Eating back workout calories

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  • twinkychops
    twinkychops Posts: 228 Member
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    I don't eat mine back as I need to lose weight quicker to keep me going, like the other have said it's personal preference and don't let yourself go hungry as it will ruin the hard work you do x x x
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    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.

    This.
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
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    I usually workout at night... so technically, I eat so I can workout.

    I eat back a few but not all of them, unless it's saturday.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    I was asking the same thing I have been doing everything but not sure if eatting back the calories is a good thing I've been doing this since Aug 19th and it tells me that I should be down 10 pounds and it has been way longer the 5 weeks yet nothing has happen not even a pound .. I'm getting real upset. What I'm I doing wrong?

    Eating back your calories for the day is a good way to ruin your weight loss goals. No paper or diet has ever stressed eating back your exercise calories. If someone has a paper that says otherwise then i would glady be openminded enough to read it. It's a MyFitnessPal myth.

    Then why don't you use a different site? It works for so many of us that it's now too well tested to just be a myth. I've lost 59lbs since March doing this and eating back every calorie (although not always on the day it was burned) and feel much stronger for it rather than weaker as has been in the past.

    WeightWatchers also give extra points for exercise so it's not just this site.
  • gumkenstein
    gumkenstein Posts: 58 Member
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    Yes I do.
    It's a bargain for me - workout is a way to earn more food. I exercise more than I assumed I would, because otherwise it's really hard to fit into 1200 cal a day food allowance.
    Plus it really helps to keep in mind how much energy some meals/food provide. 1 candy = ca. 15 minutes on bike, moderate effort. With taht in mind I can honestly say to candy - not today.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    I eat when I'm hungry.
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    Personal really... however I do not see a reason to go out your way to eat them back... People say they hungry etc?

    Sure... run a long slow run and eat back your calories of 3000.... then add 1600 on top so for day sure.. go eat 4600 calories and tell me how you feel... Not good I reckon....

    Might not need to eat them back, but you do need to get some protein in after a workout so as to promote muscle growth... if you cannot right away, no big deal! Just as long as in an hour or two you should be fine.

    An those that say is a big deal etc and you must right away. They do not train for ultra marathons and do not understand how you cannot eat easily after training HARD. I find most peoples hard days on here is fairly easy yet they go on like they are a body builder or ultra runner.

    I need the extra calories, however as long as have something even a shake after, I am fine for a while until I can have a proper meal.

    So yea, you do not need to eat those calories back ever. However you do need to eat some carbs and protein to help repair your muscles as soon as comfortable.
  • shanster23
    shanster23 Posts: 144 Member
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    I usually don't, and the odd times that I do, I only eat half of them back because the calorie burned estimates aren't completely accurate :)
  • 05suu
    05suu Posts: 90 Member
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    AS you've probably gathered there are diverse opinions on whether to eat, or not to eat, THAT is the question...

    Some people say you absolutely HAVE to eat back the calories or you will drop below the desired calorie allowance and then go into plateau or starvation mode...(depending on how much you exercise and what your daily goal is ..)

    For alot of us it seems it just doesn't work..

    I find I'm slogging away exercising , eating back cals and getting no where fast....which gets to be very frustrating.

    I am trying to eat back HALF of the exercise calories lately, altho even that doesn't seem to be doing much, as I have remained the same, up and down 3-4 pounds for the past 6 weeks...

    Before I started exercising agian...(had the summer off due to health) Iwas losing quite nicely..

    Its a frustrating business this weight loss stuff......:sad:
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
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    I find most peoples hard days on here is fairly easy yet they go on like they are a body builder or ultra runner.

    but it might be hard to them...

    I don't eat straight after a workout because I more than often I feel sick after a workout, so I wait until I feel better.
  • Gremlinz
    Gremlinz Posts: 3,259 Member
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    I try not to....... sometimes it cannot be helped, I guess, but I love seeing a net negative number!
  • aforange
    aforange Posts: 116 Member
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    Those extra calories I'm burning are attributing to my calorie deficit, which the bigger the better

    Uh. Allllllllllllllrighty then
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    I was asking the same thing I have been doing everything but not sure if eatting back the calories is a good thing I've been doing this since Aug 19th and it tells me that I should be down 10 pounds and it has been way longer the 5 weeks yet nothing has happen not even a pound .. I'm getting real upset. What I'm I doing wrong?

    Eating back your calories for the day is a good way to ruin your weight loss goals. No paper or diet has ever stressed eating back your exercise calories. If someone has a paper that says otherwise then i would glady be openminded enough to read it. It's a MyFitnessPal myth.

    Then why don't you use a different site? It works for so many of us that it's now too well tested to just be a myth. I've lost 59lbs since March doing this and eating back every calorie (although not always on the day it was burned) and feel much stronger for it rather than weaker as has been in the past.

    WeightWatchers also give extra points for exercise so it's not just this site.

    Is a myth really. Nutrition is what your body needs NOT calories. Quite funny how people seem to not understand that.

    Here is a question, do you know what a calorie actually represents? If not look it up. The concept is cool however it doesn't translate over to a human body quite the same...

    Also like I said in previous reply, I can burn up to 3000 calories a day on training runs. According to most people with TDEE and all this rubbish, I would need to eat close to 5000 calories on training days! Not realistic AT ALL!

