Eat back what you burn or not??

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  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
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    If you're seeing good progress I wouldn't change anything yet
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    It depends on whether you've factored them in to your requirements and deficit.

    If you figured out how many calories you need, including exercise, and then created a deficit from that point, then you don't need to eat back anything you burned off, because you have already done so if you meet your target.

    If you just used MFP to figure out your intake, using the 'sedentary' option, then you should eat back your exercise calories in order to ensure you're getting sufficient calories.

    Assuming your goal is fat-loss, and not just weight loss, it's not just about the deficit game. Your body needs a certain amount of calories to ensure you are retaining your lean body mass. On that note, as I'm sure many here will also tell you, make sure you are doing some resistance training to minimize lean body mass loss, and maximize fat loss.
  • fatladysings72
    fatladysings72 Posts: 64
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    It depends on whether you've factored them in to your requirements and deficit.

    If you figured out how many calories you need, including exercise, and then created a deficit from that point, then you don't need to eat back anything you burned off, because you have already done so if you meet your target.

    If you just used MFP to figure out your intake, using the 'sedentary' option, then you should eat back your exercise calories in order to ensure you're getting sufficient calories.

    Assuming your goal is fat-loss, and not just weight loss, it's not just about the deficit game. Your body needs a certain amount of calories to ensure you are retaining your lean body mass. On that note, as I'm sure many here will also tell you, make sure you are doing some resistance training to minimize lean body mass loss, and maximize fat loss.

    That effectively explained the deficit thing for me. No I did not factor it in. So, I am not sure yet how I am going to handle it. As I said I think I will try "eating them back" for now and see how I feel, but, I also kind of agree that if it is working for now, maybe don't change it until I plateau. Thanks so much for all of your input everyone!
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
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    Sometimes I do; sometimes I don't. Kinda depends on whether I am hungry or not....or maybe ate a littlw too much in spite of myself. You also have to recognize that most of the calorie counts you end up with are not aleays that accurate. I don't hink it hurts to get int a "habit" that says if you don't want, don't eat it! Its worked so far.
  • blackmantis
    blackmantis Posts: 165 Member
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    If your eating at a deficit eat your workout calories back if your eating at TDEE then let you exercise be your deficit and do not eat your calories back but do NOT do both.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    The other day I wrote a thread about what has worked for me, and what I consider to be generally applicable rules for almost everyone starting out on this site. I feel a bit shameless plugging my own thread, but I also don't want to retype that TL;DR post, and miss stuff- plus the thread is chick full of good advice from other members. I would stronly encourage you to check it out:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/844040-raspberry-ketones-for-the-rest-of-us?hl=raspberry+ketones+for+

    Also, that thing about fat people not being able to starve themselves is pure nonsense. The amount of FAT (adipose tissue) you can lose per week is limited- you start losing lean body mass at a high percentage when your calories go to low, and you risk metabolic and hormonal problems- no matter how much you start out with. It's a dangerous and stupid concept, and incessant promotion of it got that user banned, which is why she isn't posting anymore.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
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    Interesting, several people suggested eating them back, but you only responded to the two that told you not to. I'd listen to the people who have several thousand posts on the forum (and are looking pretty great). For more information:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Good call... see THAT is why I love this place. I value straight forward people. Thanks. That is a good point, but I was also looking at how much weight they lost. I think the point is that it may not matter unless you are highly active. So, if I want to eat it back, be very active... what is your thought on that?
    I eat back my exercise calories. All. The. Time.


    Check out my ticker. Yup.
  • Weebs628
    Weebs628 Posts: 574 Member
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    I eat back mine. Nom nom nom... if I'm not hungry, I don't (that's not very often!), but 9 times out of 10, I dip into my exercise calories.
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
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    In theory, you should eat back what you burn because MFP has built in a deficit for you. There is no way of knowing how accurate your calories burned estimations may or may not be and if you you eat over that actual amount then you may not lose weight in the way that you expect. It is a balance you must find through experimentation.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    You may be setting your goal to lose 1 lb per week, but that's assuming you eat back those exercise calories. MFP already provides a deficit of 500 calories below predicted TDEE for you. If you exercise, it adds those exercise calories to your deficit, thus increasing your 1 lb per week loss to a greater amount. As others have stated, since you are around 300 lbs, you can actually begin with a weight loss goal of 2 lbs. But again, if you aren't eating back - at least some exercise calories - you are likely losing over 1 lb per week.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Interesting, several people suggested eating them back, but you only responded to the two that told you not to. I'd listen to the people who have several thousand posts on the forum (and are looking pretty great). For more information:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Good call... see THAT is why I love this place. I value straight forward people. Thanks. That is a good point, but I was also looking at how much weight they lost. I think the point is that it may not matter unless you are highly active. So, if I want to eat it back, be very active... what is your thought on that?
    I eat back my exercise calories. All. The. Time.


