Does anyone NOT count their Exercise calories??

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  • TruckersWifeTruckersLife
    TruckersWifeTruckersLife Posts: 408 Member
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    i go on an abwave and exercise bike daily and it counts my clories for me i don't until the end of the day how many calories i have left
  • MMulder68
    MMulder68 Posts: 139 Member
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    After a lot of research and talking with trainers and nutritionists, IMHO it is very important that you eat enough calories. I was not eating near enough and exercising my butt off and didn't lose an ounce for 3 months! AMAZING that when I started MFP and ate the calories they recommended AND my exercise calories I started losing. Our bodies go into starvation mode. Eat them!
  • harehartley
    harehartley Posts: 8
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    i found when exercising and not eating the calories back i didn't loose weight. so i always have them now its and incentive to move about more and i can eat more. you still have the deficit. Eat them up.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    did you read any of the many posts about WHY you need to eat those calories? didn't think so. creating too big a deficit is NOT a good thing, unless what you want is to damage your metabolism and probably regain the weight within a year or so. If that's what you have in mind, have at it.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    did you read any of the many posts about WHY you need to eat those calories? didn't think so. creating too big a deficit is NOT a good thing, unless what you want is to damage your metabolism and probably regain the weight within a year or so. If that's what you have in mind, have at it.
    All the positive support here just gets me teary eyed sometimes. This isn't one of those times. Both ways have worked for people and both ways could work for you; it depends on your situation and approach.
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
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    Eat them back, I do and my weight loss is small but steady and more importantly sustainable
  • Onlineasllou
    Onlineasllou Posts: 11
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    While I realize that it is important to eat enought to fuel your exercise ... I don't like the mindset that "eating back your calories" can lead to. It's too much like "rewarding yourself with food" becaue you exercised. Some of us with weight problems have those problems because of unhealthy relationships with food and I don't think that using it as a reward is a good idea. I know that is NOT what the "eating it back" philosophy is actually about, but I think it might be risky for people who already have problems with their relationship with food.

    I prefer to think in terms of weeks rather than individual days and being sure that I am getting enough nutrition on a regular basis to provide the fuel for the lifestyle I want to lead (that includes exercise on most days). As long as I get enough fuel over the course of a couple of days, it doesn't matter if the intake and output matches up perfectly every day. If I exercise that day, great ... but I'm not going to turn around and reward myself with a food treat -- I will have my sensible meal as I would on any other day and let it "average out over time."
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    If you're following MFP's suggestions, you should eat them back. MFP gives a lower initial calorie goal than other calorie counting sites or guidelines would because it assumes you will be eating more when you exercise.

    For instance, To lose one pound a week, MFP would suggest I eat about 1400 calories. I typically burn between 200-600 calories from exercise. Let's go with 400 as an average. That would give me a total of 1800 calories.

    A site that estimates my TDEE would tell me I need to eat about 2300 calories at my current exercise and activity level to maintain my weight. To lose one pound a week, I'd take 500 calories off that amount and I'd be at 1800 calories, which is exactly what I'd get using MFP's estimates.

    If I didn't eat my exercise calories, I wouldn't have a 500 calorie deficit, I'd have a 900 calorie deficit. That's about 40% below my TDEE. That's pretty huge. Most people suggest eating 10-25% below the TDEE.

    Think of it in terms of money... If you got a 10-25% decrease in your salary, you could probably find a way to cut costs and comfortably live. If you had a 40% decrease in your salary, you'd have a really hard time paying your bills. Food is your salary, and your body needs it to function properly.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I believe it is extremely counterproductive to automatically eat back your exercise calories. Most people are eating more than they think and not burning as many calories as they believe through exercise. The calculations (BMR, TDEE, calorie burn) are often inaccurate. If you're working out very hard and are hungry, then sure, eat a small but filling snack, say, a handful of nuts, and keep track of your weight on the scale to make sure that you still are creating an appropriate deficit and losing.

    The scale can be a fairly bad indicator of whether or not your diet is working when you consider all the different variables that can affect it. I would never use scale weight as the only indicator to determine an appropriate deficit.
  • lucyprunner
    lucyprunner Posts: 55
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    I got to goal by eating 2000 calories every day and not eating back exercise calories :)
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    Eat them back, I do and my weight loss is small but steady and more importantly sustainable
    "sustainable" is tossed around here a lot when things are debated. I really don't want to prove that what I do is sustainable, because you can't prove this while you are alive... :bigsmile:
  • marciebrian
    marciebrian Posts: 853 Member
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    TDEE method? What is that?

    MFP put me on 1200 calories/day... what should I be on then?

    Thank you all!

    MFP only "puts you on" 1200 if you choose "lose 2lbs per week" and sedentary, especially if you have quite a lot to lose.

    If you are short, and already at a low weight it also may give you 1200. 1200 is just a starting point. Some women need to go below that to lose. You can't generalize and you have to use your own judgment after observing how your body responds to diet and exercise.

