Eating back Calories

jaymartin1978
jaymartin1978 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have been exercising more consistently but I have not been eating the extra calories allowed from exercising. I am actually eating a little less then the recommended 1480 because I am full from the food. I have been eat at least 5 times a day and trying to drink more water. Should I really be eating back the calories from my exercise?
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Replies

  • ChristiSykes
    ChristiSykes Posts: 186 Member
    bump
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I would say, YES! I eat them all, always have and always will. If you want to feel less full then increase your intake of healthy fat.
  • wisconsinboogie
    wisconsinboogie Posts: 127 Member
    Yes, especially with exercising, or your body will burn muscle first, without the added cals.
  • newbeg1ning
    newbeg1ning Posts: 77 Member
    My understanding is that YES you should. Otherwise your body will get used to the caloric intake and go into starvation mode and conserve calories instead of burning them thus no weight loss will occur. Again, this is my understanding and it actually happen to me at the beginning I cut back so much I stopped losing all together.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
    It depends on your theory.

    I follow my BMR/TDEE. BMR (Base metabolic rate) is what your body needs to function normally (I'm talking heart, lungs, brain, etc.), and what the hospital would feed you if you were on extreme bedrest - meaning you do no physical activity at all. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is how many extra calories your body burns being active during the day.

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

    But bottomline, why would you train your body to expect less and SLOW down your metabolism?
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Well, we aren't all fat for one and for two...eating too much of the wrong foods is probably the more likely culprit.
  • bogden78
    bogden78 Posts: 172 Member
    I don't usually eat back my exercise calories, especially not if I feel full. There have been times where I do still feel hungry and I will eat something small, but this doesn't happen often and I don't feel guilty about it b/c I I did burn all those extra cals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Read the stickies as you are instructed to do when joining this site. If you use the MFP method, you're supposed to eat back exercise calories. That is why when you log exercise it ups your goal. It's a ****ing goal..something to be achieved. How is the definition of goal lost on so many endless times daily.

    If you read the directions for how to use this tool...well...you'd know how to use this tool. Does anyone read the ****ing instructions anymore? Guess not...everyone just likes to wing it huh.

    Sorry for the rant, but this seriously comes up about a million times per day and you're going to get responses from people who know and understand this tool, as well as idiots who like starving themselves and pro-ana folks.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    It explains it here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    It depends on what your goals are and what works for your body. Hard to answer without knowing these.
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    listen to your body.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Well, we aren't all fat for one and for two...eating too much of the wrong foods is probably the more likely culprit.

    For one most people are here because they are fat with the exception of people that lost and hang around and beach body coaches, second, you can be overweight from eating too much of healthy foods too. Been there, done that.
  • peachfigs
    peachfigs Posts: 831 Member
    I know this is hard, because I struggle with it too.

    Try not to focus on the fact that you have to eat MORE food when you aren't hungry, and maybe look at tweaking the meals you're already eating, and find ways to up the calories. For e.g. adding olive oil, grated cheese, and some nuts or seeds to a salad doesn't seem like much but it can raise the calories quite significantly, yet the portion size doesn't change. Good luck! :)
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    Read the stickies as you are instructed to do when joining this site. If you use the MFP method, you're supposed to eat back exercise calories. That is why when you log exercise it ups your goal. It's a ****ing goal..something to be achieved. How is the definition of goal lost on so many endless times daily.

    If you read the directions for how to use this tool...well...you'd know how to use this tool. Does anyone read the ****ing instructions anymore? Guess not...everyone just likes to wing it huh.

    Sorry for the rant, but this seriously comes up about a million times per day and you're going to get responses from people who know and understand this tool, as well as idiots who like starving themselves and pro-ana folks.

    I understand your frustration but there is no MFP rule saying a topic can't be posted over and over. :flowerforyou:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Depends on how you got to the 1480 goal. If you factored in exercise (as most TDEE calculators do), then no you don't need to be eating them back as they are already accounted for in your goal. If you didn't factor them in (as with MFP and most BMR calculators), then yes you should be eating them back, especially if the burns are reasonably significant, i.e. NOT 70 cals from walking the dog.
  • KirstenTheFamilyCoach
    KirstenTheFamilyCoach Posts: 327 Member
    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.

    For me, if I listen to this advice, I wouldn't eat after a good work-out session -- which is exactly when I do need to eat. Being sedentary makes me hungry (stupid stomach isn't hungry it's bored) but working out makes me not feel hunger. That's just me mind you but I'm mentioning it because i hear this advice "listen to your body" alot and it's not good advice for some of us.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.
    and

    listen to your body.


    This is terrible advice for people with lousy eating habits. If I "listened to my body" I'd almost never stop eating. Ideally it would be great do that, and for those who can, excellent. But offering up that advice with no context on a site full of people with unhealthy views and habits on food/eating/etc is irresponsible.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?
    This doesn't really make sense. Eating enough to maintain a reasonable calorie deficit (which is what OP would be doing by eating back exercise calories) is not "eating too much" and will not make her gain weight.

