Eat back what you burn or not??

chocolatecroissant

Interesting, several people suggested eating them back, but you only responded to the two that told you not to. I'd listen to the people who have several thousand posts on the forum (and are looking pretty great). For more information:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

Great link - many thanks. I am someone who uses MFP to calculate my calories and, as it only gives me 1200, need to add exercise calories or I'm starving! Even in maintenance I only get just over 1500! I wondered what TDEE was and will look into this as an alternative option as I tend to exercise 5-6 days a week.

Sweet_Pea0107

I always eat mine back! It has worked well for me since I started losing in a healthy way at 275lbs. I am at goal and have been maintaining for a a little over a year and I still eat more on the days I workout.

gpstrucker

bearwith

NO NO NO

That is the reason we are all here - any excuse and we eat rather than move!

If you exercised then let your body enjoy the benefit of that calorie deficit do not ruin the value added by eating!

taso42

NO NO NO

That is the reason we are all here - any excuse and we eat rather than move!

If you exercised then let your body enjoy the benefit of that calorie deficit do not ruin the value added by eating!

Gross misunderstanding of MFP functionality and of calorie deficits in general. You get a F. Summer school for you.

SideSteel

NO NO NO

That is the reason we are all here - any excuse and we eat rather than move!

If you exercised then let your body enjoy the benefit of that calorie deficit do not ruin the value added by eating!

You should get a better understanding of MFP's caloric recommendations so that you don't mistakenly provide bad advice.
See below:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

Crankstr

NO NO NO

That is the reason we are all here - any excuse and we eat rather than move!

If you exercised then let your body enjoy the benefit of that calorie deficit do not ruin the value added by eating!

please stop giving bad advice.

1ConcreteGirl

NO NO NO

That is the reason we are all here - any excuse and we eat rather than move!

If you exercised then let your body enjoy the benefit of that calorie deficit do not ruin the value added by eating!

please stop giving bad advice.

I'm just gonna be rude about this: STOPPIT.

tageekly

See that ticker below... I earned it by exercising - and then eating the calories back. :bigsmile:

ETA: Some days I would eat maybe half them, other days, every last one. I measure my calorie burns with a Polar HRM.

card2016

I maybe will do half of them,I think eating them all won't help loose the weight. I guess it all on how you feel.

MoreBean13

I maybe will do half of them,I think eating them all won't help loose the weight. I guess it all on how you feel.

That's a logical conclusion to what's been posted in this thread. :huh:

taso42

I maybe will do half of them,I think eating them all won't help loose the weight. I guess it all on how you feel.

That's a logical conclusion to what's been posted in this thread. :huh:

There's thermodynamics, and then there's how you feel. That's how people are able to loose weight by eating whatever and walking on coals, etc.

jillbean07

Being a Social Psych major I have noticed the same thing and have noticed lately that I am guilty of such behavior as well. I have only lost 1.5 lbs but I also only started 10 days ago.--I am looking at losing 1.5-2 lbs a week, but I am also younger and will be able to accomplish such goal with exercise as well.

I found this particular conversation very helpful. I was VERY active during high school and over the last 6 years I have gained about 30 lbs because I no longer work out 3 hours a day/5 days a week. I am slowly working on integrating 30-40 minutes/3 days a week.

I am going on a cruise in March, so I've decided to change my ways and shed a few lbs before we leave port! Seeing the little bars at the bottom of some posts is very encouraging. I believe I will be able to stay with this lifestyle and and make good choices a habit.

chocl8girl

I try to eat at least half of them back all the time, but if I feel really hungry, I will eat more. It just depends on how I feel, really, but I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't eat at least some of them back, because my body needs fuel to move.

larabell69

I have noticed the same in how I burn to what I take in... in my weight loss! good post!

Christinesyear

I think it's interesting. I, too, have tried both ways...eating back and not. I do SO much better when I DO eat back what I've exercised (in good food, NOT junk). That being said, the calories burned per exercise are NOT accurate on here. It wasn't until I got a heart rate monitor that I realized this and things started moving! If I can get an accurate representation of what I am burning during an exercise, I eat most of the the calories back. Good luck!

