why eat back calories???
Replies
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she knows what mfp is and she is going to advise others to not eat them back as well i dont feel that i am starving myself and i lose weight consistentlyi just think its silly to eat back so many calories whats the point of even burning them if your just going to eat them again ...
Because if you are exercising you may be creating too much of a calorie deficit and that is not good. Initially you will likely lose, but you will slow your metabolism and your body will match what you are feeding it, making it more difficult. It also causes too much stress on your body. Stress causes an excess of cortisol. Cortisol makes it so you do not lose fat.
Example: Say your calorie needs are 2,000 a day. You tell MFP you want to lose 2 pounds a week. It sets you to 1200 calories a day. Then you exercise and burn 300. Now your net calories to run your organs and everything else is 900. It's not enough. Most likely your body needs more than 1200 just to properly run your basic functions. Will it run for awhile? Yes, but it's not good for you.0 -
I ate back all my exercise calories and it worked.0
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I always eat back my calories, and I'm still losing 1-2 pounds a week. However, I have MFP set to 1200 calories a day. I've heard it could slow down weight loss if you eat less than 1200 calories a day, so I always make sure I'm around that number.0
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and this is what confuses me half the posters say eat back calories and the other half no i dont eat mine back which is why i posted my original post i get so much conflicted and contradicting information about this subject...0
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do you have to eat them back?and this is what confuses me half the posters say eat back calories and the other half no i dont eat mine back which is why i posted my original post i get so much conflicted and contradicting information about this subject...
no. that's the short answer. Will you lose weight? probably.
Will it eventually stop if the deficit you're creating by NOT eating them back is too large? absolutely so.... THEN you have a whole other arena of issues to deal with.
MFP is DESIGNED for you to eat them back. Just because some folks have half-starved themselves into thinking it's awesome to not eat them back doesn't mean that it's gonna work for everyone, or be healthy.0 -
If you read the FAQ for this site, it tells you to. The math on the food journal is set up that way, it is how they designed it.
Many people do not follow it though, either because they think they will lose more weight by not eating them, not understanding that it is not healthy, OR they set up their own custom calorie goals that include their exercise calories in it (commonly known as TDEE -%). With that method you don't eat back the calories, but your calorie goal is higher than MFP sets.0 -
I totally agree. Why eat back the calories you've worked to burn? I would only eat back a few if you were feeling really hungry. (You may want to try drinking water before that.) To me eating back calories is like saying "I'm going to eat more because I can, not because I'm hungry". That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods0 -
so then if i eat the same as i am now for the rest of my life i will start gainging weight or i will stop losing?im not sure what the consequences are...0
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I totally agree. Why eat back the calories you've worked to burn? I would only eat back a few if you were feeling really hungry. (You may want to try drinking water before that.) To me eating back calories is like saying "I'm going to eat more because I can, not because I'm hungry". That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Deskgrl just explained very simply why you should. Didn't you read it?0 -
No.That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Even though this is your first post, and I commend you for it, you're wrong.
People become overweight by eating at a caloric surplus for long enough that they get fat. Eating enough to fuel your body to work properly and burn the fat that you've stored (based on MFP settings, eating back the calories you burn by exercising, etc) is not overeating.. or even existing in a surplus.
So, before you post again, please understand what's going on here.
but then again, what could I possibly know about losing weight.0 -
It's all about the calorie deficit and your hunger level.
MFP is a diet based program. If you want to lose a pound a week, MFP builds in a 500 calorie deficit (7x500=3500 calories= 1lb) into your calorie goal . That number represents the amount of calories you burn just living - 500 calories. It does not factor in the exercise that you do. Exercising will increase the deficit which will cause you to lose weight quicker. Some theorize that being at a high deficit can make your body go into "starvation" mode. Others say the bigger the deficit, the better. It all depends on you and how you feel.
Understand that your personal trainer does have a vested interest encouraging you to achieve the biggest deficit that you can handle. Bigger deficit means bigger weight loss. However, some have experienced bad side effects like lack of energy and binge eating.
