Should I eat my burned calories?

I don't. I do log the exercise tho. I feel the same as you. Why eat back what you just burned??

Wow, does anyone actually look at the way MFP is set up??? You are already in a deficit without exercise!! You need to fuel your body and make sure you don't go into an unhealthy deficit, that's why you need to eat back what you burned.

This works for me, MFP put me into a 500 calorie deficit and I'm losing weight. Sometimes I eat back 50% of what I burned but the good old weight is still negative AOK

I usually don't but then again I eat most of my calories so I don't really have a need to. I say if you're hungry and want to snack, go for it.

If you search this topic, it's been answered many times.

Exactly, it's kinda like what came first-the chicken or the egg :grumble:

To each their own honestly

YES!!!! You should be looking at your NET calories for the day. If you don't eat back at least SOME of those calories, then your body is going to go into starvation mode, and you'll start LOSING MUSCLE instead of fat. Your MUSCLES need those calories!

Now granted, I've had days when I've burned SO MANY calories, that it just wasn't feasible to eat back everything. But that's why MFP also gives you a weekly chart to look at. Indeed, I usually eat more the day AFTER a big workout than the day OF the big workout. So, if I go for a super long run on Saturday, my net calories may be low, but then I go way over on Sunday. But my weekly net calories are where they should be.

Net calories, people. Net calories. Use the MFP tools to find your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and/or go to another BMR calculator to double-check the numbers. And yes, I agree that MFP sometimes overestimates your calorie burn. A heart rate monitor will give you a better count. (Although, I've also found that sometimes the MFP estimate is right on the money! Depends on the exercise, and depends on how hard you're working on a particular day.)

Ok. I have read this over and over but for some reason the way you just explained it made the most sense. Thanks!!! I always wondered why they added your exercise calories with your not yet consumed daily calorie intake. I had no idea you was suppose to consume them as well. Feel so much better thanks. I will try eating them, but my workouts are they only way I can keep from gaining weight and when lucky losing weight. I really don't see it working but I will try.

So what if you're "only" at 500 or 700 taken in? Are you tired, lethargic, sweaty, lightheaded or dizzy? If not, then your body is actually pulling the caloric energy you need out of your fat stores. You still get the 1200 calories worth of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbs, etc. Everything else is just energy. Use the energy you stored.

Yeah but what if you have 2 - 25 pound tires of fat around your belly? Does your body just ignore that fuel source?

Excellent reply.

I don't. I don't record the exercise as calories burned either. I just treat it like a food diary.

^^^^This^^^^

I'm going to go ahead and agree with ^this^

I know this is an older topic but it came up on a google search of mine.


How is this even a debate anymore? If you aren't eating back the calories burnt and your diet is already set up for a daily calorie deficit you are effectively crash dieting. This a staple of any diet plan, sports nutrition book, and I would go as far to say any rational realistic diet.

You are severely limiting your potential training like this. You will slow down progression, hit fitness plateaus, and neglect any earned muscle growth.

If your goal is to be that skinny guy/girl with a flabby butt, a pot belly, and twigs for limbs by all means continue training like this.

If your goal is to not only lose fat but become stronger amd increase your overall fitness not being in a severe calorie deficit is of extreme importance.

How many calories to eat back is a tricky question though. Using MFP can grossly over estimate or under estinate your calories. Get a Heart rate monitor, it makes a huge difference.

I was using digifit to calculate my calories before I bought a HRM. A 5 mile hike I frequent said I was burning ~400cal. I thought this was fishy because this hike tales me about an hour and has nearly 1000ft of elevation changes and I jog a lot of, sometimes even sprint the ~20% grade hills. I was feeling like crap eating back the calories on a very strict diet following a 40%/30%/30% calorie break down. (Protein/fat/carbs.). This was with myfitnesspal setup for me to lose 2lbs a week. I got a HRM and it turns out on days I'm not even runming sprints I'm burning 1200+ calories in a bit over a hour. I started eating these back still following a 40/30/30 diet and I'm losing weight faster and feel stronger. Every time out I'm going faster, burning more calories per minute, and pushing myself harder and harder yet. Not only have I lost alnost 13lbs this month I've gained just shy of 5lbs of LBM. This is all due to proper nutrition and giving my body the fuel it needs for my grueling work outs. Once I got my calories in check and my macros aligned my body ate it up like a sponge. Got to love newb gains.

My suggestion to anyone who is considering not eating the calories back is train harder. Your body will force you down the right path. You need to eat enough energy or you will crash hard if you are truly pushing yourself.

Always strive to do better and work harder. Your body needs the right amount of energy to accomplish this.

I did a week where I ate back the calories I burnt - and lost around 1.5 pounds.

I also did a week where I didn't eat back my burned calories - and lost a little over 3 pounds.

So if you don't eat back the calories - you may lose weight faster, but as I'm sure you are aware - this is an unhealthy way to lose weight, and you are sure to put it back on when you are not calorie counting.

So now I eat at least half of my burned calories - think of the long term benefits rather than the quick fix.