    I have lost close to 30kg since the beginning of year following nutrition over calories. I run marathons, and ultra marathons. Focus is on nutrition requirements, you will never hear anyone involved in ultra marathons talk about calories out! That is irrelevant. What is relevant is nutritional requirements of your body.

    Two races I am doing next year beginning? One is 34.8 miles meaning on average roughly 3480 calories burnt, the other race 54 miles, so roughly 5400 calories. Am I going to eat junk just to get those goals? Never... I will focus on quality nutrition rather. If I do not get close to those amounts, then fine, I have got my nutrients, I do not need more, in fact your body actually can only absorb certain amounts of each nutrient at a time, so eating for the sake of it would be stupid... In fact it would be TOTALLY stupid to do.
  • tania2287
    tania2287 Posts: 236 Member
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    I don't eat back my exercise calories as l am on around 1500-1600 a day. I burn around 3000 cals a day, which works out that l am losing 2lbs-3lbs per week.

    I feed my body when l am hungry and only eat good foods.
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    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.

    Not eating back at least part of them is actually gonna cause you to lose lean muscle... not just fat.

    I know right? That is why when body builders cut down and eat below TDEE which is a big no no here they turn into weeds and stick figures for competitions right? I mean they just LOSE all that muscle using a PSMF type diet netting 600-800calories usually a day for a few weeks!

    Oh wait... nope, no they do not... In fact they get to just above minimum percent of body fat needed for survival and still have all that muscle.

    I still do not know why people here WANT to eat more than they should without doing research about the issue.

    I mean let us be honest here, the reason most people are here are because they eat too much. So you eat back training calories, likely miscalculate as do not weigh each food item and ensure they do not vary adding each up and calculating calories yourself that you have in that piece of meat instead of relying on a fairly inaccurate database as is the case here. Case in point, a energy bar someone here added 20c to the bar, someone else took off 50c.... My question is, why?
  • aforange
    aforange Posts: 116 Member
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    Is a myth really. Nutrition is what your body needs NOT calories. Quite funny how people seem to not understand that.

    Here is a question, do you know what a calorie actually represents? If not look it up. The concept is cool however it doesn't translate over to a human body quite the same...

    Also like I said in previous reply, I can burn up to 3000 calories a day on training runs. According to most people with TDEE and all this rubbish, I would need to eat close to 5000 calories on training days! Not realistic AT ALL!

    Dude the only reason MFP makes us eat exercise calories back is that we've already got a deficit built in. You don't eat back a small percentage of what you burn you're just turning that deficit into a gaping hole so your body is running on basically nothing. If you're hitting your goal calories a day, great, but if you're under your goal then exercise on top of that you're going to be in trouble and end up losing weight in a bad way.

    Please stop this, "Look at my horse, my horse is amazing" pretentious BS.

    Everyone has different opinions, what works for some people doesn't always work for others.
  • jensfitpal2012
    jensfitpal2012 Posts: 145 Member
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    I only eat back a small portion of what I have burned.Seems when I don"t,MFP tells me I am not eating enough to keep my metabolism up.I can say,I have been somewhat confused abt.this myself,just trying different ways to see what works.
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    Is a myth really. Nutrition is what your body needs NOT calories. Quite funny how people seem to not understand that.

    Here is a question, do you know what a calorie actually represents? If not look it up. The concept is cool however it doesn't translate over to a human body quite the same...

    Also like I said in previous reply, I can burn up to 3000 calories a day on training runs. According to most people with TDEE and all this rubbish, I would need to eat close to 5000 calories on training days! Not realistic AT ALL!

    Dude the only reason MFP makes us eat exercise calories back is that we've already got a deficit built in. You don't eat back a small percentage of what you burn you're just turning that deficit into a gaping hole so your body is running on basically nothing. If you're hitting your goal calories a day, great, but if you're under your goal then exercise on top of that you're going to be in trouble and end up losing weight in a bad way.

    Please stop this, "Look at my horse, my horse is amazing" pretentious BS.

    Everyone has different opinions, what works for some people doesn't always work for others.

    Sure, then eat crap and make your calorie goals for all I care. As if you train hard the only way your going to is by eating junk really.

    By eating healthy foods, your not going to come close to 4500 calories without a struggle. And even if you did, no point as your body does not have the genetic capacity to absorb massive amounts of nutrients in one go. Hence why dieticians recommend a few smaller meals broken up.

    But hey, medical biology is stupid and incorrect and even though blood is tracked along with hormones and markers it is wrong. Only opinions matter on MFP right? That essentially what your saying.

    My point is that while we do differ in some aspects, the human body and it's capacities to absorb is still a human body. We can change how our bodies use fats proteins and carbs etc, however their absorption rate isn't going to differ.

    If you want to argue about something, read up on human anatomy... it is really interesting. MFP is full of bs opinions with no medical science behind them, that is a fact not opinion. That is why you say what works for one person wont work for another, because there is no science behind your methodology hence the varying results.
  • blurts1980
    blurts1980 Posts: 14
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    I have not been eating them back. I am eating good, well balanced meals, but seeing the amount of calories remaining for me to use is good motivation for me not to use them!
  • Richa_S
    Richa_S Posts: 78 Member
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    I try not to... There are other issues in MFP like the calorie burns from the exercises are higher than the actual burn (when u compare them wid HRM), thus to be on safer side I don't.

    P.S. I actually have screwed my goal with this, last month I gained 3 pounds while eating back few of my earned calories through exercise..

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