Do you ever...or am I CRAZY

Do you ever brush you teeth just so you don't eat anything else for the night. I find myself doing that more often because I don't want to go over my calories for the day even though I have well over 1,000 left because of exercise. Am I the only crazy person that does that?
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Replies

  • primalpam
    primalpam Posts: 64 Member
    I brush my teeth so I won't eat anymore.....but then eat anyway and get pissed that I have to brush again. :laugh:
  • Why the heck aren't you eating back your exercise calories?!
  • JHaakinson
    JHaakinson Posts: 7 Member
    No, but that is a great idea....I'm going to have to remember this one!
  • bermequeen
    bermequeen Posts: 57 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.

    There's a deficit built in MFP. So if you burn 2000 a day just existing and cooking and whatnot, your goal is 1500. But if you burn an extra 1000 on top of that with exercise, you'll burn a total of 3000... but only eat 1500 if you don't eat back your calories, leaving your body with no fuel. Sure, it will pick up some from your reserves, but not as much as it would otherwise, and eventually it will stop and your metabolism will slow down, and you'll be tired and have no energy to work out.

    If your goal is 1500 and you burn 1000 calories and eat them back, you'll still eat 2500 calories out of 3000 burned, and will keep a reasonable deficit for a healthy weight loss. The point is you can't expect your body to get too much energy from your fat reserves, it needs some fuel too.
  • rainydays5
    rainydays5 Posts: 217 Member
    I agree! I keep reading the explanations but still have the mind set that if I eat them back after working so hard to burn them off then what is the point. I did try eating them back (or most of them) this past week and haven't lost anything! Pretty disappointed! However, I have more energy eating them back and do not get tired so early in the evening. I still think I am going back to what was working for me.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.

    Because MFP assumes you don't do any exercise when assigning you a caloric intake, so by default it is not enough to sustain your workouts:

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Why the heck aren't you eating back your exercise calories?!

    this!
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.
    Worked for me... and tens/hundreds/thousands of others who are trying to lose weight forever, not for a while.
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
    I lost about 1 lb/week for almost a year NOT eating back my exercise calories (or eating back half at most), then decided to try eating them back based on how hard people on MFP were pushing that strategy. I gave it 6 weeks and lost .5 lb in 6 weeks. No change in diet or exercise. That's terrible. This week, I went back to *not* eating back my exercise calories and lost 1 lb already.

    This is where people start derisively calling me a "special snowflake" because what works for them did not work for me.

    YMMV.
  • MissJacquelineN
    MissJacquelineN Posts: 175 Member
    I do the same thing. My inner laziness comes out and I refuse to brush my teeth again, so I just walk away from the food. I guess it works out in my favor, but it's kind of odd being annoyed at myself. lol.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    It works for me. Or gum.
  • WhiteGirlWasted13
    WhiteGirlWasted13 Posts: 178 Member
    ::raises hand::

    And sometimes, I'll take it a step further and just go to bed early.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ........I don't want to go over my calories for the day even though I have well over 1,000 left because of exercise................

    That sentence makes no sense. You do realize that your NET calorie GOAL (look that word up...sounds like you do not understand the definition) is a deficit of calories from maintenance. It is NET of exercise...so you're supposed to eat back exercise calories and NET to your GOAL. Just be careful not to overestimate burn. What the frack are you doing that you think you burn 1,000 calories a day in exercise? That's athlete **** right there...if you really are burning that many, you might want to dial that back...or learn to eat.

    Either way, learn how to use this tool. As with any tool, it works much better when used as designed.
  • kathyhull
    kathyhull Posts: 327 Member
    Yep - all of the above - brush my teeth, chew gum, go to bed early - anything to get myself out of that "I've got to shove everything in the kitchen in my mouth right now" feeling! I guess the goal is learn better coping skills over time, but hey - ya gotta do what works for you!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.

    Deficit is built into your calorie GOAL...you do not need to create a deficit with exercise.

    Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • eleqtriq
    eleqtriq Posts: 76 Member
    I workout a *lot*. Talking thousands of calories per day a few days a week, near 1000 a few others and a few days off.

    I burned 12,465 calories via exercise from Thur July 4th till yesterday. Measured by a Garmin FRS70.

    I do not eat back all my calories. I only eat back enough to feel good again the next day.

