why eat back calories???

MFP sets me a deficit of 500 calories a day which is to lose weight. I exercise to increase my fitness and hopefully achieve a lean toned body.

I tend to eat most of exercise calories back - and always net over 1200 calories. I've lost 50lb so far = getting more toned and my fitness has increased no end. Because I eat my exercise calories back I don't feel tired and grumpy all the time and have the energy to work out again the next day.

Not eating when not hungry can be hard - sometimes i dont feel hungry but will have a net of 800. this is when I'll have some nuts or fruit as I know the next day I'll feel weak and have muscle tiredness.

ya i get a little crazy on the cardio sometimes i just get so into it but i do want to start lifting i am just waiting until i can afford to get some used weights i do use hand weights but i know its not enough i want to start bench pressing

If you thought about what you were saying, OP for one single moment you would realize that body weight training is FREE.

Anyone recommending that you don't eat them doesn't understand that MFP is set up with a low calorie goal that doesn't include exercise. It is set up so that if you did no exercise at all, you would lose weight just by dieting alone. When you do exercise, you need to fuel it, otherwise you would be eating too little for all of the activity you did.

This is different than most other methods where they figure energy needs including exercise and take a deduction off of that.

I remember when I first started MFP, I dropped a lot of weight, then I got sick cause I was exercising so much and with every day things around the house. I wasn't eating enough and I'm still not because I have hit a plateau again. Scared to eat more. To me more means more weight. But starting to realize I'm wrong. I'm eating back some but it may not be enough. Hint to my brain when I first started the only exercise I got was walking and not fast pace. I added in cardio and my weight after a couple of weeks stalled. So this week I will make myself eat more to lose. And it better happen! I agree!!!

otherwise you are not just losing fat, you are losing water, fat, and muscle (not what you want).

Don't forget bone density loss.

Weakened bones, hormone function, brain function. lowered immune system, slower metabolism, muscle loss, on and on.

Just so this does not get lost. ^^^

As long as you're in tune with your body and listen to it... I personally think you dont have to eat back your calories! I eat them back a couple times a week when I want to go out and enjoy my self at a social gathering where there is food and drinks. I don't think it's how much you put in your body, but WHAT you put in your body... everyone is different... if you're satisfied and full of energy then who cares?

Exactly! I agree

So you are NOT of the calorie is a calorie is a calorie mindset? So if I ate 2,000 calories per day of things like rice, beans, fruit, veggies you are saying I would not gain weight. Ok, in what universe is this true? You are stating that when I need to eat no more than 1600/day (that's my maintenance cals, without exercise) as long as those were quality calories that I WOULD NOT EVER GAIN WEIGHT?

what I am saying is exactly what I said. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY! Everyone is different. I'm not saying that a person that's working out everyday shouldn't eat back their calories... I'm saying that if you don't want to then don't! If you do, then do! If you're feeling fatigue then eat, if you're hungry then eat, if you went crazy in the gym and want that 2nd serving of lunch or dinner then EAT! I don't think it's that complicated to get to know your body! Try something, take notes and if it's not for you then change! We're all here for some type of change and if calorie counting isn't for me then I will try something else. If nothing else, you must know yourself.

As long as you're in tune with your body and listen to it... I personally think you dont have to eat back your calories! I eat them back a couple times a week when I want to go out and enjoy my self at a social gathering where there is food and drinks. I don't think it's how much you put in your body, but WHAT you put in your body... everyone is different... if you're satisfied and full of energy then who cares?

Exactly! I agree

So you are NOT of the calorie is a calorie is a calorie mindset? So if I ate 2,000 calories per day of things like rice, beans, fruit, veggies you are saying I would not gain weight. Ok, in what universe is this true? You are stating that when I need to eat no more than 1600/day (that's my maintenance cals, without exercise) as long as those were quality calories that I WOULD NOT EVER GAIN WEIGHT?

what I am saying is exactly what I said. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY! Everyone is different. I'm not saying that a person that's working out everyday shouldn't eat back their calories... I'm saying that if you don't want to then don't! If you do, then do! If you're feeling fatigue then eat, if you're hungry then eat, if you went crazy in the gym and want that 2nd serving of lunch or dinner then EAT! I don't think it's that complicated to get to know your body! Try something, take notes and if it's not for you then change! We're all here for some type of change and if calorie counting isn't for me then I will try something else. If nothing else, you must know yourself.

