WHY DO PEOPLE EAT BACK THEIR EXERCISE CALS?!

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Replies

  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Not all of us want to achieve the maximum caloric deficit we can possibly maintain. Cutting more calories doesn't always mean you'll lose weight faster. Do whatever you want.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    So since my BMR is like 1700 cal and i want to burn 2lbs a week, i need a defecit of 7000 cals a week (-1000 a day).

    So, MFP sets my food at 1200 (-500 so far) and then i need to burn 500 more a day to meet that -7000 cal a week.

    So why would I eat it back?!?

    Based on this with the amount you have to lose a weekly goal of 2lbs/week is much too aggressive and you risk losing a large % of muscle instead of fat if your deficit it too large.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Because MFP already figures in a reasonable to high calorie deficit when you choose your weight loss goals. If you are shooting to lose 2lbs/wk, and you don't eat back exercise calories, your deficit becomes higher than well established safe limits. You can only lose so much fat in a day, so pushing the boundaries means your additional weight loss beyond a reasonable deficit is going to come from your muscle mass. Not a good choice.

    NOT TRUE, you won't start using muscle until your below 6% body fat.

    this
    To reiterate, this is absurd. See my above explanation.
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    Some of us don't want to lose weight, some people want to get strong...hence MyFITNESSPal and not MyWEIGHTLOSSPal. One of the benefits of exercise for me is that I get to eat more food and I can try and build some muscle.
  • bigdawg025
    bigdawg025 Posts: 774 Member
    Because if you don't eat them back it creates a deficit too large for your body to handle, which is the same thing as not working out and not eating at all. SMH... :noway:

    Edited...

    As one of my spin instructors once said... after working your body this hard for an entire hour you NEED to eat within 1-2 hours or your body will basically start eating itself.
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
    Because I don't want my body to eat my muscles, so I feed it. Plus I like food, and I love eating more and weighing less.
  • RHSheetz
    RHSheetz Posts: 268 Member
    Your BMR is 1700, and if all you do is lie in bed, that is what you need to survive. NOW, if you want to walk, talk, eat or do any other activity, you need more calories. MFP takes your activity level into consideration as well. which is why you do not see your calories at 700 it adds your activity level to the 1700 and then substracts your 1000 per day (which is really to much in my opion). If you exercise on top of that, you are creating a very drastic calorie deficit.

    Too much? Everyone says 1.5-2lb loss a week is healthy right?? That a deficit of 7000 cals.. The only way to achieve that is -1000 a day (or other unhealthy ways). If its a "dangerous" deficit, why does MFP condone 1.5-2lbs a week>?

    If you are not eating back your exercise calories and you are set at 2 lbs per week, you are acutally on a 3 lbs per week loss plan (1000 base, plus burning 500 - 600 per day)
  • jshort152
    jshort152 Posts: 80
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I eat those tastey calories to fuel my exercise and give me energy so that I can do with I do better, faster, longer, stronger, more dedicated, harder, and more purposefully than last time . . . and so that I can continue to think.
  • meagh629
    meagh629 Posts: 1
    Because MFP, unlike most calorie counting websites, doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into your calorie goal. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to sit on your *kitten* 7 days a week, or run a marathon every day, MFP will give you the same base calories. Surely you understand that someone who exercises a lot needs more fuel than someone who doesn't?

    When I just cut calories, when I believed that creating a large deficit was all it took to get the body I wanted, I lost weight, but too much of that weight was my lean body mass... my muscle. By "eating my exercise calories," I was able to maintain a moderate deficit, which allowed me to retain most of my lean mass and lose mostly body fat.

    What that means in terms everyone can understand... The jeans on the bottom are the size 8 jeans I wore at 130 pounds about 5-6 years ago when I didn't eat enough, and the top pair is the size 5 jeans I'm wearing NOW, eating my exercise calories, at about 135-138 pounds. (Typically a 2 or 4 in misses.)

