Confused ...

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skuehn84
skuehn84 Posts: 14 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
MFP says I should eat 1200 calories per day, but when I work out it adds back to calories remaining which makes sense since I burned them, but am I then allowed to eat the calories I burned? I almost feel stupid asking, but I feel like I'm eating too few calories if I eat 1200 calories and then burn 600 of them.
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Replies

  • toddx318
    toddx318 Posts: 51 Member
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    Eat your calories back
  • kateauch
    kateauch Posts: 195 Member
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    It's up to you. Some people eat back exercise calories...some don't. It's what you find works for you.

    I personally would die if I didn't eat back my exercise cals. As long as you log everything correctly and net a deficit, you should lose weight though.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
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    Don't get down!!! Most people would recommend that you at least eat some of them back. My advice would be to try differant things for a couple of weeks and see which works best for you. Eat them all back for a while, then try not eating them back or only part of them. Variety is the spice of life!!!
  • Alphastate
    Alphastate Posts: 295 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    MFP says I should eat 1200 calories per day, but when I work out it adds back to calories remaining which makes sense since I burned them, but am I then allowed to eat the calories I burned? I almost feel stupid asking, but I feel like I'm eating too few calories if I eat 1200 calories and then burn 600 of them.

    MFP gives you a caloire deficit BEFORE exercise .... so yes, you are expected to eat them back**

    **Be careful what numbers you use for calorie burns ..... MFP and machines can over state this (a lot). Many people eat a % of calories back.

    Too large a deficit is an unhealthy way to lose weight .... you will lose more muscle than you intend to.
  • skuehn84
    skuehn84 Posts: 14 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?
  • InspiredSAM
    InspiredSAM Posts: 98 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I would say that 1200 is definitely too low!

    After some research, I personally have decided to follow the concept of TDEE. Or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. There are a couple of different sites that you can use to find your BMR and TDEE, but I used http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/. Use your current weight for current and goal weight. You will find your current MBR under the "Harris-Benedict Formula". Then there will be a chart with various Activity Levels and the necessary daily calories to sustain your current weight.

    I would suggest selecting the Light Activity daily calories and eat 80% of them to create a 20% calorie deficit.

    Good Luck!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I don't know your age ..... but the BMR (basal metabolic rate... calories needed if you were in a coma) would be 1807 if you were 30 years old .... so yes 1200 is too few.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    With BMR you would ADD exercise calories & eat those too (comatose people don't exercise) ..... yes, you could use a smaller number, but you will be losing muscle AND fat. Healthy weight loss reduces your body fat %.
  • Alphastate
    Alphastate Posts: 295 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I don't know your age ..... but the BMR (basal metabolic rate... calories needed if you were in a coma) would be 1807 if you were 30 years old .... so yes 1200 is too few.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    With BMR you would ADD exercise calories & eat those too (comatose people don't exercise) ..... yes, you could use a smaller number, but you will be losing muscle AND fat. Healthy weight loss reduces your body fat %.

    This is correct. 1200 calories a day is the lowest before your body can go into metabolic shutdown and actually have adverse effects to weight loss. Your age does play a factor as well, but if you are active in your workout, and pushing yourself, 1500-1800 should be an ideal range.

    You definitely want to start implementing a strength training routine, too. If you ever see people on the treadmills with lots of loose skin under their arms and other areas, I'm sure you don't see them touching any weight equipment either. A routine of 100% cardio can lose weight, but the body likes to attack the muscle before the fat. Think of it like a juicy steak. Would you eat the fatty piece or the meaty piece first? Your body thinks the same way. If you are expending the muscles in a strength training program, the body will divert to the fat to burn. No strength training, cardio will burn your muscle weight before the fat weight.

    Hope this helps!
  • skuehn84
    skuehn84 Posts: 14 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I would say that 1200 is definitely too low!

    After some research, I personally have decided to follow the concept of TDEE. Or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. There are a couple of different sites that you can use to find your BMR and TDEE, but I used http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/. Use your current weight for current and goal weight. You will find your current MBR under the "Harris-Benedict Formula". Then there will be a chart with various Activity Levels and the necessary daily calories to sustain your current weight.

    I would suggest selecting the Light Activity daily calories and eat 80% of them to create a 20% calorie deficit.

    Good Luck!

    Thank you! For light activity it states 2080 calories so 80% would be 1664. No wonder I'm hungry trying to stick to 1200 calories. I'm going to try and see if I get better results. I feel like I've been working my butt off the past few weeks with zero results.
  • skuehn84
    skuehn84 Posts: 14 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I don't know your age ..... but the BMR (basal metabolic rate... calories needed if you were in a coma) would be 1807 if you were 30 years old .... so yes 1200 is too few.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    With BMR you would ADD exercise calories & eat those too (comatose people don't exercise) ..... yes, you could use a smaller number, but you will be losing muscle AND fat. Healthy weight loss reduces your body fat %.

    This is correct. 1200 calories a day is the lowest before your body can go into metabolic shutdown and actually have adverse effects to weight loss. Your age does play a factor as well, but if you are active in your workout, and pushing yourself, 1500-1800 should be an ideal range.

    You definitely want to start implementing a strength training routine, too. If you ever see people on the treadmills with lots of loose skin under their arms and other areas, I'm sure you don't see them touching any weight equipment either. A routine of 100% cardio can lose weight, but the body likes to attack the muscle before the fat. Think of it like a juicy steak. Would you eat the fatty piece or the meaty piece first? Your body thinks the same way. If you are expending the muscles in a strength training program, the body will divert to the fat to burn. No strength training, cardio will burn your muscle weight before the fat weight.

