Eating exercise calories back when you're very overweight

meghanp92

I know the verdict is still out on eating back exercise calories. I know everybody has a different opinion on it. My thought is that it makes a big difference how much weight you have to lose. I understand if you are already pretty thin, not eating back your exercise calories can really sap the energy out of you, you have nothing else to go on. But I still weigh 298 pounds. If I don't eat my exercise calories back, it's not like my body isn't going to be able to get that energy from somewhere else - let it take it from my huge fat stores! Am I way off base here, or does anyone else agree?

EvaB93

I agree, I'm not going to eat calories back that i burned off. that makes no sense !
And you have a point, fat is just energy stored so why not take energy from that !
I think your on the right track
If you are feeling fine, don't worry about it !

ang_mick

Hope that makes sense - let me know if you have any other questions!

pwittek10

I never have eaten back to calories
I am not against it, I just have not been doing it

Restybaby2012

Ive only been here a short while....and I have a fair amount to lose but............

this is a NO win topic for everyone because both sides, the do's and the don'ts all see their side as the right side and will not surrender any ground to the opposition.

GOOD LUCK EITHER WAY

SJCon

I know the verdict is still out on eating back exercise calories. I know everybody has a different opinion on it. My thought is that it makes a big difference how much weight you have to lose. I understand if you are already pretty thin, not eating back your exercise calories can really sap the energy out of you, you have nothing else to go on. But I still weigh 298 pounds. If I don't eat my exercise calories back, it's not like my body isn't going to be able to get that energy from somewhere else - let it take it from my huge fat stores! Am I way off base here, or does anyone else agree?

ABSOLUTELY

jojorocksforeva

Hahaha i would not eat back my calories why would i exercise just to eat it back it makes no sense dont do it...

hooperkay

haven't eaten mine back yet. Not planning on it until maintance.

CyberEd312

Nope made absolutely no difference here... I set my goals to lose 2 lbs. a week and use my exercise calories for what they are intended to be used for (let me say when using the MFP system) and that is to fuel my body to do my workouts... I didn't deviate from when I was 560 lbs. and don't plan on changing anything now that I have lost 311 lbs.. Best of Luck....

Restybaby2012

Nope made absolutely no difference here... I set my goals to lose 2 lbs. a week and use my exercise calories for what they are intended to be used for (let me say when using the MFP system) and that is to fuel my body to do my workouts... I didn't deviate from when I was 560 lbs. and don't plan on changing anything now that I have lost 311 lbs.. Best of Luck....

ED!!!! Its sooooooooooo good to see you. Hope all is well. Add me if you'd like. Ive been following your journey somewhat silently

jamespolitics

I generally do not eat exercise calories back, I just don't really relate the two most times. I do however exercise to cover the calories of a particular treat if I am craving it. It is my mental way of "earning" it. Then there are days when I just don't care as much

sh4690

I very very rarely eat them back..

Now here come the rampage of a lot of people telling me it's unhealthy....

Roxie861

i am still overweight too at 219 and i definitely don't eat back my exercise calories...on the days i have done in the past i dont lose very well on those weeks. I will wait until am under 200lbs then reassess

emancipateurself

I am a TRUE beliver of EATING your excercise calories. Mind you I don't believe the set calories burned that MFP dictates, I think the only true way to know what you have burned is through an HRM. I have always ate my calolries back and plan on ALWAYS eating them. I've lost alot of weight this way.
Other people have different opinons but it's the way I roll and it hasn't let me down ever.

mjowell

I feel like it is a waste of effort to exercise, then eat it all back. I have a hard enough time getting in my calories as it is.

needamulligan

I'm with Ed. I eat most of mine back. I exercise to get healthier and to build muscle, which will boost my metabolism. I've set my goal to 2 lbs/week. For the past 3 months, I've been eating most of my exercise calories and losing at a rate of 2.3/lbs a month. I'm good with that. Also, it gives me just enough calories to enjoy eating out and having the occasional glass of wine or dessert. So far, so good. No binging. No cravings. And, the scale is moving. It works for me.

dsjohndrow

It is supposed to be healthy to lose weight at 1-2 pounds a week. MFP creates a 500 (lose 1 per week) calorie per day deficit. 7x500=3500 calories = 1 pound. Obviously 2 pounds would be 1,000 calorie a day deficit. And going below 1200 calories per day is NOT healthy no matter what weight you are.