    I can't speak for anyone else, but I got obese - at least in part - from "listening to my body" and continuing to eat when I felt hungry, even though I had actually had enough food for my activity level. At other times, I have severely under-eaten because I have not been hungry. The other day I nearly ruined my dinner by snacking on raw vegetables beforehand. I felt full and could easily have stopped eating with around 800 calories left over but just because I felt full, doesn't mean my body had had enough energy or nutrients for the day. One day probably wouldn't have mattered, except that I might have ruined the run I planned for the next day. Some people can naturally maintain a healthy weight intuitively. Some people can't. Most people that struggle with their weight can't. That's when it makes sense to eat according to calculations.

    OP - if you feel full and like you have to "force" yourself to eat more, it may help to aim for more calorie dense foods, especially things that are higher in fats (cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados etc, smoothies & protein shakes... google "calorie dense foods" for more ideas). That way, you'll get a high number of calories in a small amount of food and not feel over-full. As you eat more, it's likely that your appetite will increase. You may also find that you get better results from your workouts.
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.

    For me, if I listen to this advice, I wouldn't eat after a good work-out session -- which is exactly when I do need to eat. Being sedentary makes me hungry (stupid stomach isn't hungry it's bored) but working out makes me not feel hunger. That's just me mind you but I'm mentioning it because i hear this advice "listen to your body" alot and it's not good advice for some of us.

    Ok, understand what you are saying. The OP asked for advice. I gave mine. What works for me. You can give yours on what works for you. Then she can see what works for her. Don't get me wrong I believe in eating them back. But if I have already eaten over 1600 calories for the day and am not hungry I am not going to go put something in my mouth just because MFP tells me I still have 200 more to eat. LOL!
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.
    and

    listen to your body.




    This is terrible advice for people with lousy eating habits. If I "listened to my body" I'd almost never stop eating. Ideally it would be great do that, and for those who can, excellent. But offering up that advice with no context on a site full of people with unhealthy views and habits on food/eating/etc is irresponsible.

    Listen to your body is about eating calories back when you are already at a deficit. I thought we were talking about MFP? Not just listen to your body and eat because you feel hungry. All I meant was if I have calories left within my allowance and I am hungry I will eat them. If I have already eaten 1600 or more and not hungry I am not going to go shove food in my mouth just because MFP says I have another 200. That is all I meant about listen to your body in regards to MFP calorie allowance.
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Thanks! Something here I can agree with!
  • samanthasimps0n
    samanthasimps0n Posts: 88 Member
    I'm going to be the odd one out and say No. 1480 seems to me like a healthy daily goal for food intake. If you are trying to lose weight, you have to burn more than you take in. So for weight loss, aim for your 1480 calories and don't eat back your calories burned during exercise. Don't you want your exercise to mean something!? If you're just trying to maintain and stay healthy then by all means, eat back your calories :)
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"

    I am not talking about eating over your calorie allowance for the day. She asked about eating back exercise calories.
  • phoebeleb
    phoebeleb Posts: 172 Member
    bump for late
  • supergirljen
    supergirljen Posts: 98
    Depends on how you got to the 1480 goal. If you factored in exercise (as most TDEE calculators do), then no you don't need to be eating them back as they are already accounted for in your goal. If you didn't factor them in (as with MFP and most BMR calculators), then yes you should be eating them back, especially if the burns are reasonably significant, i.e. NOT 70 cals from walking the dog.


    ^^^THIS! I don't think people realize that if you factored them into your original goal then eating them back is doubling up on them.

    Am I missing something because I was pretty sure MFP did have a factor in place when I first figured out my goal?
  • supergirljen
    supergirljen Posts: 98
    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"

    YES! Mine too!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?
    This doesn't really make sense. Eating enough to maintain a reasonable calorie deficit (which is what OP would be doing by eating back exercise calories) is not "eating too much" and will not make her gain weight.

    I can't speak for anyone else, but I got obese - at least in part - from "listening to my body" and continuing to eat when I felt hungry, even though I had actually had enough food for my activity level. At other times, I have severely under-eaten because I have not been hungry. The other day I nearly ruined my dinner by snacking on raw vegetables beforehand. I felt full and could easily have stopped eating with around 800 calories left over but just because I felt full, doesn't mean my body had had enough energy or nutrients for the day. One day probably wouldn't have mattered, except that I might have ruined the run I planned for the next day. Some people can naturally maintain a healthy weight intuitively. Some people can't. Most people that struggle with their weight can't. That's when it makes sense to eat according to calculations.

    OP - if you feel full and like you have to "force" yourself to eat more, it may help to aim for more calorie dense foods, especially things that are higher in fats (cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados etc, smoothies & protein shakes... google "calorie dense foods" for more ideas). That way, you'll get a high number of calories in a small amount of food and not feel over-full. As you eat more, it's likely that your appetite will increase. You may also find that you get better results from your workouts.

    Thank you!

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