Do you eat back your burned calories?

245

Replies

  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    Nope. Because I have no idea how many calories I burn.
  • skinnyitaliannn
    skinnyitaliannn Posts: 187
    only if i'm hungry! if i feel stuffed then nope
  • Emeshee
    Emeshee Posts: 26 Member
    No. MFP overestimates the # burned by a lot
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    I dont because I'm trying to lose weight. I don't burn a lot anyway so its not like I'm doing massive work outs and feeling hungry. I eat alot of large salads with protein and that keeps me full for a long time.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    if i'm hungry or feel i need the energy replenished, yes.

    if not, then no.
  • moreORless50
    moreORless50 Posts: 261 Member
    only if i feel hungry and thats very rarely
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Yes I eat them back. Always have, always will. I love my muscle and don't want to lose it!
  • mhaight85
    mhaight85 Posts: 68
    I guess my answer is yes...I usually exercise because I ate too many calories through out the day and and went over my goal.
  • RopenChoke
    RopenChoke Posts: 31 Member
    I do not eat back my excercise calories. In my mind it accounts for error in the calories I'm eating or the calories it says I'm burning. However, I feel like my 1300 calories a day gives me plenty of energy and keeps me feeling satisfied. If I felt like I was tired or starving, I would eat them.
  • 8324689
    8324689 Posts: 2
    If im v hungry Ill have a snack but I agree that MFP greatly overestimates calories burned.

    I go to the gym and look on the display in front of me on the crosstrainer. It says ill burn say 150cal in 20 mins. MFP says Ill burn 150 cal walking for 30mins. That cant be right......
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Yes
  • bf43005
    bf43005 Posts: 287
    absolutely or some days I would only have eaten 700 calories and that's no good.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    No way!! I am working out for a reason, to BURN calories. Ain't gonna waste all that workout by just eating what I just burned!! I aim to eat about 1500 and I stick to it other than a cheat meal a week.
  • ivikatasha
    ivikatasha Posts: 192 Member
    Not all of them. I like to leave margin for error.
  • likepepsicola
    likepepsicola Posts: 117 Member
    No. If I did that, I'd get into a very bad habit pretty quickly of exercising more and more just to eat more and more. I could easily see myself spending 2 hours working out a day just to stuff my face afterwards, which imo kind of defeats the purpose. I'd rather work out for only 20 minutes and not eat anything back.
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
    sometimes. Especially if I'm hungry.
  • amy20071990
    amy20071990 Posts: 2
    what is eating back burned calories exactly?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I eat them all back, always have.
  • victoriavoodoo
    victoriavoodoo Posts: 343 Member
    what is eating back burned calories exactly?

    If you work out, and log your workout on here, it will tell you how many calories you burned(some say it isn't accurate). MFP will then add these extra calories to the amount you are allowed to eat that day. Like if you burn 200 and your usual daily amt of calories is 1200, you can eat 1400 that day
  • HZ15
    HZ15 Posts: 21 Member
    I'm in the 'not all of them' camp. Partly because, as others have said, there are margins for error in calorie calculating and I'd prefer to be on the safe side. Partly because I don't feel hungry enough to eat them and I'm a big believer in listening to your body. I put on weight by eating because I was bored or upset so don't want to fall into any other habits of eating for reasons other than hunger and what my body's needs. If I'm craving protein, I need more protein that day, if I'm craving veggies, I need more vitamins that day, etc. Days where I do a reasonable amount at the gym, 800 cals+ according to MFP, I usually end up eating around the 1600 calorie mark. 1,600 calories isn't by design, it's consistently where my levels of hunger put me on those days so I feel that is what my body needs for that level of activity. That said, I do try to eat a largely balanced and healthy diet (but if I feel like indulging or have an event to go to where I'll eat and drink a bit more, then I'll do so with little guilt).

    I probably should also add that I've hypothyroidism which slows the metabolism, reduces serotonin and puts the body into stress which increases cortisol and subsequently makes you insulin resistant (unless absolutely perfectly medicated which for me seems impossible and it's safer to be a little under than over medicated) . As a result, if I were to eat the recommended calories for my age, height and sex, I'd put on weight so for me it makes sense to keep a little below.

    But different people are using this site for different reasons. Obviously, for those wanting to build or maintain muscle, eating back calories makes absolute total sense. For those of us using this to lose weight - particularly those of us on a longer journey - then whether or not to eat back all or any calories burned is a different and more personal issue. For some losing weight, eating back calories helps in the transition to healthier eating patterns and 'earning calories' is an incentive to exercise more. For others, losing an extra pound or two that month is the incentive to hit the gym and stricter discipline with food works better for them but obviously you have to make sure you're not under-eating and are feeling healthy, energised and sustained.
  • wimeezer
    wimeezer Posts: 404 Member
    I don't.
  • tayboo90
    tayboo90 Posts: 9
    I don't. Never have.
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
    No. I think MFP overestimates how many calories I burn. I'm doing just fine like this, thankfully.
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
    I never eat back exercise calories.
  • Danardeener
    Danardeener Posts: 255
    I've always eaten back my exercise calories and have made it to my goal weight...It may have been faster if I didn't but I want something that I can live with.
  • hmarlatt7676
    hmarlatt7676 Posts: 1
    I dont usually but I have a bad tendency to Under eat when I am in diet mode and when I couldn't budge the scale it was a must to increase but I rarely eat too many of them back. I just try to make sure I am eating a reasonable amount based on my level of exercise. If I run 11 miles for example, I eat more. If I do mild exercise I don't eat them back. Just what I do
  • MrsMaui27
    MrsMaui27 Posts: 63 Member
    Hubby tells me to. But I have a hard time doing this. SOooo I try and doing better at it and I have FINLLY loss 2 lbs. WoW!!! :bigsmile:
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    I don't.

    I exercise after work so if I eat after gym it'll be 10 pm. And I don't eat that late and our doctors always say its unhealthy to eat 2 hours after or before gym.
    I do have a protein shake.
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,234 Member
    Always, I love food. Kept off weight for 7 mo.
  • sherrielombardo
    sherrielombardo Posts: 2
    If you are really exercising a lot, you should eat back some of those calories; however, they should be protein calories. Indulge in protein after a hard workout.

Categories