Ate exercise cal's back....and gained....am NOT sold!

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  • Logsv
    Logsv Posts: 36
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    Listen to your body. If you are hungry...eat. If you aren't hungry, don't force yourself to eat all those calories back just to reach some number that might not even be correct. It's simple really.

    Agreed!!!!
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
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    Sooooo....I kept reading you should "eat your exercise calories back....which I had never heard of until this site....so the past 2 weeks, I tried it . Week # 1, lost 0.8 (much less than previous)...week #2, gained back the 0.8.....ugh!....and I worked out EVERYDAY!

    Soooo.....am rethinking that advice. I think I wil eat only 1/2 of my exercise calories back in the next 2 weeks and see what happens.....what are your thoughts on that?

    Stop listening to other people and their extremely bad advice. Learn what foods really are, how food is processed in the body and what exercise really does. Everything I learned from MFP and it's extremely misguided community turned out to be wrong. Well, most of it anyway.

    Calories in vs Calories out is not true. Look into that. It's a good start.
  • stephaniekhani
    stephaniekhani Posts: 77 Member
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    Like a lot of people have already said, eating back a portion of your exercise calories is fine (and healthy) -- it's extremely rare if I eat back all of my calories. Also it's about what you're eating and not how much. Lots of veggies and protein will fill you up but keep the calorie count lower.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    It is well documented that even keeping a diary, people suck at monitoring intake. It's easy to forget about that mid-morning banana or bite of a friends desert, and anytime you eat food prepared by someone else you're making an educated guess, at best. So, I postulate that not eating back exercise calories works well for leaving a buffer. Also most estimates of calories burned are... Questionable. I got a bodybugg, and when I ate 500 under that number I lost a pound a week. Pretty formulaic, so I believe my intake estimates are good and I was shocked at how few calories I burn doing exercise and work. Eye opening, for sure.
  • Sheilav330
    Sheilav330 Posts: 57
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    I don't usually eat back my calories from exercise it doesn't work for me..i just eat some but not all i have PCOS and i have to be careful what i eat too i try my best there are days where my diary is not perfect but i am human but just do what is best for u everyone's body is different.
  • Logsv
    Logsv Posts: 36
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    Its really good reading through the replies ... a lot of people have the same mind set as me when it comes to this type of thing (that sounded kind of snobish hey? not what im going for)

    I see calories burnt as a BONUS to your journey ... even if you thrash yourself and burn mega calories a day ...

    I eat to survive and live and don't take exercise into account at all when i choose what to eat ... i keep it simple stupid and say that food keeps me alive and exercise is making my weight loss journey as successful as what it is. But at the same time, if you get hungry ... then eat! Your body will tell you when it needs food or rest :)

    I hear a lot of blah blah as well about eating back your calories, a lot of people preaching it ... and i don't believe in it to be honest. But i also don't believe in starving yourself either ... just wanted to make that clear. "But what about losing muscle instead of fat if you don't eat back your calories", yeah i don't think so either ... if you eat enough protein and the right foods it wont be a problem ... if it was then why do i still have very decent muscles in my arms, chest and shoulders after losing close to 30 kilograms (66 lbs) ? Do feel free to add me and have a look at my diary if you wanted to :)

    After all that garble i have just written ... i also wanted to add that this is just my opinion and what im doing works for me :) Other people may have different opinions and will do what works for them :) and that is totally cool ...

    ANYONE who is out there using MFP is an absolute superstar in my opinion ... we are mighty :)


    Amen to this!!! Great post!
  • sweetpea129
    sweetpea129 Posts: 755 Member
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    I very rarely eat my exercise calories. I only do if im hungry but i dont eat them just to eat them. And even then i dont eat all of them.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    It is well documented that even keeping a diary, people suck at monitoring intake. It's easy to forget about that mid-morning banana or bite of a friends desert, and anytime you eat food prepared by someone else you're making an educated guess, at best. So, I postulate that not eating back exercise calories works well for leaving a buffer. Also most estimates of calories burned are... Questionable. I got a bodybugg, and when I ate 500 under that number I lost a pound a week. Pretty formulaic, so I believe my intake estimates are good and I was shocked at how few calories I burn doing exercise and work. Eye opening, for sure.

    Depends how much of a burn we're discussing. When I do a ten mile run, I'm burning more than a banana buffer....

    And yes, of course a bodybugg or HRM is going to be more accurate and tailored than a broad mfp estimate.

    Not eating cals back works to a point. And then, eventually you hit a wall, and working the right balance of cals in and out becomes much more crucial to longer term loss.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Not eating cals back works to a point. And then, eventually you hit a wall, and working the right balance of cals in and out becomes much more crucial to longer term loss.

    Eventually we all plateau, though. I don't think it's automatically due to not eating enough. As you get closer to goal it does become more critical to get your estimates right, so if 'eating back' is one estimate you can skip, that might help some people.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Not eating cals back works to a point. And then, eventually you hit a wall, and working the right balance of cals in and out becomes much more crucial to longer term loss.

    Eventually we all plateau, though. I don't think it's automatically due to not eating enough. As you get closer to goal it does become more critical to get your estimates right, so if 'eating back' is one estimate you can skip, that might help some people.

    Sure. And the plateau is generally exacerbated by undereating...

    Getting your estimates right is usually improved by measuring more carefully?
  • kimmers99
    kimmers99 Posts: 38
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    Unless you have it set to sedentary, MFP automatically builds in some calories to account for those settings.

    I didn't realize this!!! Good to know
  • sunrise611
    sunrise611 Posts: 1,911 Member
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    You don't have to eat back ALL of your exercise calories; just some of them. Half of them would work.

