exercise calories...eating them back?

bre1833
bre1833 Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Do you eat back the calories you've burned while exercising?
«1

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    You should - MFP has you at a deficit with the calorie goal set for you before exercise. Meaning you could eat to goal, do zero exercise, and still lose weight. That's why when you log your exercise cals they are added back into your goal for the day - not eating them creates too large of a deficit, and can cause problems for ya in the long run.

    Food is fuel!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    I am doing TDEE/BMR so no, I don't.

    But, if you are doing it the way MFP sets it up for you then yes you should be.
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
    only if my net is below my calories. then I eat them back
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I don't. Never saw the point.
  • GoffGirl1029
    GoffGirl1029 Posts: 93 Member
    I do if I'm hungry, I don't if not. To me, forcin' myself to eat if I'm not hungry, even if it's for the sake of gettin' calories, seems counter-productive. I see it causin' more bad "stuffin' my face" habits.
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
    I am doing TDEE/BMR so no, I don't.

    But, if you are doing it the way MFP sets it up for you then yes you should be.

    TDEE takes your exercise into account, so you actually are.
  • HankSquats
    HankSquats Posts: 5
    Depends, Are you calorie cycling? are you below your deficit for the day?

    I normally just make myself a sandwich or have a protein shake if I'm dangerously below (like 400-1000kcal) and that's only to bring myself to 200 calories above 1200kcal most of the time.

    But then again I bike 10 miles 5x a week so I sort of have to eat.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Yes, I'm not stupid.
  • debendavey
    debendavey Posts: 12
    As per the last post, Most definately if I feel hungry (and not just thirsty due to not taking in enough water during exercise), and more often than not, I do - as another post pointed out, MFP already provides a pretty good deficit toallow you to reaxch your goal, so there is no need to reduce it more. That said, there is nothing wrong if occasionaly you feel satisfied with what you have eaten, not hungry and you burn more calories up.

    Of course, the danger is the afterburn effect - where exercise continues to burn calories well after finishing. So if, by not eating the calories you have burnt you are finding the next day you are extra hungry and over-eating, then you know what to do...
  • awade218
    awade218 Posts: 9 Member
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.
  • HankSquats
    HankSquats Posts: 5
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    What this person said.

    high-five.
  • AmandaReimer1
    AmandaReimer1 Posts: 235 Member
    I used to eat them all back, but lately I haven't been hungry. I do make sure my net is 1200 or above though. If your hungry, do so. Sometimes I eat a little bit more on another day and it evens out. As someone already said, if your following MFP the deficit is already calculated for you.
  • HankSquats
    HankSquats Posts: 5
    Moral of the story OP.

    Eat them back to the point where you feel comfortable. Don't do it with junk either. And it's sometimes good to save 100-200 calories of your workout Deficit if you're cycling calories to avoid a plateau.

    Because your body is, for a lack of a better term a total **** and I've had days where I NEEDED something in me because my workout deficit was putting me in the negatives and I felt it.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    Add the yolks back in or cook your egg whites in olive oil! Then, have a full serving of cheese. There, I just doubled your breakfast and kept it healthy.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    What about eating the whole egg? Egg yolks are not crap. You can also add a little more cheese, and maybe some fruit.
  • HankSquats
    HankSquats Posts: 5
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    What about eating the whole egg? Egg yolks are not crap. You can also add a little more cheese, and maybe some fruit.

    Yeah egg yolk's are pretty good. White's have about 3.9 G of protein but the yolk has 2.9G.

    More protein is a good thing, never a bad.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Using MFP as designed ... and eat back every single one*

    *I use a heart rate monitor ... calorie counts are pretty good

    *My activity level is set to sedentary ... so I'm not "double counting"

    *I log actual workouts ... not shopping, or walking at a leisurely pace. ........my point is be conservative

    The PURPOSE .... for those that don't "get it" ...... when your calorie deficit is too large you risk burning muscle mass (along with fat) .... I am interested in reducing my body fat% .... losing muscle counteracts that.
  • thirstyflea
    thirstyflea Posts: 114 Member
    I don't, it's too much for me. On work out days, I usually add 200-300 calories to my 1200 set by MFP, but no more than that.
  • kmsairam
    kmsairam Posts: 317 Member
    You should - MFP has you at a deficit with the calorie goal set for you before exercise. Meaning you could eat to goal, do zero exercise, and still lose weight. That's why when you log your exercise cals they are added back into your goal for the day - not eating them creates too large of a deficit, and can cause problems for ya in the long run.

    Food is fuel!

