Should I be eating the calories I have burnt off???

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    So my calorie goal per a day is 1200, I stick to this most days if not I only go over a little bit. I do Turbo Fire for work outs and can burn up-to 1184 calories per a class when doing class 55ez. Now should I eat these calories back to help me loose weight? My real question is, that recently I have lost 12lbs and a total 6inches all over but haven't lost any more pounds in the last week and a bit... is this due to my calories?

    Yes MFP (as designed) ... expects you to eat them back. MFP does not assume that anyone will exercise. That 1200 calories is a NET number. Calories in (eaten) vs. calories out (exercise PLUS daily living)

    I eat every single calorie back & it works for me ..... however

    1. I use a heart rate monitor (with a chest strap) & my exercise calories are accurate

    2. I have my activity level set to sedentary and only log "workouts" ... not vacuuming the house, or walking the dog. If your activity level is higher than it should be .... you could already be accounting for workouts

    3. I may lose weight slower than some .... but I want to lose fat NOT muscle. Very calorie restrictive diets will have you burning muscle .... this defeats working out. I would rather lose slower if it means keeping more muscle.

    Start by eating at least some of them back. If you feel fatigued or run down (hunger is not a good indicator) ... you should eat more.
  • ohnuts14
    ohnuts14 Posts: 197
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    You will see a lot of mixed answers on these forums, but my best advice I can give is to start with eating back half of your calories burned and see how that impacts your weight loss.

    I agree with this. This is a huge debate on the website, and a lot of people will tell you a lot of things. Try it out, see what works for you. When you're exercising a great deal, you're going to feel hungrier. If you're already at 1200 for the day, and you still feel really hungry, that's perhaps a sign that your body is asking for more food. So just try it out, and listen to your body's needs.
  • tinytoyjess
    tinytoyjess Posts: 139 Member
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    I tend to eat mine back because I am starving, and because I burn nowhere near 1000+ calories in a single workout. The most I burn is 500 calories during an hour-long spin class. If I were to burn 1000+ calories per day in tracked exercise and not eat at least some of it back I am not sure I'd manage to get up a flight of stairs. lol
  • tinytoyjess
    tinytoyjess Posts: 139 Member
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    And it doesn't have to be a hard set rule. If you're hungry eat some/all calories back. If you're not hungry don't force yourself to eat something just because you said you would. Some days you may be hungrier while others not so much. Listen to what your body tells you and be prepared by having healthy options nearby.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    If your goal is set to 1200 calories (the minimum allowed by MFP), I would suggest eating them all back.

    If you are burning 1100 calories in a workout but eating 1200, you are netting 100 calories for the day. If this is typical for you, it is not only dangerous, it's also going to bring your fat loss to a grinding halt.
  • jpdemont
    jpdemont Posts: 1
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    I can't believe that you are burning 1000+ calories in your workout. Therefore, I wouldn't eat them back.

    I would believe that you are burning about 400 calories. Tops.
  • flslp87
    flslp87 Posts: 175 Member
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    i just asked this same question net vs exercise and now am trying to figure out how to eat back when I work out later in the day w/o eating 1K for dinner and going to bed really full....

    And I do TF and wear my HRM and only burn about 580-620 w/ the 55 one (my fav) so I'd say you have an error somewhere....
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,012 Member
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    how are you estimating your calorie burn? I have a very hard time believing you are burning > 1000 Cals / class.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    i just asked this same question net vs exercise and now am trying to figure out how to eat back when I work out later in the day w/o eating 1K for dinner and going to bed really full....

    And I do TF and wear my HRM and only burn about 580-620 w/ the 55 one (my fav) so I'd say you have an error somewhere....

    Plan on eating more on days you know you will be doing cardio. The calories don't have to be eaten "after" the workout. I have a higher calorie breakfast & a higher calorie dinner on those days ..... my workouts are always after work.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    You will see a lot of mixed answers on these forums, but my best advice I can give is to start with eating back half of your calories burned and see how that impacts your weight loss.

    Like how he put it! I think your calorie burn is too high for what you have listed. See if you can get a HRM. Mine said I was not even burning 300 calories on the P90X Kenpo and the averages are around 600+.

