"Eating back" Exercise Calories - Simple breakdown

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  • _Lori_Lynn_
    _Lori_Lynn_ Posts: 460
    Bump to read later. I need to get off of here and get the house cleaned.
  • chattinchick
    chattinchick Posts: 48 Member
    Thank you very much for this post! I'm so glad I found it! I have NOT been eating my exercise calories back. I lost for the first month, but have been sitting here at 193 for the past 2 weeks...now I might know why.

    I did not realize that MFP actually gave us a deficit - and this explains everything so clearly. I have been getting a net of anywhere from 900 or 1000 cals :( SO NOT GOOD!! I just figured it was better to NOT eat them back. Now I know otherwise. Makes sense how you explained it!

    Thank you!!
  • fivesilentmiles
    fivesilentmiles Posts: 14 Member
    Seriously, thank you so much! This is the first time the answer makes sense to me, because I hear so many different view points on eating back exercise calories/a healthy place for your net calories to be, and I get lost every time I think I'm making sense of it! For once, this makes complete sense and is a simple enough concept to follow :) Thanks for making my life a little bit easier so that I can stay on track the right way!
  • lollwoman4u
    lollwoman4u Posts: 4
    This left me with 533 calories for the day. I am 4'11 and 34 yrs old. I wiegh 148 pounds. My goal would be to get down to 125. My doc put me on 1200 cal a day. Its been hard to stay on this. are these calculations right? Thanks for your help.
  • aussie_nic_getting_fit
    aussie_nic_getting_fit Posts: 134 Member
    bump
  • tlynn1358
    tlynn1358 Posts: 2
    I am 5'4", 200 lbs, female and going to the gym 3 times a week for about 90 minutes a day. Hoping to be down to 135 eventually.

    MFP has me at 1,200 calories per day, is this correct?

    This is all new to me so any help would be greatly appreciated :-)
  • demilade
    demilade Posts: 402 Member
    My dietician had me on a very low calorie diet. When I saw her at the 5 month mark and told her my exercise she immediately doubled my calorie intake. She didn't explain it and I have been reluctant to do it as my loss has slowed, but I see now I might have slowed because I don't eat enough. I guess I will try eating a bit more and see what happens.
  • littlebutnice
    littlebutnice Posts: 83 Member
    bump
  • alwaysright27
    alwaysright27 Posts: 2
    I just can't get this. I run on average 4 times a week. My calculated BMR is 2527 calories a day. Usually on my running days, I end up netting 800 calories, if I eat to the point of I am full and slightly uncomfortable. I have not been able to lose weight, whether is is on low calorie of on a high calorie. I'm getting frustrated! I just am not able to eat that many calories. I am 194lbs. 5'3" and a 35 year old female. HELP!
  • passionflwr1
    passionflwr1 Posts: 31 Member
    bump
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
    I just can't get this. I run on average 4 times a week. My calculated BMR is 2527 calories a day. Usually on my running days, I end up netting 800 calories, if I eat to the point of I am full and slightly uncomfortable. I have not been able to lose weight, whether is is on low calorie of on a high calorie. I'm getting frustrated! I just am not able to eat that many calories. I am 194lbs. 5'3" and a 35 year old female. HELP!

    Your BMR is off. Using Fat2Fit's calculator, your BMR is 1631. I am 37, 5'2", 186lbs and my BMR is about 1500, so I figured your 2500+ might be wrong. Maybe you meant TDEE? Also, how long have you stated on a higher calorie diet before you thought it didn't work? You have to give a change 2-4 weeks before deciding.
  • lynda3y9
    lynda3y9 Posts: 62 Member
    bump
  • KathyPBiles
    KathyPBiles Posts: 292 Member
    Great information - Thank you!
  • alwaysright27
    alwaysright27 Posts: 2
    Sorry, new to posting, what does "TDEE" stand for? I have done the 1500-1800 calorie range for 2 months and gained over 10 pounds.
  • lukedwr
    lukedwr Posts: 16
    Sorry, new to posting, what does "TDEE" stand for? I have done the 1500-1800 calorie range for 2 months and gained over 10 pounds.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr
  • nicolem51
    nicolem51 Posts: 16
    bump
  • ValMartin79
    ValMartin79 Posts: 65 Member
    Ive seen several new people confused about this. Ive tried to narrow down the debate to a very simple logical train of thought that should clarify the importance of not counting ONLY the calories you eat. You have a PLAN for your daily caloric deficit, not "eating back" your exercise calories ruins this plan and gives your body fewer calories than you planned on giving it.

    example:

    Your net caloric goal for the day is based on a total deficit deemed appropriate for your body. if you are supposed to have a 1,000 calorie deficit for the day to lose 2lb/wk and 1,500 calorie goal gives you that deficit, you need to think of it as a calorie ledger just like finances. think of exercise you do as a WITHDRAWAL from the calorie bank and food you eat is a DEPOSIT to the calorie bank. you start each day at 0 and you want your calorie bank BALANCE to be 1,500 by the end of the day. See the following example

    [Example of eating back calories: body gets 1500 calories for the day]
    Wake up: 0 calories
    Breakfast: +600 calories
    Exercise: -200 calories
    Snack: +200 calories
    Lunch: +800 calories
    Snack: +200 calories
    Exercise: -500 calories
    Dinner: +400 calories
    Total Net calories for the day: 1,500 calories. You ate 2,200 calories but 700 calories of that were used by your exercise.

    [Example of not eating back exercise calories]
    Breakfast: +500 calories
    Exercise -200 calories
    Snack: +50 calories
    Lunch: +500 calories
    Exercise: -500 Calories
    Dinner : +450 calories
    Total Net calories for the day: 800 calories. You ate your daily goal of 1500 calories, but almost half of it didnt actually go to your body, it was used by exercise. Your body should receive 1500 calorie in this example.

