I'm so sorry to be THAT person, BUT....

Vain_Witch
Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I hate to be THAT person...but I really need people to explain the whole eating back exercise calories to me. I understand the theory behind it (obviously) but for some reason my trainer told me not to.

I upped my caloric intake from 1200 to 1350 and then he upped it again to 1450, but told me not to worry about eating back the exercise calories. I assume this is because he already bumped me up to include some of those.

But, I also know that some days I work out A LOT more than other days and there are some days I'm only netting a few hundred calories (and there have been the rare days that I net negative calories).

On these days should I go ahead and eat back my exercise calories?

What should be my minimum net?

Replies

  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Ok, I hate to be THAT person...but I really need people to explain the whole eating back exercise calories to me. I understand the theory behind it (obviously) but for some reason my trainer told me not to.

    I upped my caloric intake from 1200 to 1350 and then he upped it again to 1450, but told me not to worry about eating back the exercise calories. I assume this is because he already bumped me up to include some of those.

    But, I also know that some days I work out A LOT more than other days and there are some days I'm only netting a few hundred calories (and there have been the rare days that I net negative calories).

    On these days should I go ahead and eat back my exercise calories?

    What should be my minimum net?

    So what does MFP say your calories should be? Your trainer is saying 1450, and have you figured your TDEE?

    Those things are going to be needed.
  • naomibabes3
    naomibabes3 Posts: 23
    I'd like to hear the answer to this too, I've never considered eating back exercise calories as I thought that was help you create your deficit to enable you to lose weight?! Or am I missing something?
  • naomibabes3
    naomibabes3 Posts: 23
    I'd like to hear the answer to this too, I've never considered eating back exercise calories as I thought that was help you create your deficit to enable you to lose weight?! Or am I missing something?

    Also if it helps my TDEE is 2100 and MFP says I should eat 1630 which is the min I eat each day, which is approximately 20% off my TDEE which I believe is the maximum you should minus off. I eat 1630 though and never factor in eating exercise calories (I run 3x a week on C25K) so my net on these days will be less. Is it my net that should be 1630? How does exercise help you lose weight if you're just eating back the calories you've burnt?
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    I'd like to hear the answer to this too, I've never considered eating back exercise calories as I thought that was help you create your deficit to enable you to lose weight?! Or am I missing something?

    Also if it helps my TDEE is 2100 and MFP says I should eat 1630 which is the min I eat each day, which is approximately 20% off my TDEE which I believe is the maximum you should eat. I eat 1630 though and never factor in eating exercise calories (I run 3x a week on C25K) so my net on these days will be less. Is it my net that should be 1630? How does exercise help you lose weight if you're just eating back the calories you've burnt?

    Exercise allows you to eat more food, the main purpose of exercise is for fitness/health reasons. It also gives you a temporary boost in metabolism which helps you burn even more calories.

    In theory, you should net those 1630 daily. Meaning if you eat 1630, but you burn 400 calories, then you are at a net 1230 so you have an extra 400 calories you can eat.
  • preslyann50
    preslyann50 Posts: 114 Member
    On days that I don't work out I try to stick with my 1450 (same as you) but when I burn 1000+ a day. I eat enough back to be at 1450. Your body needs a certain amount of calories just to function (your BMR). Do not go below 1200.. so that means if you eat 1450 but work out 600 calories you need to eat 350 back. That is what my friend who is a nutritionist and a fitness person told me.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    Too much of a deficit is not healthy and will become counter productive to fat loss. When you don't get enough fuel, you will start to lose muscle. You need to eat and get plenty of protein to protect that lean mass.

    I know you exercise a lot on many days. Your calorie burn is often double what mine is and I eat 2,000 calories on average.

    What is your trainer's background? Most trainers have very limited education in nutrition and rely heavily on "broscience" rather than actual up to date and relevant science.

    To find your BMR, go here www.fat2fitradio.com/BMR It's a great calculator for determining a healthy calorie goal based on your activity level. You should be aiming for at least the "moderately active" number if you are going to keep up your current habit of excessive exercise.
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Ok, I hate to be THAT person...but I really need people to explain the whole eating back exercise calories to me. I understand the theory behind it (obviously) but for some reason my trainer told me not to.

