Do I or don't I eat back exercise calories?

TaylorsGranddad

If you are hungry EAT, if you are not DONT! Listen to your body, its smarter than the website.

THIS PERSON SPEAKS SENSE x

damianpurvis

As already stated, everyone is different.

For me personaly, I try to eat back half of what I burn on my scheduled exercise days. Days that I am active but I don't "excercise" I don't eat back whatever I may burn. I do it to keep my metabolism from getting to use to the same amount of calories each day.

honeysprinkles

It depends. If you've taken your exercise into account when calculating your activity level, then no. Otherwise, I would try to at least net 1200 so some days that could mean eating back some or most of them, others it might not.

If you aren't measuring with a heart rate monitor and are instead going with a machine reading or MFP's calculations, I wouldn't eat back more than 2/3 of them because it's likely not accurate anyways!

daggs95

I use to not "eat them back" and I was sick often whenever my calorie intake was about 1200 (now I know its because my net must have been something ridiculous). I also never lost one stinking pound when I was eating around 1600 calories on average (my basal) so i use to think I could lose weight from the exerise and activity. And I think some people can if their body is set up like that. But for some it goes into lockdown mode and your body will just burn exactly what you eat never allowing you to ever lose anything (i also never gained in 9years either because I exerise 4-6 days a week and am active every day)

Thanks to this site I have a way to see it all and am eating more and am finally losing.

sam76943

I've never eaten back my exercise caories and only use mfp to calculate. I've lost 50.5 pounds since jan 10th of this year and am at my goal weight. I ignored all the warnings that mfp gave me about starvation mode and just kept at it and it worked for me!

mrincredible93

I can't believe there are so many people here who don't know what they are talking about but yet sound so authoritative saying it.
Food is fuel.
If you use more fuel, you need to refill the tank.
Not refilling at all will put your body into starvation mode. This is an automatic response where your body will not let go ofthe calories you take in because it is protecting your organ functions. You may lose weight quickly at first but it will not be sustainable. You will gain the weight back or you will lose muscle mass.
Fast weight loss can be sustained if you eat back 2/3 to 3/4 of the calories burned. But you need to eat it back within 12 -24 hours. No binges on a Saturday for a Wednesday workout.
High quality complex carbs before workout, quality protein after for recovery and muscle growth. Plenty of water all day.
Very Simple.
Fuel your activity.

yowla

I just went to my Drs. office and this is what he told me to do. Eat 1200 calories a day and exercise 1 hr a day and I will lose weight. I found that if I feel really hungry I drink more water. Some times I am not hungry at all. What you really should do is see your Dr for the best way to do this. I try not to eat all my exercise calories. I try to leave at least 1/2 on a good day. On the weekends, I love to eat those puppies up. I think it will all average out over the week. Plus it all depends on what you eat too. If you eat 1200 calories in Junk your body isn't doing any good. The twinkie diet doesn't work.

MrsNCO7

I agree that MFP overestimates the calories burned, and I have struggled with weght loss so I recently stopped logging my exercise. However, after reading some of these replies, I can agree (and will start) to add back 50% or 80% of those calories. I also like the recommendation to let your body tell you - if you are hungry, then by all means, eat (and drink more water). It has taken me months of 'trial and error' to learn what works best for me (and I am still learning). Good luck to you.

MrsNCO7

I just went to my Drs. office and this is what he told me to do. Eat 1200 calories a day and exercise 1 hr a day and I will lose weight. I found that if I feel really hungry I drink more water. Some times I am not hungry at all. What you really should do is see your Dr for the best way to do this. I try not to eat all my exercise calories. I try to leave at least 1/2 on a good day. On the weekends, I love to eat those puppies up. I think it will all average out over the week. Plus it all depends on what you eat too. If you eat 1200 calories in Junk your body isn't doing any good. The twinkie diet doesn't work.

Excellent advce and I agree. I will follow your doctor's recommendation. Thank you.

WinnerVictorious

I can't believe there are so many people here who don't know what they are talking about but yet sound so authoritative saying it.
Food is fuel.
If you use more fuel, you need to refill the tank.
Not refilling at all will put your body into starvation mode. This is an automatic response where your body will not let go ofthe calories you take in because it is protecting your organ functions. You may lose weight quickly at first but it will not be sustainable. You will gain the weight back or you will lose muscle mass.
Fast weight loss can be sustained if you eat back 2/3 to 3/4 of the calories burned. But you need to eat it back within 12 -24 hours. No binges on a Saturday for a Wednesday workout.
High quality complex carbs before workout, quality protein after for recovery and muscle growth. Plenty of water all day.
Very Simple.
Fuel your activity.

