Eating back exercise calories

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    This might be a silly question but..
    why exercise if you're going to eat the calories back? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't but I don't understand it really :/

    BECAUSE this is how MFP is designed. MFP does not assume that anyone will exercise. So the calorie deficit is built in up front. When you exercise you actually INCREASE the deficit. When the deficit is too large ...you actually lose muscle (along with fat).

    Debate on eat back/don't eat back is complicated - how much you have to lose makes a difference. There is wiggle room on activity level (it's a range really), calories burned calculations (MFP exaggerates many exercises) .... lots to consider
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    I do eat back some of my exercise calories but on days that i burn 500-700 caloriess in Gym, I really do not want to eat so much more...was wondering..what is the 'safe' amount so that body still gets nutrition it needs and not go in starvation mode?
    If you're hungry, eat a healthy snack. Don't overstress about it. Starvation mode aside, chances are if you're consistently hungry, you're not being "safe" with your diet. If your body is telling you it needs fuel, fuel it. If not, I wouldn't worry.
  • MissJenn85
    MissJenn85 Posts: 2
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    also, something to think about is what you're eating to replace your calories. Yes, because i burned 800 calories between cardio & weight lifting it doesn't mean i am justified in eating pizza. sure, every once in a while is okay... but 800 calories of pizza is NOT the same as 800 calories of grilled chicken breast, leafy greens, etc.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    Around a 20% deficit from TDEE

    That puts me at 1056 calories a day. If I go over that, I start gaining weight.
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
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    also, something to think about is what you're eating to replace your calories. Yes, because i burned 800 calories between cardio & weight lifting it doesn't mean i am justified in eating pizza. sure, every once in a while is okay... but 800 calories of pizza is NOT the same as 800 calories of grilled chicken breast, leafy greens, etc.

    Actually 800 calories is 800 calories because you choose to eat clean doesn't they are not exactly the same caloriewise.
  • BSchoberg
    BSchoberg Posts: 712 Member
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    I found I was starving on rest days and not able to eat all my calories (including exercise) on workout days. So I upped my "goal" to level it out a bit, but not a lot. Now, I eat back some of my exercise calories and try to stay at goal on rest days. I'm still kind of hungry on those days, though - so I think I need to tweak it more.
  • MissCarter79
    MissCarter79 Posts: 227 Member
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    This might be a silly question but..
    why exercise if you're going to eat the calories back? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't but I don't understand it really :/

    MFP sets your calories low so that you will lose weight without exercise. Then when you DO exercise, you need to eat more to fuel the workout. If you don't then you may be creating too large of a calorie deficit which is not healthy, and may stall your weight loss, or cause you to lose muscle mass.

    Thank you! You just gave me the easiest explanation by far! This makes sense!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    This might be a silly question but..
    why exercise if you're going to eat the calories back? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't but I don't understand it really :/

    MFP sets your calories low so that you will lose weight without exercise. Then when you DO exercise, you need to eat more to fuel the workout. If you don't then you may be creating too large of a calorie deficit which is not healthy, and may stall your weight loss, or cause you to lose muscle mass.

    Thank you! You just gave me the easiest explanation by far! This makes sense!

    You are very welcome. I remember being a little bewildered when I first got here because it is opposite of the way you might think.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I do eat back some of my exercise calories but on days that i burn 500-700 caloriess in Gym, I really do not want to eat so much more...was wondering..what is the 'safe' amount so that body still gets nutrition it needs and not go in starvation mode?

    I'm not sure what is really meant by "starvation mode" in this context, unless it's what happens to your metabolic rate when your deficit is too large and you unnecessarily burn off muscle along with the fat.

    I was able to stay on track with my 1lb/week weight loss goal and avoid hitting any plateaus by eating back 2/3rds of my exercise calories and by averaging them out over exercise and non-exercise days. For me that was a lot easier than dealing with swings of hundreds of calories from one day to the next. I've continued to average my workout calories through a full year of successful maintenance, so I don't think I've done my metabolism any harm.
  • NatashaB8
    NatashaB8 Posts: 202
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    This might be a silly question but..
    why exercise if you're going to eat the calories back? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't but I don't understand it really :/

    You eat the extra amount to fuel your workouts, and you workout to ensure that you are losing fat and not muscle, to strengthen the heart, increase endurance, become a better athlete, get stronger etc.