    You only need to restore your glycogen and get enough protein. Since I don't stress about carbs like so many of you do, I find it easy to eat at a big deficit and still have fuel for big workouts. I bicycle, run, lift weights, and do boot camps. My weight has plummeted, my body fat percentage has plummeted and my strength has soared.

    That's what's worked for me.
  • horndave
    horndave Posts: 565
    I agree! I keep reading the explanations but still have the mind set that if I eat them back after working so hard to burn them off then what is the point. I did try eating them back (or most of them) this past week and haven't lost anything! Pretty disappointed! However, I have more energy eating them back and do not get tired so early in the evening. I still think I am going back to what was working for me.

    Wow a whole week of an effort. You did so good just going a whole week.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    You're the only crazy person who leaves 1,000 exercise calories on the table. Shoot, give 'em to me if you don't want them. Total waste. :wink:
  • bethmakesmusic
    bethmakesmusic Posts: 164 Member
    I like the idea of brushing my teeth so I don't eat any more at night. Good idea! And thanks for all the explanations about eating back your workout calories. That's good for me to know too!
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    I workout a *lot*. Talking thousands of calories per day a few days a week, near 1000 a few others and a few days off.

    I burned 12,465 calories via exercise from Thur July 4th till yesterday. Measured by a Garmin FRS70.

    I do not eat back all my calories. I only eat back enough to feel good again the next day.

    You only need to restore your glycogen and get enough protein. Since I don't stress about carbs like so many of you do, I find it easy to eat at a big deficit and still have fuel for big workouts. I bicycle, run, lift weights, and do boot camps. My weight has plummeted, my body fat percentage has plummeted and my strength has soared.

    That's what's worked for me.
    same here...I envy your orange sweatband btw!
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    I don't
    u are crazy
  • BobOki
    BobOki Posts: 245 Member
    ANYTHING you can do to trick yourself into making your late night munchie decisions easier is not crazy, it's knowing yourself.
    Good on you!
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    i've heard of this....but nah I don't...i just play bioshock...or I go and have sex....

    both keep me busy
  • shirleygirl910
    shirleygirl910 Posts: 503 Member
    You only need to restore your glycogen and get enough protein. .

    That's what's worked for me.

    There's not a magic formula. You have to tweek it to fit your body, but if you are saying you don't eat your exercise calories back at all you may be losing weight but not having the energy. It's not all about the scale either.

    I've noticed since losing my job we have had to rely on food banks to feed the family. It's hard to make meals with the right macros. I'm getting enough calories, but my energy level is suffering.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    The whole eat back calories confuses me. Why burn them to eat them back? I try not to do that.

    I will never understand why people do this.

    People trust this highly successful website with many highly successful members to tell them how much they should eat, how their macros should look, the calorie count of almost every food out there, but when it tells you to eat back your exercise calories, ppffttt, it's a conspiracy to make me gain weight!
  • JayStu
    JayStu Posts: 332 Member
    I never do that cause if I want to eat and have the calories I will but on another note, the mint in tooth paste or gum can help curb a sweet tooth after meals
  • eleqtriq
    eleqtriq Posts: 76 Member
    same here...I envy your orange sweatband btw!

    You should get one, too!
    There's not a magic formula. You have to tweek it to fit your body, but if you are saying you don't eat your exercise calories back at all you may be losing weight but not having the energy. It's not all about the scale either.

    I've noticed since losing my job we have had to rely on food banks to feed the family. It's hard to make meals with the right macros. I'm getting enough calories, but my energy level is suffering.

    First, I really hope you find employment soon. That's rough.

    I didn't mean to imply it was a magic formula. I guess it could of been read both ways. Like I said, I have big workouts. Workouts that require big energy. This is what works *for me* without having to eat back lots of calories. I know what foods make me feel good and I eat them. Tons of veggies then fruits, followed by some whole grains, seeds and legumes. I don't even worry about macros. I just make sure I get enough sugar and protein for the muscles.
  • VeinsAndBones
    VeinsAndBones Posts: 550 Member
    I have a bad habit of not brushing my teeth, I have vampire teeth though so I'm more predator looking anyways so dragon breath kinda suits me
  • thickstar247
    thickstar247 Posts: 5 Member
    No but Im going to start! I think I ate a extra 300 calories I could have avoid that way ... I went over by 100 calories thanks for the tip !