Bonus Calories for Cardio???
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MFP creates the deficit for you. Exercise calories are bonus, eat them back. I do and lost bunches.
For I man, I heard 1500 at the minimum and that is probably too low.
Follow the MFP program, it works.0 -
I think it depends on what your goals are? If you main goal is to just lose weight then don't eat them back or maybe just half of them, as that will give you extra calorie burn. If you did your goals to lose weight, then MFP already has them built in for you and this give you some play calories. If you are hungry that day, eat some back if not then, bank them.
For me, I am trying to lose fat and put on lean muscle, so I need to fuel the body, eating my calories back. You can't gain lean muscle if you are feeding them. What most people don't realize from reading some of these posts, is when you lose weight, it isn't only fat you are losing, it is a combination of fat and muscle. You want to keep as much lean muscle as you can because they burn calories, fat doesn't. This is why taking measurements can be important. Just because the scale tells you that you aren't losing weight doesn't mean you aren't leaning your body out. Remember, fat has more volume then muscle, so if you are weighing the same and dropping in measurements, you are most likely putting on lean muscle, doing exactly what I would think you would want. Looking better!!!!0 -
Eat your calories back! Exercise makes you stronger, faster, leaner. The deficit built in from MFP makes you lighter.
It doesn't all have to be heavy food either. If you blow off 700-1000 calories on a hard run or workout and dont want to eat another meal/not hungry, have a sports drink or eat some peanut butter or a protein shake or something.0 -
You're not undoing the work.. the calorie deficit is there before you even exercise.0
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go by gross calories, not net. it makes no sense to eat back those calories you just burned.. its basically just a wash at that point
Uhhhhh....NO....MFP actually builds in a caloric deficit into your goal. I eat back all of my exercise calories and I lose roughly 1 Lb per week for the last 3 months, which is exactly the way I set my goals on MFP. If one is going to use a tool, one should learn how to properly use said tool.0 -
I dont eat them back! NO WAY!!!!!0
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I eat my exercise calories back... if I use my HRM. The calculations MFP has are overestimated so if you are going off of those eat back half. MFP already builds a deficit into account so not eating your exercise calories back can leave you with too little net calories.
When you dont eat enough you risk losing muscle mass which in turned lowers your metabolism. Eating exercise calories back also helps you to have the energy needed to continue on with your workouts. I find if I do a long workout and don't eat my exercise calories back I lose energy and get shaky.
You are no undoing your hard work by cardio when you eat your exercise calories back since you already have a deficit built in. The only time you shouldn't eat your exercise calories back is when you are going off the TDEE cut for your daily calories.
You should always net your BMR.0 -
I tried this theory out and did 6 weeks NOT eating them back and then 6 weeks eating them back, I stuck to it religiously and gained
back everything I lost originally, so it doesn't work for me. However, as we are all different it might work for some and not others.
I think the important thing is to find what works for yourself and stick with that.
1 - MFP builds in a deficit to begin with, but if you really just want to have a set singular goal to reach every day go here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map
Look around and find the TDEE and BMR calculators (they really have made it easy to figure out on the spreadsheet). Otherwise get yourself a HRM if you don't already have one.
2 - by under fueling your body can sap your energy making you lethargic. This means that with you can't meet your maximum potential when doing just about anything, especially exercise.
3 - Changing your diet and exercise program or goals for 1 week as an evaluation method doesn't really prove anything. Anything you change requires your body to make adjustments and regulate. It takes 4 - 6 weeks to prove out a change in caloric goals. The goal isn't to figure out what works right now, the goal is to find maximum efficency over the long term.
As I said, I tried both ways over a 6week period each and it doesn't work for me. I do have a long term plan and that is to lose the excess weight I am carrying in a healthy way for me. However, when I was eating the exercise calories back I constantly felt like I had over-eaten and was eating for the sake of it which is what got me here in the first place. I'm not for one minute saying what is right or wrong as I have no right or qualifications to make that assumption but I do feel qualified to know what works for me.
As I stated earlier, we are all different and what works for one doesn't always work for another. We all have to find our own individual ways of acheiving our goals.
Actually, it's science...their are no snow flakes...if you're truly at a deficit and one is built into your caloric goal, you will lose weight even if you eat back exercise calories, because you would be netting to said goal which includes a deficit (provided you set up your profile that way).
If you're gaining with eating exercise calories, one of these is most likely:
1. you are guestimating on weights/measurements and consuming more than you think you are.
2. you are over estimating caloric burn from exercise and thus no longer at a deficit
3. you are using estimated calories from the data base rather than verifying that those calories are correct (either food or exercise)
4. the inputs you put into MFP to establish your goal are flawed (i.e. lightly active when you're really sedentary, moderately active when you're really lightly active, including exercise in your daily activity (TDEE method) when the MFP method is to exclude exercise from your daily activity and log those separately.
