Do you eat back your workout calories?

ladybug4233

I am not sure if I should be eating back my workout calories. What do you do?

BrazenHarpy

I eat back most of mine. I'm a pretty avid biker (and a very reluctant jogger), and I've found that if I don't consistently eat back my exercise calories I can't perform as well when I bike or jog.

beckajw

I mostly eat mine. Some days I don't, but then again, some days I eat more than just the workout for that day. I only count my workouts, not cleaning, gardening, etc.

sonia6570

I eat mine. I've tried sticking to the suggested 1200 cals, but it started making me sick. I'm feeling pretty good if I've eaten 1400-1500 calories a day and doing my workouts.

Sakye

I mostly don't. Not sure if it's a good thing to do, though...

oOMusicBabii

I eat back most of mine.

I feel best and steadily lose when I net 1400-1600 daily (recommended eating 1620 then I burn 300-600)

shenaniguns

I try not to, but sometimes I will eat an extra 100-200 calories and I feel a lot less guilty when I have worked out. I know there are a lot of people on here that feel strongly that you always should eat back, but I just do not lose weight when I do.

lizard053

Gotta find what works for you! For me, being hypothyroid, I can't eat more than an extra 200 calories, no matter how much I burn with exercise.

Nalgh94

I usually don't eat all of it back but I do eat some back or else you'd go into starvation mode

MinnieInMaine

You're going to get a lot of different answer on here.. The folks who set up the website believe that's how it should work so they give you back your exercise calories. The idea behind that is, you already get a calorie deficit based on how active you are and how many pounds you said you'd like to lose per week. If you add exercise to the mix, you're creating an even bigger deficit. While I don't like the term "starvation mode" because it's misused and overused, the concept behind it is valid - too much of a deficit and your body will not want to give up stored fats because it's not getting enough nutrients.

That being said, many members find the calorie burns that MFP calculates are overestimates. If you'd like to try eating back your calories, maybe go with half to 2/3rds of what MFP gives you. Or invest in a good heart rate monitor (HRM).

I'd also like to add that it's not great for you body if you net below 1200 on a regular basis. You'll get that message from the website for a reason...

Best of luck!

BetterCrazyThanLazy

I eat some but not all of them on the days when I am super hungry.

paleirishmother

I DON'T. I had been told to eat back my exercise calories, so I did for 4 weeks. Instead of losing my normal 2lbs, I gained 3lbs. It doesn't work for me.

ravihira1892

i pretty much eat all mine but i am on a bulk after all!

TeachTheGirl

I don't, but I'm going to be adding more exercise to my normally sedentary routine, so I'm looking to try eating back my exercise calories these next few weeks. I'm prepared for my body to gain a few pounds as it works itself out.

jacksonpt

It depends on how you setup your goals... there is no 1 right answer.

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/383956-exercise-calories-explained?hl=exercise+calories+explained

CallOnRo

I do not lose weight when I eat back my exercise calories. That is what works for me.

ebutters1

Yes, As long as I maintain my limit. otherwise I'm starving. Plus, I thought that is what you are supposed to do. No?

diztimetoshine

I recently checked about with this with a fitness expert. She instructed me not to eat back my calories based upon my activity... I have a desk job and with trying to make it to the gym an hour a day (5-6 days per week) and my house work.. She told me if I had an strenuous job such as construction worker, laborer, ect or was an extreme exercise buff, then she would suggest I eat back the calories. Now, I am def not eating the calories, haven't been able to work out due to a foot injury (sprained it walking my dog) having MRI on Friday.

fit4lifeUcan2

I do not. I eat 1200 calories per MFP and put in my exercise at the end of the day. I am also doing WW and eat ONLY my daily points and rarely ever go over. That being said I don't do massive hard core work outs like some people do. I go for walks 2's a day with my dog, do crunches and use some weights. I lose on average 1.9 pounds per week. Its working for me so I'm not going to knock it. If you need to eat more to lose weight because your exercising a great deal then eat your work out points but I don't personally need them.

katamus

MFP is designed so that you EAT BACK your exercise calories. It's already built a deficit for you.

I always eat back all of mine. You do not want to consistently net too low.

3LittleMonkeyMom

I eat them back as much as I can.

carajpjones

You are definitely supposed to eat back your workout calories because it is all acounted for in your net goal for the day. however, if you only have a few more pounds to lose it makes continued weight loss very difficult. I only have 10 more pounds to go and I have started to not eat back about 200 of my exercise calories a day to create a greater deficit throughout the week because it won't let my net goal be less than 1200 and it kinda needs to be if i want to see the scale drop. I just make sure to actually eat 1200 and then burn with exercise. If you do a big workout you have to eat back at least most of them to replenish your body and not starve yourself, and the day before my very long runs I make sure to eat back my workout calories burned so i am properly feuled for the next day. I think the most important thing is to listen to your body. if you have a lot of weight to lose you should definitely eat them back as they are intended to be.. I'm not fitness or nutrition expert, but this is what i have found to work for me and have researched around on the internet to make sure it wouldnt be damaging to my body to do this. good luck!

Wabbit05

YES!!! I workout so I can eat more! MFP already gives you a deficiency so eating back those calories is not going to hurt my weight loss. In fact, it helps fuel my weight loss since if I didn't eat them back, I would probably be under my BMI which is bad. So YES!

californiagirl2012

I Ignore exercise calories because they are over estimated. Most people underestimate calories so give it 10% less in the total. Also packaging will underestimate because legally they can put more not less so they will error on the more side. I learned this all from a book I called Anything Goes Diet, written by someone with multiple PHD's and he knows his stuff and I've had a chance to talk with the author.

If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for women over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I am a living breathing example of that. I went from obese to now under 12% BF and I've maintained for one year and built muscle the whole time. You don't BUILD muscle in starvation mode, so I proved everyone wrong.

My blog http://bobbiesfitness.com/

buffyanne1

No.Why would I want to work as hard as I do everyday to lose those calories only to eat them back?Kinda negates the whole workout doesent it?What is the purpose of working out if your just gonna eat back what you just burned off.No thanks,Im trying to lose,not gain.Everytime I eat them back I gain.

carlene7937

i dont if i can help it i feel as though the exercise helps to loose more weight !!

jacksonpt

MFP is designed so that you EAT BACK your exercise calories. It's already built a deficit for you.

Not necessarily, but that is how most people use it.

UrbanWild

I am not sure if I should be eating back my workout calories. What do you do?

MFP gives you 'extra calories' for your workouts--but that doesn't mean you need to eat them--why would you want to? The whole point of successful weight loss is to scale back the calories by maintaining proper, balanced nutrition in order to trigger your body's natural fat buring process. I always have a surplus at the end of the day and quite frankly I find that I just can't eat that much now that I'm eating more healthy. I mean, I eat a lot when you look at my diary, but really, it's just all good food that's not going to waste--or my WAIST!

Debbe2

Lots and lots of people on MFP do and are successful with weight loss. Others don't. I do not and have not all along and it has been working for me. Try it either way and find what you're most comfortable with and gives you success.

olong

not exactly.... I eat my protein grams back... rather than focus on the calories on exercise days, I focus on hitting my protein macros (currently set at 30%)

angel_eyes17

At first I didn't. I couldn't lose my belly no matter what I did. Then I not only ate back my exercise calories, but raised my calories from 1200 to 1350. (Only leaving myself a 10% deficit) That actually worked.