"Eating back" Exercise Calories - Simple breakdown

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  • saradas
    saradas Posts: 19 Member
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    I am always confused about my activity level . I am a programmer , i work from home. I try to work out atleast 3 times a week (i count that under exercise cals) . When I work I sit , but my day is not like i am sitting for 8 hours continously. I drop and pick kids from school , activities , i cook , basic cleaning , gardening etc. My weight is barely moving and I am not sure if my activity level is sedentary or lightly active. Please help.
  • ciobair
    ciobair Posts: 69
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    thanks marc, it's been refreshing to read your thread and have it explained quite so clearly and simply.

    I like your analogies, and for reinforcing the fact that if my BMR is 2400 without exercise, eating 1500 consistently is not actually going to benefit me or my weight loss hopes in the long run.

    This is only my 3rd week on MFP and I have to say, I'm finding getting close to my 2400 without eating lots of carbs quite difficult.

    agreed. eating 2300-2400 calories of HEALTHY food can be challenging and takes some discipline. i try to plan in advance and have a whole bag of chicken cooked up so all i have to to is heat it up. if i buy fruit try to have it chopped up and ready to eat in containers, etc.

    and just to clarify your BMR is your basal metabolic rate, the calories you'd burn doing absolutely NOTHING all day just laying in bed. your daily burn is your BMR multiplied by the activity value (sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, etc) personally my BMR is 2750, my lifestyle is sedentary which is a 1.2 value, so 2750x1.2= my daily burn of 3300 ish. thats where my 2300 daily goal comes from.

    D'oh, yes, I still get my TDEE, BMR, BF etc all muddled up.
  • texasgal22
    texasgal22 Posts: 407 Member
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    This is why I let MFP determine my calories based on my personal info and average amount of exercise I will do.

    Keep It Simple Sir.
  • aweigh2go
    aweigh2go Posts: 164 Member
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    But what if your to full to eat anything else? I understand what your saying but somedays I get full off of just getting my water intake in...you know that rule of drinking 8oz before every meal......thanks

    Try "sneaking" in your calories. Use extra virgin olive oil (120 calories) when you sauté chicken, add sunflower seeds to salads, snack on homemade trail mix through the day (almonds and raisins).
  • mjculber
    mjculber Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi Marc, I am still very confused. My BMR is 1,739 and my activity is light (3 days week average of 580 calories). My calories per day are 1,530 and have it set to lose 1 1/2 lbs a week. So I actually need to be eating less calories a day than mine is set for? Please Help!!??

    Thanks!
    :huh:
  • ARPhillis
    ARPhillis Posts: 1 Member
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    I have been doing it all wrong not even sure how I've been losing weight then...I barely can eat the required let alone the ones I burn off...I so don't have time or appetite for it all :(
  • aweigh2go
    aweigh2go Posts: 164 Member
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    "If you use this site the way it is designed to work, it calculates for you to lose weight WITHOUT any additional exercise. And then when you exercise, you need extra fuel. Some people don't use this site as it was designed, they set their own somewhat higher calorie goal and then eat that amount and don't count their exercise."


    I have wavered between utilizing MFP based on a sedentary lifestyle and then adding my exercise and eating those calories back AND calculating a number of calories and entering my exercise in the notes section. I finally settled on the latter. Reason being, I know how many calories I burn on average per day for my workouts (via my HRM) and I know my TDEE based on sedentary level. The combination of those two gives me an average daily number that allows me to plan my day the night before.
  • MosierTim
    MosierTim Posts: 56 Member
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    Marc, while I see the "logic" in what you explained, the wild card you have to take into account is the accuracy of the calories that you record for your consumption or burn. On the food side, the calories on the package is the total container divided by the # of servings. So if you have a can of soup and only have half of it, you do not know if you got an equal distribution of the calories. You may have gotten more of the meat in your half and left more broth in the remaining half. Likewise, if you go to subway's website and calculate the calories of your sub and record them in your diary, you are counting on the person behind the counter to actually build the sub to the company specs. While these are small calorie differences, they all add up. For the burn aspect, my elliptical shows a different calorie burn than the MFP shows. Even if you use a heart rate monitor, you are still assuming that it is calculating correctly. So you could be underestimating your calories in and over estimate your calories burned and end up being over your calories.

