss but It stands to reason that you want to burn more calories than you put in until you get to where you want to be especially if you are overweight and your body will not go into starvation mode until it gets down to 10% or lower in body fat. I am glad that you have found a plan that works for you and wish you the best of luck

The only way to use this site for maintenance is to set your goals to maintain. It would give you a number that does not include a daily deficit to lose. If you put your goals to lose 2 lbs MFP will give you a calorie goal that is already set at a deficit. Either way eating your exercise calories just gets you back to the original deficit. Therefore if you are set to lose 2 lbs and you exercise and eat those cals back you will still be set to lose 2lbs NOT MAINTAIN!!!! You can create a larger deficit by not eating back exercise calories but even if you are over weight creating too large of deficit for too long can lead to metabolic slow down. Believe me I have been there and it takes a while to reboot when your metabolism slows to the point 1200 calories becomes maintenance.

lambchristie

interesting method and way of looking at life through an accountant's eye.

agooddaytodiesoft

What happens if you don't eat back the calories? i ussually excersise on the evenings (Work and college keeps me busy during the day) and the only thing i want after an intense workout is sleep..

tonya_yates

What about doing cardio and strength training.. Do I count both? Or just cardio? So confused!??

Adina81

Awesome post OP.
Thank you.

JDBLY11

I think really does depend on what your body will respond to. I have tried eating back calories and I lost nothing..absolutely nothing. I have to excersise and eat 1200 - 1370 calories to lose weight. No more no less than these two numbers otherwise I'll get nowhere :P

I'm the same way. Even eating just a portion of my exercise calories usually causes me to gain weight or not lose anything.

kenorus

Oh I know I do drink some of my calories others more than normal but I am active and socially active. I do classes, starting with a personal trainer on Wednesday, walk 2 hours like 6 miles and golf daily. Hoping you can tell me if I am doing this correctly. So confused

Ddietzz

Maybe off topic but, What are your thoughts on using weekly calories and implementing a calorie shift (zig / zag) approach. I have been reading more on this and it just seems to make sense.

christy7322

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TinaS88

Maybe off topic but, What are your thoughts on using weekly calories and implementing a calorie shift (zig / zag) approach. I have been reading more on this and it just seems to make sense.

I plan to be doing this but concentrating just on the carb numbers and zig zagging them. I think it's good for the body, so long as there numbers are high enough to sustain normal life expenditure without exercise. Just like with exercise, you body will get used to the same thing over and over and adapt to it. Keep it guessing (in a healthy way) and I think the results will be good!

KBoddu

Bump

marc8686

Quite a while since I originally posted this. Very good concept of calorie tracking through the accountant mindset. Recent research though has me thinking the 1,000 calorie deficit rule applies more to those less overweight. Big guys like me can have a bigger deficit without your bodies freaking out, as long as we are still consuming enough we don't starve ourselves. Still eat multiple small meals throughout the day don't let yourself go hungry.

johnrossmckay

Your body burns what ever is available as fuel. It prefers food because that is safer. But it does not discriminate about the source. It will burn according to your activity ie: living, exercising etc. If you eat less than it needs to fuel the effort then your body will burn itself for fuel. It may try to slow your metabolism and make you weak to try and save you but if you force it to work then it WILL find the energy until all the energy is gone. You can do permanent damage by eating too little. You can lose muscle, damage organs etc. But if you want the truth, the less you eat, the more the body taps into its available stores. There is no automatic fail-safe that will save a stubborn person from starvation. That is why people with eating disorders die.

Be mature and responsible, stick to the guidelines. 1 or 2 lbs per week as directed by a health care professional.

Losingthedamnweight

You lose more weight in your second example. You would also likely lose more muscle.

The scenario someone should choose is based on what goal they're looking for. Weight at the cost of fat and muscle, or weight at the cost of fat and a little muscle. There's no wrong way.

This is a dangerous mentality. More calories cut does not equal more weight lost. There is a certain amount of calories your body needs to run. Me for example, my BMR right now is like 2750, with a sedentary lifestyle, take that by 1.2 and it gives you my daily caloric burn just living a sedentary daily lifestyle, about 3300 calories my body uses daily to get me from point a to point b day to day. 2lb/week is the max recommended weight loss goal, thats cutting 1,000 calories a day below your total needed per day. hence my 2300 calorie daily goal. Do not go around telling people "well if you cut 1,000 calories thats good, but if you can cut 2500 calories THATS EVEN BETTER" because its a lie. too much of a deficit is a bad thing, if you maintain too high of a calorie deficit your body WILL recognize it as a food shortage and go into storage mode and quit burning and your weight loss will come to a screeching halt, or at least slow way down. (realize this doesnt happen overnight. its not like having a big deficit a couple of days is going to make a difference. this will happen if you make it a habit) its like a wood burning stove, if you wanna keep the burn going you need to keep adding fuel. I repeat, DO NOT think " the more calories i cut the more weight i will lose" its not true

My past with eating very low calorie diets and being anorexic would disagree with that "cutting more calories won't help you lose weight". You might stall, but at some point you've been at a deficit for awhile, you're burning more calories than you take in. Something on your body has to go. At some point, it'll be fat. I would rather argue eating too little is unhealthy for organ function and if you have too large of a deficit, you run a lot of health risks.

Sizethree4Ever

I think really does depend on what your body will respond to. I have tried eating back calories and I lost nothing..absolutely nothing. I have to excersise and eat 1200 - 1370 calories to lose weight. No more no less than these two numbers otherwise I'll get nowhere :P

I'm the same way. Even eating just a portion of my exercise calories usually causes me to gain weight or not lose anything.

Same here.

xxmarysmxx

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nergglf

Okay I do get that I should not way under eat my calories. I'm just wanting to know how much I should really cut back because just like said earlier I'm under cutting calories and now not losing. I'm still in the beginning of trying to lose weight. my bmr is 3233 calories and I class my self moderate actively so it's a 1.55 for my life style such right now is martial arts 3 days a week and I do just cardio at the gym 3 more days with one day off. that brings my total to 5011. right now(which I thought I was doing good), my calorie intake averages about 1700 to 1900 and 50~60 grams of total fat. so my question is what number should I be going for. my cardio days I burn around 500 calories and martial arts I guess around the same maybe a few hundred more. I for the most part dont feel hungry because I am doing small meals and snacks through it the day. PLEASE PLEASE HELP

nisharoseapple

"Interesting. It's strange how 3rd world poverty stricken countries don't have higher obesity rates with this logic. Wouldn't you agree?"

I don't think you can compare the two. The people in those countries that suffer from impoverishment are, more than likely, consistently lacking proper nourishment. Also, these people aren't eating like you and I in that they aren't ending the day with 1,500 calorie deficiency; they're barely getting any quality food at all. This is why bulimics and anorexics can lose so much weight in such a brief amount of time. However, neither the folks suffering from intentional eating disorders or the people you referenced in third world countries (who are impoverished) are healthy.

Mischievous_Rascal

Ahhhhh...this is why I just eat a little below maintenance and refuse to worry about tracking exercise calories anymore. Food + math sucks. lol