Here's why I don't eat back my exercise calories.

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Replies

  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    <snipped irrelevant raging>

    Would anyone pretty please like to share there experience with eating back and/or not eating back exercise calories? I would very much like to know how people are doing in the weight gain/weight loss area when eating back their exercise calories and when not eating them back. Thank you very much. :flowerforyou:

    <snipped irrelevant raging>
    how do you do the TDEE? mine is 2610 what should i change

    See if this thread helps. Let us know if you need more assistance

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    When you do the TDEE (like the thread I linked suggested) then you will be counting your burned calories "1". This way you're not really eating back your burned calories since its averaged out via TDEE and only counitng the 1 calorie for tracking your workouts

    Hope this helps. Good luck
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'm really not attacking or being rude. But to jump right down my throat and ask me if I'm only posting to justify my own actions is wrong and rude when I clearly stated that I was asking to see what other people think. Then to ask me if the "thousands" of other posts aren't good enough either is also rude. The post clearly has a sarcastic/rude/mean/insert your choice of NOT NICE words here. Thanks. :)

    1) The topic of the thread is "Here's why I don't eat back my exercise calories". Showing that you have already made up your mind about something and preaching to others.

    2) She didn't jump down your throat. I know this because I was very dissapointed at the lack of 2 women jumping on each other.

    3) She wasn't being rude. YOU are. If you would like to get better/serious answers, then kindly ask in a better way. Or, like suggested, use the search feature (which admittedly is lacking but still good enough for your inquiry, if you have one)

    She wasn't being sarcastic/rude/mean/insert your choice of NOT NICE words here. You are online and since my 3 years old is on the internet often I am going to assume you're at least 3. My 3 years old usually knows when I'm being mean or rude to him. He understands sarcasm and ignores it. For the other NOT NICE words he usually just farts in my general direction (literally)

    Would anyone pretty please like to share there experience with eating back and/or not eating back exercise calories? I would very much like to know how people are doing in the weight gain/weight loss area when eating back their exercise calories and when not eating them back. Thank you very much. :flowerforyou:

    Is that better?

    Honestly, I wasn't looking for an arguement. But people here have a tendency to tear through others without just answering the questions. Not eating my calories back is a decision I made. Assuming I was attempting to preach to others is also incorrect. I was looking for input from others and the results they gained. Can you seriously just let it go? I have a three year old also and she's very insistant on getting the last word. She also knows when someone is being mean to her. I'm fairly good at reading sarcasm, even through text. But.. are you done trying to parent me now? I'm done feeding the trolls, dad. :)


    I ate mine back all the way through, until I switched to the TDEE method. It worked. The end.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    I have been reading lot of controversy on why one should or should not eat back their exercise calories. I have also been reading the entire spectrum of response, from those who believe if one does not eat back their exercise calories they will shrivel up into nothing and blow away as dust particles in the wind to those who believe that eating back your exercise calories will cause you to not lose any weight at all.


    Here's my take. I MOSTLY elect not to eat mine back. *gasp* (cue the waste away to dust crowd here.) However, before that bunch starts spraying me with sealant to keep me together before the next wind comes, allow me to elaborate. If I have a particularly brutal workout, and I am ravenously hungry that day then sure, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will eat back and not feel bad about it in the least. Most days, this doesn't happen. I am actually less hungry on days I have especially trying workouts than on my rest days. Now, on days where I run/walk/use the elliptical or stationary bike for 30-45 minutes I will not eat my calories back. I tend to believe MFP overestimates caloric burn in cardiovascular exercise and I feel like eating them back at the point where the calculated burn is somewhere around 500, or less that eating them back could be counteractive to what I'm trying to do. I honestly believe that if one is hungry then one should eat. Starvation is not necessary when making a lifestyle change.

    So. Do you eat back your calories that you burn while exercising? Why or why not? I am interested in opinions on this one and how well eating them back or not works for you.

    So you say you've read all the controversial threads on MFP, still want to believe what you want to believe (even though that is not using the system the way it is intended) and now you want even more feedback? Were the thousands of threads ALREADY on the subject not enough responses for you?

