eat exercise calories back or not?

Assuming you're trying to lose weight, and you're eating over your BMR (and at least 1,200 calories a day), then I say do NOT eat exercise calories back. Put those calories toward weight-loss.

That said, if you're feeling tired, weak, or legitimately hungry, it's ok to eat some of it back - as long as you stay under your TDEE. This is especially true if you're exercising a lot - like over 750 calories a day. You need carbs to fuel those workouts and protein to rebuild your muscles.

Eat them back if your net calories are under your daily allotted calories.

I exercise a lot and if I didnt eat back most of my exercise calories, I'd only net between 300 and 800 calories a day. Not enough! So I eat until I come to my daily allowance of just under 1500. And I'm losing weight nicely.

okay that makes sense! my daily goal/allowance is 1450 calories so for example today I went for a 4 mile walk and burnt 450calories, and to this minute I have eaten 1383 calories of food it's 8pm now so if I don't eat back my calories my net amount right now is 927 calories which is to low for the day right? so I should keep eating food until my net amount comes to 1450cals like my orginal daily goal/allowance? have I got that right?

Follow this advice. It will keep your metabolism working well and you'll be able to maintain at a higher caloric intake.

BMR is "basal metabolic rate", it's the calories your body requires just for basic functions. So that's why I said you should always eat over this number - it's unhealthy and not sustainable to be under it for very long.

The other number is TDEE, the total calories you burn in a day. Eat under this number, and you'll lose weight. Eat over it and you'll gain. Simple math.

As you lose weight, it becomes more difficult to keep losing weight. At a lower weight you're burning fewer calories in everything you do. Plus, with the exercise you've done you're getting in better shape and is becoming more efficient. Your heart doesn't have to pump as hard, so you don't have to burn as many calories.

A few things you can do...

* Burn More. Instead of just walking, try doing "HIIT" - high intensity interval training. In your walk, you could walk easy for a minute, walk a little faster for a minute, walk even faster for a minute, and then walk as fast as you can for a minute. Then repeat for as many intervals as you want to do. Or, if you're up for it, you can walk 1 minute, jog 1 minute, run 1 minute, and then run as fast as you can for 1 minute. Then repeat (and the walk feels REALLY good, let me tell you). HIIT is great because it gets your heart rate up to burn a lot more calories. Plus studies show it gives you a nice "afterburn" where your metabolic rate is increased for hours after the workout.

* Lift More. Every pound of muscle you add requires calories to sustain. So the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn. Plus muscle looks good - this gives you the firm, toned look everyone wants (men and women).

* Eat More. If you're not losing, it may indeed make sense for you to eat more because eating actually helps kick up your body's metabolism. It sounds backward I know, but there's a lot of evidence for this - and a lot of women I've met on MFP have had this experience.

I'd recommend increasing your calories gradually (and simultaneously increasing the intensity of your workouts a bit) and see what happens. Congrats on all the weight you've already lost. You're like me - just a few more pounds to be at goal weight!

This post might be helpful... a little light reading.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I eat my TDEE (light activity) 5 days and fast (500cals) two days a week (5:2).

As far as exercise cals go, I eat back about 1/3-1/2 over the course of the week. I count them with an HRM.

If you are using an app or mfp to count them, be careful eating all of them back. MFP and Runtastic both overestimate my calories by alot very often!

If you are following MFP's recommendations, then yes, you eat your exercise calories back. Formula can be found on the Goals Page.

If you are doing TDEE -20% method, than no, you don't. The TDEE method includes exercise calories.

Either way, make sure you are picking the correct activity level and use a food scale to weigh your food.

NO!!! Otherwise you're maintaining and basically killed your progress and defeated your whole purpose of the day.

fb.com/onemoreletsgo

I was struggling with a plateau, and I finally decided to eat my calories back. It made me nervous, since I didn't want to screw anything up, but doing what I had been doing before (only eating 1200) wasn't working. I had been on a plateau for 2 months! I ate back ALL of my exercise calories this week, and I dropped weight finally!! I truly feel as though my body was holding on because I wasn't eating enough.

thanks! i have trying to figure this out!