    I upped my caloric intake from 1200 to 1350 and then he upped it again to 1450, but told me not to worry about eating back the exercise calories. I assume this is because he already bumped me up to include some of those.

    But, I also know that some days I work out A LOT more than other days and there are some days I'm only netting a few hundred calories (and there have been the rare days that I net negative calories).

    On these days should I go ahead and eat back my exercise calories?

    What should be my minimum net?

    So what does MFP say your calories should be? Your trainer is saying 1450, and have you figured your TDEE?

    Those things are going to be needed.

    MFP tells me to eat 1,310 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week. My BMR is 1,343 calories according to MFP or 1,442 according to the Scooby's Workshop calculator (why the difference?). My TDEE is 1,730 according to Scooby's if I set it at sedentary (which I normally do just so I know how much to eat if I have a completely lazy Sunday or something...lol)
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Read this:

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



    In short:

    If you follow MFPs standard set up for calorie calculation, YES you should eat your exercise calories back because there is already a deficit built into the calculation (if you set up to lose 1/2lb per week this will be 250 cal deficit, for 1lb per week its a 500 cal deficit. The absolute minimal goal MFP sets for anyone is 1200).


    But, if you have calculated your TDEE (for example here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) then exercise calories are already counted in your daily allowance so in this case you do NOT eat them back.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Read this

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    Calories in vs Calories out. It is just that simple to me. Some on here are going to tell you not too. Some on here are going to tell you to eat them. This is the way I see it. Why not? If I am going to still lose weight eating them back because I am still operating at a deficit then why would I want to be miserable and hungry. Or more importantly not get to drink beer. I work out to earn my beer.
    If you are not hungry.... don't eat them. If you are hungry....eat them.
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Too much of a deficit is not healthy and will become counter productive to fat loss. When you don't get enough fuel, you will start to lose muscle. You need to eat and get plenty of protein to protect that lean mass.

    I know you exercise a lot on many days. Your calorie burn is often double what mine is and I eat 2,000 calories on average.

    What is your trainer's background? Most trainers have very limited education in nutrition and rely heavily on "broscience" rather than actual up to date and relevant science.

    To find your BMR, go here www.fat2fitradio.com/BMR It's a great calculator for determining a healthy calorie goal based on your activity level. You should be aiming for at least the "moderately active" number if you are going to keep up your current habit of excessive exercise.

    I'm not sure what his background is. He's just the guy at my local gym, but he IS the training manager and not one of the young snots that I see around there...What is broscience?

    According to the calculator you just gave me, my BMR is 1,430. Why is MFP calculating it so low?

    Am I really exercising too much? I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I don't burn a lot of calories in one day. But I also REALLY want to do this right and I don't want to be doing anything that's counterproductive to the goal...
  • joybell32
    joybell32 Posts: 252 Member
    What is TDEE? I've never heard of this before??
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the number of calories you burn in a day including the calories you burn just living (BMR) AND calories you burn through added activity and exercise.
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    I am in a similar situation. I'm eating TDEE minus 20% but some days I do eat back some exercise calories because I'm doing something in the morning and playing tennis in the evening. I just need those extra calories. I'm losing just fine- a pound s week and just a few from goal right now. You can look at my diary if you want.
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
    Yes, your trainer factored exercise into your daily caloric intake. It's often easier for people to eat one set amount, and not worry about exactly how many calories you burned that day. This means on a lazy sunday you eat the same as a kick-your-*kitten* wednesday. I tend to eat around the same (nearly) everyday, wether I worked out or not, esp since I know I did not just burn 1400 calories working out.. (though I still record it that way... keeps me motivated).
    Your TDEE probaby seems low to you, as most people don't burn the calories during exercise that it's written you may. To burn 1000 calories per hour doing Zumba you'd have to go at it like a bat out of hell for the whole hour straight (and probably be wearing wrist and ankle weights too).
    Give that plan a try. If it feels like enough food that you aren't hungry, you are losing weight, and it's easy to follow... great. If not, adjust and try again.

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