Mcgrawhaha

i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned. alot of equipment will give you numbers that are too high, even mfp gives numbers that are way too high! mfp says i burn almost 600 cals when in reality i only burned 300... as i said, i do not eat back my excercise calories, and instead, i give myself 2 days a month where i can have what i want and go "a little crazy" with my family... these are the days where ill plan outings and such, cause i know i can eat whatever and not worry about it. so far, its great! good luck to you, and whatever you decide, just remember that it has to work for you, not us! eaveryones body is different!

I disagree with this about the HRM. The OP has a built in deficit of 500 calories, which means that for her to NOT lose any weight, her calorie estimate would have to be off by more than 500 calories. I suppose that's possible if she was logging 1500 calorie workouts, but it's EXTREMELY unlikely to offset that within a normal 30-60 minute workout. Your weight loss will tell you whether your numbers are right or not- the HRM is just a more expensive estimation method- it's not infallible. I have one and don't wear it, and have lost my weight 98% without it and with eating my calories back. If a person wants to use one that's fine, but it is certainly not a requirement to lose weight while eating your calories back.

well i dont trust the numbers the machine or mfp gives me. for a 30 minute ride on the elliptical, it just about doubles my cals burned. sometimes i do a full hour, and thats a number of 600 cals over what i actually burn. that can easily sabatage someone whos eating back thier cals. i dont have to worry about it, because i choose not to eat mine back, but for those who do, i highly reccomend a good hrm. some girl on here the other day, a hundred and something pounds, said that her elliptical said she burned 13 hundred cals after 30 minutes on her elliptical... really? some machines are whacked and even mfp can only give estimates. i find good hrm to be much more reliable!

There's nothing wrong with trying to get reliable numbers from an HRM. I agree that it works.

I don't understand why you're telling people that eating back calories without using an HRM will stall weight loss, though. That's awfully specific advice when you don't eat yours back at all, since you're basically speculating about what might happen if you did do it.

i never told people not to eat back calories without a hrm, i said its a good idea to have an accurate number of how many calories they are actually burning, since machines and mfp arent as accurate. thats what i said.

Mcgrawhaha

well i dont trust the numbers the machine or mfp gives me. for a 30 minute ride on the elliptical, it just about doubles my cals burned. sometimes i do a full hour, and thats a number of 600 cals over what i actually burn. that can easily sabatage someone whos eating back thier cals. i dont have to worry about it, because i choose not to eat mine back, but for those who do, i highly reccomend a good hrm. some girl on here the other day, a hundred and something pounds, said that her elliptical said she burned 13 hundred cals after 30 minutes on her elliptical... really? some machines are whacked and even mfp can only give estimates. i find good hrm to be much more reliable!

And you are saying the machines are that off based on what your HRM is telling you?

You might want to inform yourself as to it's trustworthiness.

As to someone punching in the wrong numbers into the machines, I see it all the time. I do it sometimes.

Being good at reading and displaying your heart rate, the primary purpose of a "Heart Rate Monitor", is potentially a far cry from the recently added secondary purpose the huddled masses have desired, estimating, yes, estimating calorie burn.

Test your own setup and see in first topic. Get educated in the second. See the results in the third.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

no, im saying that mfp and different cardio machines give inflated numbers. period. they do. hrm's are much more accurate. thats what im saying. its not just me, its alot of people. i rode the elliptical for 45 minutes today. mfp is giving me calories burned of 600! i only burned 364. what im saying is very simple, not sure why you want to make a big deal out of the fact that i think hrm's are more accurate at giving a specific number of calories burned than mfp or the actual equipment. you dont have to agree with me... that my opinion. if i was going to eat back my exercise calories, i would use the number given from my hrm, and not mfp or the machine.

heybales

well i dont trust the numbers the machine or mfp gives me. for a 30 minute ride on the elliptical, it just about doubles my cals burned. sometimes i do a full hour, and thats a number of 600 cals over what i actually burn. that can easily sabatage someone whos eating back thier cals. i dont have to worry about it, because i choose not to eat mine back, but for those who do, i highly reccomend a good hrm. some girl on here the other day, a hundred and something pounds, said that her elliptical said she burned 13 hundred cals after 30 minutes on her elliptical... really? some machines are whacked and even mfp can only give estimates. i find good hrm to be much more reliable!

