Eating back calorie advice needed
Katetw
Posts: 188 Member
Hi Everyone! I'm pretty new here...started my diet on 2/21/13. For that first week I lost 3lbs which I am pretty happy with (though I know it's mostly water weight). Anyway, I decided to mix in some exercise as well--I generally do the elliptical.
My problem is this: when I log the exercise, then I see all those extra calories I get to eat, and hungry or not, I eat them. I don't want to eat back all my exercise calories because my whole goal is to lose the weight, so that's just making it like I didn't exercise. (And believe me when I tell you, I'd rather eat less and not exercise, but I know it is good for me in other ways as well so I am determined.) I have considered not logging the exercise but I like to see that add up over the week.
Anyway, to make a long story short: does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it? Not log the exercise? Any other ideas?
Thanks!
My problem is this: when I log the exercise, then I see all those extra calories I get to eat, and hungry or not, I eat them. I don't want to eat back all my exercise calories because my whole goal is to lose the weight, so that's just making it like I didn't exercise. (And believe me when I tell you, I'd rather eat less and not exercise, but I know it is good for me in other ways as well so I am determined.) I have considered not logging the exercise but I like to see that add up over the week.
Anyway, to make a long story short: does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it? Not log the exercise? Any other ideas?
Thanks!
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Replies
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you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories
Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about! 0 -
Eating them back doesn't work for everyone. I know a lot of people on here preach eating them back, but it does not work for me. I have been steadily loosing since Jan 6th (16 lbs down) by not eating them or barely dipping in to the exercise calories. SO, I am going to do what is working for me.
Editing to add: If I get to a point to what I am doing stops working, I would consider some extra calories and changing my exercise routine. But for now, I am doing what works.0 -
you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about!
If you eat back your exercise calories then you don't lose that weight. The whole reason I'm exercising is to lose weight! So I don't want to go waste all that time spent working out.
It's more a mental issue, of I see I'm allowed this much and therefore I feel the need to use it up.0 -
I don't always eat all my exercise calories back, it depends how I feel. If I feel hungry then I'll eat but keep in the limit. If not, I don't force myself to eat.
So some days I'll burn 500 calories and eat 1300 calories. Or I'll eat 1500. It just depends on how you feel, don't force yourself to eat if you're not hungry!0 -
Eating them back doesn't work for everyone. I know a lot of people on here preach eating them back, but it does not work for me. I have been steadily loosing since Jan 6th (16 lbs down) by not eating them or barely dipping in to the exercise calories. SO, I am going to do what is working for me.
So, HOW do you do that? How do you stop yourself from eating those extra allowed calories? Thanks, I could really use the help. 0 -
There are many different attitudes on MFP regarding exercise calories, but you really have to figure out what works best for YOU! Personally, I always log exercise but usually don't eat back much if any of them unless I'm actually hungry. I'd also be careful with using the calorie expenditure listed on your elliptical because those usually overestimate by quite a bit. Your best bet would be to invest in a heart rate monitor to determine how much you're actually burning during your workouts.0
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or you can set you MFP to slightly active or moderately (depending on how much you work out) then just eat that amount and dont log excercise 0
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I try to eat back mine. I am a lot older than you so my weight loss has been slow and steady .I mixed things up in the gym too, some cardio and weights. I have really noticed the difference since doing weights, much more definition and so much stronger. I had very bad knees and back and things have got a lot better.
A couple of things
Dont stress too much with the scales, go by how your clothes fit. I am only 20 pounds down but have dropped over a dress size
Watch sodium levels, I have far too much salt in my diet and it means I retain water so sometimes I get depressed when the scales dont move. Drink water and lots of it!
Look at interval training with the cardio. More effective than just plugging away at the same speed for 20 minutes.
You have embarked on a very exciting journey because, in the end, it is all about you!! And you deserve to put yourself in the centre.
Best of luck!0 -
Hmmm different people = different results...BUTTT when you first signed up here and put in all your stats, MFP already creates a deficit for you.....if you go to MY Home - then goals on the right side you will see it will give you about a 500 calories deficit. So my question is why not eat back the calories?0
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I don't always eat all my exercise calories back, it depends how I feel. If I feel hungry then I'll eat but keep in the limit. If not, I don't force myself to eat.
Exactly... I would probably gag trying to eat any more on some days. If I am not hungry,, I am not going to force it.0 -
you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about!
If you eat back your exercise calories then you don't lose that weight. The whole reason I'm exercising is to lose weight! So I don't want to go waste all that time spent working out.
You already have a calorie deficit before you exercise. The calorie deficit is all you need to lose weight. Exercise just makes you look and feel better.
