Ok for me to Eat back the calories i've burned?

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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    *sigh* I should really set it up so I can easily copy and paste this answer into the 100s of these exercise calorie posts...


    The answer is that it depends.

    When you calculated your daily calorie goal, did you factor in exercise to the activity setting? If so, then no you do not need/should not eat them back. This is the way most TDEE calculators work.

    If you did not factor in exercise to the calculation, then yes you should eat them back. This is the way most BMR calculators work, and how most people use MFP.

    On a side note, using a little common sense... at 1300 cals, you should probably be eating them back regardless.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    It is probably a good idea to NET 1,200 calories, even if it makes you lose a tiny bit slower (and a lot of people say you will lose faster!) it is better to be on the safe side. Making those calories nourishing ones is an extra bonus for your body's well-being. :smile:
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
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    Yes, I did, and I lost weight at exactly the rate I intended. Lost a total of 18 lbs that way.
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    YES, eat them. That is how MFP is designed.

    If you find that you are struggling to eat back all your calories due to a heavy workout with a large burn. Consider adding more calorie dense foods. The "I'm not hungry" excuse for under eating doesn't fly IMO.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    1300 is VERY low for an 18 year old male....

    If you have set your weekly loss for 2lbs a week please consider changing to the recommended 1lb a week loss.
    By the way I lost my weight at 1700 cals a day and eating back my calories - I'm in my fifties.

    The best way to lose weight is to be at a small deficit so you lose slowly and conserve your muscle mass.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I find that if I eat my cal back, i don't loose weight. Everyone is different, It depends on you....

    If your diary is accurate then it's no surprise that you don't lose if you eat back exercise calories. You average several hundred calories short of 1200 calories and your body is doing its best to adapt.

    OP, that's not a hole you want to dig for yourself. Do yourself a favor and eat back your exercise calories.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I find that if I eat my cal back, i don't loose weight. Everyone is different, It depends on you....

    Then there is something wrong with your logging/estimating. It's not the method that's flawed, it's the execution.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
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    For the people who don't lose when eating their exercise calories, there are usually only a couple of things that can go wrong. Either you aren't accurate in logging your food (either you aren't weighing or you are picking inaccurate entries), or you are inaccurately logging exercise and/or logging activities of daily living as exercise.

    Otherwise the vast majority of people do quite well using the eat your exercise calories back method when using a reasonable and sustainable goal loss per week.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    yes that is the whole point
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    I exercise to have calories to eat back. I generally leave 50-200 calories unspent to accomodate for bad calorie counts and other unseen errors. But yes, as others have said, it's not only OK its how the site works..

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