    You ended your post with the statement "feel free to rebuttal on my take on this argument, but id say its difficult to argue with this logic." I will give you an argument that it is difficult to argue. I have NEVER eaten all of my exercise calories back and I average a 2 lb loss a week and have lost a total of 108 lbs. I can also show you examples of other people that have had daily calorie deficits of up to 3500 calories a day that have successfully lost weight.

    My point is that there is no absolute with this argument. Everybody's body acts differently and everyone needs to find what works for them. If eating back your calories works, do it. If it does, try not eating some of them back or all of them back. Toy with it until you get to something that is successful for you.
  • Rachelsleigh
    Rachelsleigh Posts: 8 Member
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    Nutrition is definitely a problem for me. I stay within my calories, but they for sure aren't with salmon and pine nuts. I am an extremely picky eater and don't like any veggies or anything. I will eat tilapia, but that's it as far as fish goes. Horrible, I know. I also never eat breakfast, mainly because I wanted to save the calories for later, which I know isn't good for your metabolism. I plan to start getting protein shakes at the gym in the mornings and see if that helps with the calorie deficit plus the not eating breakfast problem.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    "If you use this site the way it is designed to work, it calculates for you to lose weight WITHOUT any additional exercise. And then when you exercise, you need extra fuel. Some people don't use this site as it was designed, they set their own somewhat higher calorie goal and then eat that amount and don't count their exercise."


    I have wavered between utilizing MFP based on a sedentary lifestyle and then adding my exercise and eating those calories back AND calculating a number of calories and entering my exercise in the notes section. I finally settled on the latter. Reason being, I know how many calories I burn on average per day for my workouts (via my HRM) and I know my TDEE based on sedentary level. The combination of those two gives me an average daily number that allows me to plan my day the night before.

    I set my calories based on TDEE less 20%. I still log my exercise here for motivation, but I disregard the added exercise calories. I always eat to my calorie goal no matter how much or how little I exercised.
  • SyStEmPhReAk
    SyStEmPhReAk Posts: 330 Member
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    Thanks for taking the time to write all of that and give your opinion. But I don't agree with you for my goals. I recently cut weight and NEVER ate my calories back and felt great all day while working out at 4:00am during the week. It all depends on your goals and what you want to accomplish.

    Again, good post.
  • LanaeCarol
    LanaeCarol Posts: 158 Member
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  • fitfocusedfamily
    fitfocusedfamily Posts: 117 Member
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    Ive seen several new people confused about this. Ive tried to narrow down the debate to a very simple logical train of thought that should clarify the importance of not counting ONLY the calories you eat. You have a PLAN for your daily caloric deficit, not "eating back" your exercise calories ruins this plan and gives your body fewer calories than you planned on giving it.

    example:

    Your net caloric goal for the day is based on a total deficit deemed appropriate for your body. if you are supposed to have a 1,000 calorie deficit for the day to lose 2lb/wk and 1,500 calorie goal gives you that deficit, you need to think of it as a calorie ledger just like finances. think of exercise you do as a WITHDRAWAL from the calorie bank and food you eat is a DEPOSIT to the calorie bank. you start each day at 0 and you want your calorie bank BALANCE to be 1,500 by the end of the day. See the following example

    [Example of eating back calories: body gets 1500 calories for the day]
    Wake up: 0 calories
    Breakfast: +600 calories
    Exercise: -200 calories
    Snack: +200 calories
    Lunch: +800 calories
    Snack: +200 calories
    Exercise: -500 calories
    Dinner: +400 calories
    Total Net calories for the day: 1,500 calories. You ate 2,200 calories but 700 calories of that were used by your exercise.