I always ate most of mine back. I lost weight easier than I ever thought possible and have kept it off for a year and 8 months so far.0 -
You will get conflicting opinions. I eat back 90% of my exercise calories. If you are full, a handful of nuts gives you a lot of calories, good fat & protein. I lost almost 90 pounds and have kept it off almost a year doing this and never starved once. Good luck to you.0
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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/713460--eating-back-exercise-calories-simple-breakdown
Maybe this will help??0 -
you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about!
If you eat back your exercise calories then you don't lose that weight. The whole reason I'm exercising is to lose weight! So I don't want to go waste all that time spent working out.
It's more a mental issue, of I see I'm allowed this much and therefore I feel the need to use it up.
not necessarily true. If you've set up your calorie goal through MFP then it is built in that you eat your exercise calories back. If you have chosen a different way to find out what you're calorie requirements are for the day then you may not have to eat them back. However MFP is built that you eat them back.0 -
You could set your activity level to sedentary (to lower how many calories you get to start with) and then that way if you eat a few back not as a big a deal. I think some people can eat their exercise calories, however, if you're eating and you're not hungry, that's not the purpose. If I think I'm hungry or unsure if it's hunger or want I will drink a glass of water or some hot tea or have some broth or sugar free jello. Not a lot of calories (if any) I put spoon to mouth a bunch, and then if I still feel hungry I know I am.0
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I don't always eat all my exercise calories back, it depends how I feel. If I feel hungry then I'll eat but keep in the limit. If not, I don't force myself to eat.
So some days I'll burn 500 calories and eat 1300 calories. Or I'll eat 1500. It just depends on how you feel, don't force yourself to eat if you're not hungry!
Yeah, this is how I want to be. Based on all the responses I don't think I really explained my problem well.
I have a very hard time with self-control. The diet itself has been very difficult for me. However, I have committed to putting everything in my mouth in the tracker, and I really don't want to see that red number there. So I can limit myself to my daily amount (difficult but not impossible). But when I add in the exercise, now I have xxx calories extra that are there. SO I eat them.
I guess my question really is 1) how do I improve my self control and/or 2) is there another way to log the exercise that doesn't show the calories. Because if I am really hungry I want to know how much I get to eat back if I want.
Also regarding the HRM...wish I could afford one. I am out of a job and just plopped $55 for a month pass to the only gym in my town. Hopefully will get enough together for next month (if I don't have a job by then). But anyway I really can't spend the extra money on that now.
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you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about!
If you eat back your exercise calories then you don't lose that weight. The whole reason I'm exercising is to lose weight! So I don't want to go waste all that time spent working out.
It's more a mental issue, of I see I'm allowed this much and therefore I feel the need to use it up.
You are looking at it the wrong way. MFP already sets your deficit to lose weight. You don't want too large a deficit. You don't have to eat all of them, but you can, and should, eat some of them. Start off by eating half and see how it goes. I eat mine, and I have lost 48 pounds.0 -
The calories that it gives you back from exercising are needed by your body. If you chose not to eat most/all of them back, then you are more likely to push your body into starvation mode and it will start storing calories. I struggled in the beginning to wrap my head around it too, but since eating them instead of not, my weight loss and inches lost have been much higher.0
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I totally agree with this post and if you want more of a deficit, manually change your caloric goal so that the mind sees less calories. I have been doing a medical diet since the end of last July and lost 80 pounds, much older than you also. The clinic is very adamant about eating back GOOD calories. Good luck!0
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This. Exercise is never a waste--it makes you stronger and fitter, and helps preserve or even increase lean muscle tissue, which increases your metabolism. Eating too little has the opposite effect: you'll lose muscle and slow your metabolism. Trust to the calorie deficit you set MFP for, and you can eat your exercise calories back and lose weight at exactly the same rate as if you ate your base calories and didn't exercise. Faster, probably, thanks to the effect exercise has on your metabolism.you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories Problem solved. Nothing to feel bad about!
If you eat back your exercise calories then you don't lose that weight. The whole reason I'm exercising is to lose weight! So I don't want to go waste all that time spent working out.
You already have a calorie deficit before you exercise. The calorie deficit is all you need to lose weight. Exercise just makes you look and feel better.
I always ate most of mine back. I lost weight easier than I ever thought possible and have kept it off for a year and 8 months so far.0 -
I'd try to net 1200. Eat the rest back if you're hungry. But you don't have to. Not everything works for everyone.0
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I have a very hard time with self-control. The diet itself has been very difficult for me. However, I have committed to putting everything in my mouth in the tracker, and I really don't want to see that red number there. So I can limit myself to my daily amount (difficult but not impossible). But when I add in the exercise, now I have xxx calories extra that are there. SO I eat them.
Or try this thought on for size: Maybe there isn't a problem with your self control. Maybe losing weight just doesn't require the kind of deprivation you THINK it should.