Cutting out the fast food, junk, pizza, cookies and donuts is usually quite a drop for most people when they get started. If that is your regular diet, you are at 2500-4500 per day or there abouts.

Adding exercise to your program is a good idea, but I assure you that weight loss is 90% what you eat (or don't!). Most folks walk a mile in about 20 minutes and get about a 100 calories for a burn. That's about half an Oreo cookie. If you are smaller (like 150 pounds, you might burn 400 calories in an hour of biking or running. If you add the to a 1000 calorie deficit, you probably should eat them back.

If you are 300 pounds and walk 20 minutes, I really don't think it matters that much.

I don't believe in starvation mode, but I have seem some stupidity around here. And MFP tends to over estimate exercise calories, and the average person tends to log anywhere from 20-60% less than they actually eat. IE: A heaping tablespoon of peanut butter vs, a level one which the calories are calculated at. etc.

So here is what I do. I want to be 187 when I am done, so I eat the calories to maintain that weight. I get a deficit because I am 204 right now. That way my body doesn't need to adjust when I get there. I run about 100 miles per month, and I am doing just fine. I am occasionally hungry, so I grab an extra healthy 100 calories snack a few times a week.

lyttlewon

Part of it depends on why you are exercising. I am not doing it for a caloric deficit. That being said I don't eat them back the same day, I eat the same number of cals a day regardless of working out. Here is the thing, I like to eat. If eating my exercise cals allows me to eat more, then I will.

SJCon

So I'm taking a masters level Physiology class and just finished the nutrition/metabolism block. Here's what I've learned:

- Your body needs 1200 calories a day to maintain normal metabolic and cell processes. Do not eat less than this or you will be negatively affecting your body (unless under direct supervision and control from a physician who is monitoring your levels). Now - eating <1200 every now and then is not going to throw your body in shock, just don't make it a habit. Plain and simple.

False many doctor supervised diets go below this calorie level. This number is a rule of thumb based on the amount a woman would eat of a well balanced diet to get the essential nutrients not essential calories. In a male it is 1500. The supervised diets ensure the nutrient balance and they are not concerned with calories.

If you don't eat back your exercise calories, you are creating a larger deficit than the suggested amount. This could lead to losing more than the recommended 2 lbs / week.

But given margins of error calculating calories in and out as well as portion size and the assumptions for your basic activity level and metabolic changes you probably won't and in the short term even this is not a problem.

jennifersjubia

Thanks your post is helpful,i do eat the extra cals back i am about 90 lbs over weight and have been here working on my wieght loss for about 11 daysand have seen the scale loose about 7 lbs im happy about the lost lbs ,I sit work driving for 11 hrs and so far i just get out on the weekends so a few extra cal.are fun and a change anyway i will keep on working on losing the lbs

Southern_Belle89

So I'm taking a masters level Physiology class and just finished the nutrition/metabolism block. Here's what I've learned:

- Your body needs 1200 calories a day to maintain normal metabolic and cell processes. Do not eat less than this or you will be negatively affecting your body (unless under direct supervision and control from a physician who is monitoring your levels). Now - eating <1200 every now and then is not going to throw your body in shock, just don't make it a habit. Plain and simple.

- You do not HAVE TO eat exercise calories back. BUT... here's why some should and some shouldn't and it's always "debated".
the maximum suggested weight loss is 2 lbs / week. If you are in the obese category of BMI - you can lose around 3-5 and still be ok.

- What does this mean? If you don't eat back your exercise calories, you are creating a larger deficit than the suggested amount. This could lead to losing more than the recommended 2 lbs / week.

Makes sense to me!

bestbassist

I would have been so hungry that I would have looked at my furniture and thought 'gee, that might taste great with some ketchup on it' if I hadn't eaten most of my exercise calories back when I first started this. I was ravenous after workouts. It didn't keep me from losing either. Now that I've lost a bit of weight I can get away without eating as many back because I don't have as much body mass to feed. I think most people would be safe to eat them back at first, if they feel like they're starving. But if you're not so hungry that you are contemplating gnawing on your car tires or something, then there's no point in eating them back.

