Do YOU eat back your calories burned with exercise?

saudade108

I'm just curious. I have been netting under 1200 calories on the days I go to the gym and right at or slightly under on the days that I don't work out but in the 6 days or so that I've been tracking, I've only lost a pound. Would netting under 1200 really inhibit my weight loss? What do you personally do? Do you eat back some or all your burned calories?

amnsetie

I would eat back at least enough to net over 1200

Medwayguy

Yes I do...

I find a small snack before and after gym is a must and my target resting rate is 2200 so I hit 2500'3500 a day. I have not lost or gained as I use this site to sustain only

Hope that helps some: I think my profile shows a little of my gym workout so you can see how much I burn etc


Pete<<< That guy over there

WeekndOVOXO

I try not to. Think the app exaggerates the amount of calories burned.

UncleRiotous

I struggle with this one. My weight loss was great and I was doing that and then I plateaued. What I've been doing the last week or two is eating between 1200 and 1500 but not eating back exercise (about 1200-1400 calories a day). I was expecting to only do it for a couple of days because I thought I'd run out of energy on the bike and feel really crappy but actually at the end of nearly two weeks of doing this I feel great, I'm loosing weight and I'm feeling stronger and stronger on the bike. As soon as my performance on the bike drops off I'll go back to eating more though.

I think the key thing is how many calories you're burning at the gym. If you're burning off a 1-200 then I'd suggest that given the inaccuracy of measuring calories burned you probably don't want to eat them back, if you're burning off 500+ then it makes sense to eat some (if not all) of them back. At the end of the day listen to your body and see what it says, it'll let you know if you're overdoing it because you won't have the energy available when you're at the gym.

SorchaRavenlock

When I didn't I always felt hungry and my hair got really thin, so now I'm eating them back.
I don't eat all of them since I do feel MFP overestimates calories burned. I aim for eating half of them, but on hungry days I don't hesitate to eat more of them since I'd rather lose slowly then feel weak and hungry.

FitSuga

Technically yes I do. Whatever adjustment I get from fitbit I eat! I have my activity level set to lightly active and then fitbit will automatically sync in calories to eat for anything above that due to excersize etc. I make sure to eat them. But, I would only eat half if I went by mfp calorie burns.

marikevr

It depends on how hungry I get. I do a lot of distance running, those cals I will (have to) eat. On minor exercise days I'm not that hungry and will eat less.

jennibee70

I try to eat back some of them, not all because I do think MFP over-estimates. I never eat them back in advance (if you see what I mean), in case I change my mind and don't exercise, but as I exercise in the evening, I often find I don't have time to eat them afterwards. So in theory, yes, I try to eat back about half, in practise, it doesn't always work. But I would point out that a loss of about 1 lb a week is fine. The plan is aimed at small steady losses because it is easier to maintain in the long run.

StrongerThanThor

No, But i try to eat more calories in my working out days than my rest days with ~200 calorie.

seaKind

some. depends on how much i workout. casual walk through the neighborhood, no; superpower HIIT class + mountain hike carrying baby, yes.

Railr0aderTony

YES, honestly its the only reason I exercise.

bellarox13

No I don't. I am on 1210 cals a day and burn between 800 to 1000 cals for days a week. Because I can only exercise at night, there is no way I am going to force myself to eat when I go to bed two hours later.

hughtwalker

No

Terree_G

I allow myself to eat back SOME of the burned calories if I feel hungry, but not all of them. I always make sure I eat the basic 1200 per day, because I've read repeatedly from many sources that that is the number required for basic metabolic function and that if you try to eat less than that, it is counterproductive to weight loss.

And, as several people pointed out, MFP appears to be overestimating calories burned. I check my totals at the gym and then compare them with the totals here, and it's always higher here. I use both as estimated guidelines and go from there. So far, in just 6 days of using MFP and tracking my intake, I have lost more than the 1 lb/week I am aiming to lose.

PicklePlum

No. I may eat some if I'm not feeling 100%.

hughtwalker

On the other hand, yesterday I technically did because I was over-budget before I went to the gym - or would if have been over if I had actually drunk the bedtime Horlicks that I pre-recorded : It DOES get confusing, doesn't it?!

Yogi_Carl

Yes some - as has already been posted by others:

Sometimes I factor in exercise to the day just so I can eat a little more if I feel down and I find the exercise has a lift as well so it's a win-win! I also put in an exercise session if I know I am going somewhere where the food is going to be special like a buffet or party or eating out. This is a lifestyle change that I can maintain that I didn't do before.

After exercise I listen to my hunger and if it is genuine I eat some of my calories back. If I am struggling to eat them back I don't as I focus on cardio and don't have as much muscle repair to do as some of these iron pushers! A strenuous yoga session usually finds me eating back some calories but it changes my mind set as to what choices I make so the food is good but properly proportioned and good food choices rather than crashing into the nearest carb load I can find!

Hope this helps - it's not as simple as carbs in carbs out.

adgold86

I would say losing a pound a week is pretty decent. I wouldn't eat extra food, especially unhealthy foods that have more calories in just for the sake of making up the calories. If you feel hungry snack on healthy foods like fruit, veg or unsalted nuts.

Dree3

I never do. I don't even record my exercise in here. I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full.

tommygirl15

Only somtimes