The biggest thing is to understand your body and how you respond to the lack of food. I say if you have a good amount of fat, eat at the biggest deficit that you can. Your body will fuel your activities with your fat stores. If you only have 10 lbs that you want to lose, it might be better to set a less aggressive and more sustainable goal.0 -
I totally agree. Why eat back the calories you've worked to burn? I would only eat back a few if you were feeling really hungry. (You may want to try drinking water before that.) To me eating back calories is like saying "I'm going to eat more because I can, not because I'm hungry". That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
this is exactly my thought!!!0 -
It's all about the calorie deficit and your hunger level.
MFP is a diet based program. If you want to lose a pound a week, MFP builds in a 500 calorie deficit (7x500=3500 calories= 1lb) into your calorie goal . That number represents the amount of calories you burn just living - 500 calories. It does not factor in the exercise that you do. Exercising will increase the deficit which will cause you to lose weight quicker. Some theorize that being at a high deficit can make your body go into "starvation" mode. Others say the bigger the deficit, the better. It all depends on you and how you feel.
Understand that your personal trainer does have a vested interest encouraging you to achieve the biggest deficit that you can handle. Bigger deficit means bigger weight loss. However, some have experienced bad side effects like lack of energy and binge eating.
The biggest thing is to understand your body and how you respond to the lack of food. I say if you have a good amount of fat, eat at the biggest deficit that you can. Your body will fuel your activities with your fat stores. If you only have 10 lbs that you want to lose, it might be better to set a less aggressive and more sustainable goal.
thankyou and yes i have alot of fat to lose im 5 foot 3 and i finally am just below 200:flowerforyou:0 -
so then if i eat the same as i am now for the rest of my life i will start gainging weight or i will stop losing?im not sure what the consequences are...
Really this is not complicated, it is simple math.0 -
For what it is worth here is my two cents.
First- If you are paying for a wellness person in theory she or he has a degree saying they know what they speak of.
Second- Personally I want to lose my weight SLOW. I am ok with half a pound or 1 pound a week. It took time to put on my weight taking it off slow and making changes I can keep so when I reach that point and KEEP it off is my goal. I realize I am not in the norm on this thought, but those family members that have lost over 80 pounds did it this way.
I personally eat some of my calories back, not all of them. Ideally I try to eat close to what I am suppose to each each day, but if I want XYZ then I try to exercise first and then eat it. For me it is my soda at night. I have come to think of calories as currency and there is no charging and paying off the calorie bill tomorrow. THAT is how I got to my size.
Best of luck.0 -
It's all about the calorie deficit and your hunger level.
MFP is a diet based program. If you want to lose a pound a week, MFP builds in a 500 calorie deficit (7x500=3500 calories= 1lb) into your calorie goal . That number represents the amount of calories you burn just living - 500 calories. It does not factor in the exercise that you do. Exercising will increase the deficit which will cause you to lose weight quicker. Some theorize that being at a high deficit can make your body go into "starvation" mode. Others say the bigger the deficit, the better. It all depends on you and how you feel.
Understand that your personal trainer does have a vested interest encouraging you to achieve the biggest deficit that you can handle. Bigger deficit means bigger weight loss. However, some have experienced bad side effects like lack of energy and binge eating.
The biggest thing is to understand your body and how you respond to the lack of food. I say if you have a good amount of fat, eat at the biggest deficit that you can. Your body will fuel your activities with your fat stores. If you only have 10 lbs that you want to lose, it might be better to set a less aggressive and more sustainable goal.
thankyou and yes i have alot of fat to lose im 5 foot 3 and i finally am just below 200:flowerforyou:
I also want to point out that MFP isn't necessarily saying you SHOULD eat back your exercise calories, but that you CAN do so and still attain your weekly goal.0 -
she knows what mfp is and she is going to advise others to not eat them back as well i dont feel that i am starving myself and i lose weight consistentlyi just think its silly to eat back so many calories whats the point of even burning them if your just going to eat them again ...
The point is that you're creating a relative steady, moderate deficit. That's the point. With MFP's math, they say "here's what you need for normal daily activities, now lets create a daily deficit of about the same amount (depending on your goal). Eat that. Oops, some days you need more? Well, that creates a larger deficit, so you can eat more and still maintain your goal deficit."