AmiC0717

Because I also started at a heavy weight (265) I specifically spoke with my dietican and she told me in order to lose weight I needed to stay under 1400 calories period. That does not mean if I work out and burn 150 that I get 1550. Now once I get to maintenance phase that will be different. However - again this was a discussion for me and perhaps others won't agree. I do believe if you have a lot to lose you are right about the fat stores. If you are staying at a good calorie range, the burning of the excercise calories is a good thing.

GwennyH

If I am hungry, I will eat back part of them (maybe half, maybe more)). If I'm not hungry, I don't. Part of this journey is listening to your OWN body and getting to know its needs. Best of luck to you!!!

Wol5894

The one thing I DON'T believe most of the time is the number of calories MFP dictates I burn. I do, on occasion, eat SOME of my exercise calories back but mostly I don't. As another poster said, I might as well use the fat I have stored to provide the energy.

I have a fair bit to lose (118 lbs still to go) but I can't do much exercise due to disease and injury - cycling and swimming are about all I can do and even then I have to be careful, This means that I have to concentrate a lot on what I eat rather than how much I move, so I tend to ignore the exercise calories in favour of paying attention to the food side of things..

meghanp92

Gotten some really great feedback! I do tend to eat more on the days I work out, but I really try not to to eat all/any of my exercise calories back. I don't feel hungrier than usual, really. I get what a lot of you are saying about needing to eat those calories back so you're not depriving yourself, but I really don't feel that way. I'd pay attention if I felt like I really needed to eat more!

electricmeow

Everyone has really great points. I think listening to your own body is what's best, though I am closer to team 'Eat 'Em Back'

What about the intensity of your exercise? Mind you, I'm "skinny" but the principle is still the same. Running versus walking for example, we walk all the time, our body considers it very close to routine. On the other hand, if you are running running running, you runners know you feel it all over your body. Sometimes it makes me have to poop so bad I have to stop at Walmart before home! (I know TMI! haha!!) When you run, your body takes on more of a survival fight or flight response...more blood flow toward abdomen, an abundance of hormones released, your bowels want to excrete so you'll be lighter. From what I hear, your body is questioning whether "survival mode" would be necessary. If you don't eat back at least some of your calories, I'd imagine your body would lower its metabolism. On the other hand, using exercise as a tool to eat more calories keeps your digestion strong and flowing.

I agree MFP overestimates exercise calories, but at least a fraction should be considered, especially if you are doing intense exercise.

ASDtwins

This my second time around using MFP to track my calories. My experience after doing it for two years and losing over 140lbs was that the exercise calories were pretty close to actual. I am a large man 6'-3" and have a decent amount of muscle mass. When I run/cycle or do the boot camp style work outs that I prefer I am pretty certain that I am burning slightly more than the system says. Once you have developed muscle mass after you are done exercising your body still burns calories well after the activity has stopped. Also if you do not eat properly after your workout you can reduce your muscle. When I am starting out like I am now, I do not eat back my calories *much* I will eat say 10%... I'm just greedy like that, ha! But I know that after I have lost some weight I am not helping my overall fitness by starving my body. I may be a smaller size but I won't have the same strength and endurance. As for the kinds of foods I prefer as eat backs I try to get it as high protein meats and whey protein shakes.

If I eat pie (I love pie, and my wife makes the best pie) I do not consider it "free" there is no free...

Having said that, plateau's are a MFr

justkiesh

I've tried eating them back and not eating them back. When I eat them back I plateau, when I don't eat them I lose 1-2 lbs a week. So, I don't eat them. At most I might eat back up to 200 (of a 600+ burn) if I need the extra fuel. But most of the time I don't. I use an HRM so my calorie burn is pretty accurate.

mgobluetx12

I think you should eat your exercise calories back only when your net is under 1200.

Also, MFP over-estimates calories burned (especially under the 'Circuit Training'), so I would be VERY careful eating them back if you're relying solely on MFP to count your calories burned.

beezipper

Exercise doesn't just create a calorie deficit - it tones and conditions your heart, muscles, circulatory system, respiratory system - there are so many benefits for your body beyond just the "extra calories" you could eat if you wanted to. I would say to make sure you're not eating under your BMI, which is probably around 1800-2000 calories, but don't feel obligated to "eat" your exercise unless you are feeling weak. I was 298 pounds many years ago and I tried every solution from the lazy to the aggressive and finally found balance in counting calories and exercising (I am 212 pounds now and still working hard on it - struggling with food issues and body image issues, but it's so much better than it was years ago). You will find what works for you!