BS. starvation mode is what happened at Auschwitz. a person who is 45lbs overweight will not go into starvation mode if they eat under 1200 calories for 3 days in a row or 5 days in a row or however soon you think it will happen.

you don't understand what you think you understand.

also, who said anything about NOT refilling the tank? who said go on a ZERO calorie diet? all we said was that a calorie deficit leads to burning stored fat and thus, weight loss. whether that's a 10% or 20% or 30% deficit, that's hardly "not refilling the tank".

your body is DESIGNED to save energy (calories) during times when food is plenty, to use later when it needs it when food is scarce. that's why we store fat. when you ingest fewer calories than your body needs, it turns to this stored fat to make up the difference. this is a fact. you will not go anywhere near starvation mode until most of that stored fat is gone.

now if you want to speak about poor nutrition due to low calorie diets, that's a different topic. or if you want to talk about slowing down your metabolism a little bit as a result of poor diet or poor health or whatever, that's also a different topic. but the notion that you MUST eat your back your exercise calories or face the imminent threat of starvation mode is preposterous.

MissTattoo

Wow.

Anyway...we are all humans. We work the same. Fuel your body. I'm in the camp of eat above your BMR but below your TDEE. I burn close to 3100 on workout days and 2700-2800 on non workout days (my my BMF device) So I eat 2200-2700 calories a day. I lost 10 pounds last month.

Once my shoulder is at 100% and I start lifting weights again, I'll probably eat more. Weightloss isn't about eating the smallest number possible. It's about not eating over the amount you burn in a day. So if I burn 3000 calories in a day, I'm safe to eat 2500 calories. I couldn't imagine only consuming 1200 calories on workout days. You need to eat!

Hellbent_Heidi

I can't believe there are so many people here who don't know what they are talking about but yet sound so authoritative saying it.

Truth is....there is no "one size fits all" answer to this... What works for some does not work for others.

Everyone on this site is at a different fitness level and stage of their own journey. Some people are doing hard core cardio and strength training 5-6 days a week, while others might only be doing a 30 minute, 3mph walk twice a week...so while the whole 'fuel your body more" theory does make sense, the level of 'refueling' is simply not the same for everyone.

SoDamnHungry

Being able to eat more is the only reason I'm motivated to exercise. On the plus side, my body looks better and my heart is in way better shape, even though I eat those calories back. There's nothing wrong with that, even if it is specifically so I can eat more.

But yes, if it's weight loss speed alone, you MIGHT lose faster if you don't eat them back, assuming starvation mode is a myth. I lose at the same rate now as I did when I didn't eat back exercise calories, but am eating a couple hundred more per day on average. It's definitely a per person thing.

WendyTerry420

Thanks psulemon. I have been exercising in an attempt to save muscles. Oh, well, I see that perhaps I should at least eat some of them back. I am just impatient to lose weight and feel that if I eat them back, losing will take longer.

If it makes you feel better, eat them back with lean protein. Your muscles will thank you for it. :bigsmile:

WendyTerry420

I just went to my Drs. office and this is what he told me to do. Eat 1200 calories a day and exercise 1 hr a day and I will lose weight. I found that if I feel really hungry I drink more water. Some times I am not hungry at all. What you really should do is see your Dr for the best way to do this. I try not to eat all my exercise calories. I try to leave at least 1/2 on a good day. On the weekends, I love to eat those puppies up. I think it will all average out over the week. Plus it all depends on what you eat too. If you eat 1200 calories in Junk your body isn't doing any good. The twinkie diet doesn't work.

Excellent advce and I agree. I will follow your doctor's recommendation. Thank you.

I would laugh at my doctor if he told me that. But then, I'm not the "go-to-the-doctor" type of person anyway, not unless it's an emergency. (Come to think of it, there is no one that I would call "my doctor." :laugh: )

magj0y

Depends on how you worked out your caloric needs. *I wouldn't go by MFPs calculator.
If you exercise 5 heavy days a week and that is accounted for, then no.

