Eating back workout calories

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  • renamarie77
    renamarie77 Posts: 98 Member
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    I'm still new at this, but I feel that the 1590 calories MFP allots for me are usually plenty IF I balance them right. I definitely don't think I should eat extra calories that I just burned. That seems like it would defeat the purpose of doing ALL that hard work. I would think if I was trying to maintain, then I'd eat them back, but I'm wanting to lose, lose, lose. However, IF I'm still hungry, I don't feel as guilty if I have to use a few of them.

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  • djc315
    djc315 Posts: 585 Member
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    I don't. But if I happen to, then that is fine. I use it as a cushion.
  • WABeachWalker
    WABeachWalker Posts: 133 Member
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    Usually I do eat back those calories, but on a week where the scale hasn't really budged, I may skip the adding back 2 or 3 times that week and it helps.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
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    I eat them back. Sometimes I struggle,with it if I burn a lot, but I try not to eat when I'm not hungry. I'm getting close to my goal though. Those damn last 10 pounds!
  • brjustice2000
    brjustice2000 Posts: 33
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    I eat back some of the exercise calories in an effort to get to my basic calorie need of 2270 based on my weight. The more days you can eat your basic caloric need and still achieve your deficit goal, the less likely you will slow down your metabolism. My goal is a 1000 calorie deficit each day in an effort to lose 2 lbs a week. I normally have more than a 7000 calorie deficit for the week but don't always lose the 2 lbs. This journey is much more than calories eaten minus calories burned. As long as what your doing is working and you aren't in starvation mode by eating too few calories keep on with what you do. When you hit a plateau, you have to tweak your routine by changing something.
  • moonlightturk
    moonlightturk Posts: 398
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    I would never eat back my workout calories. Working out for someone like me is a living hell, I'm not sure if it gets any better as you lose weight, but I know I didn't just go through something that hard to just go and throw it in the trash.

    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better. If you REALLY love food and are willing to give up that extra calorie deficit, feel free, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing that to myself. But I'm also in a situation that the faster I lose weight the better.
  • jbaca9602
    jbaca9602 Posts: 64 Member
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    When I was trying to lose more aggressively, I did eat them back so that I had enough fuel. I was starving and felt weak if I wasn't getting the minimum net. Now, I don't feel the need to - 300 calories more per day is enough for me to fuel myself through workouts and if I gain 150 calories from exercise I typically don't need it. I don't see the purpose in eating more if I'm still netting above minimum.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    Yes, because it motivates me to exercise and it has helped me to lose weight (fairly painlessly!). I know I could never have been successful if I didn't have this relationship branded into my brain: move more and you can eat more.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
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    No, generally I don't touch them. Sure if I'm out of calories and I'm hungry I'll have something to eat so I don't go to bed hungry but I'm not going to eat them back just for the sake of eating.....which got me here in the first place. Down the road when I lose more it might change but currently I'm not.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Most people have their MFP calorie allowance set to a level that will lose them weight. If you eat back the exercise calories, you are still at that level that will make the weight come off.
    If you do not eat them back, you might start to feel weak and lose the motivation to exercise.
  • joesams
    joesams Posts: 2 Member
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    I do. If I don't, I am starving before bedtime. I am satisfied with the results that I have gotten thus far by staying within my Caloric goals. I do however feel that it is personal preference. Also, it makes me work out more. Sometimes I will eat more calories on purpose. It makes me accountable to work out a bit harder to get back on the positive side of my daily goals.
  • SocWkrBee
    SocWkrBee Posts: 374
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    My goal is 1230 calories per day to lose 2 pounds. I just set it at 1600 and run about 100 miles per month.

    I do something similar. My goal to lose one pound is 1290. I have mine set to 1400 and eat about that number daily. So technically, yes. However, 1400 is for both workout days and non-workout days. I was told to keep my intake consistent, as I was previously all over the place.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
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    I would never eat back my workout calories. Working out for someone like me is a living hell, I'm not sure if it gets any better as you lose weight, but I know I didn't just go through something that hard to just go and throw it in the trash.

    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better. If you REALLY love food and are willing to give up that extra calorie deficit, feel free, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing that to myself. But I'm also in a situation that the faster I lose weight the better.

    Not eating back at least part of them is actually gonna cause you to lose lean muscle... not just fat.
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    Tried that and I did not lose weight for a month. It went up. I finally got it back down again. Eat the same amount of calories every day until you get to your goal weight, then you can eat your calories back.
  • calichica35
    calichica35 Posts: 229 Member
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    I set 1200 as my net goal so I eat back my calories that I exercise. I'm too hungry if I don't I notice.
  • melkev05
    melkev05 Posts: 1
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    I was asking the same thing I have been doing everything but not sure if eatting back the calories is a good thing I've been doing this since Aug 19th and it tells me that I should be down 10 pounds and it has been way longer the 5 weeks yet nothing has happen not even a pound .. I'm getting real upset. What I'm I doing wrong?
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I generally eat around 50 percent of my exercise calories.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better

    While you need to do what's best for you, this is not actually the case. Even at a heavier weight, you still need to fuel your body. Chronically underrating (which looking at your diary you're doing) is not going to help you long term. Even losing quickly short term you can do that eating more. I lost something like 10kg my first month eating more than you currently do (and started at 300lbs) being a woman. I wish you the best but would advise you to read a bit more on BMR and TDEE.

    I do but I eat slightly below BMR on a day with no exercise so if I'm exercising I need to up my food intake. Working so far.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    I was asking the same thing I have been doing everything but not sure if eatting back the calories is a good thing I've been doing this since Aug 19th and it tells me that I should be down 10 pounds and it has been way longer the 5 weeks yet nothing has happen not even a pound .. I'm getting real upset. What I'm I doing wrong?

    Eating back your calories for the day is a good way to ruin your weight loss goals. No paper or diet has ever stressed eating back your exercise calories. If someone has a paper that says otherwise then i would glady be openminded enough to read it. It's a MyFitnessPal myth.
  • paulmillington43
    paulmillington43 Posts: 1
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    I dont touch them, I suppose it all has to do with how much weight you have to lose. The healthy way to lose weight is to possibly use some of the calories that you have created by excercise however It does not seem right to me or my large tum.:bigsmile:

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