    For me personally, I would wait it out though… sometimes people hit a straight line for a week or two then jump down. I was eating around 1100-1200 and I hit my flat line weeks. A week or 2 is not a plateau….and you can be loosing inches too. Get a body fat tester and a measuring tape. Its better then a scale!
  • brutalbaby
    brutalbaby Posts: 87 Member
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    I weigh at the moment 177.2 and I am 5'2. I really really push myself when I am working out to the point where I am so out of breath and feel like I am going to be sick. I guess my HRM is in accurate, I didn't pay an awful lot of money for it to be honest. When I get more extra cash I will buy a better one and also a pair of better scales, they was also cheap lol. BUT saying this, I do take measurements every week and have lost:
    2 inches off waist
    1.5 inches off belly
    1.5 inches off hip
    1.5 inches off top arm
    1 inch off top legs
    1 inch off neck
    1 inch off chest.....

    in 6 weeks.
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
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    There is a free BMR calculator for the iPhone.
    I use it and it's accurate to my scale readings at
    home. I measure everything including body fat.
  • Cgrnlaw
    Cgrnlaw Posts: 84 Member
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    Great info everyone....Im struggling with this issue too.
  • JulieinMaine
    JulieinMaine Posts: 14
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    I would make sure that at least most of the calories that you are eating after are protien calories, so you don't lose muscle.
  • ClearNotCloudyMind
    ClearNotCloudyMind Posts: 238 Member
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    I'm also puzzled by this. I did a bike ride today and MFP says I've used nearly 2000 calories?! I've eaten more than usual (around 150%) and feel completely stuffed. I can't imagine stuffing down 3400 calories in one day so either the exercise calories are too high, the recorded calories are too low, or eating back exercise calories makes no sense.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    I weigh at the moment 177.2 and I am 5'2. I really really push myself when I am working out to the point where I am so out of breath and feel like I am going to be sick. I guess my HRM is in accurate, I didn't pay an awful lot of money for it to be honest. When I get more extra cash I will buy a better one and also a pair of better scales, they was also cheap lol. BUT saying this, I do take measurements every week and have lost:
    2 inches off waist
    1.5 inches off belly
    1.5 inches off hip
    1.5 inches off top arm
    1 inch off top legs
    1 inch off neck
    1 inch off chest.....

    in 6 weeks.

    Sounds like you are doing fine then! Just stick with it. A plateau is when you go a month or two without a weight drop OR inches/body fat. I would wait it out for another 2-3 weeks and see. You loose the most within the first couple of weeks then it tapers off. This and being a girl throws a wrench into the whole scale thing. Don’t freak out you are probably okay. Hard today because I have freaked out myself. Then I threw the scale out. Much better.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I'm also puzzled by this. I did a bike ride today and MFP says I've used nearly 2000 calories?! I've eaten more than usual (around 150%) and feel completely stuffed. I can't imagine stuffing down 3400 calories in one day so either the exercise calories are too high, the recorded calories are too low, or eating back exercise calories makes no sense.

    Eating them back makes sense WHEN all things are accurate ..... obviously accurate is not always the case. There are many factors in play. Example: Activity levels are RANGES .... not one exact number. MFP uses the average (I assume).

    Calorie burns depend a lot on exertion level .... this is "how hard was the workout for YOU" ..... not just 4 MPH at 8% incline.... again averages are used unless your HRM (chest strap) calculates this number.

    MFP as designed calculates a calorie deficit BEFORE exercise. That way when you exercise ... you increase the calorie deficit even more. "When" the calorie deficit is too high .... your body will burn both fat & muscle for fuel.

    I would eat a percentage of exercise calories ..... and see how it goes. Some people use "weekly" deficit approach. They have 1 or 2 really big calorie burn days ..... and allocate the exercise calories over several days. You have to find what fits for you.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    I don't eat them ALL back (especially when it's a lot) but I do try to eat something back and make sure I'm always netting over 1200 at the absolute minimum. I've just recently upped my limit as I was feeling like I was not eating enough (always tired, sluggish, not at all as energetic as I normally am)

    I went hiking for 2 1/2 hours today and figured about 2.5 mph average with hills - I got >1000 cal burned - but this site doesn't really have the most accurate numbers. I generally low ball the cal burn and highball the calories eaten in cases where I don't have the exact numbers. I figure better to eat too little some days than too much all the time.
  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
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    And yes I do have a heart rate monitor. Not entirely sure if its really that accurate though. But turbo fire is a very high cardio program, it uses a lot of HIIT workouts.
    Damn! Sign me up!! Sounds like an amazing work out!
  • 6spdeg
    6spdeg Posts: 394 Member
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    I'm also puzzled by this. I did a bike ride today and MFP says I've used nearly 2000 calories?! I've eaten more than usual (around 150%) and feel completely stuffed. I can't imagine stuffing down 3400 calories in one day so either the exercise calories are too high, the recorded calories are too low, or eating back exercise calories makes no sense.

    seems im in the same boat you are. i do two workouts a day. and im barely getting round 1900 in and with workout supposed to be around 3k... im friggin stuffed and upon that tons o water. Im not currently losing weight but my vascularity has increased. veins are popping out everywhere.

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