earned calories with exercise, should I eat those extra?

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  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing and all the answers I got were basically "Whatever works for you" so you might try it one way for a couple weeks and then switch to the other if it doesn't seem to be working. Everyone's body is different so what might work for some people might not work for you!

    Yes and no. The science is the same for everyone. What differs is the method. The reason why some people gain when they eat back calories isn't because the science or the approach is flawed, it's the method - they are mis-estimating something(s)... BMR, TDEE, cals eaten, cals burned, etc.

    Not to mention the number of times people mistake a normal fluctuation for "weight gain."

    I mean... I've seen people wig out because they weighed more at the end of the day, after eating three meals and drinking a gallon of fluid, fully clothed, than they did naked after pooping and before breakfast. :laugh:
  • hubtech
    hubtech Posts: 43 Member
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    When you setup your goal/profile... if you included exercise into the formula to calculate your daily calorie goal (which MFP doesn't do by default, but most TDEE calculators DO include), then you don't need to log exercise or eat back those calories. If you didn't include exercise in the calculations, then yes, you should be logging exercise cals and eating them back.

    Exactly right. I keep mine set without any activity (sedentary) and earn extra calories through my workouts and activity. Keeps me focused on being active. I tend not to eat back all my calories but I do eat 80% of them if I am hungry.

    I second this. If you include some activity in your base calculation, you can't track it and eat those extra calories later.

    If you eat back all or most of your exercise calories, then go (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided) and make sure your settings are set for "sedentary".*

    * If you change those settings, then know that any custom goals (ie for macronutrients) you've set have just been reset to the default and you need to update those again too (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals).
  • butterflyfaerie
    butterflyfaerie Posts: 94 Member
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    People, I think some of you are being FAR too aggressive to people who just have an opinion! If someone is losing weight by NOT eating their exercise calories, then good for them. If they ARE eating them and still losing, the same applies. If that's how they want to lose weight, and it works for them, why snap at them and lecture them that they're wrong, or criticise the way they're doing things?

    And before I'm being accused of only basing this on theory since my counter says 0, I restarted my goal - I lost 30lb in the past using this site and it's tracking of food and exercise.

    But from my personal experience, if I'm hungry I'll eat them back, if not, I don't bother. There's no point in me making eating a chore where I HAVE to eat, just because the website is telling me too. That'll only impact me negatively. But again, that's just personal experience.
  • adrienne78
    adrienne78 Posts: 1
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    For me the rule of thumb is only when I am hungry. I add my pre and post workout snack into my regular calories. However if I come home from the gym and feel hungry and in a binge mood I reach for another healthy post workout snack. Good luck and stay hydrated
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    People, I think some of you are being FAR too aggressive to people who just have an opinion! If someone is losing weight by NOT eating their exercise calories, then good for them. If they ARE eating them and still losing, the same applies. If that's how they want to lose weight, and it works for them, why snap at them and lecture them that they're wrong, or criticise the way they're doing things?

    And before I'm being accused of only basing this on theory since my counter says 0, I restarted my goal - I lost 30lb in the past using this site and it's tracking of food and exercise.

    But from my personal experience, if I'm hungry I'll eat them back, if not, I don't bother. There's no point in me making eating a chore where I HAVE to eat, just because the website is telling me too. That'll only impact me negatively. But again, that's just personal experience.

    I don't care what people do to themselves. Want to lose weight eating 500 cals a day? Go for it. I care when they make unhealthy recommendations to people. I also care when people take a fairly straight forward topic (like exercise cals) and muddy it all up with a bunch of anecdotal "evidence" based on their experience without any meaningful context or support.
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    My only issue with this is whether you actually know how many calories you are burning. I use a heart rate monitor so that my calories burned are more accurate than goin by the machines or whatever is loaded in MFP already. Everyone is different. If you are logging as burning 800 calories (what machines or MFP say) and accurately only burning 600 calories (by using an HRM) I would say you would be doing yourself harm. Also if you are guestimating food calories this can hurt you.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    My only issue with this is whether you actually know how many calories you are burning. I use a heart rate monitor so that my calories burned are more accurate than goin by the machines or whatever is loaded in MFP already. Everyone is different. If you are logging as burning 800 calories (what machines or MFP say) and accurately only burning 600 calories (by using an HRM) I would say you would be doing yourself harm. Also if you are guestimating food calories this can hurt you.

    First, be careful assuming your HRM is more accurate than a machine.

    But you do bring up a good point. Estimations are at the heart of all this. We estimate our BMR, our TDEE, cals eaten, cals burned, etc. If you find that eating back exercise cals causes you to gain, it's not that the approach is wrong, it's that your estimates are wrong. That's why some people only eat back half or only log half what MFP says they burned or whatever else... it's where all these shades of gray come from.

    The big trick to all this is finding the balance... figuring out, based on how you estimate, what numbers work for you.
  • FloraSin
    FloraSin Posts: 188 Member
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    I rarely do, but as a rule, I eat when I'm hungry even if that means sometimes I break my daily calorie goal. I'm a terrible human being when I'm hungry so it's for the best that I do.

    And I mean genuinely hungry, not "Oh! Chocolate!" craving.

    I'll also end up eating my calories on girl's night out, but I will always cheat for sushi and beer. lol
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    My only issue with this is whether you actually know how many calories you are burning. I use a heart rate monitor so that my calories burned are more accurate than goin by the machines or whatever is loaded in MFP already. Everyone is different. If you are logging as burning 800 calories (what machines or MFP say) and accurately only burning 600 calories (by using an HRM) I would say you would be doing yourself harm. Also if you are guestimating food calories this can hurt you.

    That's where trial and error comes in, no matter what you're using to calculate your calories. Try it for a few weeks. If you're not getting the expected results, tweak as needed.

