Calories, food, logging..Help!

msgabismit
msgabismit Posts: 195
in Health and Weight Loss
Have a couple of questions and need some answers. For one, eating back your exercise calories, yes or no? I've read many say yes, and many say no but they never gave reasons why not or why do so???
Second question goes to food- When you eat late at night, for example even if you have a banana because you're hungry..but it's 12:10am..Do you log the food for the day you haven't went to bed yet or do you log it for the next day since it's past midnight? I feel like since I haven't been to sleep yet, it's not the next day. I just want to be able to log my things right and need some advice on this.

Replies

  • HelenDootson
    HelenDootson Posts: 443 Member
    Eating back your exercise - Yes as you have already factored in your deficit so you can, or No if you don't need to and you are getting enough nutrients - Personal choice, both seem to work for me so I eat them if I need them

    Midnight cut off - That is a purely personal thing, I would rather get up with a clean slate so I would count it as yesterday not tomorrow
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
    1. use common sense on most of these issues; don't let the issues (or the message boards) get too complicated.
    2. personally, i eat back about half of my exercise calories, AND (more importantly) i don't trust the exercise calories provided by my treadmill or MFP. heart rate monitors are helpful, or i estimate 100 calories/mile ran and 2/3 of whatever the elliptical reads--those numbers are just from the research i've done on the topic.
    3. log your banana on whichever day you want. if you have spare calories on Day 1, do it then. if you don't, throw it on Day 2.
    4. do a search on the message boards for these topics--you'll find a lot more information than what i can give you.
  • msgabismit
    msgabismit Posts: 195
    Eating back my calories, sometimes I'm starving and need to eat them. Sometimes I don't. I guess by your post it really depends on the person. When I log something after 12am, I feel guilty if I log it for the next day..I feel like my body doesn't know it's the next day, neither should MFP. But I'm a newbie so my questions are kind of green. I apologize. :tongue:
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    Have a couple of questions and need some answers. For one, eating back your exercise calories, yes or no? I've read many say yes, and many say no but they never gave reasons why not or why do so???
    Second question goes to food- When you eat late at night, for example even if you have a banana because you're hungry..but it's 12:10am..Do you log the food for the day you haven't went to bed yet or do you log it for the next day since it's past midnight? I feel like since I haven't been to sleep yet, it's not the next day. I just want to be able to log my things right and need some advice on this.

    Re: logging: doesn't matter which you choose as long as you are consistent about it.

    Re: exercise calories: with the small amount you wish to lose, yes, eat them. If you don't, your caloric deficit will be too large and you will lose much more muscle mass than was necessary as well as slowing your metabolism. If you aren't sure of the accuracy of your estimated exercise calories, then eat half of them back.
  • msgabismit
    msgabismit Posts: 195
    Have a couple of questions and need some answers. For one, eating back your exercise calories, yes or no? I've read many say yes, and many say no but they never gave reasons why not or why do so???
    Second question goes to food- When you eat late at night, for example even if you have a banana because you're hungry..but it's 12:10am..Do you log the food for the day you haven't went to bed yet or do you log it for the next day since it's past midnight? I feel like since I haven't been to sleep yet, it's not the next day. I just want to be able to log my things right and need some advice on this.

    Re: logging: doesn't matter which you choose as long as you are consistent about it.

    Re: exercise calories: with the small amount you wish to lose, yes, eat them. If you don't, your caloric deficit will be too large and you will lose much more muscle mass than was necessary as well as slowing your metabolism. If you aren't sure of the accuracy of your estimated exercise calories, then eat half of them back.

    This makes sense, thanks so much!

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