Do you eat back your exercise calories??

blytheny
blytheny Posts: 63 Member
in Food and Nutrition
There are two definite camps on this one.... "yes, I eat them all, or most"... and, "no, never!"

Where do you fall, and why??

(I try to eat some, but am wondering if I'd lose better if I ate most... I have hit a plateau for the past 2 1/2 weeks, and that seems to be the only thing I can really change...)

Thanks!

Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I don't, but it's because I don't use MFP's default method.

    See here please:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • keninf
    keninf Posts: 215 Member
    My best results have come from combining MFP recommendations and including negative adjustments from my fitbit- MFP calculates the loss already and increases if you exercise- which is great, but I find my fitbit is almost always about 125 or more calories below MFP recommendations. By doing this I have been able to lose pretty steadily, or at least not gain when I am on vacation, etc. I think you have to experiment a bit and find a good system for you and your activity level and lifestyle.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    In theory, there is one camp but two methods and a lot of confusion. If you are using TDEE-20%, your exercise regimine is already included in your totals and you shouldn't eat extra on exercise days because they are factored in. If you are using the MFP method, which is a NEAT calculator, exercise is excluded, and weight loss is based purely on diet. In that case, you need to eat extra on days when you work out to avoid creating a large deficit, which causes all sorts of problems. I'm currently using the NEAT calculator, since my burns vary a lot from day to day (I'm doing insanity), but when I start lifting in a couple weeks, I'll be using TDEE for convenience. So for now, I eat extra on days I work out but when I weight lift I won't since I'll be using a different method. Many people don't understand the difference in these two philosophies, and try to apply the TDEE principles to NEAT, rationlizing it by saying they want to lose more weight, so why should they eat more? In both systems, you eat more due to your workouts. The only difference is how that extra is factored in.

    On a side note, if you are having trouble with a plateau, consider dropping your projected weekly loss. When you get close to goal weight, it gets harder to lose the fat since there is less to lose. Reducing from trying to lose 2 lbs/week to losing 1 lbs/week or 0.5 lbs/week reduces your deficit and will often get the fat loss moving again. You should also be tracking body measurements. Near goal weight, fluctuations in water weight can obscure fat losses. Tracking body measurements will allow you to see the loss in inches, even if the scale says you haven't lost anything.
  • tochatty
    tochatty Posts: 22 Member
    I don't eat them myself. Although there are a day here and there I may go over my calories, but then I do just try to get in more exercise or if I haven't exercised that day, then I get some in.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Yep..most of them. Works for me!
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    I rarely eat any of them back...but I don't log thousands of them either.
  • _meesh_
    _meesh_ Posts: 73
    Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but like the person above me I don't get thousands. I count my biking to and from work, and walking more than 5 minutes (but it's usually only around 10) so it's only around 200-300. If/When I start really buring calories from working out, I'll probably aim to eat back about half of them.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    There are two definite camps on this one.... "yes, I eat them all, or most"... and, "no, never!"

    Where do you fall, and why??

    (I try to eat some, but am wondering if I'd lose better if I ate most... I have hit a plateau for the past 2 1/2 weeks, and that seems to be the only thing I can really change...)

    Thanks!

    If you are using MFP, you're supposed to; there is no debate. Saying there's a debate is like saying there's a debate on whether or not you use a hammer to drive screws. Know your tool and method. MFP method is basically NEAT method and exercise is NOT included in your activity level...thus you log and eat it back. It's really simple if you just read the instructions on how to use said tool...again....there really is no debate; just ignorance.

    Where people go wrong is using the database or whatever for their burn and they think they burned a gazillion calories going on a 5 mile walk...sorry...didn't happen. People are completely unrealistic in their calorie burns and then they blame the method rather than the fact that they can't estimate for ****.
  • 24redwine
    24redwine Posts: 43
    I eat most or all of the exercise calories back -- following MFP (not other methods that are calculated differently). My weight loss and fitness and have been consistently improving since January, so I don't intend to change the approach. I get hungry and so I eat because my body is telling me it needs fuel. Just be careful not to eat because you are bored, stressed, depressed, etc. Or if you allow it for one day, get back on track. I eat as much as MFP allows (and enjoy some wine) because I want this to be a lifestyle, not a diet. If I feel deprived, or I go to bed hungry, I won't rest well, feel fatigued, have lousy workouts, and don't stay on my plan. Good luck to you. I have found success with this method, and I feel younger and healthier than I have in 15 years. I am training for a half marthon and am doing ten miles without a major struggle. This method works.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    The MFP system is to eat them.

    But you can do it either way. I think either way will work. I feel more hungry on days that I workout so I eat all my exercise calories. But I could also not eat them. Then I would lose weight faster. That is the important thing! If you exercise 3 times per week for say 1500 calories total and you do it most weeks, then you should have your daily calorie goal set higher by 1500/7 per day to achieve the same result. But you may ask more weight loss is better right? Not for me. I want slow controlled weight loss.

    And although I am not sure about the science behind it, if you lose weight too fast your body may go into starvation mode. I don't know about that so can't say.

    So you can do it either way but I would say to eat all your exercise calories and use your daily calorie intake to control your weight loss is a more controlled process. Because you won't exercise exactly the same number of calories every week.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I follow the MFP method so yes I eat my exercise calories back...... Been working pretty good for me so far..... Best of Luck

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