If you calculated it on just hoew much you need to gy to lose. 5-2 lbs a week, then yes.

teresacc26

If you are hungry EAT, if you are not DONT! Listen to your body, its smarter than the website.

lol My thoughts exactly

Nimiko

It depends. We have a pretty busy schedule with random functions. When I go to these I will usually monitor my food and eat up those calories. I usually try to eat proteins rather than carbs when using them. On days where I am home...I don't use the earned calories. Today however I just might have to exercise double. A coworker brought in a huge bag of candy corn in and that is one of my BIGGEST temptations! Candy Corn + Me =

hdjjones

I too haven't been on MFP very long but I have not been eating them back. I feel fine and am losing weight.

hdjjones

I too haven't been on MFP very long but I have not been eating them back. I feel fine and am losing weight.

chrishgt4

If you are hungry EAT, if you are not DONT! Listen to your body, its smarter than the website.

lol My thoughts exactly

It's clearly not or you wouldn't be on here in the first place...

RetiredAndLovingIt

bump

hdjjones

Congratualations on your weight loss. You must be doing it right. I didn't see a doctor much when I was 38 either. I noticed as I got older (I'm 61) my doctor became an important resource for my health.

WendyTerry420

If you are hungry EAT, if you are not DONT! Listen to your body, its smarter than the website.

lol My thoughts exactly

It's clearly not or you wouldn't be on here in the first place...

^^ This

When I think my body is talking, it turns out to be the little devil on my shoulder doing an imitation of my body's voice: "Eat the chocolate....eat ALL the chocolate..." :devil:

:laugh:

robin68562

I started my lifestyle change just after Mother's Day and I only just started really exercising three weeks ago. On the days I exercise I'm generally not as hungry and I never eat more than a couple hundred of the calories that mfp has said I had worked off and my weekly weight loss has gone down from two pounds per weeks to next to nothing. This week I only lost half a pound and I worked out three times this week, burning up at least 800 calories each time I worked out, sometimes more than 1000, depending on whether I swam laps or not! So frustrating!

shunggie

This is a big question for me, and a new idea. I had never heard of "eating back" your calories. I'm on 1200 a day, it's the same calorie count I was on before when I lost weight. There are some days 1200 just isn't enough. So, I love the idea of eating back my calories. I'm still losing weight at about the same pace I was before (8-10 pounds a month) and now I never go to bed hungry. I also don't always eat my calories back, if I'm not hungry I don't force myself. I do try and get 1200 on days I haven't done anything and that can be hard- cause once you start a regular exercise program you body gets use to it. On an off day I'm just not as hungry.

LorinaLynn

If you are hungry EAT, if you are not DONT! Listen to your body, its smarter than the website.

lol My thoughts exactly

Mine's not. My body would be perfectly happy on a steady diet of Butterfingers and Mountain Dew.

Eating when I was hungry and listening to my body got me down to a scary-skinny 103 pounds in my mid 20s (wasn't trying to lose... post breakup depression), and up to a semi-chunky 160 pounds after my parents died. My natural appetite isn't a good judge of hunger or nutrition.

Luckily, my brain is smart enough to know it has to follow some nutritional guidelines that may go against my natural instincts for optimal health.

I never, ever thought I would, could or should eat as much as I do now. I never, ever thought I'd look and feel like I do now, too. It's absolutely incredible what proper fuel and some exercise can do.

graceylou222

you do!

strikerjb007

Starvation mode is mostly a myth. Yes, being on a calorie deficit will slow your metabolism down. I repeat, SLOW IT DOWN. This is far from "starvation mode." You have to go extreme for that.

Here is what I do. I don't care how many calories I burn during exercise. It's mostly irrelevant. If you have a HRM, then use it. It will tell you if you are giving it 100% of if you are just chilling.

I figure what my body does at what levels. Example, I know for a FACT that at 1900 calories, I will burn fat in no time. I don't care what I burn during exercise. At 2500, I will maintain my weight and at 3000+ I gain muscle with the right program. In other words, figure out what works for you. You can start by eating those calories the way the computer sets them, and then just use an average. I mean we are smarter than some generalized program.

Someone on the thread pointed out that people should not try to lose weight. This is true. The scale number is IRRELEVANT! In fact, people pick a random number say 125 as their goal. That is the WRONG goal. Your goal should be to GET RID OF THE FAT. It should be everyone's goal. Your BF% will tell you if you are getting leaner or fatter.

AmberJo1984

I don't. But, that's because the doctor has me on a 1500 calorie a day diet. I don't want to go over that period. I did eat back about 80 exercise calories yesterday, though.