Eating back exercise calories...makes no sense to me...

jmeddows87

Hey! x

This is my second time round with MFP. Last time I lost 20lbs... but unfortunately fell completely off the wagon and put all the weight back on again. Both last time and this time (this time will be for good!) I was confused by the whole idea of eating back my exercise calories and I never have.

I know this is a very talked about subject and I know there are many discussions regarding it but I still have questions. I am 5’3” and weigh 149 currently, with a calorie intake of 1200kcal a day, I would eventually like to be around 120lbs. It seems illogical to me to work hard exercising then to eat it all back again...?? Surely, what was the point in exercising?

Although, I understand we need to avoid getting our bodies into starvation mode etc... Help! Do you eat back your calories? How much weight have you lost by doing so?

I would love to eat back my calories, but I am scared to at the thought of not losing any weight! I am aiming for 2lbs a week, I do Turbofire every morning and also walk my dog in the evenings.

Let me know your thoughts...

ladyraven68

Hey! x

This is my second time round with MFP. Last time I lost 20lbs... but unfortunately fell completely off the wagon and put all the weight back on again. Both last time and this time (this time will be for good!) I was confused by the whole idea of eating back my exercise calories and I never have.

I know this is a very talked about subject and I know there are many discussions regarding it but I still have questions. I am 5’3” and weigh 149 currently, with a calorie intake of 1200kcal a day, I would eventually like to be around 120lbs. It seems illogical to me to work hard exercising then to eat it all back again...?? Surely, what was the point in exercising?

Although, I understand we need to avoid getting our bodies into starvation mode etc... Help! Do you eat back your calories? How much weight have you lost by doing so?

I would love to eat back my calories, but I am scared to at the thought of not losing any weight! I am aiming for 2lbs a week, I do Turbofire every morning and also walk my dog in the evenings.

Let me know your thoughts...

Ok, you understand the principle of losing weight, is to eat less calories than our bodies use.

MFP sets up your calorie goal by taking your chosen defict from your daily calories exclusing exercise.

If you exercise you make that defict larger.

If you and i were both the same height, weight , job etc, and both set up MFP to lose 1lb a week, it would give us the same calorie goal.

If I went home and sat on the sofa every night, and you went home and ran 5 miles every night, our daily maintenence calories would be very different, and our calorie goals with the 500 calorie defict to lose 1lb a week would be very different, but according to MFP they are the same.

To keep to the same defict that you chose on MFP, you could eat the extra running calories, and you would still be at the defict you chose, and we should both then continue to lose the 1lb a week we told MFP.

This explains it all well - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

MaraDiaz

I used to eat them back because the heavier you are the easier it is to create that deficit to lose a pound or two a week.

Now I don't because every damn calorie matters.

But some days I do eat them back because I get fatigued or cranky or depressed and that tells me I need more calories that day. Or that I didn't eat enough the day before. But usually I can tell because I get in a really bad mood when it's time to bump them up for a day.

However I'm completely sedentary except for 200 or so calories of exercise. I don't work I don't chase small children I don't haul *kitten* across campus with a backpack full of books. People who are more active are already creating a pretty big deficit on the basic 1200 calories. Some are even creating too large a deficit without exercise.

Also I'm older with a long history of crash dieting. And I'm racing to beat the Spring allergies that are going to completely destroy my work out routine and probably bring my weight loss to a screeching halt.

So do I think eating exercise calories back is a good idea for most people? Yes. Eating some back at least. Although you can't trust a heart rate monitor worth a damn so leaving some wiggle room of uneaten exercise calories is not a bad idea either if you find yourself stalling out.

At the very least though don't let yourself get all sad and mean and fatigued. Those can be signs your deficit is too big. Also if you are prone to binge that is a really fast way to set you up for one.

carolynbergen1

Hi there! I'm new here and have been using this site for the last 3 weeks. Have only lost about 4 lbs and I'm not all that happy with my small loss. This issue confuses me as well. I don't get the reasoning behind eating back the exercise calories either. I'm also not a huge water fan. Never have been. Would like to know why water is so important when losing weight. Looking forward to responses from the knowledgeable people on here. Thanks.

carolynbergen1

Oops...just saw the responses to the OP's question! Great info! Thank you!

Mokey41

I don't eat them back, have never eaten them back and have maintained my weight for 2 years now. I exercise for fitness not so I can justify eating more.

jacksonpt

Hey! x

This is my second time round with MFP. Last time I lost 20lbs... but unfortunately fell completely off the wagon and put all the weight back on again. Both last time and this time (this time will be for good!) I was confused by the whole idea of eating back my exercise calories and I never have.

I know this is a very talked about subject and I know there are many discussions regarding it but I still have questions. I am 5’3” and weigh 149 currently, with a calorie intake of 1200kcal a day, I would eventually like to be around 120lbs. It seems illogical to me to work hard exercising then to eat it all back again...?? Surely, what was the point in exercising?

Although, I understand we need to avoid getting our bodies into starvation mode etc... Help! Do you eat back your calories? How much weight have you lost by doing so?

