Exercise 'credit'

blondeninja

Okay people - if my daily calorie allowance is 1200, and I burn around 500 calories of exercise on the same day, am I supposed to make up for it in food, or can I leave it as 500 cals in credit?
Sometimes, when I complete my diary entry for the day, I get a message saying I'm not eating enough if I come in under my calorie intake and I have to be careful not to go into starvation mode, but does it matter if I don't 'eat' the calories I've burned off? I'm a bit confused.

spinedocmfp

The set up is quite clear. This site is designed to give you a consistent deficit. If you do not eat back your calories you will increase that deficit to a level that will cause you body to use ways to save energy and could slow or stop your weight loss. You have only 15 lb to lose, just follow the program and be patient. I would suggest you set a .5 lb deficit at this time.

blondeninja

The set up is quite clear. This site is designed to give you a consistent deficit. If you do not eat back your calories you will increase that deficit to a level that will cause you body to use ways to save energy and could slow or stop your weight loss. You have only 15 lb to lose, just follow the program and be patient. I would suggest you set a .5 lb deficit at this time.

Hi thanks for that - I just wasn't sure whether the exercise was going to accelerate the weight loss process. I actually need to lose 25 lbs so have set my weekly weight loss at 2lbs but MFP has defaulted me to 1.5.

djtessatessa

"starvation mode" is just mfps way of trying to keep you from developing an eating disorder.

veganbaum

With 25 pounds to lose, your weight loss goal should be .5 lbs/wk, might be able to get away with 1lb for the first 5-10. It's unlikely you'll lose more than that anyway, except maybe in the first week or two, so you should change your weekly goal so you'll be given the appropriate calorie goal. Otherwise you're eating less than you need to and won't see the results you want anyway. Everyone wants a 2lb/wk loss, but that generally only happens for those who have quite a bit more weight to lose. A lot of people suggest that you eat only half - three quarters of your exercise calories to account for inaccuracies. A bigger deficit, especially as a person has less and less weight to lose, is not better.

ravengirl1611

for me - sometimes I eat my cals back - sometimes not - Tuesdays I almost never eat my calories back because I get back from the gym really late and dont like eating that close to bed time - makes me feel blah - but on earlier nights I usually eat some of them back - depends on the kind of day I had.

RosscoBoscko

At the moment I never eat back my exercise calories, and will continue to not do so until I reach my goal weight, will then up the calories as increase the training more to bulk up and maintain so will probably eat them back then.

Mom_To_5

When i lost all me weight back in 2009 using MFP, i never ate my exercise calories back, i was never hungry and i lost the weight np. I am determined to lose the weight again starting today and i won't eat them back again this time, i don't have the time to exercise like i did back then, so i won't be running in my treadmill everyday for an hour, but whenever i do get a chance to get on my treadmill i won't be eating them back.. But everyone is different

DebbieLyn63

Most people underestimate how many calories they actually eat and overestimate how many they burn with exercise, so not eating all of them back can be a good cushion to take care of inaccuracies. It also helps cover days when you go over calorie goal, or have something you wouldn't normally eat or drink. If you find yourself really hungry after a workout day, then eat a few of them back, otherwise, if you are feeling fine and have good energy without eating the calories back, don't make yourself eat just to reach a certain number. If you are eating clean with adequate protein levels, you can manage on a lot fewer calories than if you eat a lot of sugar and processed carbs.

blondeninja

Wow, lots of different opinions going on, thanks I'm an impatient person and annoyed with myself as I spent 2 and a half years in the gym five days a week 2 hours a night to get from 203lbs to 154 and I've allowed myself to creep up again. But I know what I need to do and i'm hoping I can maintain the mindset to do it. After a couple of weeks, I'll be into it

omma_to_3

There are MANY opinions on this. I do eat all my exercise calories back. It makes this program easier to stick to. Could I lose weight faster if I didn't? Yes, at least for a short time, but eventually it would get harder and harder. After 17 months, it hasn't gotten 'harder' yet, so I must be doing something right.

With 25 lbs. to lose, I would shoot for 1 lb. per week. I have mine set currently to 2 lbs. per week, but since MFP won't put you below 1200 calories, MFP predicts I'll lose 1.3 lbs. per week. I have about 35 lbs. left to lose. I tend to go over a bit too, and average losing .8 lbs. per week. If you set your losses to 1 lb. per week, eat back most of your exercise calories. You should be pretty successful with that.