5. You have a medical condition, diagnosed or otherwise that results in having a slower than average metabolism for someone of your age, weight, and height...(ok, that's the only snow flake possibility...barring that, it's math plain and simple).0 -
it really blows my mind that people still think you aren't supposed to eat back your calories. Just a recipe for disaster. If you're doing TDEE that's fine, your exercise calories are already baked in... but if not... come on, It's just math people. The post above is perfect. If it's not working, it's not because of the exercise calories, it's because something else is wrong.
I sometimes consume over 3000 calories on days where I do long runs or a ton of exercise. I haven't gained back a pound.0 -
For me not eating them back works well. There was point when I was eating them back and I started to gain weight. I have since stop and the weight I gained is coming back off.0
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For me not eating them back works well. There was point when I was eating them back and I started to gain weight. I have since stop and the weight I gained is coming back off.
And there we have it...so nice to know I'm not alone in doing what works for me!
Well done mate:)0 -
What works for one person does not always work for everyone.0
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What works for one person does not always work for everyone.
I have stated this once or twice mate..to me it's pretty obvious. Keep up the good work and good luck in reaching your goals:)0 -
it really blows my mind that people still think you aren't supposed to eat back your calories. Just a recipe for disaster. If you're doing TDEE that's fine, your exercise calories are already baked in... but if not... come on, It's just math people. The post above is perfect. If it's not working, it's not because of the exercise calories, it's because something else is wrong.
I sometimes consume over 3000 calories on days where I do long runs or a ton of exercise. I haven't gained back a pound.
This^^^^^
Plus I exercise so I do not feel like I am starving. I earned them, I eat them. I am not depriving myself for the off chance I might lose weight faster, all while killing my metabolism.0 -
Go by how you feel. If you feel good and have energy don't eat them back. - Listen to your body.
If you'r hungry - eat....just make sure you eat something good (lean protean, veggies or fruit).
I didn't eat them back and didn't experience starvation mode - beware of blanket statements about starvation mode.
I started by eating mine back but this is now how I do it. That said the difference between 'I'm good I don't need to eat them back' and 'raging starving beast who would hunt you down and eat you if she weren't also fatigued' is a lot narrower than I wish it were. So when in doubt, at least eat some back.0 -
When the hell did it start snowing in here?0
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When the hell did it start snowing in here?
I do not understand what this means. Please enlightened me.0 -
MFP as normally set up, has your deficit built in. So your exercise calories can be eaten back.
Problem here is that exercise calories are horrifyingly inaccurate. The treadmill may say you burned 500, but it could be anywhere. That is why so many people suggest eating back only HALF your exercise calories.
If you create too large of a deficit for the amount of fat that you have to lose, then you will degrade muscle mass significantly. Fat cells can only supply so much energy per day. This is why we all can't just go on an intense hike one day and come back ripped.
Eat them back or not, it is up to you. Just make sure you eat above your BMR every day and you'll be fine.0 -
I use an HRM from Timex for most all my workouts. I calibrated its output against various runs, of which there are several calculators available for so it's a nice metric. Be it a 5k or 10K when I was heavier it over-estimated by about 33%!! Now that I'm a bit lighter it's off by about 25%. Something's goofed in it's calculations. So I log 75% of what it tells me now. So yeah, I agree. Cast a wary eye to those calorie burn numbers you're seeing, always good to be conservative/double check those numbers. Good points DanaDark!0
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When the hell did it start snowing in here?
I do not understand what this means. Please enlightened me.
I believe it means that there are people in the thread who think they are "special snowflakes", i.e. they claim that something that does in fact work for everyone, doesn't work for just them, when it is more likely they are just not doing it correctly.
Disclaimer: I am interpreting the saying and not trying to insult anyone.0 -
When the hell did it start snowing in here?
I do not understand what this means. Please enlightened me.
I believe it means that there are people in the thread who think they are "special snowflakes", i.e. they claim that something that does in fact work for everyone, doesn't work for just them, when it is more likely they are just not doing it correctly.
Disclaimer: I am interpreting the saying and not trying to insult anyone.
Love it, makes sense and thanks.0 -
I really like when people say, "I don't do it the way 99% of you do it! That doesn't work for me!!!"
My ticker shows 48 pounds lost. Yours shows 2 pounds lost in the past five months.
Okay, so...? Maybe it's time to try something new? It can't hurt. Just try it.
(Not targeting anyone with the ticker example. It was just an example.)0 -
I wanna be a special snowflake.
I go by the numbers on my fitbit which includes all my exercise, usually coming in between 300-500 calories under what it says my TDEE is, and end up losing weight during the month (I weigh once a week and average it out at the end of the month for my official weigh in).
