eating back exercise calories

2»

Replies

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Just discussed this with my trainer - here's what his input was....typically you can estimate the amount of calories you need to consume by taking your actual weight and a zero at the end. For example if you weigh 150 lbs. then 1500 calories, thats without factoring in your fitness levels and your daily activities. To lose fat, you want to create a deficit, so eating back your calories isn't going to help you - unless you are eating like a 1200 cal diet, because you never want to fall below that amount of calories - too low.

    Also, you don't want to make your mind associate work outs with calories - here's why, I used to think that if I worked out hard enough I "deserved" that extra treat. This mentality is NOT healthy, you want to exercise to be fit and muscle burns more fat while you are sedentary than the lack therein. A good goal (and mine) is to keep your calorie intake at about 50% carbs, 30% from protein, and 20% from fats. Eat good fuel, you don't put garbage in your cars fuel tank, don't put garbage in your mouth! Think lean meats, green veggies, and make it at home if you can!

    Here's to your success and all of ours!

    Eating back the right amount of exercise calories won't hurt you because MFP already has that factored in. For instance , if you need 2000 calories per day just to maintain, and you tell MFP you want to lose 1 lb a week, it will recommend a 500 calorie per day deficit = 1500 calories. If you exercise on top of that, you can either strive to lose even more by not eating your exercise calories, or at the other extreme, eat 1000 calories of cheese cake to make it up. Really, damnit, I wish I was that guy.

    As for associating exercise with food, exercise is healthy, food is good, what's not to like? :D
  • kdmorris71
    kdmorris71 Posts: 3
    If you have to overcome the way you think about food and fitness - its just not good to think, I worked out - I can eat cake! It's a retraining of the brain to start thinking, I worked out, I want something healthy to eat so I don't destroy my hard work! Its not that food isn't good, and MFP is helpful, but you need to make sure you know whats needed for your body to lose weight. I was eating back my calories, but now that I understand - NOT anymore. Food doesn't control my life. I do.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    If I don't eat more calories than I burn on an ongoing basis, I won't destroy my hard work. Like you've said, MFP, food scales, HRMs and reading labels are really quite helpful with that. There's already been a recent topic about whether you could essentially eat junk food and lose weight and there were people on both sides of that argument so I don't expect our views to be identical on this. Ultimately we all need food to live, and whether it's cheese cake or chicken thighs, I don't discriminate :)
  • EDollah
    EDollah Posts: 464 Member
    No. The "why not?" is because I'm looking to lose fat fairly quickly.

    You're also likely to be losing a fair bit of muscle mass, if your deficit is too high.

    You are absolutely, unequivocally wrong. I just got Bod Pod results today, as a matter of fact and of the 80+ pounds lost, exactly 1.5 pounds was from muscle. "You will lose muscle" is a myth if you hit protein and lift weights, at least it's a myth for me, maybe not everybody.

    ETA - no loose skin either, thus far. I have 35 more pounds to go though so we'll see.
  • JamericanBoy
    JamericanBoy Posts: 484 Member
    No. The "why not?" is because I'm looking to lose fat fairly quickly.

    You're also likely to be losing a fair bit of muscle mass, if your deficit is too high.

    You are absolutely, unequivocally wrong. I just got Bod Pod results today, as a matter of fact and of the 80+ pounds lost, exactly 1.5 pounds was from muscle. "You will lose muscle" is a myth if you hit protein and lift weights, at least it's a myth for me, maybe not everybody.

    ETA - no loose skin either, thus far. I have 35 more pounds to go though so we'll see.

    Agreed!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    For those that do TDEE they do eat back 70-90% of the exercise cals for the week, but averaged out for the weeks so they eat the same everyday. So instead of doing 1300 on days you don't workout and 1800 on days you burn 500, they may eat 1650 everyday.
  • marleniap
    marleniap Posts: 120 Member
    nope.. i eat the same calories everyday regardless of the amount I burn.. and I usually burn 500-900 daily.

    Does it make a difference with your weight loss?
  • Nikoruo
    Nikoruo Posts: 771 Member
    It really depends. generally i'll eat back half of it but if i need to eat all of them back just to make sure my minimum isn't below 1200 then i will :o
  • marleniap
    marleniap Posts: 120 Member
    Just discussed this with my trainer - here's what his input was....typically you can estimate the amount of calories you need to consume by taking your actual weight and a zero at the end. For example if you weigh 150 lbs. then 1500 calories, thats without factoring in your fitness levels and your daily activities. To lose fat, you want to create a deficit, so eating back your calories isn't going to help you - unless you are eating like a 1200 cal diet, because you never want to fall below that amount of calories - too low.