And, I quote: " I don't think it's how much you put in your body, but WHAT you put in your body"

That's going against science and all that is good and holy in the world.

I will say it AGAIN. You are saying that if I ate over my maintenance calories (1600 per day with 0 workout) that I would not gain weight if all of my calories were quality.

I know my body really darn well. I'm super healthy and I've never been overweight. Since I travel a lot for work I mostly use MFP to maintain or to lose a little after a bunch of travel.

I tried eating mine back, and gained 3 lbs........stopped eating them back again, and lost the 3 lbs I gained...some people swear by eating the calories back, but it didn't work for me at all !!

I was the same way. I tried it and it did not work for me. I have lost 82 lbs so far so something good is going on! Everyone is different though so do what is best for you. If we were all the same we would not have different sized people and we would not have a need for this site. I do what I feel my body needs. Some days I am hungrier than others.

she knows what mfp is and she is going to advise others to not eat them back as well i dont feel that i am starving myself and i lose weight consistentlyi just think its silly to eat back so many calories whats the point of even burning them if your just going to eat them again ...

Then why even ask if you've already made up your mind? Did you want to argue? smh

Find out what works for you. Unfortunately, coming here for advice will only keep you guessing at what direction to take. Try eating back for a month and try not eating them back for a month. Whichever one works best for you stick to it!!! In the end the only things that matter are that you want to lose weight, you do it safely, and you enjoy it!!

Oh and don't be afraid to mis it up either, variety is the spice of life!!

SHE'S WORKING OUT 3.5 HOURS PER DAY AND NOT EATING THEM BACK. SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS BUT I HAVE TO YELL BECAUSE YOU FOLKS KEEP SUPPORTING THE OP OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND NOT LISTENING.

I don't eat back any of my burned calories. If I did I'd be eating non-stop. We burn calories just by doing nothing.

Can you explain to me how I would survive and stay healthy on just 760 calories per day? This is what I'd have for fuel after a workout if I did not eat back my exercise calories. I do eat "non stop" (every few hours).

Just please think what you are saying for a moment. You are suggesting that I (along with everyone else following this conversation) never eat back any of our exercise calories.

For me in particular you are suggesting that I fuel my healthy body with 760 calories per day.

#DarwinAwards

If you're stopping every few hours then you're not eating non-stop.

Anyways, I never said YOU shouldn't eat back your burned calories. This way just works for me.


http://keyfitnesstraining.com/should-we-eat-back-exercise-calories

http://www.coachcalorie.com/calories-burned-during-exercise-meaningless/

I follow my body and how I feel.

If I have a killer workout and I'm feeling famished, I will likely eat some of my calories back....usually not all. I use a HRM to determine my calories burned and then I log 90% of what that calculation is into MFP. If I burn 800 calories between my 2 workouts, I will likely end up eating about 1700 calories that day (daily goal is 1500) because I will be hungry. If i'm only doing 1 workout that day, I will just eat my 1500. It seems to be working for me...

I tried eating mine back, and gained 3 lbs........stopped eating them back again, and lost the 3 lbs I gained...some people swear by eating the calories back, but it didn't work for me at all !!

All that means is that your numbers are wrong.

If eating back your exercise calories is causing you to gain weight then you aren't at the deficit you think you are.

This of it this way people: You want to eat the most amount of calories you possibly can, while still being able to lose at a reasonable pace... thats all there is to it.

Yes but some people obviously struggle with this concept....

This of it this way people: You want to eat the most amount of calories you possibly can, while still being able to lose at a reasonable pace... thats all there is to it.

Yes but some people obviously struggle with this concept....

Take time to learn your body and stop stressing over is the scale moved. It's a marathon not a sprint.

OK, so there's a lot of bickering and negativity going on, but to all the people who've gotten quite passionate about what is healthy and what isn't, I do want to say thanks for your persistence

I was reading this thread and originally chose to believe what I wanted to believe - that eating 1200 calories a day and then burning off 500 of those (resulting in fantastic results during my first two weeks of using MFP or even exercising/dieting ever) was OK. Many of you have made valid points, though, that what I really need to be looking at is my net rather than total calories. After a day to think about what you've all said, I've decided I so need to eat more. I just wanted to say thanks for preventing me from messing my body up instead of getting it in shape at a sustainable pace.