Are you suppose to eat back the calories you burn?

I guess I'm a bit confused from everyone's stories on here. I have my calorie goal set at 1200 with either hitting it or slightly going over each day. I exercise about 4x a week with anywhere from 30-60min of cardio being my main focus. I have been athletic my entire life just always struggled with bad eating habits. I've seen people say your suppose to eat back the calories you've burned during your exercise otherwise I'm putting my body in starvation mode. I've been using fitnesspal since the beginning of the year & it's really taught me to make better food choices, it's amazing to see that your basic bagel/cream cheese & large coffee with sugar/cream can sometimes be 1/2 of your daily intake. The only reason I'm questioning this eating back your calories is because I've been using fitnesspal continuously for over a month with my exercise routine and haven't lost any weight. I've lost inches because my clothes feel better & I feel great, but I'm a girl & obsessed with this weight number not going down. Just curious to see how everyone else uses the program.

Thanks! =)

Replies

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    YES!!!!!!!
  • JoannaC61210
    JoannaC61210 Posts: 9 Member
    So if I burn 500 calories running I should eat something as much as 500 calories?
  • ddoeren84
    ddoeren84 Posts: 30
    I've heard that MFP overestimates how many calories you burn so if you eat them all back you might end up accidentally eating over your goal.

    I generally just eat if I'm hungry. My net calorie goal is 1500 but I only ate 1270 calories for the day and supposedly burned 400. I'm not really hungry though so I'm not worried about it.
  • lmckillo
    lmckillo Posts: 127 Member
    I try not to eat back the calories I burn. Maybe once I hit my goal I will but I always try to leave some calories on the table.
  • JoannaC61210
    JoannaC61210 Posts: 9 Member
    That's what I thought, that you should always be leaving some calories to roll over, else whats the point of working out if ur going to eat it back, esp when I'm not hungry. Thanks for the input!
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    The point is that MFP already gives you a safe deficit, calculated BEFORE exercise. So if you've set it to lose 1lb a week your built-in calorie goal if you do nothing but sit on your rear and eat all day (to your calorie goal, not above) already includes a 500 calorie deficit. You'll still lose weight without exercise. Now. Add exercise in, and you increase the deficit. Which up to a point can be OK but for most people it will create TOO LARGE a deficit. Eat at too large a deficit for long enough and your weight loss will slow/stall completely. You eat back the calories you earn from exercise in order to maintain the same deficit. So your MFP goal is say 1500, which includes your 500 deficit; you burn off 300 from exercise bringing your net total down to 1200 - so you need to eat an extra 300(ish) in order to bring your net total back up to 1500 thus maintaining your 500 calorie deficit to lose weight in a sustainable, healthy fashion.

    Edited to add: you seem to be laboring under the mistaken belief that is shared by so many: that you must work out to lose weight. The reality is that the only thing you MUST do to lose weight is to eat a caloric deficit. Exercise is a bonus. It earns you extra calories to eat when you're really hungry, it conditions your body, it is good for you - but it is not a strictly necessary component of the weight-loss cycle.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    That's what I thought, that you should always be leaving some calories to roll over, else whats the point of working out if ur going to eat it back, esp when I'm not hungry. Thanks for the input!

    Wrong!
    The "point of working out" is health, fitness, retention of muscle mass while losing weight and ending up with the body you want when you get to goal rather than just ending up with a smaller version of your current self.

    MFP is designed so that you should eat back your exercise calories. You still have the deficit you need to lose weight by hitting your net calorie target.
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    Don't forget that when you set your goal, MFP works out a calorie deficit. So if you set your goal as losing 1lb per week, your daily deficit is 500cals.

    That said, as was pointed out, the burn estimates do run pretty high so you wouldn't need to eat all the exercise calories back.
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    Took way too long to post...
  • Jblang15
    Jblang15 Posts: 2 Member
    Yes, me too I leave some calories on the table. I notice that at the end of the week, I haven't lost everything. Also, during lunch because I don't have my food balance well I need to say approximitly...
  • allhandstrash
    allhandstrash Posts: 1 Member
    Grr... I was looking for a video that explains this and I can't find it....

