Eating back exercise calories

RoBalance

Hey,
I just got started on the website and people are talking a lot about not eating back exercise calories. My current daily calorie goal is 1200. But whenever I don't eat back my calories I get a note saying that I won't get adequate nutrition and that it's not sustainable. What are your thoughts? How do you fit in exercise and the calories?
Thanks a lot,
Ro

tonytoo

Some people do eat them back and some don't. I would suggest that if you're only having 1200 calories thought that you eat back your exercise calories for sure. Your body needs fuel for more exercise.

iceman7840

I don't eat anything back. I burn between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a day from exercise so eating that back and doing it cleanly would be a nightmare.

Everyone is different so experiment to find out what works for you.

86_Ohms

There's an article on MFP about your question:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

I try to stay at the net calories MFP has tailored for me. I don't do cardio unless I'm 300 calories or more over that amount, and I don't like doing cardio!

cwolfman13

Right next to your calorie number is the word GOAL. Last I checked, a goal was something to be achieved.

There are two primary methods for calorie counting for weight control...the NEAT method (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) and the TDEE method (Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

MFP uses the NEAT method...with the NEAT method, exercise is extra activity above and beyond your normal day to day...thus your calorie goal is increased when you log exercise...otherwise that activity would be unaccounted for. The NEAT method does not require any exercise whatsoever to lose weight...MFP gives you a calorie goal as per the NEAT method with a weight loss deficit built in...when you exercise and burn calories you are making that deficit bigger, which is unnecessary and can be counter productive as too large a deficit will ultimately lead to a metabolic stall.

TDEE method assumes all activity, including exercise. Given that exercise is accounted for using the TDEE method, you would not eat back exercise calories.

I did the MFP method for a long time and ate back my exercise calories...my personal rule was 50% minimum and up to 75% to account for estimation error. I did this and lost one pound per week on average, just as I set out to do when I set my goals. I use the TDEE method now because I am in a consistent workout routine and it's just easy to plan around a specific number everyday rather than having to find food to eat.

JustJennie1

I try to eat my goal calories regardless of what my exercise or "net" calories say. I just upped my goal to what I've been eating lately.

I'm not sure how my upping will work because right now I haven't gained and I haven't lost so I don't know if I'm eating at maintenance.

shadow2soul

Pretty much it's up to you. This is how I look at it:

*example*

Say a person needed to eat 2000 calories a day to maintain their current weight and they want to lose weight.

Maintain: 2000
MFP Goal: 1500

So said person joins MFP and gets a calorie goal of 1500. This person know has a 500 calorie a day or 3500 calorie a week deficit. So exercise or not said person should lose weight as is.

Maintain: 2000
MFP Goal: 1500
Exercise burns: 500
Net: 1000

So said person decides to workout and burns say 500 calories. If they don't eat their exercise calories back, then they've created an even larger deficit. So now said person is has a 1000 calorie a day deficit (providing they work out everyday). Sounds great. Larger deficit, you lose weight faster. But on the down side this can have side effects. For this person in particular the net calories have become really low and can cause things such as:

-fatigue
-slower metabolism (over time...a year or more eating like this)
**for me specifically, if I don't eat enough I get tired and headaches the next day**

So in turn if said person eats back their exercise calories, they still have the same deficit they had before working out. Which will still result in weight loss.

Now if said person was eating at a number that had their particular exercise factored in (pretty much a scheduled workout plan that never changes), then they wouldn't want to eat their exercise calories back.

============================

All that being said, I only eat a portion of mine back. This is because I don't have a food scale and I want to leave room for errors.

becujo

I eat back my calories since frankly its the biggest motivation to work out, ha. I have found that on days I dont eat it back, I dont lose weight as quickly and plus I get cranky. Its a challenge how little 1200 cals is to eat. I have lost 30 lbs eating cals back so for me, i can attest it works. I found that my body loses weight faster if i dont net the same # of calories a day. If its 1900 one day, 1200 the next, 1500 and so on, then it keeps it guessing. Eating exercise cals help me vary it and 1200 everyday would just stagnate.

RoBalance

Thanks everyone for your help! You are really fantastic and the advice has helped a lot, especially the link. I decided now to eat back my calories. It feels a bit odd somehow but after all, the reason why I am here is to not fall back into periods of overly restricting myself ( and then possibly binging). I have a normal BMI and in the link it said that in that case the body is even more likely to go into starvation mode (oh no ) It's certainly a new experience: eating to loose weight. hehe. But let's give it a go

lbdc05

I eat my calories back.

bakemma

As long as you are meeting your nutrionial requirements (i.e. protein, vitamins, carbs, good fats.) you should be fine not eating them back unless you want and/or need to so you aren't exhausted or susceptible to getting sick.

becujo

I know it can feel weird to eat "more" at first, but Im like you in that I would binge later from the deprivation. Or once I lose the weight, I gain it back after I can eat "normal" foods again. Moderation is key and life's too short to live on rabbit food.