Well, you might say -- why wouldn't you just want to create the largest deficit possible?
Because many people's bodies freak the freak out about large deficits! Yes, not everyone's does. Yes, everyone knows stories about someone who ate 400 calories for months on end and lost 3 pounds a week every week. But for all those stories, there are the other ones - the people whose metabolisms slow to a crawl, the people who find themselves binging uncontrollably.
Maybe a huge deficit will work for you. Maybe you'll be one of the very few people who can come off a huge deficit and begin to eat normally and not regain rapidly. But the odds aren't good. Meanwhile, if you create a moderate deficit - you'll lose more slowly - but going to maintenance will probably be easier, you'll wind up being able to eat more in maintenance than someone who starved... and you've got a better chance of avoiding rapid weight cycling and keeping your health markers at good levels.0 -
so then if i eat the same as i am now for the rest of my life i will start gainging weight or i will stop losing?im not sure what the consequences are...
Really this is not complicated, it is simple math.
no need to be rude and insult my intelligence0 -
No.That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Even though this is your first post, and I commend you for it, you're wrong.
People become overweight by eating at a caloric surplus for long enough that they get fat. Eating enough to fuel your body to work properly and burn the fat that you've stored (based on MFP settings, eating back the calories you burn by exercising, etc) is not overeating.. or even existing in a surplus.
So, before you post again, please understand what's going on here.
but then again, what could I possibly know about losing weight.
You think you know anything about weight loss?!?!?! NAH unless your Jillian Michaels or one of the biggest losers you ain't sh** on here brah!
On a SERIOUS note, I think people here just stuck in their ways and afraid to budge.
Go ahead and net your 600 cals a day, let your body eat what muscle you do have, and eventually though the scale may not be going up your clothes are going to start feeling tighter again, because the fat you have, taking the place of the muscle you ONCE had is taking up twice the space it was. Slip up for 2 weeks (or eat at a sustainable amount rather) and your body is going to hold on to every da** spare calorie you give it because it's afraid it's going to have to function on less than ideal nutrients that it needs. It'll work for a while, then not so much..Been there, done that, now that I'm netting close to 1700 a day I've lost 5 lbs more after a 4 month stand-still on 1200. Won't see me going back to that magic 1200 again. Good luck/0 -
she knows what mfp is and she is going to advise others to not eat them back as well i dont feel that i am starving myself and i lose weight consistentlyi just think its silly to eat back so many calories whats the point of even burning them if your just going to eat them again ...
The point is that you're creating a relative steady, moderate deficit. That's the point. With MFP's math, they say "here's what you need for normal daily activities, now lets create a daily deficit of about the same amount (depending on your goal). Eat that. Oops, some days you need more? Well, that creates a larger deficit, so you can eat more and still maintain your goal deficit."
Well, you might say -- why wouldn't you just want to create the largest deficit possible?
Because many people's bodies freak the freak out about large deficits! Yes, not everyone's does. Yes, everyone knows stories about someone who ate 400 calories for months on end and lost 3 pounds a week every week. But for all those stories, there are the other ones - the people whose metabolisms slow to a crawl, the people who find themselves binging uncontrollably.
Maybe a huge deficit will work for you. Maybe you'll be one of the very few people who can come off a huge deficit and begin to eat normally and not regain rapidly. But the odds aren't good. Meanwhile, if you create a moderate deficit - you'll lose more slowly - but going to maintenance will probably be easier, you'll wind up being able to eat more in maintenance than someone who starved... and you've got a better chance of avoiding rapid weight cycling and keeping your health markers at good levels.
Brilliant-Freaking Brilliant.0 -
For what it is worth here is my two cents.
First- If you are paying for a wellness person in theory she or he has a degree saying they know what they speak of.
Second- Personally I want to lose my weight SLOW. I am ok with half a pound or 1 pound a week. It took time to put on my weight taking it off slow and making changes I can keep so when I reach that point and KEEP it off is my goal. I realize I am not in the norm on this thought, but those family members that have lost over 80 pounds did it this way.
