Eating back exercise cals

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Pattie74
Pattie74 Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys...can you be successful in weight loss and not eat back calories burned in exercise or is it truly important that you do?

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  • johnknappcc
    johnknappcc Posts: 28
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    It depends. Early on I was eating back almost all my workout calories because my goal was so aggressive. Then I hit a plateau, lowered my weight loss rate, which upped my cals.

    I've had to do this two more times, upping the calories, because I think I was going into starvation mode when I'd plateau.

    Unless you're stalled, I don't think you have to eat back all, but I'd be sure your net it's at least over your BMR, otherwise your body might be consuming muscle. Play around with it and see what gives you the best results.

    You have to also keep in mind as you get more in shape your body is going to naturally require more fuel, so at some point you will have to increase your cal consumption anyway.
  • Pattie74
    Pattie74 Posts: 85 Member
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    Actually I have stalled...wondering if that's the reason. Most days I don't eat those exercise calories.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    If you're following the MFP guidelines you should be eating them back. (If you're doing the BMR/TDEE method you might not) If you don't its possible that you aren't eating enough to nourish your body, since MFP builds in a deficit at the beginning. Keep in mind that MFP numbers for burned calories tend to run very generous, so consider eating back half to two thirds.
  • juliewelsh5492
    juliewelsh5492 Posts: 10
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    If you're following the MFP guidelines you should be eating them back. (If you're doing the BMR/TDEE method you might not) If you don't its possible that you aren't eating enough to nourish your body, since MFP builds in a deficit at the beginning. Keep in mind that MFP numbers for burned calories tend to run very generous, so consider eating back half to two thirds.

    What is the BMR/TDEE?? sorry new to all this....
  • johnknappcc
    johnknappcc Posts: 28
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    If you're following the MFP guidelines you should be eating them back. (If you're doing the BMR/TDEE method you might not) If you don't its possible that you aren't eating enough to nourish your body, since MFP builds in a deficit at the beginning. Keep in mind that MFP numbers for burned calories tend to run very generous, so consider eating back half to two thirds.

    Totally agreed, cardio workouts in MFP are very generous (especially for gym workouts) IMHO by 10-30%, so I definitely wouldn't eat back to the amount they estimate.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Stalls are very common when you are close to goal. For some people it could be that they are eating the same amount that they were when they started, not realizing for every 5 lbs you lower your calories by 50. That isn't a hard and fast rule obviously, because a lot of people start having more energy and moving more as they start to lose, so they will burn more and not really notice that they burned off the "extra" 50 calories they would have had to drop had all other things remained equal. I don't think its a bad idea to eat a bit closer to maintenance though when you are so close to goal, you can try it for a while see if that knocks you out of the stall, for many people it does, perhaps it's because they are also close to goal and at that stage your body really really isn't going to like not getting fuel.

    I guess what I am saying is at this stage yes, eating back exercise calories is a good idea. But, before you do that maybe go back and redo your TDEE information. Or you could do TDEE -20% and not eat back the calories, but quite frankly I am not sure how that works.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    You have to also keep in mind as you get more in shape your body is going to naturally require more fuel, so at some point you will have to increase your cal consumption anyway.

    it depends what you mean by more in shape... as a person loses weight, they actually need LESS fuel. A heavier person needs more calories each day to keep their larger body running, so as a person loses weight, they will need to keep checking their numbers and adjust lower as necessary.
    If a person's goal is to build muscle (which you can't really do at the same time as losing weight) then a person may need more fuel, as more muscle = increased metabolism.
  • johnknappcc
    johnknappcc Posts: 28
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    If you're following the MFP guidelines you should be eating them back. (If you're doing the BMR/TDEE method you might not) If you don't its possible that you aren't eating enough to nourish your body, since MFP builds in a deficit at the beginning. Keep in mind that MFP numbers for burned calories tend to run very generous, so consider eating back half to two thirds.

    What is the BMR/TDEE?? sorry new to all this....

    BMR = basal metabolic rate, the amount of cals you need to keep your body from eating itself, assuming you are more or less comatose (think involuntary bodily functions).
    TDEE = total daily energy expenditure, or usually your BMR + (a calculation based on different factors, mostly body fat percentage, using different algorithms) . If you are following this, you should base your deficit of of the TDEE, since that is theoretically your total energy consumption including activity + workouts.
  • snooj
    snooj Posts: 69 Member
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    It depends what plan you follow. MFP likes to suggest how much your maintenance is if you're sedentary, so it's important in that case to eat back some exercise calories so you're not in a major deficit. Another plan is to take a deficit off your actual maintenance, and since your actual maintenance includes your regular exercise routine, there's no need to eat back exercise calories.

    How much are you eating now, what's your workout like, and for how long have you stalled? As you lose weight your maintenance decreases, and if you're not making your workouts harder they become easier burning less calories, so that may contribute to a lack in progress.
  • johnknappcc
    johnknappcc Posts: 28
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    Actually I have stalled...wondering if that's the reason. Most days I don't eat those exercise calories.

    Try upping your normal intake for a week by 150ish calories (basically adding in a granola bar or an apple or two), or possibly reduce the intensity of the workout. Look at the weight change from the previous week. If you've lost more, or just lost, it's probably your body going into starvation mode.

    I don't know what your MFP suggestion is right now, but if you put in a 30 minute cardio workout, say at 300 cals, and you are already using a large deficit, you probably are eating too little. Especially if you've already tried reducing (I did this) and it only made things worse.

    It seems counter-intuitive, but you probably need to eat more to lose more (or reduce intensity / length) of workouts.
  • mystmaker143
    mystmaker143 Posts: 15
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    I just started and am thankful when I get those back calories to eat. After I workout I need a little more energy boost. But I have to be careful because I guess I've come close to hitting the starvation mode because I always have quite a few calories left over. Which is odd because I absolutely love to eat! I'm just really picky now with what I eat and I make sure it tastes real good. I'm loving on the skinless chicken! What I've done rather than focusing on calories in foods is focusing on the fat and sugar I eat, and I still go under the calories I can have by some times close to nine hundred. I guess the real key is exercising, I make sure I do it every day. Back calories are great if you need them to give you energy! I did weight watchers for awhile and lost on there too, mainly inches rather than weight but when I stuck to that I went from a size 18 to a size 10. Now I have to get back on board since having a baby and a toddler, its all I can do to keep up with them! Hyper little buggers! lol Glad I'm a tomboy at heart and enjoy being a big kid. Now I want to be able to wear a bathing suit without embarrassment. I will get there *fist pump in the air!* Whoot!

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