    I don't know why you're even asking the question as you've clearly made up your mind to believe what you want to believe.

    Sounds to me like you just created this thread because you wanted to post your justification for not eating your exercise calories back. Way to go?

    /thread
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member

    Would anyone pretty please like to share there experience with eating back and/or not eating back exercise calories? I would very much like to know how people are doing in the weight gain/weight loss area when eating back their exercise calories and when not eating them back. Thank you very much. :flowerforyou:


    I will share. I have been on a cut since February, and over the past few weeks, I've lowered my calories a lot in an attempt to get off the last couple pounds. I'm one of those neurotic types that weigh and measure everything. As I got closer to what I thought would be goal, I realized I didn't have as much muscle tone as I wanted, and I had to start over. I decided to do a slow, gradual bulk. I upped my calories to what I thought was 200ish calories over maintenance (overall I upped them about 600-700 a day over what I was eating while trying to lose). I've been eating at this increased calorie level for 3 weeks.

    Result: I unintentionally lost weight when I upped my calories to what I thought was a surplus. Because my current goal is to add lean mass and then do another cut, I have to up my calories even more.

    Hope that helps.
  • This forum has a PERFECT example of someone being rude, then claiming to not be, then everyone jumping to rally said rude person...SMH. WHY CANT PEOPLE GIVE ADVICE WITHOUT BEING RUDE? If you think the OP shouldnt bother posting then here's an idea, dont respond, and let everyone else whose sick of said topic also not respond...did you ever think NEW PEOPLE COME ON HERE DAILY AND DONT YET KNOW HOW TO USE FORUM ETC ETC.


    Now, in direct answer to the OP. I eat back about HALF because I dont yet know which side of the fence Im on, on the subject. It sounds like you know whats working for you and if its working,. dont fix what isnt broken. I too get more hungry on rest days but I have a suspicion that its my bidy trying to make up for not eating enough the day before. Scientific proof for that theory? nope. I think there is something to be said for Listening to your body. But thats ME. Thanks for posting. I like NEW THREADS ON OLD SUBJECTS.
  • Allllllllllright. Forget I even asked. Holy God in Heaven.

    No F*** that. You're being bullied. I liked your post. I think there is a block feature on MFP but Im not yet sure how to use it.
  • johnmsmithers
    johnmsmithers Posts: 16 Member
    I still have over 150 pounds to lose before I reach the goal I've set. I expect my food and my caloric requirements to change as I get closer to goal, depending on how fit I am, how active I am, and how much muscle I have. Having never been at said goal weight in my adult life, I suspect even that will change. MFP tells me that I need almost 2000 calories per day. I stick as close to that as possible. I weigh and measure my food every day and eat some pre-packaged food. Still, I don't prepare everything ahead of time and I don't carry my food scale and measuring cup and spoons with me at all times. When not at home and not carrying something pre-made, I will guestimate quantities. I've lost 26.4 pounds in almost 7 weeks doing this. When I exercise, I generally do not make up those calories unless I'm hungry. Even if I do eat, I don't eat every calorie required to make up the deficit. I will eat those some of those additional calories if they exceed 400-500 calories. I don't want to go nuts with the deficit. I don't want to lose muscle or slow down my metabolism. So far, this has worked for me. I feel lighter and stronger and have more energy. If I were exercising more frequently, I'd likely make up those calories. Building or maintaining muscle takes calories. I expect I will have to stick closer to the recommended intake the closer I get to goal. I also recognize it is an estimate. I will have to experiment with balancing exercise and intake to develop the fitness and body composition I desire.

    Regarding the whole back-and-forth on rude/not-rude: I hope someone drops it. It doesn't matter who thinks who is being rude or who thinks who started it. It's not constructive.

    Regards,
    John
    jmyluck

    P.S., Everyone's welcome to "friend" me.
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    Allllllllllright. Forget I even asked. Holy God in Heaven.

    No F*** that. You're being bullied. I liked your post. I think there is a block feature on MFP but Im not yet sure how to use it.