I tend to think that the people who gain weight while eating their exercise calories back after not doing so, didn't eat them back for so long that their bodies got used to the lower calories.0 -
Eating them back seems silly at first. But it is smart..it is the key to keeping your body losing and also it makes you feel like you're not dieting. It also mimics real life. when you get to maintenance it works the very same way...when you exercise you get to eat more and stay the same size. It is a process..a journey... a grand conclusion. Not the usual quick fix..where..you know.. you blow right up like a balloon after you hit goal.0
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When the hell did it start snowing in here?
I do not understand what this means. Please enlightened me.
I believe it means that there are people in the thread who think they are "special snowflakes", i.e. they claim that something that does in fact work for everyone, doesn't work for just them, when it is more likely they are just not doing it correctly.
Disclaimer: I am interpreting the saying and not trying to insult anyone.
exactly...there are no snow flakes...this is science and mathematics.0 -
......I tend to think that the people who gain weight while eating their exercise calories back after not doing so, didn't eat them back for so long that their bodies got used to the lower calories.
That and they tend to be negligent in measuring and weighing (I was one of these and used to just eyeball stuff...when I was thinking I was having a cup of something I was actually having 1.5 cups...when I was supposed to have a 2oz serving of pasta, I'd just pick up a handful and it turns out it was closer to 4 oz, etc)...they tend to lack consistency in logging (that was me too)...they tend to believe things like alcohol don't count (yup, been there done that)...they tend to think there are magic negative calorie foods or if you just eat more vegetables, the fat will just melt off (now how did I know that...yup...used to be me too)...and the list could go on and on.
Once I started listening to veterans on this forum, everything changed for me and I've now been consistently losing 1 Lb per week on average over the last couple of months. When I first started, I was all over the place after having lost 6 Lbs on my own...then gaining...then losing...then gaining, etc. There's a lot of people on this forum who know what the **** they're talking about.0 -
When the hell did it start snowing in here?
I do not understand what this means. Please enlightened me.
I believe it means that there are people in the thread who think they are "special snowflakes", i.e. they claim that something that does in fact work for everyone, doesn't work for just them, when it is more likely they are just not doing it correctly.
Disclaimer: I am interpreting the saying and not trying to insult anyone.
exactly...there are no snow flakes...this is science and mathematics.
Dangit, I am a special snowflake. Just not when it comes to weight loss.0 -
I really like when people say, "I don't do it the way 99% of you do it! That doesn't work for me!!!"
My ticker shows 48 pounds lost. Yours shows 2 pounds lost in the past five months.
Okay, so...? Maybe it's time to try something new? It can't hurt. Just try it.
(Not targeting anyone with the ticker example. It was just an example.)
Considering you've lost 48lbs in 24 days, I wouldn't want to lose like you do. Completely not sustainable, especially if other people have a lot less to lose.0 -
I don't think there will ever be a "right" answer for this. There is a lot of opinion though.
Depending on how much you have to lose, you may not need to worry about "starvation" mode. That only occurs when bodyfat % get really low. (There are lots of studies but i'm too lazy to link them). Think of it like this... those who go through weight loss surgery are essentially drastically reducing the intake they need to feel full. I belive right after they are on a 600 calorie diet per day. They have a lot to lose so it's ok for them (or me because I have plenty to lose).
Eating provides energy. If you are working out to just burn calories, then you can
just eat less (that's not always easy to do). Some people work out to be able to eat the greasy burger and fries w/o gaining. Some workout because they want to improve heart/lung health, some workout because they want to run faster, or lift more. That last group of ppl need energy to rebuild and fuel their workout and should eat their calories (IMO). As long as you have pleny to lose, you are not in any danger of starvation mode. Do what works best for you and helps you stay on track.0 -
I really like when people say, "I don't do it the way 99% of you do it! That doesn't work for me!!!"
My ticker shows 48 pounds lost. Yours shows 2 pounds lost in the past five months.
Okay, so...? Maybe it's time to try something new? It can't hurt. Just try it.
(Not targeting anyone with the ticker example. It was just an example.)
Considering you've lost 48lbs in 24 days, I wouldn't want to lose like you do. Completely not sustainable, especially if other people have a lot less to lose.
No idea where you got that idea from. Here are dates from her profile:
331: 25 pounds lost - achieved 8/8/12
325: safely under the Wii Fit weight limit (330) - achieved 8/24/12
314: my weight when I met my boyfriend - achieved 11/30/12
309: BMI under 50 - achieved 1/24/13
Looks like they're losing on average 4 lbs. per month.
Oh...you assumed they didn't start losing until they joined this site. Not so.0
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