Eating back exercise calories?

Danimri84 · September 2013

I'm usually well under my calorie goal, but I've noticed that with the calories I "earn" from exercise, I am only netting about 100 calories a day. I eat a total of 1300-1500. I'm not hungry, I have great energy. Should I be forcing myself to eat back my exercise calories? I would really be having to force it down...

pastryari · September 2013

Danimri84 · September 2013

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

FitCurves444 · September 2013

For the one millionth time.... YES!

RoyBeck · September 2013

So you burn 1300 calories exercising?

pinkstp · September 2013

Would be easier to critique your diet if you opened up your food/exercise journal so that we could see it. If you're eating 1500 and burning 1400, I would suggest trying to get a bit more calories in definitely (a "bit" may vary dramatically by person). Definitely go for calorie rich foods that are healthy for you, but you need to feed your body! If your energy is great then maybe yes/maybe no. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to build muscle? We need more info

edited for grammar

Danimri84 · September 2013

Somewhere around there most days. I walk 3-5 miles a day, Zumba, strength training. I work from home, so when I get bored, I work out.

Serah87 · September 2013

Eat more dense food, peanut butter, avocado, nuts, add oil to your food, glass of milk, etc.

Figure out your BMR and TDEE: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I'm 5'2 eat between 1600-1900 calories and have no problem eating, cause I like food. Ohhh see ticker below. :bigsmile:

Danimri84 · September 2013

I'm trying to lose weight. It just seems so off to me to eat more when I'm not hungry.

suziepoo1984 · September 2013

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

Its hard to believe especially for people like me because i did not get fat by not eating. I can eat the entire house down if i could. What MFP has thought me is to eat with moderation. I am guessing now you are eating more veggies and fruits causing you to feel full even with so many calories left. So i guess the simplest answers which would have been covered in any of the above topic would be either
1- exercise less
2- eat more

Eat more would actually be more calorie dense foods

BIRD0 · September 2013

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

Danimri84 · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory

I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Serah87 · September 2013

I'm trying to lose weight. It just seems so off to me to eat more when I'm not hungry.

Your not hungry is because you been eating to little. If you want a healthy weight loss and to keep the weight off you need to EAT MORE!!!

stumblinthrulife · September 2013

Your diary is locked. You won't get any credible help unless we can see your diary.

Danimri84 · September 2013

Thanks for posting those previous topics. However, I'm not really sure why you feel the need to say it is "hard to believe" that I am not hungry and feel very satisfied with what I have been eating. Wouldn't it be counterintuitive for me to lie about something when genuinely asking for advice?

Its hard to believe especially for people like me because i did not get fat by not eating. I can eat the entire house down if i could. What MFP has thought me is to eat with moderation. I am guessing now you are eating more veggies and fruits causing you to feel full even with so many calories left. So i guess the simplest answers which would have been covered in any of the above topic would be either
1- exercise less
2- eat more

Eat more would actually be more calorie dense foods

The fruits and veggies thing is probably the exact reason. I really do feel full, but I guess I need to find things to eat that have more calories, but aren't crap.

Danimri84 · September 2013

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

I just look up the exercises on here and go by what it says. I walk 3-5 miles pushing a 35 pound kid in a stroller at 4 mph. I do an hour to an hour and a half of Zumba. I lift weights for an hour or so. I am working out hard and often.

pmaxson · September 2013

Hi,

Before you begin eating more calorie dense foods, I would look into how you are calculating your calorie burn. Perhaps investing in a heart rate monitor might be an option. I burn 600 calories an hour doing very intense spin or running. I do believe one can burn 600 doing zumba if he/she is totally into it for the entire 60 minutes. However, walking 3-5 miles would be much less. for me, strength training doesn't burn many calories, although it is important for many other reasons, including longer term burn.

If you are full and satisfied, I would be inclined to reevaluate/recalculate your calorie burn. On many Saturday mornings I do a triple - run, spin and swim, for a total of about 1500 calories (usually 3 hours of straight exercising) and I am ravenous when I am done and for the day. I really want to eat those calories.

I worry about you sabotaging your weight loss by incorrect calorie burn estimations. I would start there.

Good luck!

pastryari · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

trogalicious · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

exactly this. every bit of it.