    [Example of not eating back exercise calories]
    Breakfast: +500 calories
    Exercise -200 calories
    Snack: +50 calories
    Lunch: +500 calories
    Exercise: -500 Calories
    Dinner : +450 calories
    Total Net calories for the day: 800 calories. You ate your daily goal of 1500 calories, but almost half of it didnt actually go to your body, it was used by exercise. Your body should receive 1500 calorie in this example.

    Your lifestyle burns 2500 calories a day, so a 1000 calorie deficit is your 2lbs/week weight loss deficit so you need to net 1500 calories a day.......but if you arent "eating back" your exercise calories you arent considering the full picture. you are adding all the exercise you do each day to your pre-planned 1,000 calorie/day deficit. your day to day deficit is completely unpredictable because it depends on your exercise. if you dont exercise your deficit is 1,000.......if you do a 1,000 calorie burn workout your deficit is 2,000. this is not right.

    * this uses the example of a person with a 1500 caloric daily goal.....im not saying EVERYBODY has this goal, lol*

    feel free to rebuttal on my take on this argument, but id say its difficult to argue with this logic. not "eating back" exercise calories is a wild card in your fitness plan and can cause your daily caloric deficit to be way too high. too high of a caloric deficit is bad. your body NEEDS calories to run

    *EDIT ADDITION*
    IF CUTTING 1,000 CALORIES IS GOOD, THEN CUTTING 2,000 MUST BE GREAT, RIGHT?
    Wrong! somebody posted "you willl lose more weight on the second plan" thinking that if cutting a few calories is good, then cutting more must be better: This is untrue! read my comment below for more details. your body has an absolute minimum amount of calories its willing to work with, and if you drop below that level it will declare a food shortage and stop dropping the weight and holding onto everything it can get. stick to the recommended 2 pound per week maximum 1,000 calorie deficit. you might get away with a 2,000 calorie deficit for a while, but it wont last.....then you will have to fight your body back out of starvation mode.

    EXCELLENT and THANK YOU!!! I preach this, too, & explain it often!
  • heather_huggins
    heather_huggins Posts: 194 Member
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    wow. so basically, you really should eat back most of your exercised calories daily...i always tried to stay away from that, over worrying that i was eating too much and that i wouldn't lose weight. thanks for explaining it like that!
  • kclarkss
    kclarkss Posts: 69 Member
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    Thanks for the clarification. Now I can go eat those extra calories. No wonder I have been so hungry. Of course, I will only eat healthy foods. : ) : ) :)
  • alimak21
    alimak21 Posts: 20
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    So I recently saw a nutritionist and spoke to her about losing weight. I don't know what my calorie intake was before, but she told me to eat about 1400-1500 calories a day. She also said that the key to losing the weight was to not eat back the calories I burned during exercise. Now I'm confused...
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    So I recently saw a nutritionist and spoke to her about losing weight. I don't know what my calorie intake was before, but she told me to eat about 1400-1500 calories a day. She also said that the key to losing the weight was to not eat back the calories I burned during exercise. Now I'm confused...

    This website sets your calories lower, then you need extra fuel for workout. Like the running out of gas comparison.

    Your nutritionist probably recommended calories that are higher than this website, correct? In which case you wouldn't eat back calories. So set your calorie goal to that and don't log your exercise.
  • alimak21
    alimak21 Posts: 20
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    Yes, the site recommended 1200 calories but I have it set for 1500. I have been logging my exercise, but I have been trying to leave those calories as being "under my calorie goal."
  • Avandel
    Avandel Posts: 283 Member
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    But what if your to full to eat anything else? I understand what your saying but somedays I get full off of just getting my water intake in...you know that rule of drinking 8oz before every meal......thanks

    :huh: There's no such thing as Not being able to find room for extra calories. Nuts are good fats, high in calories & make a great snack on their own,in a salad, or yogurt & you don't have to eat a lot of them.

    1 tbsp Walnut Pieces - Unsalted - approx 95 cals
    1/3 cup of Pumpkin Seeds Hulled, Roasted, Unsalted - 290 cals
    1/3 cup of Sunflower Seeds Hulled Roasted & Unsalted - 300 cals
  • lovinlandl
    lovinlandl Posts: 99 Member
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    bump