Eating back calories you burn off?

mssgeni

I work out at least 5 times a week, and I usually burn 250-300 calories each workout according to the treadmill (I need to get a heart rate monitor...). In addition to that, I set my calorie limit at 1,200 calories a day... since I was eating the bare minimum I figured I should up my calories to make my net not less than 1,200 cals a day.

Well I do that for a week and I gain 1.5 pounds... after, for the most part, losing weight each week

What do you guys do? Am I just being impatient again/need to wait for my system get used to eating that much or should I NOT eat the calories I burn at the gym?

Halp

robot_potato

You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories as MFP already calculates a calorie deficit for you. But I also find that MFP overestimates the amount of calories burned, so it's a neither here nor there kind of thing. If you have calories set at 1200, you likely have not much to lose and are going at it way too aggressively, which can have a negative effect. Also, you should read this

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Using the tools provided here has helped me, and many others, immensely.

meshashesha2012

you think 1500 calories is a lot of calories?

do you have a history of yoyo dieting?

in any case i aim to burn 500-700 calories per workout or more. today i burned 1200 calories from exercise. there's no way i'd be able to get through my running or weight lifting without fainting if i only ate my base 1400 calories.

also you want to be careful of what type of eight you are losing. eating so few calories you can easily lose muscle which sets you up for failure since muscle is what helps keep your metabolism as high as it can be

mssgeni

pbprincess, great link! =O I recall using a TDEE calculator (or something like that) and it telling me that to lose weight I needed to consume 1,280 calories a day though. I'll read through this though!

meshashesha.... yes. My weight has been a roller coaster lately, but I blamed that in my ever-changing eating habits. Completely blocking out carbs and eating them regularly is really messing with my weight loss. =( Also regarding muscle, that may be it as well... should I try incorporating weight lifting other than just cardio?

jjrichard83

Not to be rude, but there is a good search feature on here that many people don't use. This question is asked a good 2-3 times a day at least.

To answer your question though - I don't eat them all back b/c I feel that all the apps for MFP are very generous when it comes to handing out free calories. If it's intense, then yea, eat them back. I try to only eat half.

iveyroze3

I give myself 1500 calories a day. I was doing 1200 a day but was way to hungry. I upped my calories to 1500 and I eat all or most of my exercise calories back. Usually a pound to pound and a half is lost. I'm pleased with my results.

SkimFlatWhite68

Hi, there are a lot of threads on this topic with many opinions. Try using the Search feature to read what has been written on this topic so far.

As stated above, MFP does not account for exercise, and you should probably be eating your exercise calories back, or some people say 1/2 to 3/4.

Or, work out your TDEE and subtract 20% for your TDEG. Again, do some searches and play around with your calorie intake and find what is right for you.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the gain. Could be a whole heap of reasons. Chillax!

WaterBunnie

Time of the Month? Water/sodium consumption? Constipation? It's always best to give a change a few weeks to settle into a pattern before you can declare it a failure.

heybales

I work out at least 5 times a week, and I usually burn 250-300 calories each workout according to the treadmill (I need to get a heart rate monitor...). In addition to that, I set my calorie limit at 1,200 calories a day... since I was eating the bare minimum I figured I should up my calories to make my net not less than 1,200 cals a day.

Well I do that for a week and I gain 1.5 pounds... after, for the most part, losing weight each week

What do you guys do? Am I just being impatient again/need to wait for my system get used to eating that much or should I NOT eat the calories I burn at the gym?

Halp

if you gained that much that fast, you just proved you aren't eating enough to replenish glucose stores.

Because to gain that much fat in a week would mean you are eating 750 calories over MAINTENANCE, not current eating level, maintenance, each and every day.

obviously that didn't happen, you finally topped off glucose stores that attach with water.

Keep it up, if exercising, that is exactly the kind of improvement you are asking your body to make - let it. it increases metabolism after all if you do eat enough to allow it to.

archie1964

I only eat back half of what I've burnt

EdTheGinge

You should do what you feel is right for you, when I was trying to lose weight I didn't eat exercise back but now I'm maintaining I'm eating them and trying to increase muscle mass etc

jenilla1

I eat all my exercise calories back and I've been on maintenance for a couple of years now. When I was losing, I didn't always eat all of them, but I tried to at least eat most of them. Now that I'm maintaining and working on fitness and body composition goals through heavy lifting, I make sure I eat all my exercise cals and a little extra protein. :drinker:

baldrock

Hi
I had been doing the same type of thing working out and eating the calories burned, but I changed my workout so I do more cardio than weights and made sure I worked in the fat burning zone for my age (Heart Rate) and lost six pounds in a week. I would swim, run and cycle.

Hope this helps?