BeachIron · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

More patient than me. Meh. JSF

kimjoan · September 2013

I asked my doctor (who is a weight loss specialist by the way) this exact question and the answer is "No". Unless you are burning thousands of calories a day you should not be "eating back" your exercise calories if you are trying to loose weight. We have allowed ourselves to subscribe to this "your body will go into starvation mode" and it just isn't true - unless in you in an extreme situation like eating 500 calories a day, exercising and burning 5,000 and doing this everyday.

As I have read the many threads on this subject I have expected that what my doctor told me was the situation. Especially if you feel great! Bravo to you for your efforts!

Danimri84 · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

Excuse me for not reading them immediately. I do intend to. I have never eaten large amounts of food, just drank a lot of soda and ate almost exclusively crappy junk food, and didn't exercise at all.

BIRD0 · September 2013

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

I just look up the exercises on here and go by what it says. I walk 3-5 miles pushing a 35 pound kid in a stroller at 4 mph. I do an hour to an hour and a half of Zumba. I lift weights for an hour or so. I am working out hard and often.

MFP is grossly inaccurate with their numbers for exercise.

Danimri84 · September 2013

Hi,

Before you begin eating more calorie dense foods, I would look into how you are calculating your calorie burn. Perhaps investing in a heart rate monitor might be an option. I burn 600 calories an hour doing very intense spin or running. I do believe one can burn 600 doing zumba if he/she is totally into it for the entire 60 minutes. However, walking 3-5 miles would be much less. for me, strength training doesn't burn many calories, although it is important for many other reasons, including longer term burn.

If you are full and satisfied, I would be inclined to reevaluate/recalculate your calorie burn. On many Saturday mornings I do a triple - run, spin and swim, for a total of about 1500 calories (usually 3 hours of straight exercising) and I am ravenous when I am done and for the day. I really want to eat those calories.

I worry about you sabotaging your weight loss by incorrect calorie burn estimations. I would start there.

Good luck!

I probably do need a heart rate monitor. I will have to see if there is one that I can afford, I am on a very tight budget. Thanks for the advice.

Cranquistador · September 2013

how are you only netting one hundred cals?

rayraex · September 2013

I wouldn't worry about eating back your calories until you are closer to your goal weight. If you are dieting the way you are and exercising that much, the weight should be falling off.

Danimri84 · September 2013

Thanks for all the input. Especially the advice that was not snarky or accusatory I need to research some more food choices it looks like.

Oh look, someone provided a mass amount of info and is called snarky again. Shocker. :huh:

I said I doubted that because you didn't get fat from "forcing" down a mere 1300-1500 cals a day. Why is it suddenly difficult to do so?

I doubt you even touched any of the links I provided, especially given your follow up comments.

Take the info if you want or don't. Perceive "meanness" where there is none. Doesn't really affect me.

You're welcome.

And btw, I did thank you for providing the links. I'm sure they will be helpful.

susieoj · September 2013

Don't don't don't trust the MFP calculations for calorie burn if you want to lose weight and monitor your activity accurately, calorie expenditure is very different for different people based on many factors that MFP simply cannot determine despite its best intentions

get a decent HR monitor or a bodymedia device if you want to really know what you're burning - or save the money and just eat a consistent calorie amount daily with balanced macros

also, your body should tell you if you're hungry after a hard workout, mine sure does. It should also tell you if you're not eating enough to continue doing hard workouts... By causing you to pass out or get really dizzy and nauseous in extreme cases...

trogalicious · September 2013

I wouldn't worry about eating back your calories until you are closer to your goal weight. If you are dieting the way you are and exercising that much, the weight should be falling off.

this is really, horribly, awful advice.

it's also not accurate and shouldn't be listened to.

Danimri84 · September 2013

How are you calculating your burns? That seems like a lot.

I just look up the exercises on here and go by what it says. I walk 3-5 miles pushing a 35 pound kid in a stroller at 4 mph. I do an hour to an hour and a half of Zumba. I lift weights for an hour or so. I am working out hard and often.

MFP is grossly inaccurate with their numbers for exercise.

I didn't know that, thank you for the heads up!

jonnythan · September 2013

No matter how inaccurate MFP numbers are, you're not eating nearly enough by a long shot.

I prefer an activity tracker like a Fitbit to an HRM. Fitbits are meant to be worn 24/7 and give you a much better idea of your overall calorie burn.

Anyway, it shouldn't be hard to eat more calories. Milk, ice cream, butter, peanut butter, etc.

Eating back exercise calories?

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