And you are saying the machines are that off based on what your HRM is telling you?

You might want to inform yourself as to it's trustworthiness.

As to someone punching in the wrong numbers into the machines, I see it all the time. I do it sometimes.

Being good at reading and displaying your heart rate, the primary purpose of a "Heart Rate Monitor", is potentially a far cry from the recently added secondary purpose the huddled masses have desired, estimating, yes, estimating calorie burn.

Test your own setup and see in first topic. Get educated in the second. See the results in the third.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

no, im saying that mfp and different cardio machines give inflated numbers. period. they do. hrm's are much more accurate. thats what im saying. its not just me, its alot of people. i rode the elliptical for 45 minutes today. mfp is giving me calories burned of 600! i only burned 364. what im saying is very simple, not sure why you want to make a big deal out of the fact that i think hrm's are more accurate at giving a specific number of calories burned than mfp or the actual equipment. you dont have to agree with me... that my opinion. if i was going to eat back my exercise calories, i would use the number given from my hrm, and not mfp or the machine.

Sorry, just thought you might like an educated opinion by at least reading the links, then you might realize how ridiculous the thought is that HRM's are the most accurate thing under the sun.

You might ask why everyone thinks it's more accurate - no idea. It's different, therefore it must be more accurate. Actually, it's different and lower, therefore it must be more accurate.

What a strange concept, different, therefore the one I spent money on is accurate. Oh, that's why. Money spent.

shade0343

I think a goal of 1800 Calories is very reasonable. More important in my estimation is the balance of carbs, fats and protein. For now I would try to balance it slightly in favor of carbs and protein. Keep the fat below the other two and good luck! Ask if you have any other questions.

MoreBean13

i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned. alot of equipment will give you numbers that are too high, even mfp gives numbers that are way too high! mfp says i burn almost 600 cals when in reality i only burned 300... as i said, i do not eat back my excercise calories, and instead, i give myself 2 days a month where i can have what i want and go "a little crazy" with my family... these are the days where ill plan outings and such, cause i know i can eat whatever and not worry about it. so far, its great! good luck to you, and whatever you decide, just remember that it has to work for you, not us! eaveryones body is different!

I disagree with this about the HRM. The OP has a built in deficit of 500 calories, which means that for her to NOT lose any weight, her calorie estimate would have to be off by more than 500 calories. I suppose that's possible if she was logging 1500 calorie workouts, but it's EXTREMELY unlikely to offset that within a normal 30-60 minute workout. Your weight loss will tell you whether your numbers are right or not- the HRM is just a more expensive estimation method- it's not infallible. I have one and don't wear it, and have lost my weight 98% without it and with eating my calories back. If a person wants to use one that's fine, but it is certainly not a requirement to lose weight while eating your calories back.

well i dont trust the numbers the machine or mfp gives me. for a 30 minute ride on the elliptical, it just about doubles my cals burned. sometimes i do a full hour, and thats a number of 600 cals over what i actually burn. that can easily sabatage someone whos eating back thier cals. i dont have to worry about it, because i choose not to eat mine back, but for those who do, i highly reccomend a good hrm. some girl on here the other day, a hundred and something pounds, said that her elliptical said she burned 13 hundred cals after 30 minutes on her elliptical... really? some machines are whacked and even mfp can only give estimates. i find good hrm to be much more reliable!

There's nothing wrong with trying to get reliable numbers from an HRM. I agree that it works.

I don't understand why you're telling people that eating back calories without using an HRM will stall weight loss, though. That's awfully specific advice when you don't eat yours back at all, since you're basically speculating about what might happen if you did do it.

i never told people not to eat back calories without a hrm, i said its a good idea to have an accurate number of how many calories they are actually burning, since machines and mfp arent as accurate. thats what i said.

