Eating back workout calories

Oldsoul_3
Oldsoul_3 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you eat back your calories burned from working out?
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Replies

  • kandijo0306
    kandijo0306 Posts: 16 Member
    A lot of people do. I don't. I"m exercising to burn calories, not so I can eat more.
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    My daily goal is 1200, so when I burn calories I will likely eat most, if not all of those back so that I am near a net of 1200.
  • OspreyVista
    OspreyVista Posts: 464 Member
    Yes, because I like food and still losing with eating back my calories about 1 lb a week, which is healthy and fine with me! :)
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    I eat at least most of mine back, but I'm in maintenance. When I was losing, I did not, but I ate 1650 a day.
  • jarrett515
    jarrett515 Posts: 10
    I totally do most however I do not eat all of them but I do find if I have a lot of calories left even from working out I am hungry and end up with an uncontrolled eating so I do eat back some of my calories but results are different for each person just find what works for you! If you eat them and you don't feel you are getting the results you expect then change it up! Some days I use the fact that I want something more to eat as a drive to work out hehehe
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    Yes, I do.
  • mcpjan
    mcpjan Posts: 76 Member
    My daily goal is 1200 and I normally do not eat back my burn calories.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    No i dont.
  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
    I would never eat back my workout calories. Working out for someone like me is a living hell, I'm not sure if it gets any better as you lose weight, but I know I didn't just go through something that hard to just go and throw it in the trash.

    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better. If you REALLY love food and are willing to give up that extra calorie deficit, feel free, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing that to myself. But I'm also in a situation that the faster I lose weight the better.
  • GypsysBloodRose26
    GypsysBloodRose26 Posts: 341 Member
    I do. Why do something not fun and then deprive myself of something I love. That is pure silliness.
  • needamulligan
    needamulligan Posts: 558 Member
    Yep. Since my restart this June, I've been steadily losing 10/month. I try to do what MFP tells me to do. I've compared where I am to where MFP says I should be in 5 weeks and I'm always within a pound or less of the projection. So, eating my exercise calories has worked just fine for me.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    My goal is 1230 calories per day to lose 2 pounds. I just set it at 1600 and run about 100 miles per month.
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    Nice loss!!
    Yep. Since my restart this June, I've been steadily losing 10/month. I try to do what MFP tells me to do. I've compared where I am to where MFP says I should be in 5 weeks and I'm always within a pound or less of the projection. So, eating my exercise calories has worked just fine for me.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    When I was only burning 200-300 calories a day I didn't, now that I burn on average 600 I do because I need to get closer to a 1200 calorie net.
    Some do, some dont, I think it's a personal preference.
  • deenaspell
    deenaspell Posts: 227 Member
    I do. I love food.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I do, but that's because I'm on a 1200 calorie a day diet. If I was on a 1700 a day, I wouldn't necessarily eat them back.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Nope.
  • positivepineapple
    positivepineapple Posts: 87 Member
    I try not to but I usually do because I'm so hungry and I'm losing anyways.

    Plus if I lift weights I know my muscles will use all that fuel repairing fibers and refilling glycogen stores

    Actually I go over usually a few times per week and I'm still losing lol, I'm super active
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Do you eat back your calories burned from working out?

    I don't. I'm in maintenance and I still don't, but I listen to my body and if I still feel hungry at the end of the day I'll eat 100-200 more calories. But this was not necessary while I was in a deficit and losing because my body had enough fat reserves to manage it.

    If you are not losing weight it is something to consider. Especially if you are short. Short people have lower RMR and so I think get frustrated by all the "eat more" mantra and it's not helping them. Eat more may work for taller people.
  • aarilynn
    aarilynn Posts: 74 Member
    I wouldn't eat back my the calories I worked off ONLY IF I set my activity at something other than sedentary...

    I don't trust the calculations they give me for being having a light or moderate lifestyle so I put that I'm sedentary and then I'll add in my activity. Everyday is going to be different for me anyhow. Myfitnesspal does not know if I was more active today than yesterday.

    When you set your goal (lose .5 or 2 pounds), it states when you workout you can eat more (and I think this works best when you put sedentary, that way it's only giving you the numbers you burn just being awake and alive).... for example mine says to net 1450 in order to lose .5 pounds... so if I worked out like I did today, burned 300, I've got 1750 calories to eat... and I'll lose that .5 pounds per week. Actually, Im not losing weight though b/c I don't have much to lose and Im currently trying to actually net 1360-1450. But yes, I'm eating more if I work out ... I don't like to call it eating back my excerise calories... I call it fuel. :)
  • renamarie77
    renamarie77 Posts: 98 Member
    I'm still new at this, but I feel that the 1590 calories MFP allots for me are usually plenty IF I balance them right. I definitely don't think I should eat extra calories that I just burned. That seems like it would defeat the purpose of doing ALL that hard work. I would think if I was trying to maintain, then I'd eat them back, but I'm wanting to lose, lose, lose. However, IF I'm still hungry, I don't feel as guilty if I have to use a few of them.

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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • djc315
    djc315 Posts: 585 Member
    I don't. But if I happen to, then that is fine. I use it as a cushion.
  • WABeachWalker
    WABeachWalker Posts: 133 Member
    Usually I do eat back those calories, but on a week where the scale hasn't really budged, I may skip the adding back 2 or 3 times that week and it helps.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
    I eat them back. Sometimes I struggle,with it if I burn a lot, but I try not to eat when I'm not hungry. I'm getting close to my goal though. Those damn last 10 pounds!
  • brjustice2000
    brjustice2000 Posts: 33
    I eat back some of the exercise calories in an effort to get to my basic calorie need of 2270 based on my weight. The more days you can eat your basic caloric need and still achieve your deficit goal, the less likely you will slow down your metabolism. My goal is a 1000 calorie deficit each day in an effort to lose 2 lbs a week. I normally have more than a 7000 calorie deficit for the week but don't always lose the 2 lbs. This journey is much more than calories eaten minus calories burned. As long as what your doing is working and you aren't in starvation mode by eating too few calories keep on with what you do. When you hit a plateau, you have to tweak your routine by changing something.
  • moonlightturk
    moonlightturk Posts: 398
    I would never eat back my workout calories. Working out for someone like me is a living hell, I'm not sure if it gets any better as you lose weight, but I know I didn't just go through something that hard to just go and throw it in the trash.

    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better. If you REALLY love food and are willing to give up that extra calorie deficit, feel free, but I wouldn't be caught dead doing that to myself. But I'm also in a situation that the faster I lose weight the better.
  • jbaca9602
    jbaca9602 Posts: 64 Member
    When I was trying to lose more aggressively, I did eat them back so that I had enough fuel. I was starving and felt weak if I wasn't getting the minimum net. Now, I don't feel the need to - 300 calories more per day is enough for me to fuel myself through workouts and if I gain 150 calories from exercise I typically don't need it. I don't see the purpose in eating more if I'm still netting above minimum.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    Yes, because it motivates me to exercise and it has helped me to lose weight (fairly painlessly!). I know I could never have been successful if I didn't have this relationship branded into my brain: move more and you can eat more.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    No, generally I don't touch them. Sure if I'm out of calories and I'm hungry I'll have something to eat so I don't go to bed hungry but I'm not going to eat them back just for the sake of eating.....which got me here in the first place. Down the road when I lose more it might change but currently I'm not.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Most people have their MFP calorie allowance set to a level that will lose them weight. If you eat back the exercise calories, you are still at that level that will make the weight come off.
    If you do not eat them back, you might start to feel weak and lose the motivation to exercise.

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