Calorie allowances from exercise - To Use or Not To Use?!

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nminden
nminden Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else not use their added calories from exercise that are added onto the base number of calories needed per day?

I am not using them. I am having enough trouble just reaching the 1200. I am losing weight at a moderate pace. I am feeling pretty good- although sometimes a little tired. Sometimes i think that is age, sleep or thyroid- sometimes I wonder if it's what I'm eating or NOT eating?

I honestly think that if I ate all my alloted points (I exercise a fair bit) I would gain weight, or at least just stay the same.
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Replies

  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    I only eat back my exercise calories if I am hungry. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat them back.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    I wouldn't eat them back unless you are ravenous all the time, weak, or losing weight at a rate you consider undesirable. The calculations are frequently too high, while people usually calculate their calorie intake too low. If you want to eat more, be conservative: If you're allotted 200 extra calories, try eating 100 more, and so forth.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
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    I always eat mine back :D But I also try to eat between 3000-4000 a day so that I can net 2500 based on my exercise for the day.
  • sonograssa
    sonograssa Posts: 8
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    I include my aerobic treadmill points but not my points from weight lifting or if I also walk outside that day. I would probably gain also if I ate all my points all the time.
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
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    When you say that you are having trouble reaching 1200, do you mean you have trouble eating that much? If so I would say
    1. This surprises me because 1200 calories is not very much.
    2. You are not eating enough, especially if you are feeling tired. Your body needs fuel and if you are exercising you should eat at least some of those calories back.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    if 1200 is working for you and you are losing ..then don't eat them back..

    However, my understanding of MFP method is that you should eat them back and be netting 1200...
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    See here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf


    * Note: If you are not using a food scale it could explain why 1200 calories is hard to eat, as it may not be 1200 calories, and that needs to be taken into consideration with the above.
  • amyosullivan124
    amyosullivan124 Posts: 15 Member
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    I was eating back my calories from exercise (also on 1,200) and didn't really notice weight loss so now I am not going to eat them back and see what happens!
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
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    I eat mine--it makes it a lot easier for me to stick to a deficit and gives me plenty of energy for my workouts. Plus, of course, eating enough keeps my metabolism running smoothly and ensures that most of my weight loss is actual fat, not muscle. If you're feeling tired, that could well be a sign that you need to fuel yourself better.

    You can easily increase calories without adding a lot of bulk to your diet: include some calorie-dense foods like oils, butter, full-fat dairy, nuts, nut butters, avocados, dried fruit. Just drizzling olive oil over your salad or cooking your morning eggs in butter would give you a few hundred more calories of healthy fats.

    Try it for a few days and see if you feel better. If you've been shorting yourself calories for a long time, you may see an initial weight gain while your metabolism sorts itself out, then should continue losing to plan.

    Best of luck!
  • leahslooloo
    leahslooloo Posts: 57
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    I don't eat mine back as I'm working gom TDEE my excersises are included in my allowance this way so it much less confusing lol. If i am starving though i will have a little snack and work out for an extra 10 mi s or so. Personally i nt see the point in excersising if you going to eat all the calories back again :-/ that been said 1200 calories is low i would probably aim to net at 1200 at least because thats what ur body needs to function correctly at rest
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I'm sorry but I find it really hard to believe that 1200 is too hard to reach, especially if you are here to lose weight as you obviously never had a problem eating above TDEE before you started here. You are MEANT to eat back your exercise calories as MFP already build in the deficit in your calorie allowance. If you want to be able to do it without worrying about exercise calories go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and choose the correct activity level and lose fat - 20% reduction and eat the calories it tells you to :flowerforyou:
  • Hoosier96
    Hoosier96 Posts: 118 Member
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    I eat some of them back, and try to leave some alone. BUT I also have my settings fairly conservatively (lose 1/2 lb a week) so I figure not eating them back puts me closer to the 1 lb/week mark.
  • m3x43
    m3x43 Posts: 40
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    No, I don't eat the extra calories. I agree with a previous post and think it is counter-productive. The point of exercise, for me at this time, is to create a calorie deficit to help me lose.
  • acidosaur
    acidosaur Posts: 295 Member
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    I only eat back my exercise calories if I am hungry. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat them back.

    I do this too. Some days I'm so starving that I do eat them back, or some of them, but mostly I don't. I don't think I burn enough calories through exercise to justify eating them all back all the time.
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
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    No, I don't eat the extra calories. I agree with a previous post and think it is counter-productive. The point of exercise, for me at this time, is to create a calorie deficit to help me lose.

    As Faye_Anderson already said, MFP builds a deficit into your allowance , so if you don't eat back your exercise calories you are creating too large a deficit.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    My current Calorie allowance is 1400 calories. I then add to that allowance with exercise specifically to eat most of them back. I do wear a heart rate monitor so I trust my calorie burns.

    That being said I try to leave some calories "on the table" to account for measurement/estimation errors. I would say between 120 and 250 calories a day. On occasion it's been less than 25 calories but I would say that's one day in 10 that I cut it that close.

    MFP is already giving you a calorie deficit based on your weight, and your typical level of activity. If you exercise and not consume calories to offset the extra calories burnt, you have a bigger deficit than you are supposedly planning for. That may or may not be a bad thing. Since I'm so close to goal, attempting to lose a pound a week is just fine for me (except these last 5 pounds WONT come off). Someone will tell me if I don't eat my exercise calories back I could take those last 5 pounds off but I lost 95 pounds eating my exercise calories back so I'm not changing gears now.

    I'm at 146 pounds which is 14 pounds under the over/normal line so I'm happy where I am. Especially since all this extra exercise has allowed me to take stairs without effort, run, and basically not be limited in what I want to do by my lack of fitness.

    Besides, I don't alwyas EAT my exercise calories back. I will have a beer or a glass of wine with dinner and most of my road races have a beer tent and I'm very fond of saying after a race "Where's the beer tent? What? Do you think I run FOR MY HEALTH?
  • SunshineCharm
    SunshineCharm Posts: 15
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    Simple rule, train like an athlete, eat like an athlete. Make sure you are fueling your body with proper nutrition, not just the empty calorie snacks. For instance, my regimen is Breakfast: Vi Shake, 3 hours later: fruit & protein, Lunch: Salad with veggies, protein, kale and spinach, Snack: Protein only and Vi Shake for dinner. If I’m working out really hard, I will have a snack 2 hours before bed. I’m 100 pounds down and 35 more to go! Loving life!! ~Also, be careful with not consuming enough calories as your body will store. Best of luck on your journey!! God Bless!!!
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 762 Member
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    I always eat them back, I lose faster if I do and have more energy. Plus I am not going to be successful if I am damaging my metabolism. Do more research, you should never net less than 1200.
  • lauramcconnell7535
    lauramcconnell7535 Posts: 33 Member
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    I don't eat back my extra. I consider them a bonus and only eat some of them if I am tired or very hungry. I also understand what you mean by 1200 calories can be hard to reach some days. I try to go with lower calorie and more filling foods, so sometimes, I find myself having a couple of cookies or a piece of chocolate at the end of the day to bring my calorie total up to where it should be. If my calories is too low it will stall weight loss, but keeping it at 1200 or just above keeps things moving along fine.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You SHOULD eat them back so your net is 1200. Or you're not eating enough, your metabolism is going to slow down, and you'll either stop losing or gain very easily when you switch to maintenance (which will have to be VERY low). I'm guessing at some point you'll have to increase or you'll stop losing.

    It depends on how much you exercise, but even if you burn 200 calories, you're feeding your body on 1000 calories. That's just not enough.

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