The first thing you said in this thread was:

i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned.

You can see where I may have been confused and thought you said "if you do [eat your exercise calories back] you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned." My apologies for the confusion.

HRMs are an estimation method for tracking your calories based on an algorithm that correlates your VO2max to your heart rate. There is no direct connection between your heart rate and calories burned performing an exercise. A lot of data has been collected to suggest that the equations used are reasonably accurate, assuming your body falls within the "normal" range of people on whom the equations are based, and that you accurately know your VO2max and have it set correctly on the unit. Just to summarize here, HRMs do not measure calorie burns.

weapher

In addition, your VO2 max changes as your body changes. So keeping it accurate is essential. Then you get into gross calories and net calories etc...

Best advice starting out is to keep it simple. The more time you spend on trying to figure it out is less time you could be out enjoying the new you

I have always ate back all or most of my calories when I work out. I lost 35lbs back in 2007 in about 14 mos and tried the HRM route for about 2 weeks. I didn't really like having to strap it on all the time, I don't like wearing a watch, and it didn't work for activities such as TaeKwonDo etc... so I used a calorie calculator online and it seemed to be fairly effective.

If you consistently do similar exercise you will begin to see that certain activities burn approximately so many calories.

Try not to get too caught up in the technicalities of it all and most of all... enjoy the journey!

i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned. alot of equipment will give you numbers that are too high, even mfp gives numbers that are way too high! mfp says i burn almost 600 cals when in reality i only burned 300... as i said, i do not eat back my excercise calories, and instead, i give myself 2 days a month where i can have what i want and go "a little crazy" with my family... these are the days where ill plan outings and such, cause i know i can eat whatever and not worry about it. so far, its great! good luck to you, and whatever you decide, just remember that it has to work for you, not us! eaveryones body is different!

I disagree with this about the HRM. The OP has a built in deficit of 500 calories, which means that for her to NOT lose any weight, her calorie estimate would have to be off by more than 500 calories. I suppose that's possible if she was logging 1500 calorie workouts, but it's EXTREMELY unlikely to offset that within a normal 30-60 minute workout. Your weight loss will tell you whether your numbers are right or not- the HRM is just a more expensive estimation method- it's not infallible. I have one and don't wear it, and have lost my weight 98% without it and with eating my calories back. If a person wants to use one that's fine, but it is certainly not a requirement to lose weight while eating your calories back.

well i dont trust the numbers the machine or mfp gives me. for a 30 minute ride on the elliptical, it just about doubles my cals burned. sometimes i do a full hour, and thats a number of 600 cals over what i actually burn. that can easily sabatage someone whos eating back thier cals. i dont have to worry about it, because i choose not to eat mine back, but for those who do, i highly reccomend a good hrm. some girl on here the other day, a hundred and something pounds, said that her elliptical said she burned 13 hundred cals after 30 minutes on her elliptical... really? some machines are whacked and even mfp can only give estimates. i find good hrm to be much more reliable!

There's nothing wrong with trying to get reliable numbers from an HRM. I agree that it works.

I don't understand why you're telling people that eating back calories without using an HRM will stall weight loss, though. That's awfully specific advice when you don't eat yours back at all, since you're basically speculating about what might happen if you did do it.

i never told people not to eat back calories without a hrm, i said its a good idea to have an accurate number of how many calories they are actually burning, since machines and mfp arent as accurate. thats what i said.

The first thing you said in this thread was:

i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned.

You can see where I may have been confused and thought you said "if you do [eat your exercise calories back] you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned." My apologies for the confusion.

HRMs are an estimation method for tracking your calories based on an algorithm that correlates your VO2max to your heart rate. There is no direct connection between your heart rate and calories burned performing an exercise. A lot of data has been collected to suggest that the equations used are reasonably accurate, assuming your body falls within the "normal" range of people on whom the equations are based, and that you accurately know your VO2max and have it set correctly on the unit. Just to summarize here, HRMs do not measure calorie burns.