eat exercise calories back or not?

Options
c1aireee
c1aireee Posts: 297 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
what are people's thoughts? I am so confused!

Replies

  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    Options
    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.
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    Options
    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.
  • c1aireee
    c1aireee Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    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?
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    Options
    Let's back up for a second. You've already lost 21 pounds. Are you still losing or are you have you plateaued? There's a certain "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality here. If you're losing weight netting under your daily allowance, you're eating over your BMR, and you're feeling good, I wouldn't change anything.

    During the period when I lost most of my weight, my BMR was around 1800... I ate 2000, burned over 500 calories at the gym to net around 1500. I felt good and lost weight consistently so why eat more? Just because I could? Nah... I wanted to lose it fast, and I did (40 pounds in 4 months).

    Now if you're struggling to lose those last 4 pounds, that's kind of a whole different question...
  • c1aireee
    c1aireee Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    I'm not losing anymore in fact one week I am losing but then the next week I am putting it back on and then some! so just trying to understand net calories and eating back exercise calories cos my weight is up and down all the time!
  • c1aireee
    c1aireee Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    what's BMR stand for?
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
    Options
    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.
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
    Options
    what's BMR stand for?

    Basal Metabolic Rate - the number of calories your body needs just to survive, not including any activity at all. As if you were in a coma all day. Many people on here suggest you don't eat below those needs daily as it can make your maintenance difficult.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
    Options
    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
  • mjf0461
    mjf0461 Posts: 470 Member
    Options
    . My opinion is like our cars we have to keep gas in the tank to keep the car engine running. Our bodies are finely tuned engines that need tune ups on a regular basis. With that being said YES, we need to eat our calories burned back. Everyone is different so you need to know your body and figure out whether you need to eat 100% back or 75% or 25%. I personally eat 50% back and it works for me. Good Luck.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    Options
    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!
  • chadpoelman
    chadpoelman Posts: 10
    Options
    I tend to meet somewhere in the middle depending on how I'm feeling. If I'm starving and anxious about it I'll eat over my base weight loss bmr but only about half of what I burned.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    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.
  • brisingr86
    brisingr86 Posts: 1,789 Member
    Options
    The system is set up to work (you lose weight) if you net your target (eat back your exercise calories). If you're not hungry, I wouldn't stress about being under and eat just to meet the calories, but don't starve yourself if you have the exercise calories.

    If you choose to use a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure?) method (see In place of a road map or do a search of the forum for TDEE to learn more), then your planned exercise calories get distributed through the week so you get a higher daily goal, but you don't eat back exercise calories. Good luck!
  • glamasjr
    glamasjr Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    NO!!! Otherwise you're maintaining and basically killed your progress and defeated your whole purpose of the day.

    fb.com/onemoreletsgo
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Options
    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.

    This..... I use MFP method so I eat mine back based off my FT60 Polar Heart rate monitor..... I eat back 85% leaving 15% for error..... Best of Luck
  • nickyvw
    nickyvw Posts: 26 Member
    Options
    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.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    NO!!! Otherwise you're maintaining and basically killed your progress and defeated your whole purpose of the day.

    fb.com/onemoreletsgo

    Incorrect.

    Daily goal = Calories from normal daily activity minus (weekly goal change in pound / 7 * 3500)
    Calories remaining = Daily goal - food + exercise
    Or to rearrange that... Food = daily goal + exercise - calories remaining
    Or... Food + calories remaining = daily goal + exercise
    Or... Food - daily goal = exercise - calories remaining

    If calories remaining isn't zero, you're either not eating enough (or too much) food, doing too much (or too little) exercise, or your daily goal (and thus your weekly goal) is not what your MFP setting is. The latter is typically my case because MFP's guided goals are easier to get recalculated, and then I just increase my target "calories remaining" if my current weekly goal is more than the limited number of weekly goal options MFP has available.

    Your goal deficit/surplus is built into daily goal. Assuming calories burned from normal daily activities is accurate, and exercise calorie counts are accurate, and food logging is accurate, if you're using the MFP method you eat back all your exercise calories (some people make modifications, not everything can be accurate).

    I maintained yesterday. I did that by eating all my exercise calories plus 500 more (well, 476 give or take).
  • nenaschei
    nenaschei Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    thanks! i have trying to figure this out!

Categories