    And because adding some exercise/building some lean muscle means you'll look better naked in the end! :smile: Hehe.

    I certainly wouldn't mind that!
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    Around a 20% deficit from TDEE

    That puts me at 1056 calories a day. If I go over that, I start gaining weight.

    There's no way your TDEE is only 1320 calories. You'd have to be like 4 feet tall...
    My BMR is almost 2000 calories and that's just what I'd burn if I laid in bed all day.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Around a 20% deficit from TDEE

    That puts me at 1056 calories a day. If I go over that, I start gaining weight.

    There's no way your TDEE is only 1320 calories. You'd have to be like 4 feet tall...
    My BMR is almost 2000 calories and that's just what I'd burn if I laid in bed all day.

    Agreed. You calculated your TDEE wrong. Try this http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
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    I eat 20% below my TDEE, I take the difference between my BMR and my 20% deficit and only eat back what I burn over that number...

    For Example:

    TDEE = 2000
    20% off of TDEE = 1600
    BMR = 1300
    1600-1300 = 300

    If I burn 500 calories at gym I eat 200 of them back. So 1600 on non-workout days and 1800 if I burn 500.

    :happy:

    Edit- I also have my activity set to Moderate (I work out 5-6 days a week)
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/713460--eating-back-exercise-calories-simple-breakdown?hl=simple+breakdown

    I use to be confused eating things back, but this makes sense to me and is what I follow ever since I read it.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    also, something to think about is what you're eating to replace your calories. Yes, because i burned 800 calories between cardio & weight lifting it doesn't mean i am justified in eating pizza. sure, every once in a while is okay... but 800 calories of pizza is NOT the same as 800 calories of grilled chicken breast, leafy greens, etc.

    Actually 800 calories is 800 calories because you choose to eat clean doesn't they are not exactly the same caloriewise.

    They are the same calorie-wise, but the content of the calories is still important (maybe not to weight loss per se, so I see your point, but for overall health the content is important).

    If I've just worked out, my body needs protein and healthy fats and nutrients to improve the muscles I've just worked on, and nutrients to replenish my body's reserves. A grilled chicken breast and leafy greens gives me protein, healthy fats, iron, calcium, potassium, and a lot of other things that three slices of Papa John's simply won't give me.

    Not that I don't eat pizza, so I'm not one to judge! But the content of the calories is still important - even if I ignore that rule all too often myself. (grin)
  • janlee_001
    janlee_001 Posts: 309 Member
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    I don't eat back my exercise cals personally.
    Found the equation to figure out your basic calorie needs, subtracted 500 and have my set goal.
    Lot of ppl do this actually.

    MFP over complicates things in a lot of ways I think

    Where do I find the equation?
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I eat them back!! I try to net between 1400-1600 a day.
  • MissyMissy18
    MissyMissy18 Posts: 315 Member
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    I found I was starving on rest days and not able to eat all my calories (including exercise) on workout days. So I upped my "goal" to level it out a bit, but not a lot. Now, I eat back some of my exercise calories and try to stay at goal on rest days. I'm still kind of hungry on those days, though - so I think I need to tweak it more.

    I have the same problem!! And I've tried doing the same thing! I dunno yet if it's working.. it's only been a few weeks.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I don't eat back my exercise cals personally.
    Found the equation to figure out your basic calorie needs, subtracted 500 and have my set goal.
    Lot of ppl do this actually.

    MFP over complicates things in a lot of ways I think

    Where do I find the equation?

    here's one http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    If you're having trouble eating enough on exercise days, then don't worry about eating back calories, and maybe eat a little more on rest days.

    This is what I do personally because working out kills my appetite. Dunno why. IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MOLECULES

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