    Your lifestyle burns 2500 calories a day, so a 1000 calorie deficit is your 2lbs/week weight loss deficit so you need to net 1500 calories a day.......but if you arent "eating back" your exercise calories you arent considering the full picture. you are adding all the exercise you do each day to your pre-planned 1,000 calorie/day deficit. your day to day deficit is completely unpredictable because it depends on your exercise. if you dont exercise your deficit is 1,000.......if you do a 1,000 calorie burn workout your deficit is 2,000. this is not right.

    * this uses the example of a person with a 1500 caloric daily goal.....im not saying EVERYBODY has this goal, lol*

    feel free to rebuttal on my take on this argument, but id say its difficult to argue with this logic. not "eating back" exercise calories is a wild card in your fitness plan and can cause your daily caloric deficit to be way too high. too high of a caloric deficit is bad. your body NEEDS calories to run

    *EDIT ADDITION*
    IF CUTTING 1,000 CALORIES IS GOOD, THEN CUTTING 2,000 MUST BE GREAT, RIGHT?
    Wrong! somebody posted "you willl lose more weight on the second plan" thinking that if cutting a few calories is good, then cutting more must be better: This is untrue! read my comment below for more details. your body has an absolute minimum amount of calories its willing to work with, and if you drop below that level it will declare a food shortage and stop dropping the weight and holding onto everything it can get. stick to the recommended 2 pound per week maximum 1,000 calorie deficit. you might get away with a 2,000 calorie deficit for a while, but it wont last.....then you will have to fight your body back out of starvation mode.

    BUMP^^^
    Finally. Information that makes sense.
  • Mareebzz
    Mareebzz Posts: 45 Member
    Bump. Great info! :flowerforyou: :heart:
  • gabrielle_eliza
    gabrielle_eliza Posts: 17
    I really appreciate this post. I am so torn on what to do - my uncle, a fitness trainer, keeps saying NOT to eat the calories back that I burn exercising. Which at first I thought made sense - because what is the point of exercising if I'm going to eat what I lost?

    I am 21 years old, 5'8" and weight 159 pounds.
    I exercise EVERY day, burning around 700 calories each day.
    My MFP caloric goal is 1100 calories a day.

    I've only been dieting about two weeks now, and as my uncle said, I have NOT been eating the calories back. However, with the 1100 I am eating daily, I do not fill starved. I fill up on lots of veggies and protein. Even though I don't FEEL hungry, I will go into "starvation mode" if I don't eat the calories back that I burned?

    Thanks!
  • srgtbiggles
    srgtbiggles Posts: 170 Member
    Bump!
  • bek416
    bek416 Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you for the information, I was definitely under the wrong impression. Seems a little strange that we get commended for being under our calorie goal on mfp then though.

    I had this very question the other day - asked it in my feed... I don't know about a deficit under your intake but OVER 1200 calories, but I do know MFP doesn't commend you for being under 1200 calories, it tells you you are eating TOO FEW calories. Your calories IN, AFTER all deficits should be 1200 *at the least*. I finally learned this by asking a dietician. Anyone netting under 1200 will see weight loss stall or even gain. And let's not get started about the lack of muscle mass...
  • HotrodsGirl0107
    HotrodsGirl0107 Posts: 243 Member
    I think that is a great plan for maintaining your weight loss but It stands to reason that you want to burn more calories than you put in until you get to where you want to be especially if you are overweight and your body will not go into starvation mode until it gets down to 10% or lower in body fat. I am glad that you have found a plan that works for you and wish you the best of luck


    The only way to use this site for maintenance is to set your goals to maintain. It would give you a number that does not include a daily deficit to lose. If you put your goals to lose 2 lbs MFP will give you a calorie goal that is already set at a deficit. Either way eating your exercise calories just gets you back to the original deficit. Therefore if you are set to lose 2 lbs and you exercise and eat those cals back you will still be set to lose 2lbs NOT MAINTAIN!!!! You can create a larger deficit by not eating back exercise calories but even if you are over weight creating too large of deficit for too long can lead to metabolic slow down. Believe me I have been there and it takes a while to reboot when your metabolism slows to the point 1200 calories becomes maintenance.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
    interesting method and way of looking at life through an accountant's eye.
  • agooddaytodiesoft
    agooddaytodiesoft Posts: 58
    What happens if you don't eat back the calories? i ussually excersise on the evenings (Work and college keeps me busy during the day) and the only thing i want after an intense workout is sleep..
  • tonya_yates
    tonya_yates Posts: 13
    What about doing cardio and strength training.. Do I count both? Or just cardio? So confused!??
  • Adina81
    Adina81 Posts: 252 Member
    Awesome post OP.
    Thank you.
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    I think really does depend on what your body will respond to. I have tried eating back calories and I lost nothing..absolutely nothing. I have to excersise and eat 1200 - 1370 calories to lose weight. No more no less than these two numbers otherwise I'll get nowhere :P

    I'm the same way. Even eating just a portion of my exercise calories usually causes me to gain weight or not lose anything.
  • ArubaJane
    ArubaJane Posts: 62 Member
    Oh I know I do drink some of my calories others more than normal but I am active and socially active. I do classes, starting with a personal trainer on Wednesday, walk 2 hours like 6 miles and golf daily. Hoping you can tell me if I am doing this correctly. So confused
  • Ddietzz
    Ddietzz Posts: 25 Member
    Maybe off topic but, What are your thoughts on using weekly calories and implementing a calorie shift (zig / zag) approach. I have been reading more on this and it just seems to make sense.
  • christy7322
    christy7322 Posts: 31
    bump
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