    The idea is that you need to fuel your body and replenish it so that it doesn't go into "starvation mode" and hold onto the fat that you have stored and defeat the purpose of losing weight.

    If you are using the basic MFP macros as a guideline, then it is set up so that you should eat back exercise calories.

    I never heard of that before I joined this site either and had a hard time wrapping my brain around it but it really works.
  • PhiMuHoney
    PhiMuHoney Posts: 127 Member
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    It also depends on what you are eating your exercise calories back as...I always eat back some of my exercise calories.. how much depends on whether I've been a good girl that day or not. :wink: Basically, like others have said, listen to your body and do what it is telling you it needs.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'm on my phone and can't read all the messages, but I will say this:

    You can't base success or failure on a week or two. Your body needs longer (closer to a month) for it to adapt to what you're doing - and I'll tell you that nearly all the people who were on low calorie diets and started eating their exercise calories back OR raise their calories in general usually see an increase in their weight for the first few weeks. Then the body adjusts and adapts to eating more and the weight starts to come off again.

    I always tell people not to try something for a week and then give up because it didn't work exactly as you planned. Give your body longer than the week!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Not eating cals back works to a point. And then, eventually you hit a wall, and working the right balance of cals in and out becomes much more crucial to longer term loss.

    Eventually we all plateau, though. I don't think it's automatically due to not eating enough. As you get closer to goal it does become more critical to get your estimates right, so if 'eating back' is one estimate you can skip, that might help some people.

    I think plateaus, especially as we get closer to goals, is indirectly tied to not eating enough... but in the form of not recalculating the weekly goal to a more appropriate calorie deficit. A body can handle a larger deficit when there's more to lose.

    Personally, I'm a big fan of eating my exercise calories because it's what worked for me when just plain cutting calories never did. Calculating my average TDEE and subtracting a set amount would work also, but the concept of earning calories is something I find motivating.

    But I'm a bigger fan of, "Find out what works for you, and keep doing it until it no longer works for you." If you're happy with your progress, feel satisfied with how you're eating and have oodles of energy... keep doing whatever it is that you're doing. If you're not happy with your progress, and feel tired, weak or hungry... reevaluate.

    But also be aware that if you've been underfeeding, it's going to take more than 2 weeks for your body to adjust. And also be aware that many digital scales have a 2 pound "memory" so your super-duper accurate-to-the-fraction-of-a-pound scale isn't quite as super-duper-accurate as you want to think it is.
  • ellenasl210
    ellenasl210 Posts: 95 Member
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    I just try to eat at least a little over 1200, or MFP yells at me haha. But if you do work out a lot and you get hungry, eat! Listen to your body a little(: and also remember that the more exercise you're doing, the more muscle you build, so not all the weight you're gaining is fat. I do body measurements instead of weight usually, so much more accurate!
  • Feathil
    Feathil Posts: 163 Member
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    Basically, MFP exercise calories are a bit too generous -at least for me. I eat back exercise calories but I take a lower number than MFP thinks it should be.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I would try eating like 1/3 of what you exercised. I try not to eat any of those calories back; just because it says you CAN eat those calories, doesn't mean you should. If you eat back those calories, you're not losing any, so it'll be hard to lose the 3500 that equals a pound.

    If you read the thread (or nearly any exercise calorie thread on MFP) several people have explained that MFP ALREADY gives you a deficit to lose weight WITHOUT exercise. You could not exercise and still lose weight by eating the appropriate amount of calories. MFP tries to make exercise more about fitness and doesn't use it to create the deficit for losing weight - that deficit is in your daily allotted calories. So yes, if you are using MFP the way it is set up and not customizing, you *should* eat back your exercise calories (or a portion to account for inaccuracies).
  • cristaine
    cristaine Posts: 87
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    I gained back mine too. :( So I feel your pain.

    Now I am ONLY eating back my calories if NOT doing so would drop me under my BMR. Honestly, I am MUCH better liking this: figure out my TDEE (average, by week divided by 7 as I am pretty much a lazy bum on weekends) and then just eat for that daily while trying to meet my macronutrient goals. No thinking, exercise still factored in there and above my BMR. I also stopped thinking I HAD to get to my TDEE every day. I have a very cyclical appetite. One day may be 1300 and then a few days later I want 1800! It all evens out if I let it, and just mind I don't go too high above my TDEE.

    I liked the idea of eating exercise calories a lot in theory, and I think it is great to halt people accidentally starving themselves, but I do believe the exercise #s on here (and most places) can be inflated for many people leading to overeating instead of ending up with a deficit. Especially the lower natural body weight you have.

    Frankly, I think it is easy to start thinking too focused on certain aspects of diet/exercise and not just worry about getting the nutrients we need, stick to our TDEE and fiddle with that as our goals or stages change. Looking at things in isolation and avoiding the bigger picture is usually the best way to start to get out of balance :)
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Not eating cals back works to a point. And then, eventually you hit a wall, and working the right balance of cals in and out becomes much more crucial to longer term loss.

    Eventually we all plateau, though. I don't think it's automatically due to not eating enough. As you get closer to goal it does become more critical to get your estimates right, so if 'eating back' is one estimate you can skip, that might help some people.

    Sure. And the plateau is generally exacerbated by undereating...

    Getting your estimates right is usually improved by measuring more carefully?

    How are you going to measure your BMR better without going to a lab? And how to improve on your Polar's estimate? BMR might be 15% overestimated, your Polar might be 40% overestimating. If you at least remove the Polar estimate, you're down to two estimates that might be very wrong-- intake and pre-exercise burn.

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