Eating back Calories

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  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.

    For me, if I listen to this advice, I wouldn't eat after a good work-out session -- which is exactly when I do need to eat. Being sedentary makes me hungry (stupid stomach isn't hungry it's bored) but working out makes me not feel hunger. That's just me mind you but I'm mentioning it because i hear this advice "listen to your body" alot and it's not good advice for some of us.

    Ok, understand what you are saying. The OP asked for advice. I gave mine. What works for me. You can give yours on what works for you. Then she can see what works for her. Don't get me wrong I believe in eating them back. But if I have already eaten over 1600 calories for the day and am not hungry I am not going to go put something in my mouth just because MFP tells me I still have 200 more to eat. LOL!
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    If I am hungry I eat them or drink them :drinker: . If I am not hungry I don't. Listen to your body.
    and

    listen to your body.




    This is terrible advice for people with lousy eating habits. If I "listened to my body" I'd almost never stop eating. Ideally it would be great do that, and for those who can, excellent. But offering up that advice with no context on a site full of people with unhealthy views and habits on food/eating/etc is irresponsible.

    Listen to your body is about eating calories back when you are already at a deficit. I thought we were talking about MFP? Not just listen to your body and eat because you feel hungry. All I meant was if I have calories left within my allowance and I am hungry I will eat them. If I have already eaten 1600 or more and not hungry I am not going to go shove food in my mouth just because MFP says I have another 200. That is all I meant about listen to your body in regards to MFP calorie allowance.
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Thanks! Something here I can agree with!
  • samanthasimps0n
    samanthasimps0n Posts: 88 Member
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    I'm going to be the odd one out and say No. 1480 seems to me like a healthy daily goal for food intake. If you are trying to lose weight, you have to burn more than you take in. So for weight loss, aim for your 1480 calories and don't eat back your calories burned during exercise. Don't you want your exercise to mean something!? If you're just trying to maintain and stay healthy then by all means, eat back your calories :)
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"

    I am not talking about eating over your calorie allowance for the day. She asked about eating back exercise calories.
  • phoebeleb
    phoebeleb Posts: 172 Member
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    bump for late
  • supergirljen
    supergirljen Posts: 98
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    Depends on how you got to the 1480 goal. If you factored in exercise (as most TDEE calculators do), then no you don't need to be eating them back as they are already accounted for in your goal. If you didn't factor them in (as with MFP and most BMR calculators), then yes you should be eating them back, especially if the burns are reasonably significant, i.e. NOT 70 cals from walking the dog.


    ^^^THIS! I don't think people realize that if you factored them into your original goal then eating them back is doubling up on them.

    Am I missing something because I was pretty sure MFP did have a factor in place when I first figured out my goal?
  • supergirljen
    supergirljen Posts: 98
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    listen to your body.

    Haha! My body says "Let's eat more. And then some more!"

    YES! Mine too!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?
    This doesn't really make sense. Eating enough to maintain a reasonable calorie deficit (which is what OP would be doing by eating back exercise calories) is not "eating too much" and will not make her gain weight.

    I can't speak for anyone else, but I got obese - at least in part - from "listening to my body" and continuing to eat when I felt hungry, even though I had actually had enough food for my activity level. At other times, I have severely under-eaten because I have not been hungry. The other day I nearly ruined my dinner by snacking on raw vegetables beforehand. I felt full and could easily have stopped eating with around 800 calories left over but just because I felt full, doesn't mean my body had had enough energy or nutrients for the day. One day probably wouldn't have mattered, except that I might have ruined the run I planned for the next day. Some people can naturally maintain a healthy weight intuitively. Some people can't. Most people that struggle with their weight can't. That's when it makes sense to eat according to calculations.

    OP - if you feel full and like you have to "force" yourself to eat more, it may help to aim for more calorie dense foods, especially things that are higher in fats (cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados etc, smoothies & protein shakes... google "calorie dense foods" for more ideas). That way, you'll get a high number of calories in a small amount of food and not feel over-full. As you eat more, it's likely that your appetite will increase. You may also find that you get better results from your workouts.

    Thank you!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Depends on how you got to the 1480 goal. If you factored in exercise (as most TDEE calculators do), then no you don't need to be eating them back as they are already accounted for in your goal. If you didn't factor them in (as with MFP and most BMR calculators), then yes you should be eating them back, especially if the burns are reasonably significant, i.e. NOT 70 cals from walking the dog.


    ^^^THIS! I don't think people realize that if you factored them into your original goal then eating them back is doubling up on them.

    Am I missing something because I was pretty sure MFP did have a factor in place when I first figured out my goal?

    It goes both ways ..........

    No you didn't miss anything ..... with MFP the "factor" is your ACTIVITY level. Some people use the sedentary setting, log workouts and STILL have this question.
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Well, we aren't all fat for one and for two...eating too much of the wrong foods is probably the more likely culprit.

    For one most people are here because they are fat with the exception of people that lost and hang around and beach body coaches, second, you can be overweight from eating too much of healthy foods too. Been there, done that.

    Me too as well!
    I gained at least 5 pounds from lovely vegan eating last year.

    It's wonderful that some people here have so much control that they can "listen to their bodies" to tell them when to eat. I am not that fortunate. I can eat at any time through anything, depression, happiness, flu, you name it. I always want to eat! That's why I'm overweight and that's why I'm here. Body, shut up!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Well, we aren't all fat for one and for two...eating too much of the wrong foods is probably the more likely culprit.

    For one most people are here because they are fat with the exception of people that lost and hang around and beach body coaches, second, you can be overweight from eating too much of healthy foods too. Been there, done that.

