Do you eat back your calories exercised?

bellaconfusa
bellaconfusa Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, all - just looking for a general idea of what people do!

I find that eating 1200 calories is a little too unrealistic for me. I usually consume around 1400 -1500 a day. When this happens, though... I typically head to the gym and try to bang out at least 30 minutes on the elliptical. I'm ok with being 50 or 100 calories over my "1200 target" because I know that I'll probably still lose weight.

I have a friend who just met her weight loss goal after trying for about 7 months. She looks great, but I think she stays in that 1200 range. She told me she tries not to eat back her calories.

What have you done to be successful? I don't want to starve myself, and having a boyfriend and eating 1200 calories a day when we're constantly going to restaurants seems almost impossible for me. I do want to see some progress though. Any words of wisdom you have are welcomed!
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Replies

  • olDave
    olDave Posts: 557 Member
    "Do you eat back your calories exercised? "

    Usually. Sometimes I'm not hungry enough so I don't.:smile:
  • peachypants
    peachypants Posts: 34 Member
    I'm curious about this as well! It's hard to find healthy food to eat up all those calories!
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    That's perfectly reasonable. I usually eat back about 1/3 - 1/2 of my exercise calories, but I always try to hit the minimum of 1200.
  • jgcurry3
    jgcurry3 Posts: 172 Member
    I eat my calories back. Im not worried as much with the number on the scale as much as I am with my body composition.
  • StephanieE3456
    StephanieE3456 Posts: 80 Member
    I don't eat them back. I see them as buffer sometimes if I go over the 1200 calories. I also follow a very low carb diet. Keeping my carbs low helps with appetite suppression for me. I've been eating this way since July 2012 and I'm down 72 lbs and counting! I exercise 6 days a week. I do strength training 3 days and I run 3.5 - 4 miles 3 days a week.
  • lilicov81
    lilicov81 Posts: 9
    I don't eat back my calories, I as many of you already said try to stay on 1200 cal. range per day. I feel like if I'm working out more that day and burn over 1000 calories I will go over some. But I feel like if I eat back my cal. excercise that would be maintaining my weight, and I'm here doing this because I am trying to lose the weight. Maybe I am wrong , but thats how I do it :)
  • jamccurdy
    jamccurdy Posts: 4 Member
    Had a discussion about this at my gym today and they suggested eating 1/2 of your calories back.
  • iceman7840
    iceman7840 Posts: 110
    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.
  • litebright921
    litebright921 Posts: 7 Member
    I don't eat back my calories, I as many of you already said try to stay on 1200 cal. range per day. I feel like if I'm working out more that day and burn over 1000 calories I will go over some. But I feel like if I eat back my cal. excercise that would be maintaining my weight, and I'm here doing this because I am trying to lose the weight. Maybe I am wrong , but thats how I do it :)

    I do the same thing....
  • iamluce
    iamluce Posts: 64 Member
    I don't, but because I do TDEE-20% (or I'm trying to, at least) so my activity is already accounted for in my allowance. I do track it so I can organize my workouts and have some idea of how much I'm burning, but I don't change my food intake around my workouts. I tend to eat a bit less if I haven't been working out but that's about it.
  • karinefitness
    karinefitness Posts: 336 Member
    My daily intake is around 1,600 - 1,700 and that is based on my TDEE (minus 15% to lose some fat). Since my TDEE takes into consideration my 'daily routine', such as walking, working, exercising... I do not eat back my exercice calories. I usually put 1 as my 'calorie burn' when logging my workouts.
  • tenajh
    tenajh Posts: 208 Member
    There is a lot of discussion about this, I do eat some back sometimes, but I am 5 foot 2 inches and have 2 # left to go to my goal from a yr ago. I found I changed my body composition more by lifting wts and increasing my overall calorie intake to 1300 a day, so less hungry less often, eating a little more on my exercise days than others. If you eat back all your calories - it would seem logical to say your progress will be a little slower, not impossible.
  • KirstenTheFamilyCoach
    KirstenTheFamilyCoach Posts: 327 Member
    See here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
    Yep but im burning 500 plus when Im sometimes eating between 1600-2000 cals. Somtimes I'll eat back the whole lot or just half.
  • spetermann190
    spetermann190 Posts: 289 Member
    Yup .... Bout to snarf DQ Peanut Buster Parfait .... Everybody likes Parfaits ;)
  • brittfam
    brittfam Posts: 34
    I also eat 1200 calories a day & I do eat back most of my calories I burn off. Some days its easier when I just do cardio rather than weight training. ( because I burn around 200 more).
  • mwbulechek
    mwbulechek Posts: 162 Member
    I do not eat any of mine back.. Working for me.

    But occasionally I go over my 1700 per day. Not often but sometimes it does happen :)
  • bellaconfusa
    bellaconfusa Posts: 11
    I think I may aim for that...
  • timkane46
    timkane46 Posts: 29 Member
    No but I used a different calculator to set my calories and macros I just use MFP to count the calories and macros for me. I eat 3000 a day with 25 % fat 35 % carbs and 40% protein as I am "re-compositioning" as well.. aka adding muscle while loosing fat. So far so good
  • bellaconfusa
    bellaconfusa Posts: 11
    Ha! This is a great link!
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    Absolutely. :smile:
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    YES! No way would I want to train my body to get by on 1200 calories. Sounds like a miserable life. I'd rather lose slowly and maintain easily.
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
    My base is 1500 calories, and I eat back most of my exercise calories too. I'm losing at a pretty steady 1.5 pounds a week.
  • Usa9872001
    Usa9872001 Posts: 27 Member
    I, too, eat my exercise calories back. I am just careful about being accurate with my exercise and I try to wear my heart rate monitor!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I try to eat at least some of them back. I don't always eat all of them back. Sometimes I go over. It just depends on how I feel for the day. However, when I go over, its not by much. I have lost 17 pounds in just under 2 months. I passed my first goal, so made a new one, but I'm basically at a perfectly healthy "goal" weight right now. I have my base calories set at 1300 and then eat back some exercise calories.
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    I just eat a straight 1800 cals I dont eat back any exercise calories. I am less then 35 pounds from goal so that has me losing just over a pound per week on average
  • Alison12121
    Alison12121 Posts: 198 Member
    I've been eating back the calories I burn. This was my first week though, so we'll see what happens next week.
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    My daily intake is around 1,600 - 1,700 and that is based on my TDEE (minus 15% to lose some fat). Since my TDEE takes into consideration my 'daily routine', such as walking, working, exercising... I do not eat back my exercice calories. I usually put 1 as my 'calorie burn' when logging my workouts.

    ^^^^ This is what I do; TDEE-20% My daily intake is 1800.
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
    I set my activity level at sedentary, which gives me a recommended daily intake of 1200. I absolutely eat back my exercise calories. On occasion, I will "save" them up for a few days, when I know I have a special occasion coming up, and then "use" them for that special event. But, I always use them up within any given week.
  • bevmcarthur
    bevmcarthur Posts: 341 Member
    WOW how do you burn that many calories in a day
    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.

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