Eating back exercise calories not for me?

amyhoss

I'm starting to think eating back exercise calories is not for me. I don't lose as much weight when I eat back all my calories. I'd lose like .8lbs each week by doing that. This past week, I ate close to 1200 calories each day did not eat back the exercise calories and lost 3lbs.

Maybe it's just because I kicked my body back in gear by doing something different and it will all catch up to me in a few weeks. I guess if that happens, I'll start eating the calories back again.

I don't know. What do you think? What are your experiences with not eating back exercise calories?

amyhoss

Bump for opinions.

explodingalice

I'd really like to know what others think of this as well. I definitely *feel* like I notice a difference when I don't eat the calories I earn from exercise, but it would be interesting to see the breadth of experience people have with this.

Mokey41

I very rarely eat back exercise unless it's been something strenuous for hours like a 50 mile bike ride and I would only eat a couple hundred back. If you're fueling your body properly to start with a few hundred calories of exercise doesn't need to be compensated.

Spokore

I eat back nearly all my calories from exercise, but I eat it back with only fruit and vegetables. I hit a plateau a couple of weeks ago, and began over consuming in the fruits and vegatables, and now have lost 8 pounds in two weeks. Exercise should kick in your metabolism, so feed it, so it will burn hotter (so to say). Fill it with stuff it can burn readily, IMHO.

Ezada

I don't always eat all of mine back, but if I have them and I am hungry then I do eat them.

I will say this, losing 3lbs a week is really not a healthy amount to lose, they do say you should lose up to 2lbs, and eating below 1200 calories is not healthy. This will cause you to lose weight faster, but it can be put back on equally as fast if not faster. In other words, it is a temporary solution to a lifetime problem. I say this because I did it, then I gained everything back and then some. I am doing much better now, the weight is coming off slowly, but I am focusing more on other achievements during my lifestyle change. Some weeks I lose nothing, but I notice that a pair of pants that used to be skin tight are falling off.

Figure out your TDEE and BMI. If you do a search on MFP's message boards there should be a sticky showing where to find the calculators and how to figure out how much to eat to lose x number of lbs a week.

Hope that helps!

jchrisman717

I was trying to lose doing the TDEE -percentage and I have not lost. And I've been very good at logging and I've been very active in my exercise. The person who referred me to MFP lost a lot of weight and that was over 2 years ago and she has kept it all off. I asked her the other day what she did for calories and exercise calories. She is close to my age too. She said she followed MFP guidelines which was the 1200 calories and she did NOT eat back her exercise calories unless she went over 500 exercise calories. She does a lot of cardio and bootcamp classes and I think she used an HRM to log her calories. So if she burned 660 calories doing exercise she would eat 1360 in food that day. Makes me think this is why I haven't lost because I was going by TDEE -15% cut which I figured out to be 1500 to 1600 for me (now I would not eat back my exercise calories because it was already figured in). So I guess if you can eat more and still lose about a pound a week - then eat it - but it may not be for everyone.

amyhoss

Thanks for the input all. I think I'll just have to experiment. I do agree with eating the exercise calories if you are truly hungry though (ie. not just craving).

angiechimpanzee

What's your weight and height? That makes a HUGE difference.

tommygirl15

I prefer not to eat them back, I only do if I'm really hungry.

amyhoss

I'm 5'4" 160