    I didn't say you couldn't...I said that it's MORE likely that poor food choices are the culprit rather than eating too much healthy food. Oh, and I've never lost weight on this website. So, don't make such generalizations. They are hardly accurate.
  • samcat2000
    samcat2000 Posts: 106 Member
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    I eat back my exercise calories most of the time because if I don't, I bonk during my workout the following day(s), especially if I'm doing strength training. I workout because it usually makes me feel refreshed, stronger, and empowered, so if my workouts suck I'm miserable. Under my MFP goals, I'm supposed to eat 1,340 cal/day. I typically burn anywhere between 500 - 750 cal during a workout so usually I'm eating about 1,900 - 2,000 cal/day. Even on days where I don't exercise, my body feels better eating closer to the 2,000 cal but I usually try to stick with the 1,340 cal on those non-exercise days. I started MFP on Jan. 23 and have lost 12 lbs as of Mar.14, so something is working here...I just don't have it broken down to a science. I also am just starting to work on strength training to avoid the skinny fat issue so measurements and noticeable flab are considerations for me.

    My questions for you are:
    Are you meeting your overall goals not eating back your calories and not losing weight to quickly?
    Are you able to get through strong workouts without bonking or feeling like crap later in the day or the next day?

    If yes to both, then I agree with the poster who said "listen to your body."
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Too much yeah...but not netting to a reasonable caloric deficit by eating back exercise calories. You might have a point if one were eating to maintenance and using exercise to create a caloric deficit, but MFP already gives you a substantial deficit. I'm not saying you need to eat every little calorie back, but I burn upwards of 350-400 calories per day with my exercise...if I didn't eat those back on top of my 500 calorie per day built in deficit I'd be on my *kitten* and losing a lot of muscle to boot. I don't exercise for the burn, I exercise for fitness.

    I eat most of mine back and gross around 2,150 to lose 1 Lb per week (net 1,790). When I was getting fat I wasn't doing anything in RE to exercise and eating around 4,000. Big difference.
  • jazzcat55
    jazzcat55 Posts: 164 Member
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    Sorry for the rant, but this seriously comes up about a million times per day and you're going to get responses from people who know and understand this tool, as well as idiots who like starving themselves and pro-ana folks.

    No need to be so nasty. The OP didn't say she was starving herself. She said she felt full and that she is having a hard time eating back her exercise calories.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    If you are full don't force yourself to eat...I mean didn't we all get fat from eating too much?

    Too much yeah...but not netting to a reasonable caloric deficit by eating back exercise calories. You might have a point if one were eating to maintenance and using exercise to create a caloric deficit, but MFP already gives you a substantial deficit. I'm not saying you need to eat every little calorie back, but I burn upwards of 350-400 calories per day with my exercise...if I didn't eat those back on top of my 500 calorie per day built in deficit I'd be on my *kitten* and losing a lot of muscle to boot. I don't exercise for the burn, I exercise for fitness.

    I eat most of mine back and gross around 2,150 to lose 1 Lb per week (net 1,790). When I was getting fat I wasn't doing anything in RE to exercise and eating around 4,000. Big difference.

    Wellll great if that works for you. Doesn't work for me and I measure my food and use a hrm and burn 400-500 cals per workout. If I eat them all day i do not lose an ounce of fat. I might eat 100 back but never all, been there, done that.
  • jaymartin1978
    jaymartin1978 Posts: 23 Member
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    Depends on how you got to the 1480 goal. If you factored in exercise (as most TDEE calculators do), then no you don't need to be eating them back as they are already accounted for in your goal. If you didn't factor them in (as with MFP and most BMR calculators), then yes you should be eating them back, especially if the burns are reasonably significant, i.e. NOT 70 cals from walking the dog.


    ^^^THIS! I don't think people realize that if you factored them into your original goal then eating them back is doubling up on them.

    Am I missing something because I was pretty sure MFP did have a factor in place when I first figured out my goal?

    It goes both ways ..........

    No you didn't miss anything ..... with MFP the "factor" is your ACTIVITY level. Some people use the sedentary setting, log workouts and STILL have this question.

    I used sedentary because I sit most of the day at work (10 hours) But I also included working out 3x a week 45 minutes. Well I have been walking daily for an hour and I put a mini cycle at my desk and I do that for about 30 minutes a day.

    Thanks to everyone that have responded. Sorry if I frustrated some. I was just confused.
  • jaymartin1978
    jaymartin1978 Posts: 23 Member
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    I eat back my exercise calories most of the time because if I don't, I bonk during my workout the following day(s), especially if I'm doing strength training. I workout because it usually makes me feel refreshed, stronger, and empowered, so if my workouts suck I'm miserable. Under my MFP goals, I'm supposed to eat 1,340 cal/day. I typically burn anywhere between 500 - 750 cal during a workout so usually I'm eating about 1,900 - 2,000 cal/day. Even on days where I don't exercise, my body feels better eating closer to the 2,000 cal but I usually try to stick with the 1,340 cal on those non-exercise days. I started MFP on Jan. 23 and have lost 12 lbs as of Mar.14, so something is working here...I just don't have it broken down to a science. I also am just starting to work on strength training to avoid the skinny fat issue so measurements and noticeable flab are considerations for me.

    My questions for you are:
    Are you meeting your overall goals not eating back your calories and not losing weight to quickly?
    Are you able to get through strong workouts without bonking or feeling like crap later in the day or the next day?

    If yes to both, then I agree with the poster who said "listen to your body."

    I am eating close to my 1480 a day and I don't feel like crap after my workout. I am not hungry and I actually feel wonderful. I do eat 5 times a day but I will try to add nuts and cheese or something that is not a large amount but has a large amount a calories.

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