    Check out my ticker. Yup.

    Add me to the list of eating back my calories burned, gotta fuel my workouts and I have also lost a few pounds.... Best of Luck...
  • Narisong
    Narisong Posts: 191
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    I started at 353. When I started I was eating about 1500 calories a day but I was not really exercising because well.. I couldn't. I did lose very well the first couple of months and then I started to plateau and do research to figure out why at about 300 lbs I was not losing and found I was actually really under eating. I was not eating enough to fuel my body and vital body functions. I am now at 233 lbs after 555 days and am eating about 1750 calories a day. Some days I eat back some calories from exercise, sometimes I don't. some weeks I lose and some weeks I don't.

    So.. do what works for you but remember that eventually it may not work and you will have to find a better way of doing things. I'm no expert and can only say what has worked for me through reading posts from people who are smarter than me about the body and learning what works for my body.

    This one is an excellent post. it took me quite a while to get my mind wrapped around it, but once I did it made perfect sense.. but I had to read it multiple times and really break it down.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    and listen to Ed.. he should know !
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Interesting, several people suggested eating them back, but you only responded to the two that told you not to. I'd listen to the people who have several thousand posts on the forum (and are looking pretty great). For more information:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Good call... see THAT is why I love this place. I value straight forward people. Thanks. That is a good point, but I was also looking at how much weight they lost. I think the point is that it may not matter unless you are highly active. So, if I want to eat it back, be very active... what is your thought on that?
    I eat back my exercise calories. All. The. Time.


    Check out my ticker. Yup.

    Add me to the list of eating back my calories burned, gotta fuel my workouts and I have also lost a few pounds.... Best of Luck...

    In case you did not notice - check ^^ this guys ticker out.

    And whether you are active or not really makes no difference to the general concept.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
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    Op, I actually didn't see that your current weight is 296 lbs.

    My start weight was just 8 lbs shy of that at 288 lbs.

    I started off losing a lot of my weight the WRONG way. No exercise, severely restricting calories. It worked, and the weight came off fast, but I stalled, and I was left with a body that I almost hated more than my obese body. Luckily, I've almost corrected all of the damage that that method caused, and my metabolism wasn't severely damaged.

    I'm really glad to hear that you ARE exercising. Kudos to you for doing it right. Like others have said, your current weight is high enough to where you can safely lose two lbs a week.

    My advice: Listen to your body. If you're hungry, eat them back. If you're not, don't. Try to net above 1200 each day, and always try to hit your macros.

    Sometimes, I don't have the hunger to eat them, so I save them for a rainy day. Your body runs on more of a weekly schedule, so if you don't eat them back one day, but go over the next day, it'll all even out.


    Best of luck to you.
  • Kotuliak
    Kotuliak Posts: 259 Member
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    I never eat back my exercise calories. Ever.

    I drink them. Usually bear. Wine sometimes. When I'm out of beer and wine, Scotch will do.

    Works for me, but wouldn't work for everyone I'm sure.
  • jim_n_virginia
    jim_n_virginia Posts: 59 Member
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    I stopped eating all my exercise calories. Just eat some when I need too.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    I never eat back my exercise calories. Ever.

    I drink them. Usually bear. Wine sometimes. When I'm out of beer and wine, Scotch will do.

    Works for me, but wouldn't work for everyone I'm sure.

    Isn't it a little dangerous to try and drink a bear, and therefore against forum guidelines by suggesting a harmful or destructive diet?
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  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
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    The nurse that checkes my blood pressure says if i'm not hungary after I work out then don't eat them.
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
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    If you are truly working out, then you need to eat them back. Otherwise your so-called weight loss is only muscle mass and water. Period. See my weight loss and then you can decide for yourself.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    i do not eat back my calories. and, if you do, you need to make sure you have an accurate hrm to ensure that you are not eating back more cals than you burned. alot of equipment will give you numbers that are too high, even mfp gives numbers that are way too high! mfp says i burn almost 600 cals when in reality i only burned 300... as i said, i do not eat back my excercise calories, and instead, i give myself 2 days a month where i can have what i want and go "a little crazy" with my family... these are the days where ill plan outings and such, cause i know i can eat whatever and not worry about it. so far, its great! good luck to you, and whatever you decide, just remember that it has to work for you, not us! eaveryones body is different!

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