    Hope this helps!

    This helps a lot! I've been sticking to 1200 calories for about four weeks and I don't see any results with working out 3 - 4 times a week, so I think it was having a negative impact already!! I felt silly posting the question, but now I'm glad I did. Thanks again.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .
  • Alphastate
    Alphastate Posts: 295 Member
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    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

    Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...
  • amlygo
    amlygo Posts: 126 Member
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    I was confused about this too. MFP gives me 1200 calories too. I was on WW before and I'm used to that you don't have to use your exercise calories if you don't want to. Still a little confused.
  • skuehn84
    skuehn84 Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

    Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

    Not eating them makes more sense now that I figured out what I should be eating. I was seriously hungry ALL THE TIME and felt like crap. I've been so tired and cranky so hopefully this change makes things better.
  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I don't know your age ..... but the BMR (basal metabolic rate... calories needed if you were in a coma) would be 1807 if you were 30 years old .... so yes 1200 is too few.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    With BMR you would ADD exercise calories & eat those too (comatose people don't exercise) ..... yes, you could use a smaller number, but you will be losing muscle AND fat. Healthy weight loss reduces your body fat %.

    I'm hesitant about blindly following online BMR calculators. I'm 20, 5'10, currently VERY active (running 20 mi/wk, strenuous hikes 3x/wk, lifting 2/wk), and if I eat anywhere more than a net of 1500 calories, I gain weight like that (snaps). Every BMR calculator I've used has told me I should be eating upwards of 2300 calories/day to MAINTAIN weight. Okay. Right.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    Yes, too few calories. Check with various online TDEE calculators but you should probably be up around 1600 minimum PLUS eating your exercise calories back. You'll be happier eating more, your mood will be better, and you'll be less likely to stall out before you reach your goal .

    Don't eat your calories back. If you have a weight loss goal and a specific caloric intake in mind, why would you eat calories you just burned? Doesn't that sound like it defeats the purpose? 2500 calories equals one pound of body weight. That means you have to burn 2500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound. If you eat back your calories, wouldn't it take longer to get to that 2500 mark? Think about it...

    To lose a lb you need to have a deficit of 3500 calories... not 2500.

    And eating back exercise calories doesn't defeat the purpose. That's how this website is designed. You can lose weight eating strictly your daily goal... which is why when you exercise you get to eat more. Too high of a deficit can be harmful and increase muscle loss.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    Im 193, 5'6" I eat 1700 on days I dont exercise and 2200 to 2400 on days I do exercise, depending on how hard I worked. I have lost a steady 1lb/week (averaged) over the past 5 months. I use a hrm and generally burn between 600 and 1100 cals per gym trip.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I was confused about this too. MFP gives me 1200 calories too. I was on WW before and I'm used to that you don't have to use your exercise calories if you don't want to. Still a little confused.

    MFP gives you a calorie deficit BEFORE exercise .... that way people who can't/won't exercise still lose weight. 1200 is a very SMALL number ......it's a low as MFP will go. If I plug in I want to lose 5 pounds a week (ridiculous) .... MFP gives me 1200 ..... If I plug in I want to lose 1 pound a week (less ridiculous) .... MFP still gives me 1200 ......MFP is merely doing MATH.... not assessing whether your weekly goal makes sense.

    I "should" set my goal to 1/2 pound per week because I am within 15 pounds of goal. This goal (is above 1200) and helps me preserve muscle mass. Lowering my body fat % is about losing fat NOT muscle.

    1200 is a popular number .....but is weight loss a"one size fits all"? Tall women = 1200 / short women = 1200 / Fat women = 1200.... I don't think so.

    The problem with BMR calculators is not that they are wildly inacurrate ......but users who set their activity levels too high, users who use wildly inflated exercise calories, and users who do not measure/weigh their food..... are simple eating more (or burning less) than they think they are.

    BMR - basal metabolic rate ..... calories needed if you were in a coma

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Depending on what your weight goal is, 1200 is probably too little. I don't believe in the whole "eat back your calories" philosophy. If you have a specific calorie goal, stick to it. Don't add your exercise till the end of the day, after you've logged all your food. Bottom line, you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight, eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. Your exercise calories burned are bonus.

    I'm currently 194 (5' 7" tall; big frame) and my goal is to get to 155. I workout about an hour 3 - 4 times a week right now. Just cardio, but eventually I want to add weight training of some sort. So knowing that is 1200 too few calories?

    I don't know your age ..... but the BMR (basal metabolic rate... calories needed if you were in a coma) would be 1807 if you were 30 years old .... so yes 1200 is too few.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html

    With BMR you would ADD exercise calories & eat those too (comatose people don't exercise) ..... yes, you could use a smaller number, but you will be losing muscle AND fat. Healthy weight loss reduces your body fat %.

    I'm hesitant about blindly following online BMR calculators. I'm 20, 5'10, currently VERY active (running 20 mi/wk, strenuous hikes 3x/wk, lifting 2/wk), and if I eat anywhere more than a net of 1500 calories, I gain weight like that (snaps). Every BMR calculator I've used has told me I should be eating upwards of 2300 calories/day to MAINTAIN weight. Okay. Right.

    Thats because your body is starving at 1500cals and will hold onto anything it can when you feed it more. Try eating 2000cals per day for a month. You may gain a few the first 2to3 weeks but then the weight will start falling off at 2000 cals per day. You need to "reset" your metabolism.

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