    For me, using MFP and machine estimates worked out perfectly. I had my activity level set to lightly active, and logged all exercise. I didn't log normal activities like walking the dog for 10 minutes or running the sweeper. (I would log cleaning if it was a MAJOR cleaning event... like the kind of cleaning I do when my in-laws with cat allergies visit, which requires moving all the furniture to clean under and behind them.)

    Currently, I'm eating based on my TDEE instead, because it's easier for me than eating higher calories on some days and lower on others. But it really works out about the same.

    MFP would give me about 1730 calories at lightly active to maintain. Once I add in an average exercise amount of 400 calories, I'd be up to 2130.

    Using a TDEE approach, my maintenance is about 2300. (The difference is that MFP based it's suggestion on the average woman of my age and weight, and I have lower body fat and higher muscle mass than the average woman my age and weight. But I was pretty average when I started here, so the numbers were closer to accurate for me then than now.)
  • earpies37
    earpies37 Posts: 18
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    What about that seems healthy to you? The 20lbs in 6 weeks? The 1200 gross cals?

    Also curious how you measured your lean mass gains.

    measured with a bod pod and scale.

    and as far as healthy i have never tried watching my diet before or lifting really so i didnt have any experience. im just learning as i go and keeping a close eye on how i feel. i plugged in my info to mfp and its initial cal goal was between 1200 and 1300 so i said sure ill try that and its been going great so far.

    i feel pleasantly full, never starving, never stuffed, energy levels are better than theyve ever been. so in essence how i feel is what seems healthy to me about it. i could care less if the fat comes off faster or slower, but if i dont feel the need to eat more or less and i feel great and completely able to work out consistently why is that innately unhealthy? the fat coming off quicker is a bonus sure but my primary focus in doing this was on sustainability and making sure i felt good while doing so.

    i'm not recommending this approach to everyone or whatnot, but its working extremely well for me and to me thats whats important :)
  • rob1976
    rob1976 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    Are you serious?!?!?!?

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  • healthybodyhealthymind
    healthybodyhealthymind Posts: 92
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    If I'm hungry, if not I won't force myself to :]
  • Lisafrazier71
    Lisafrazier71 Posts: 59 Member
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    I sort-of eat them back... I keep low-sugar (because that is my problem area... and not artificially sweetened ones, yuck) protein shakes handy for days that I work out. It helps me put back the calories I depleted without feeling guilty about how I added them back. Plus it helps your muscles rebuild or something. And there are vitamins & minerals in there. And it's cool at the gym to be seen with those little GNC shaker thingies, it makes me look like I know what I am doing :D haha
  • KCGettinFit2014
    KCGettinFit2014 Posts: 141
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    My mom is an instructor for yoga, kickboxing, various other aerobics, and a personal trainer. I had the same question and asked her when I first started working toward a more healthy weight and lifestyle. She said that it really depended on how quickly you wish to lose the weight. The key is to eat your minimum and not a bit less. I do recommend though that if you have a hard work out to eat a small protein/carb snack to help your muscles rebuild themselves. Everything I have researched outside of my questions to my mom has advised that the body needs fuel after a workout in order to properly rebuild muscle. I usually like to eat something like cottage cheese, lunch meat, granola bars, piece of fruit or yogurt.
  • jeveland1976
    jeveland1976 Posts: 2
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    The basic rule to losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat. True, it is very important not to starve yourself - 1,200 net calories a day is a good guide - depending on how overweight you are, what your body composition is and the KIND of calories you eat. Eating sugary, high carb food will make you hungrier than proteins or fruits & veggies (once your body is used to eating healthier). My favorite part of this program is that it shows you if you are reaching all of the nutritional guidelines as well.

    Basic thing to take away is that everyone's body is different - and it's always a good idea to talk it over with your doctor - he/she is familiar with you and your body and is the best one to help you make that decision.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    The basic rule to losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat. True, it is very important not to starve yourself - 1,200 net calories a day is a good guide - depending on how overweight you are, what your body composition is and the KIND of calories you eat. Eating sugary, high carb food will make you hungrier than proteins or fruits & veggies (once your body is used to eating healthier). My favorite part of this program is that it shows you if you are reaching all of the nutritional guidelines as well.

    Basic thing to take away is that everyone's body is different - and it's always a good idea to talk it over with your doctor - he/she is familiar with you and your body and is the best one to help you make that decision.

    Um, no. Our bodies are actually remarkable similar. What's different is the HUUUUGE variance in accuracy of estimating, workout intensity, etc.
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    My only issue with this is whether you actually know how many calories you are burning. I use a heart rate monitor so that my calories burned are more accurate than goin by the machines or whatever is loaded in MFP already. Everyone is different. If you are logging as burning 800 calories (what machines or MFP say) and accurately only burning 600 calories (by using an HRM) I would say you would be doing yourself harm. Also if you are guestimating food calories this can hurt you.

    First, be careful assuming your HRM is more accurate than a machine.

    But you do bring up a good point. Estimations are at the heart of all this. We estimate our BMR, our TDEE, cals eaten, cals burned, etc. If you find that eating back exercise cals causes you to gain, it's not that the approach is wrong, it's that your estimates are wrong. That's why some people only eat back half or only log half what MFP says they burned or whatever else... it's where all these shades of gray come from.

    The big trick to all this is finding the balance... figuring out, based on how you estimate, what numbers work for you.

    Well my HRM has a chest strap and my heart rate matches what is on the heart rate screen on the machine and it is usually only off by about 80 calories (machine being higher) so I am pretty sure I am ok going by my HRM (better to be under than over). I choose to only eat some back on days I have longer runs and I am hungrier than usual. I see your point though. :)

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