    She's not being bullied.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    At the current moment, I am trying (it is kind of hard) to eat back the cal's I burn. I am not trying to lose weight though.
    When I was trying to go down in weight I did not always eat back calories. My reason was that I figured I was under calculating things and weights so I was probably eating back anyway, AND I had my goals set to be 500 cal's under anyway. If I make any sense...
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Ok the short answer............. Yes ate them back and lost 312 lbs...... Best of Luck
  • scrook43
    scrook43 Posts: 78 Member
    I do not eat my exercise calories back, I figure it all evens out because i also do not record every single thing I put in my mouth, condiments for example ( mustard, salsa etc) also if i add a few cucumbers and veggies to my salad or sandwich I do not count every little thing
  • deemar54
    deemar54 Posts: 61 Member
    Ok the short answer............. Yes ate them back and lost 312 lbs...... Best of Luck

    i have seen your posts before. just wanted to say congratulations, you're awesome!
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    I eat a majority of mine back. Per my nutritionist, the only thing that will suffer is my athletic performance if I don't. Since I just finished one triathlon and have 2 more coming up in August, that is more important to me at this point. Since I only have 10 or more pounds to trim around the edges, weight loss is not my primary goal any longer. Swimming, biking, and running faster are! I'll get back to the final trim in the fall after my athletic endeavors are less specifically goal oriented. Since I burn over 700 calories a day on workout days, I certainly do enjoy the added freedom to add more food to my plate - albeit most of it is simply more lean protein plus a treat or two.

    That being said, when weight loss was the primary goal last year, I would try to stick within my calorie goal quite a bit more religiously. At the end of the day, you have to decide what YOUR priorities are. As the goals of each individual on MFP are their own, I don't think you can let us decide what is best for you. Best of luck.
  • Allllllllllright. Forget I even asked. Holy God in Heaven.

    No F*** that. You're being bullied. I liked your post. I think there is a block feature on MFP but Im not yet sure how to use it.

    She's not being bullied.

    I see 3 people not answering her question but harping on her for asking it. This is not the point of forum. There's a polite way to handle everything. Post the links, share your story, etc but when the OP is publicly apologizing for posting in forum SCREW THAT. I personally dont give a crap how many times the same things get posted. No one forces me to read anything I dont want to read, and I typically only respond to posts where I have something to OFFER.
  • YogaRunner
    YogaRunner Posts: 652 Member
    Recommendation...just ignore them. Don't feed the trolls. Ask whatever you want.
  • Recommendation...just ignore them. Don't feed the trolls. Ask whatever you want.

    This
  • Rilzy
    Rilzy Posts: 59 Member
    Allllllllllright. Forget I even asked. Holy God in Heaven.

    No F*** that. You're being bullied. I liked your post. I think there is a block feature on MFP but Im not yet sure how to use it.

    So as soon as someone says something you don't agree with now a days it is bullying? Interesting. I find people throw that word around waaaay too lightly on the internet. You obviously don't know what it means to really be bullied.

    At any rate in relation to the OP's question which I will fully admit to being surprised to find at the end of the thread having expected it to merely be an explanation of why she made that particular choice - I eat back most of my exercise calories. This is because I set my MFP to sedentary even though I am really not so I am scheduled to eat 1200 cals per day. Also, I am one of those people who agree that MFP seems to really badly over estimate exercise calories... so I program in the calories from the machine I use which is always HALF what MFP gives me.

    At the end of the day you do what works for your body until it doesn't work anymore and you do something else. Happy dieting.
  • tgarci20
    tgarci20 Posts: 3 Member
    I actually you have a very valid point. Thanks for your input, this really helps a beginner...
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    I see 3 people not answering her question but harping on her for asking it. This is not the point of forum. There's a polite way to handle everything. Post the links, share your story, etc but when the OP is publicly apologizing for posting in forum SCREW THAT. I personally dont give a crap how many times the same things get posted. No one forces me to read anything I dont want to read, and I typically only respond to posts where I have something to OFFER.