I personally eat some of my calories back, not all of them. Ideally I try to eat close to what I am suppose to each each day, but if I want XYZ then I try to exercise first and then eat it. For me it is my soda at night. I have come to think of calories as currency and there is no charging and paying off the calorie bill tomorrow. THAT is how I got to my size.
Best of luck.
thanks! i do eat some of my cals back just not as much as mfp wants me to
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I try to burn around 400-500 calories every day through exercise. I eat foods that fill my up with minimal calories, such as fruits or yogurt for breakfast, pita sandwiches for lunch, an afternoon snack under 200 calories to fuel me through my workout (shrimp, an egg, fruit), and then I enjoy my dinner. I do my best to eat a healthy dinner, but I really like to enjoy my dinner and feel like I get to reward myself for eating all day. Some days I'm grateful for my extra calorie burn because my dinner would put me over my 1400 calorie goal that MFP sets for me. More often, though, I find myself looking for an extra serving or snack I could eat that would get me up to the 1200 calories as that's the minimum MFP says I need to stay healthy. I must have gotten really effective finding "superfoods" that keep me satisfied all day, prevent me from craving things, and keep me low in calories. I'm not trying to be super restrictive in what I'm eating, but rather trying to avoid eating more than I need to feel satisfied, because that's what got me into trouble in the first place.
My TruMoo 1% chocolate milk is my hero - it is a nice dessert that puts me just over 1200 calories when I need it, like today
In sum, I totally agree that it seems pointless to me to put in a good workout if I'm just going to be eating the calories back (which, to my stomach, would feel like overeating and I wouldn't feel comfortable tummy-wise). It's an extra perk one way or another - most days, I burn more fat and will lose weight faster, and, occasionally (about once or twice each week), it means I get to eat what I want without feeling guilty.0 -
Everyone is different, I would stick to what your Life Coach says and then go from there. Re-evaluate the situation with them if things aren't going the way you hoped.
For me, I ate them when I was hungry and I didn't when I wasn't 0 -
For me, I ate them when I was hungry and I didn't when I wasn't
^THIS^0 -
I never said you didn't know anything about losing weight, so why are you attacking me? I'm saying that you become overweight by eating too much. If you eat when you're not hungry just because you can you will most likely gain weight. It seems like a simple principle to me.0
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so then if i eat the same as i am now for the rest of my life i will start gainging weight or i will stop losing?im not sure what the consequences are...
Really this is not complicated, it is simple math.
no need to be rude and insult my intelligence
My apologies, I didn't mean to sound rude and insulting. I just don't want you to be doing yourself a disservice.0 -
thats what i do i eat some back if i feel i need them but im just not always hungry like i used to bei am on a rest day today and i thinkk i netted 1240 but if i worked out i would probably eat some but not all back my wellness coach toldme this yesterday so im just tryin to see what others thinkEveryone is different, I would stick to what your Life Coach says and then go from there. Re-evaluate the situation with them if things aren't going the way you hoped.
For me, I ate them when I was hungry and I didn't when I wasn't 0 -
thats ok i was just trying to understand everything:flowerforyou:so then if i eat the same as i am now for the rest of my life i will start gainging weight or i will stop losing?im not sure what the consequences are...
Really this is not complicated, it is simple math.
no need to be rude and insult my intelligence
My apologies, I didn't mean to sound rude and insulting. I just don't want you to be doing yourself a disservice.0 -
On a SERIOUS note, I think people here just stuck in their ways and afraid to budge.
No.That is how people become overweight in the first place.
Even though this is your first post, and I commend you for it, you're wrong.
People become overweight by eating at a caloric surplus for long enough that they get fat. Eating enough to fuel your body to work properly and burn the fat that you've stored (based on MFP settings, eating back the calories you burn by exercising, etc) is not overeating.. or even existing in a surplus.
So, before you post again, please understand what's going on here.
but then again, what could I possibly know about losing weight.
People pay good money to other folks like nutritionists and trainers, get bad advice, then question it on a forum.....
get GOOD advice, then turn it down. I give up.0 -
What exactly is a wellness coach? Have they been to university to study and have proper credentials?0
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