Do you eat back the calories earned from exercise?

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  • raeganjayne15
    raeganjayne15 Posts: 55
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    I only eat them back if Im hungry.
  • JudieJudes
    JudieJudes Posts: 174 Member
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    Bumpity Bump - Interesting read.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    I don't. My workouts go from 150 to 1500 and I don't like the variable. I just eat at TDEE - 20%
  • Arwaxx
    Arwaxx Posts: 113 Member
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    no. i eat 1600 calories whether i work out or not
  • ashleymm625
    ashleymm625 Posts: 86
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    i wasn't....but now i am considering trying to eat them back, or atleast a good portion
  • WalkingMermaid_
    WalkingMermaid_ Posts: 205 Member
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    I do, to be honest my main motivation to workout is so that I can eat more, lol.
  • ferocityturbine
    ferocityturbine Posts: 110 Member
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    Well I certainly exercise off my eating calories!

    Like most on here, I eat back some. If I've gone substantially over my allowance I'll definitely do a longer/harder workout than usual to balance my net calories for the day.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Do you eat the calories earned from exercise???

    I don't even know what the term 'eat back the calories' means.

    Since MFP has already figured your calorie goal to have a deficit if you're trying to lose weight, if you exercise and burn off a bunch more calories you make your deficit larger. A large deficit is generally fine for someone who is obese, but for someone who is closer to goal it can result in muscle loss and general stress on the body.

    So if you enter your exercise and it's 300 calories, and your goal is 1800, then MFP will add the 300 to your goal. So now you're meant to eat 2100. Otherwise you eat 1800 and then burn off 300 and you only get 1500 net.
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    Yes, but it's working for me so I'm fine with it. I exercise partly so I can enjoy a little more good food.

    Last weekend, according to my HRM, I burned up 828 calories in a sprint triathlon. The last part (a 5K) I started thinking about what I'd eat for breakfast and remembered a can of vegetarian chili sitting in a closet at home. I loaded it with pasta and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then I took a nap. Wish I could do the same next weekend.
  • JCES10
    JCES10 Posts: 37 Member
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    Maybe not all of them but yeah ! I tried both ways and both had worked (weight loss) for me but I feel better when I eat them back.
  • armdog07
    armdog07 Posts: 1
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    if you are trying to maintain your weight you can can but if you are losing weight you need to sustain the diet calorie plan you are on.
  • kitka82
    kitka82 Posts: 350 Member
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    Depends on how hungry I am...if I'm ravenous, then every single one, but if not, I'm not hugely worried about it as I don't think they're particularly accurate in all situations. I figure that if I'm hungry, I've definitely burned that much, but if I'm not, I probably haven't. Over time, it seems to even itself out and work fairly well for me that way.

    ^^This. If I'm hungry, I eat them back. If I'm not hungry, I tend not to. I'm usually hungry though LOL.
  • kitka82
    kitka82 Posts: 350 Member
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    Yes, but it's working for me so I'm fine with it. I exercise partly so I can enjoy a little more good food.

    Last weekend, according to my HRM, I burned up 828 calories in a sprint triathlon. The last part (a 5K) I started thinking about what I'd eat for breakfast and remembered a can of vegetarian chili sitting in a closet at home. I loaded it with pasta and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then I took a nap. Wish I could do the same next weekend.

    That sounds like an amazing breakfast. The nap sounds even better! I wish I could do that EVERY weekend.
  • SlimJanette
    SlimJanette Posts: 597 Member
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    I want to but I have a hard time determining how many calories I REALLY burn during exercise.

    You can do the machines in the gym and those are accurate ...otherwise the gym wouldn't be so expensive probably lol

    The machines at the gym are not accurate. They are off between 20-30%. The best way is to get a Heart rate monitor and track it that way.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    if you are trying to maintain your weight you can can but if you are losing weight you need to sustain the diet calorie plan you are on.

    It has been explained a few times in this post already that MFP's plan allows you to eat them back and still lose weight. In fact, it expects you to.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I can't believe there are so many people who actually think the MFP calorie goal is their maintenance level of calories. Really...does 1200 calories even sound remotely like a reasonable maintenance level of calories for the average person? Also can't believe how many people pick up a tool without knowing how to use it. Using the NEAT method and not eating back exercise calories is like using a sledge hammer to drive a screw. Learn how a tool works...then use said tool properly.

    I always at back about 70% of mine...or drank them back as it were...35-40 Lbs later, I'd say it works if you understand what you're doing and using the tool properly.
  • BrittanyAnnL
    BrittanyAnnL Posts: 140
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    I do sometimes. I have stopped paying so much attention to the numbers and what I am eating back though. If I feel hungry still after meeting my goal then sure, I go ahead and eat something and sometimes that eats into my burned calories. I do know that when I first started my journey I didnt eat back my calories and I was always hungry. I upped my calorie intake and started eating some of them back when I feel the need to.

    I dont think that you should eat just because you can... like say, "oh look, I am not really that hungry but I still have 500 calories left so I think I will have some ice cream" lol if you get what I mean. :)

    I have had great results at 35 total lbs lost, 25 of which with MFP. :)
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    if you are trying to maintain your weight you can can but if you are losing weight you need to sustain the diet calorie plan you are on.

    If your using the MFP approach to weight loss then your deficit is already figured in and any calories burned through exercise should be consumed to fuel your body and your workouts... I use this approach and have lost a few pounds.... Best of Luck OP.... :drinker:
  • rachelklewis3
    rachelklewis3 Posts: 69 Member
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    Most of the time, yes. But I do not force myself to eat them back if I am not hungry.... and sometimes I drink them back with a glass of wine ;)
  • RCottonRPh
    RCottonRPh Posts: 148
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    Some, but not many. I already eat above my BMR and I'm trying for a 700-800 calorie daily deficit...so I have to burn an awful lot of calories in a day to be able to eat some back.

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