    They did answer her question and provided links. Isn't the point of a forum to start discussion and that's what I see going on here. I certainly don't see any bullying.
  • mcheather14
    mcheather14 Posts: 9 Member
    For me it depends on how hungry I am. I always try not to eat them back, but if I am ravenous, I opt for some fruit and cottage cheese or a greek yogurt or protein shake. I am hypothyroid so losing weight AND keeping it off has proved to be especially difficult for the last 16 years (since age 22). I did want to mention that you thought MFP over-estimates the calorie burn for cardio....I have an expensive Polar watch/heartrate monitor that is programmed with my height, weight, age and I wear it while doing any exercise. MFP's calorie estimator is usually only about 30-40 calories higher for a 45 minute cardio workout than what my heart rate monitor says, so it really is fairly accurate.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I ate mine back all the way through, until I switched to the TDEE method. It worked. The end.

    Same here.

    Also, including my exercise calories was the holy grail of weight loss for me. Previously, I thought "the less you eat, the faster you lose." It didn't work that way for me. This thread shows the results of eating minimally, vs eating appropriately and inclusing exercise calories. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/494091-i-just-don-t-care-anymore
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Ok the short answer............. Yes ate them back and lost 312 lbs...... Best of Luck

    i have seen your posts before. just wanted to say congratulations, you're awesome!

    He is indeed pretty awesome. Theres a bunch of other folks too who lost a great bunch via eating back their calories. In my first reply to the thread I mentioned that you can lose both by eating and not eating back the calories. The difference would be how your body would look once you reach your goal weight. Eating back the calories also keeps one sane imo :)
  • tgarci20
    tgarci20 Posts: 3 Member
    I actually you have a very valid point. Thanks for your input, this really helps a beginner...
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    Allllllllllright. Forget I even asked. Holy God in Heaven.

    No F*** that. You're being bullied. I liked your post. I think there is a block feature on MFP but Im not yet sure how to use it.

    She's not being bullied.

    I see 3 people not answering her question but harping on her for asking it. This is not the point of forum. There's a polite way to handle everything. Post the links, share your story, etc but when the OP is publicly apologizing for posting in forum SCREW THAT. I personally dont give a crap how many times the same things get posted. No one forces me to read anything I dont want to read, and I typically only respond to posts where I have something to OFFER.

    She got good answers in the first 3 replies. Lets put this behind us and move on. mmk?
  • To those of you who disagree with me, ok. I sincerely hope if you ever start a forum topic you are treated with more respect. I am so incredibly tired of the rhetoric here. Apparently its OK to give advice in rude, condescending tones and its also ok to point out how redundant and stupid someones topic is. I feel so bad for new people actually looking for help, because unfortunately the people who've been around a while have this strange inability to be polite.
  • lpina2mi
    lpina2mi Posts: 425 Member
    I honestly believe that if one is hungry then one should eat. Starvation is not necessary when making a lifestyle change.

    So. Do you eat back your calories that you burn while exercising? Why or why not? I am interested in opinions on this one and how well eating them back or not works for you.

    I make no effort to eat extra calories just because I exercised. Nor do I go hungry one day so that I can indulge during a festivity on another day.

    And because I am doing both cardio and toning I am not heading for what is referred to as "skinny-fat". My only concerned at the end of my wt loss is that my skin will have enough elasticity not to sag--and that may be in the hands of my genetics.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    I simply offer prayers of thanks that this is not about clean eating.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    So if a question has been asked before no one should ever ask it again. They should just do a search and never open a thread to ask a question. Ok, got it. Good to know how MFP works.

    OP - I do the same thing you do. I don't always eat back my calories. I eat if I feel ravenously hungry after workout, but if I don't feel hungry after a workout, I don't eat.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I do eat them back...because I understand how MFP works.
    And if I could "eat when I'm hungry"....I wouldn't have been so overweight to begin with, and wouldn't need to be here at all.
  • So if a question has been asked before no one should ever ask it again. They should just do a search and never open a thread to ask a question. Ok, got it. Good to know how MFP works.

    OP - I do the same thing you do. I don't always eat back my calories. I eat if I feel ravenously hungry after workout, but if I don't feel hungry after a workout, I don't eat.

    LOL Right? Makes sense to me.
This discussion has been closed.