    Hands clapping!!!! Bravo finally someone saying not every body is the same. I am short, not much to lose and not only does MFP have me at 1200 cals w/1/2 lb to lose but my TDEE is only 1400. Every person has to find the right balance for themselves. Good luck
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I believe it is extremely counterproductive to automatically eat back your exercise calories. Most people are eating more than they think and not burning as many calories as they believe through exercise. The calculations (BMR, TDEE, calorie burn) are often inaccurate. If you're working out very hard and are hungry, then sure, eat a small but filling snack, say, a handful of nuts, and keep track of your weight on the scale to make sure that you still are creating an appropriate deficit and losing.

    The scale can be a fairly bad indicator of whether or not your diet is working when you consider all the different variables that can affect it. I would never use scale weight as the only indicator to determine an appropriate deficit.
    Day to day maybe not, but over a series of days or weeks it certainly tells you if what you are doing is working. You don't say what you do use or prefer to measure. I think the poster was trying to say the scale will tell you if you are around the deficit you think you are. The real point in the post is that both consumption and burn are estimates, even if you measure pretty accurately (with a few rare exceptions, most foods are somewhat inconsistent as are most exercises). The tendency seems to be int direction where they would not cancel each other out, but more likely compound any minor errors.
  • skymel14
    skymel14 Posts: 30
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    TDEE method? What is that?

    MFP put me on 1200 calories/day... what should I be on then?

    Thank you all!

    MFP only "puts you on" 1200 if you choose "lose 2lbs per week" and sedentary, especially if you have quite a lot to lose.

    If you are short, and already at a low weight it also may give you 1200. 1200 is just a starting point. Some women need to go below that to lose. You can't generalize and you have to use your own judgment after observing how your body responds to diet and exercise.

    Hands clapping!!!! Bravo finally someone saying not every body is the same. I am short, not much to lose and not only does MFP have me at 1200 cals w/1/2 lb to lose but my TDEE is only 1400. Every person has to find the right balance for themselves. Good luck


    I agree, thank you everyone for the positive reinforcement! :) I will log my exercises as 1 calorie, that way I don't feel like, "Oh I just worked off 410 calories according to the treadmill, so it's ok for me to have that slice of cake with dinner instead of a glass of wine (400 calories vs 110.....).
  • Tflowers34907
    Tflowers34907 Posts: 51 Member
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    If you're following MFP's suggestions, you should eat them back. MFP gives a lower initial calorie goal than other calorie counting sites or guidelines would because it assumes you will be eating more when you exercise.

    For instance, To lose one pound a week, MFP would suggest I eat about 1400 calories. I typically burn between 200-600 calories from exercise. Let's go with 400 as an average. That would give me a total of 1800 calories.

    A site that estimates my TDEE would tell me I need to eat about 2300 calories at my current exercise and activity level to maintain my weight. To lose one pound a week, I'd take 500 calories off that amount and I'd be at 1800 calories, which is exactly what I'd get using MFP's estimates.

    If I didn't eat my exercise calories, I wouldn't have a 500 calorie deficit, I'd have a 900 calorie deficit. That's about 40% below my TDEE. That's pretty huge. Most people suggest eating 10-25% below the TDEE.

    Think of it in terms of money... If you got a 10-25% decrease in your salary, you could probably find a way to cut costs and comfortably live. If you had a 40% decrease in your salary, you'd have a really hard time paying your bills. Food is your salary, and your body needs it to function properly.

    This was a great explanation for me. Especially since I have the same amount of allotted calories. I also wonder if it matters more along the lines of what you eat vs how much. Certainly 1400 calories of fruits, veggies, and lean meats is different than 1400 calories of processed foods, grease, and sweets. Though I would love more sweets... :-)
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Think of it in terms of money... If you got a 10-25% decrease in your salary, you could probably find a way to cut costs and comfortably live. If you had a 40% decrease in your salary, you'd have a really hard time paying your bills. Food is your salary, and your body needs it to function properly.

    If we're playing analogies, you could argue that a significant decrease in your salary would make you tap into the savings (your fat) that you'd put away for an emergency, just as intended.

    Some people do well on healthy, low-calorie diets, and/or Intermittent Fasting, and 1200 is not technically a Very Low Calorie Diet.
  • 2stepscloser
    2stepscloser Posts: 2,900 Member
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    I log them but I do not eat them. Personally, the weeks that I've eaten them or some of them, I don't see much movement on the scale. Not sure if it has anything to do with the weight I need to lose but my body has done very well with what I'm doing.
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
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    Currently, there are few consumer devices that can truly, accurately calculate burned calories. Especially, when you consider strength training.

    I still set my exercise calories to just 1 calorie burned.

    Also, I dont like MFP messing around with my intake macros and totals since I burned XYZ calories.
  • Saratini76
    Saratini76 Posts: 115 Member
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    Some of us with weight problems have those problems because of unhealthy relationships with food and I don't think that using it as a reward is a good idea. I know that is NOT what the "eating it back" philosophy is actually about, but I think it might be risky for people who already have problems with their relationship with food.

    This is exactly why I think my doctor told me not to. I do have a very unhealthy relationship with food, almost an....obsessive fixation with it . It's slowly changing, and I know my body needs fuel, but my mindset is still a work in progress.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    I'm quitting counting them for awhile because it did me no good. I didn't eat them all back most days, just some days. More often than not I only ate maybe 200 of them back. But it does seem counter productive if you burn 500 (supposedly) and eat it back...where is the deficit?

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