    IMG_3265.jpg

    Here's me at about 130 pounds 5-6 years ago, and me at 133 pounds in February.

    five-years-later.jpg

    Then I still had a muffin top, back fat rolls, double chin, and cellulite out the wazzo. Now?

    IMG_4850.jpg

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
    [/quote

    WOW. That's impressive and a good reminder that it isn't always important what that scale says.]
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    Please look at my pictures, I am definitely not obese . . . this entire sentence is completely nonsensical.
  • littlejobo120
    littlejobo120 Posts: 72 Member
    So since my BMR is like 1700 cal and i want to burn 2lbs a week, i need a defecit of 7000 cals a week (-1000 a day).

    So, MFP sets my food at 1200 (-500 so far) and then i need to burn 500 more a day to meet that -7000 cal a week.

    So why would I eat it back?!?
    Your deficit should come from your TDEE, not your BMR. If your BMR is 1700, a sedentary TDEE is 2040, so your deficit at 1200 cals is actually 840 cals, not 500. And most people have higher TDEE's than truly sedentary.

    How do I get my TDEE?

    See this - there is a response from me that I wrote the other day and seems to have helped some people:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/692123-feedback-on-my-diary-please-please-please

    Hope it helps.
  • WickedSpinSistr
    WickedSpinSistr Posts: 139 Member
    I exercise because I want to eat. I reached my goal weight today.

    Haven't been obese, or overweight, a day in my life.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Because MFP already figures in a reasonable to high calorie deficit when you choose your weight loss goals. If you are shooting to lose 2lbs/wk, and you don't eat back exercise calories, your deficit becomes higher than well established safe limits. You can only lose so much fat in a day, so pushing the boundaries means your additional weight loss beyond a reasonable deficit is going to come from your muscle mass. Not a good choice.

    NOT TRUE, you won't start using muscle until your below 6% body fat.

    You really don't know how the human body works. If you put yourself into an extreme calorie deficit, your body will start to break down your muscle for energy BEFORE it starts breaking down fat. This is because it is easier to break down protein than it is to break down fat Your body will do the easiest thing possible, to obtain whatever it is trying to achieve.

    HOWEVER, if you have a SMALL calorie deficit, then I will agree, it will burn fat first, because it doesn't need the energy as badly.
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    WTF? Obese people lol.
  • Brelynn
    Brelynn Posts: 105 Member
    You look great...just curious - how tall are you?
  • moonfire628
    moonfire628 Posts: 56
    I always eat my exercise calories back. Your body needs those calories to burn off the fat; technically you could not exercise at all and still lose 1 pound a week if you're eating 500 calories LESS than what your body needs to maintain weight safely and healthily. If you're only consuming 1200 calories (which honestly is too little for anybody, in my opinion) then burning 600, your body only has 600 calories to fuel its system and do what it needs to do, which means your body is going to hold on to the fat. Yes, you work hard to burn the calories, but you need to make sure you are giving your body enough energy to handle burning those calories off AND burning off the excess fat. If you exercise without putting at least half of those exercise calories back you're not going to lose effectively; sure the scale will go down but you'll be losing muscle instead of fat, and the goal is the opposite.
  • chrisyoung0422
    chrisyoung0422 Posts: 426 Member
    Um, because I am freaking starving...
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    BS, I've never been obese, I've never even been classed as overweight. Your statement is utter bunkum.
  • Cameo530
    Cameo530 Posts: 155 Member
    Because MFP, unlike most calorie counting websites, doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into your calorie goal. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to sit on your *kitten* 7 days a week, or run a marathon every day, MFP will give you the same base calories. Surely you understand that someone who exercises a lot needs more fuel than someone who doesn't?

    When I just cut calories, when I believed that creating a large deficit was all it took to get the body I wanted, I lost weight, but too much of that weight was my lean body mass... my muscle. By "eating my exercise calories," I was able to maintain a moderate deficit, which allowed me to retain most of my lean mass and lose mostly body fat.