I would love to eat back my calories, but I am scared to at the thought of not losing any weight! I am aiming for 2lbs a week, I do Turbofire every morning and also walk my dog in the evenings.

Let me know your thoughts...

Then why aren't you reading those discussions? They are no different than your question.

Brianna716

I'm 5'3", my SW was 153, I'm at 133 as of today.. still need to update my profile for that!

Since I hit 140 pounds I've been on 1,200 a day and eating back my exercise calories- at least half of them, usually most of them. I'm still losing

If you don't eat back your exercise calories, you're at too much of a deficit.

***
eta- before I hit 140, I was eating 1260 a day + exercise calories.

I fell off the wagon for a while and when I restarted MFP on Jan 7 I was 140, so that's 7 pounds in just over 5 weeks.

CharityGC

I eat them back, at least most of them, and still have lost pounds (even though I'm actually not looking to lose more). If I can eat all the foods I enjoy and never feel hungry, tired, or cranky, why wouldn't I? I love food!

monicalosesweight

Read the post by ladyraven. It explains the whole process. The system sets you at a deficit...exercising increases that and then MFP will raise the calories to keep you at losing 2 pounds a week. Basically, you don't want to lose too fast as that will just make you crankly. Besides, if you're already set to lose at 2 pounds and it gave you extra calories - why would you frustrate and make yourself hungry? You may as well eat them, you're still at the deficit to lose the 2 pounds.

Monica

KenosFeoh

I know it seems counter-intuitive, but eating back exercise calories must be based on pretty sound principles because you can earn extra food points in Weight Watchers through exercise, and WW is widely recognized as a very sound program for losing weight.

I can't help eating extra when I exercise because it makes me crazy-hungry! Plus I appreciate being able to off-set eating too much by exercising; it makes for a good end-of-day balance.

cwolfman13

Gaaaawwwwdddd....this f'in topic again...make me want to...

No_Finish_Line

ITs just the way the site is set up. it sounds funny but its ultimately good nutrition.

Eating back the exercise calories keeps you at a steady defecit, and this is helpful to lose fat and hopefully avoid losing muscle.

quite frankly if all you want to do is lose fat, then you just have to eat at a defecit. exercise will help a lot but wont be necessary if your nutrition is correct. exercise is necessary to shape your body though, and its got to be propperly feed for this to happen (not really saying your going to be able to build muscle but you can condition it while losing fat).

I do a lot of beachbody programs. They always come with a nutrition guide with a calculation that tells you how many calories to eat. I highly recommend you just go by that and customize your cals to that number. But then you must stick to the exercise scheduel (calculation is usually based on how many days you plan to exercise). Thats what i do.

But ethier way your going to be 'eating back' your exercise calories. You don't need to do it, but if holding onto lean body mass is important, your better off doing it and being patient.

maggs155

My doctor (nutritionist) told me not to eat all of my exercise cals back. A lot of people on here tell u to but i think i will trust a doctor than someone that just reads up on something. If u really want to know how to do ur weight loss i would make a doctors appointment with a nutritionist if ur confused every one is different so i think that would be the best thing for u to do:)

wibutterflymagic

The reason you need to eat them back is because after you exercise you're body isn't getting 1200 calories. MFP has calculated your calorie goal with a built in deficit. So if you don't do any exercise and eat your 1200 you will lose weight. You're body needs fuel to be active. You eat your 1200 calories and then exercise and burn off 200-300 or more then your body is actually only getting 1000, 900 etc. Being an active adult eating under 1200 calories isn't very healthy. The longer you deprive your body of the fuel it needs the more likely you are to stall your weight loss. If you don't eat back your calories then your body will hold onto the calories it does get just to keep you alive.

salu1975

I feel the same way, and I usually dont eat my exercise calories back. I am a slow loser, so I need every calorie deficit I can get, without compromising on nutrients.

supergirljen

My doctor told me not to, but I need to lose a lot. Maybe when I am in maintenance I will eat them back.

Kmsnomaha

You don't have to eat back exercise calories if you figure your TDEE. www.scoobysworkshop can help figure how many calories you should have in a day. Eat less than TDEE and more than BMR.

mummyloveslish

For me if I eat my exercise cals I don't lose at all, often gain; if I don't eat them I lose a little; if I hammer the exercise and don't eat my exercise cals I lose more and if I do that and don't eat 200 cals under my limit I lose even more.

The science behind the calories intake set is fine but everyone has a different metabolism, amount of muscle and associated burn rate so my advice is to experiment and see what works best. Try eating your exercise cals for a few weeks and see what you lose (I would go under - in my experience the calculations are generous!) - if you don't then eat fewer of the exercise cals and so on ...

coyoteo

Personally, I let my body be the guide. If I do a killer workout and am hungry, I eat back some of them. I tend to get hungry the next day though, so sometimes I go over on days after. I focus on how my body feels and focus on a weekly goal more than a daily goal.

carlom18

In short. Yes.

Why? becasue myfitnesspal sets up your calorie intake BUT doesn't count exercise you do. If tracking exercise becomes a hassle just figure out your TDEE.

Here's a few sites
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/