    Here's a note about it though.. (and this page on FB is awesome support for weight loss by the way!)

    https://www.facebook.com/notes/elizas-journey-pound-by-pound/should-you-eat-back-exercise-calories/516100838439090
  • hazeljordan1974
    hazeljordan1974 Posts: 107 Member
    I eat back some but leave most of them "on the table" as others have said, but it depends on how I am feeling on the day as to how many I eat back - I ensure I am never hungry for long (I sometimes am just before lunch or my evening meal but that's how it is supposed to be).

    Weight loss is always going to slow down if you eat the same as you did when you started - when you weigh less your body needs fewer calories which is why MFP keeps adjusting the calories as you lose weight. I have been lucky my weight loss has been constant - admittedly some weeks it is more than others but I just keep logging and exercising knowing I'll get there.
  • JoannaC61210
    JoannaC61210 Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks everyone for your responses, appreciate them!
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
    So if I burn 500 calories running I should eat something as much as 500 calories?

    Yes, as long as you're sure the number of calories you burned is accurate. MFP overestimates, so do ellipticals/treadmills/bikes that tell you how many calories you've burned. They don't know your body type, how tall you are, or how much you weigh, so the calories they tell you you've burned are likely off. Get a heart rate monitor (I have the Polar FT4 and I LOVE it!). It's the most accurate way to determine how many calories you burned so you can feel confident that you've truly met your goal for the day.
  • toothpastechica
    toothpastechica Posts: 250 Member
    I eat back enough calories that I net at least 1200 (my calorie goal is 1600ish), but if after working out I only net 1250, unless I am starving, I don't eat back the additional calories..I do try and hit my 1600 in food calories though before factoring working out.
  • bluestarlight19
    bluestarlight19 Posts: 419 Member
    I exercise at night so I usually eat them back the next day because (especially after strength training) I get super super hungry the next day after a heavy work out. So sometimes it looks like i'm over and sometimes it looks like i'm under but i'm just following my hunger.
  • MFP target for me is 1200 calories which is personally too small of a calorie target when I'm trying to get a good balance of protein, carbs and fat. I eat the 1200 and say I then burn 500 calories, I will eat them back (IF I'm hungry).

    Exercise is of course a good way to build muscle, get fitter & burn fat but exercising also increases the amount you can eat without going over your daily limit.

    Think of it as the more you burn off, the more you can eat as exercising will make you hungrier anyway as you are using more energy so you need to replenish your body!

    xx
  • anniegail1961
    anniegail1961 Posts: 116 Member
    Hi There: To be young and beautiful again!
    At first I was eating them back- I was exercising 6 days/wk, and I lost and re-gained the same 10 lbs.
    Now I only eat up to 1300 cal.
    Best Regards!
  • ProgressNotPerfection32
    ProgressNotPerfection32 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I rarely eat back my exercise calories for the simple fact I don't really know how much I burn once MFP overestimates. What I DO do is look at how far I am under my weekly goal on Friday or Saturday evening, if I'm more than 1,000 under for the week I will give myself a treat. Something I don't have on a regular basis. This week, it will be a yummy funnel cake at the amusement park! I had dropped 60'lbs over 2 years them plateaued the last 8 months. I started exercising and set my calorie goal higher, lo and behold, I've lost inches and have started losing weight again!!


    I also think maybe your calorie goal is too low.............

    Good luck to you!!
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
    Because everything is over-estimated I'll usually eat back two thirds only
  • Yeah I strongly agree that MFP over estimates calorie burn and the only thing that is going to be accurate is if you use a HRM :)
  • JoannaC61210
    JoannaC61210 Posts: 9 Member
    So if I burn 500 calories running I should eat something as much as 500 calories?

    Yes, as long as you're sure the number of calories you burned is accurate. MFP overestimates, so do ellipticals/treadmills/bikes that tell you how many calories you've burned. They don't know your body type, how tall you are, or how much you weigh, so the calories they tell you you've burned are likely off. Get a heart rate monitor (I have the Polar FT4 and I LOVE it!). It's the most accurate way to determine how many calories you burned so you can feel confident that you've truly met your goal for the day.

    I agree it def. overestimates calories burned which Is why I use a polar HRM. Best thing ever!
  • I am working with a dietician and she advised I don't need to eat back exercise calories. "Listen to your body and your energy level."

    It isn't holy writ. Listen to your body. :)
  • I am confused too because it been nearly 2 weeks and I haven't lost any weight and I usualy have a deficit of 500-700