We are pleased to announce that today, March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Eating calories back?

proudmama2boys
proudmama2boys Posts: 3
edited February 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to MyFitnessPal & I heard that all of the calories that you burn doing exercise - you are suppose to eat back?
Is this true? Can someone please explain to me the proper way to do this because I have already lost a lot of weight using another method and now I'm wanting to count calories for the last 15-20 pounds. Thanks in advance! Any advice is welcome good or bad, I'll learn from it!

Replies

  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    If you use the calorie amount MFP gives you-let's say 1200, then you need to eat back some of the exercise calories because 1200 calories per day already includes a deficit. I usually eat back 1/2-3/4 of my exercise calories. If I'm still hungry, I eat back all my exercise calories. Doing this, I have lost slowly but steadily and I'm just a couple of pounds from my goal.
    I feel energetic, well-nourished and happy.
    I eat veggies, fruits, beef, poultry, fish, beans, nut butters, eggs, ect.
    I also eat chocolate and other treats.
  • proudmama2boys
    proudmama2boys Posts: 3
    Thanks so much & Congratulations on your weight loss!
  • sokkache
    sokkache Posts: 220 Member
    I don't eat back calories, in fact, I don't even log exercise. My calorie goal is 1600 so even if I do exercise and don't eat back calories, I'm usually still above 1200 which is good enough for me.

    If you are at 1200-1400, I would suggest eating back 1/2 of the exercise calories though.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories or you create a larger deficit than the one that has been set for you. If you have an accurate way of determining your true burn (eg.by using a heart rate monitor) then I would eat all of your exercise calories back. If you are using MFP's calculations I would aim to eat half to three quarters of them, as this site tends to overestimate them.

    I have eaten all my exercise calories as determined by Fitbit from day 1 and it certainly hasn't hampered my weight loss :drinker:
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    I eat back 200-300 of my workout calories. Otherwise my net calories are too low.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    This is the best explanation I've ever found for your question: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
This discussion has been closed.

Categories