    What that means in terms everyone can understand... The jeans on the bottom are the size 8 jeans I wore at 130 pounds about 5-6 years ago when I didn't eat enough, and the top pair is the size 5 jeans I'm wearing NOW, eating my exercise calories, at about 135-138 pounds. (Typically a 2 or 4 in misses.)

    IMG_3265.jpg
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore

    Your pictures and the link you gave are compelling proof of the difference between "thin" and "healthy"! Congratulations to you.
  • Brannock8
    Brannock8 Posts: 170 Member
    I exercise because I want to eat. I reached my goal weight today.

    Haven't been obese, or overweight, a day in my life.

    Haha agreed

    "I don't always eat my excercise calories back, but when I do, I usually prefer beer"
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    OP judging by your profile pic you really dont have much to lose.
    Possibly bits just a body composition issue.

    Learn the importance of the relationship you have with food.
    If you hate food and fear it because you think it makes you fat, youll most likely fail.
    If you learn that eating the proper amount of nutrients every day and moving around every day youll give your body a reason not to store extra fat.

    Dont give the body reasons to store fat.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Because I am hungry and I want to be at 1500 calories aday... not 1200, not 1100, not 900... but 1500. Eating less is the way I lose weight... Exercising is the way I strengthen my body and rev up my metabolism... all of which requires energy.
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
    I eat mine back because if I don't I am starving after dinnertime and end up eating more than I should. And it makes sense to me to fuel my body and not run on as little calories as possible. If I can eat more and still lose weight, I will happily do it!! :)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    threads like his just end up coming off as people being pissed off that they have to force themselves to stay on a 1200 calorie diet to lose the same amount of weight others lose eating 500-700 calories more.


    if you dont get it then fine. if it's not for you then then dont do. if your way is working for you, then why do you need someone else to explain to you their way?


    also i just wanted to say that a certain amount of muscle that in loss when you eat at a deficit. there are ways to lessen that amount (ie weight lifting), but depending on how you start, a certain amount of lean body mass will be lost when you eat at a deficit for an extended amount of time. 10% of what i have lost has been muscle mass and i can assure you i neither cut a drastic calorie deficit, nor am i at 6% body fat and i lifted heavy weights
  • amunet07
    amunet07 Posts: 1,245 Member
    You make a good statement with our pics etc. :)
    Because MFP, unlike most calorie counting websites, doesn't include the exercise you SAY you'll do into your calorie goal. It doesn't matter if you say you're going to sit on your *kitten* 7 days a week, or run a marathon every day, MFP will give you the same base calories. Surely you understand that someone who exercises a lot needs more fuel than someone who doesn't?

    When I just cut calories, when I believed that creating a large deficit was all it took to get the body I wanted, I lost weight, but too much of that weight was my lean body mass... my muscle. By "eating my exercise calories," I was able to maintain a moderate deficit, which allowed me to retain most of my lean mass and lose mostly body fat.

    What that means in terms everyone can understand... The jeans on the bottom are the size 8 jeans I wore at 130 pounds about 5-6 years ago when I didn't eat enough, and the top pair is the size 5 jeans I'm wearing NOW, eating my exercise calories, at about 135-138 pounds. (Typically a 2 or 4 in misses.)

    IMG_3265.jpg

    Here's me at about 130 pounds 5-6 years ago, and me at 133 pounds in February.

    five-years-later.jpg

    Then I still had a muffin top, back fat rolls, double chin, and cellulite out the wazzo. Now?

    IMG_4850.jpg

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    Obese people feel better knowing they can eat more after they workout and as long as they're still in a caloric deficit it works but it just makes people feel better about eating more for the most part.

    WTF? Obese people lol.

    LOL right? I eat every single calorie back. "obese" at 118 pounds?
  • OhKelsey1
    OhKelsey1 Posts: 139
    You're aiming for 1200 calories a day. If you eat 1200, and then burn off 600, you've only really eaten 600. What's...not making sense about this? :huh:
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Because 80 lbs lost.

    Eating them back clearly worked!
  • BiscuitsNDavy
    BiscuitsNDavy Posts: 212 Member
    Test and experiment with both. Cycle.

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