    I do because of what she said. Plus I love to eat.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
    i dont.
  • gfedex
    gfedex Posts: 226 Member
    I don't. I eat when I'm hungry and I've tried adding more high-calorie foods into my diet to make up for it naturally, rather than "having" to eat 600 calories at 10pm when I'm ready to go to bed.

    I'm also a) too poor to have a food free-for-all just because an online calculator says I should, and b) dealing with a number of serious food allergies- so no, I can't just eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
  • Amelie0807
    Amelie0807 Posts: 1
    Why do we count calories in one day and not calories accumulated over a week. ? Does an over calorie day compensate for an under calorie one?
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    Why do we count calories in one day and not calories accumulated over a week. ? Does an over calorie day compensate for an under calorie one?
    I much prefer to look at it this way. Normal human beings don't eat the exact same amount of calories every single day. It should vary naturally. Which is why at the end of the week I take my average calories eaten & aim for a certain number for that.
  • HankSquats
    HankSquats Posts: 5
    Why do we count calories in one day and not calories accumulated over a week. ? Does an over calorie day compensate for an under calorie one?
    I much prefer to look at it this way. Normal human beings don't eat the exact same amount of calories every single day. It should vary naturally. Which is why at the end of the week I take my average calories eaten & aim for a certain number for that.

    Not suggested. Estimating is estimating. Best bet is to count calories daily and use a heart rate monitor (with a chest strap, wrist HRM's are crap) to accurately determine how much you lose during exercise. However you do have the right idea when it comes to different calories daily. Cycling, Cycling, Cycling. Always the best way to avoid that metabolic adjustment.

    Also the ONLY TIME to count calories lost is during exercise, I've seen people count the dumbest stuff as exercise (STOOD AT BUS STOP, STOOD UP FOR 10 MINUTES, WALKED TO CAR), It makes me both angry and sad. So much so that I want to vomit in sad-anger.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Why do we count calories in one day and not calories accumulated over a week. ? Does an over calorie day compensate for an under calorie one?

    Many people choose to use a deficit "for the week" .... some people even schedule "cheat days" (one day that they plan to go over). MFP is not designed to work "by the week" ... you would have to track this yourself.

    You don't have to eat all your exercise calories AFTER your workout ..... the timing is not that exact. I eat an even number of calories daily ..... but on cardio days I'm under/ yoga days I'm over/strength days I'm Ok .... it averages out fine.
  • Heyymandyy
    Heyymandyy Posts: 7
    I never eat my excercise cals back. I used to but when I stopped, I started losing a lot quicker. What's the point of burning a bunch of cals if you're gonna eat them back? Might as well not work out and just stick to your cal allotment.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Do you eat back the calories you've burned while exercising?

    Never. The estimates are inaccurate. If I were losing too much weight too fast (which has never happened) I would eat more.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I never eat my excercise cals back. I used to but when I stopped, I started losing a lot quicker. What's the point of burning a bunch of cals if you're gonna eat them back? Might as well not work out and just stick to your cal allotment.

    Working out makes my muscles stronger, reduces blood pressure and heart rate and generally makes me healthier!

    Even in strict weight loss terms, if I am only eating 1300 I have to eat pretty close to perfect to get enough veggies and protein in a day. If I exercise, there is more room for variety, which makes me happy, which helps me stick to the program.

    Also, those muscles I am building will help me look good at the end and maintain my weight loss. That's not even taking into account the idea that my body uses more energy to maintain a pound of muscle than it does a pound of fat.
  • lauraellie10
    lauraellie10 Posts: 273 Member
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    How do u burn that amount of kcals???
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    I try to, It can has turned out to be harder then I thought to eat them back. My morning workout I burn 800-1200 calories. WIthout eating a bunch of bad calories it can be hard to hit my 1600 goal MFP has set. Basically I have to find a healthy way to eat 2800 calories a day. 2 Eggs white omelets, protien shake, tablespoon of cheese in the morning is like 200 calories. so OMG i have to eat 2600 more. I just am not that hungry anymore. So, I know I SHOULD eat them back. I just dont want to eat crap to do it.

    How do u burn that amount of kcals???

    People that are (politely) more obese or have more weight to lose burn more Kcals on a daily basis. Many factors come into play: age, height, current weight, BF%, LBM, pretty much everything.

    To the forum note: If your obese and have greater than 75 lbs to lose...eating back all your exercise calories is not necessary. Maybe eat back half... For those > 75lbs. to lose can usually get away with a 2 lb deficit plan without falling below BMR and usually have a few hundered extra calories to spare. And at this point, what is more important to lose the unheathly weight and get out of the severly high risk factor or worry about eating back calories.

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