I know that was an eye-opener for me. "You mean I can eat all this... and still lose? FRICKIN' AWESOME!" I was still able to have half a pizza every week. I was still able to to have cheeseburgers and pasta and bagels and everything I had before, just in better portions. Because every other time I tried to lose weight, I didn't think I could eat any of that stuff. And every other time, I failed and gained.
You're supposed to be eating those calories. That's why MFP put them there. The extra calories aren't some kind of sneaky test of your willpower. They're fuel. Period.0 -
I sometimes have a hard time eating back my exercise calories too. I try really hard to at least eat half back. Eating just a few nuts or a tablespoon of sunflower seeds helps add in calories without being too filling. I have only been on MFP a little over three weeks but I really like it. It really makes you think about the kinds of food you are eating. It was, and it still is sometimes, hard for me to grasp the idea of eating so much food to lose weight. I am just eating so much healthier now so you have to actually eat more to get enough calories. In the beginning my husband wasn't the least bit interested in logging food and counting calories but now that he sees me losing weight and still eating, he is beginning to get interested!0
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MFP has it so you lose weight WITHOUT EXERCISE.
Lets say you set your goal to lose 1lbs a week.
Lets say MFP puts you at 1,300 calories without exercise. So you go out, exercise and burn 400 calories. 1,300 - 400 = 900 calories. This is how many calories your body is getting cause you burned off 400.
When you eat back the 400 calories 900 + 400 = 1,300. you're back to losing 1lbs a week.
So, MFP put me at 1200 because that's the lowest it will go, and resets to 0.9lbs/week.
Also, my point is, I want to make sure I'm losing the weight. If I exercise and the elliptical says I have lost 300 cals, now I have "permission" to eat up to 1500. But I'd rather not eat them IF I AM NOT HUNGRY than just eat because I can.
My issue is really more a mental one than anything else.0 -
You could set your activity level to sedentary (to lower how many calories you get to start with) and then that way if you eat a few back not as a big a deal. I think some people can eat their exercise calories, however, if you're eating and you're not hungry, that's not the purpose. If I think I'm hungry or unsure if it's hunger or want I will drink a glass of water or some hot tea or have some broth or sugar free jello. Not a lot of calories (if any) I put spoon to mouth a bunch, and then if I still feel hungry I know I am.
I do have my activity level set to sedentary. That is a good idea. A lot of what I used to do (before the diet) was mindless eating and I am trying to avoid those habits. I like the spoon to mouth with few cals idea. Thanks!0 -
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The calories that it gives you back from exercising are needed by your body. If you chose not to eat most/all of them back, then you are more likely to push your body into starvation mode and it will start storing calories. I struggled in the beginning to wrap my head around it too, but since eating them instead of not, my weight loss and inches lost have been much higher.
Starvation mode is not real until you are at an ideal weight. http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501 is a good link, but more importantly, I discussed this with my doctor, because I was quite afraid of it. She said that basically if you don't eat enough your body consumes the fat. The problem is when you are at a healthy weight--it will go into so called (but misnamed) starvation mode and start consuming muscle which is obviously bad. If you don't eat enough then you do lower your metabolic rate, which is not the same.0 -
I totally agree with this post and if you want more of a deficit, manually change your caloric goal so that the mind sees less calories. I have been doing a medical diet since the end of last July and lost 80 pounds, much older than you also. The clinic is very adamant about eating back GOOD calories. Good luck!
Thanks! I didn't even know I could change my caloric goal manually. I will have to look into that. 80 lbs is amazing! Well done!!!0 -
This. Exercise is never a waste--it makes you stronger and fitter, and helps preserve or even increase lean muscle tissue, which increases your metabolism. Eating too little has the opposite effect: you'll lose muscle and slow your metabolism. Trust to the calorie deficit you set MFP for, and you can eat your exercise calories back and lose weight at exactly the same rate as if you ate your base calories and didn't exercise. Faster, probably, thanks to the effect exercise has on your metabolism.
Oh, sorry, yeah I know exercise is not a waste for other things. I was talking in terms of the weight loss.
Basically what I am hearing people say is exercise is NOT for weight loss though it has other benefits? Is that what people seem to agree on?0 -
I look at it this way: I try to stay within my 1200 cal allotment. If I exercise, then go over on my calories, I don't feel so bad. I am having a hard time coming to terms with my tracker saying I am not eating enough calories. 3500 calories = 1 pound. By eating 1200 calories (which is about 1300 less than I was eating) and burning calories through exercise, I know I am going to loose at least one pound a week. To make sure I am getting enough physical food to fill me up, I eat a lot of salads and veggies which are very low in calories, so I feel fuller.0
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