    Also, you don't want to make your mind associate work outs with calories - here's why, I used to think that if I worked out hard enough I "deserved" that extra treat. This mentality is NOT healthy, you want to exercise to be fit and muscle burns more fat while you are sedentary than the lack therein. A good goal (and mine) is to keep your calorie intake at about 50% carbs, 30% from protein, and 20% from fats. Eat good fuel, you don't put garbage in your cars fuel tank, don't put garbage in your mouth! Think lean meats, green veggies, and make it at home if you can!

    Here's to your success and all of ours!

    Nice information. Thanks poster. :flowerforyou:
  • marleniap
    marleniap Posts: 120 Member
    Just discussed this with my trainer - here's what his input was....typically you can estimate the amount of calories you need to consume by taking your actual weight and a zero at the end. For example if you weigh 150 lbs. then 1500 calories, thats without factoring in your fitness levels and your daily activities. To lose fat, you want to create a deficit, so eating back your calories isn't going to help you - unless you are eating like a 1200 cal diet, because you never want to fall below that amount of calories - too low.

    Also, you don't want to make your mind associate work outs with calories - here's why, I used to think that if I worked out hard enough I "deserved" that extra treat. This mentality is NOT healthy, you want to exercise to be fit and muscle burns more fat while you are sedentary than the lack therein. A good goal (and mine) is to keep your calorie intake at about 50% carbs, 30% from protein, and 20% from fats. Eat good fuel, you don't put garbage in your cars fuel tank, don't put garbage in your mouth! Think lean meats, green veggies, and make it at home if you can!

    Here's to your success and all of ours!

    Nice information. Thanks poster. :flowerforyou:

    BUMP
  • Jgonz1203
    Jgonz1203 Posts: 20 Member
    I try not to, however if I'm feeling hungry then I will.

    Why not? Because I feel like I worked hard to get those calories out of me, I don't want to put them back in. LOL :laugh: I know others will disagree with that, but, you just have to do what works for you and what feels right for your body. Most of the time I'm not hungry enough to eat them all back. If I'm not hungry, I'm not going to force myself to eat.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    Yes, because my deficit is based on math and I want to minimise any lean mass losses (since December I have lost more fat than I have lost weight - ~106% of my weight loss between December and July was from fat mass, gained 3.66 pounds of lean mass and rarely lifted).

    Abs by Christmas and ripped by March was what the math said when I was 276 pounds, and in July I was still on track. My next Bod Pod assessment is in 2 weeks, and I'm hoping I added some lean mass during those 4 weeks I deliberately slowed down my weight loss, because if I didn't my projection says I may miss that abs by Christmas goal by several weeks depending on what BF% my abs are visible at.

    No (or perhaps yes based on the next paragraph), because MFP doesn't have the functionality I need for more granular goal setting and because I use calorie burns from my HRM (after deducting sedentary calories) and those are topped up with Bodymedia syncing. That is, my goal calories are less than my MFP goal calories (technically my goal deficit is greater than my MFP goal deficit), my HRM calories are less than MFP exercise calories, and with Bodymedia syncing it tends to work out that I end up getting more total exercise calories than had I just used MFP exercise calories.

    For example, yesterday my goal deficit was 140 calories more than MFP's goal deficit. My HRM (minus sedentary) calories was about 20 calories less MFP's exercise calorie count. Bodymedia gave me an extra 248 exercise calories. I went over by 31 calories (my deficit goal is an "I must not have a greater deficit than this" goal). I don't know if yesterday was a typical day, but if it was then mathematically I eat back more than 100% of the exercise calories MFP would give me.

    Also, I believe that ignoring exercise calories if using the MFP method means you won't subconsciously be associating consumption with activity level. If you move less you should eat less and if you move more you should eat more - I think maintenance would be easier if this was ingrained before getting there.

    Appetite, consumption, and exercise. If I lose my appetite I cut back on exercise until my consumption has caught up. When my appetite comes back I up the exercise. If I am ravenous I also cut my deficit. It sounded logical when I created that rule back in November.
  • belgd
    belgd Posts: 26 Member
    Yes. You're already at a deficit without the workouts you do so you need to eat most of them back.
    I always eat most, if not all back and have been losing the amount I want weekly.
    I love it because it gives you motivation to work out (;

    Also, I have a polar HRM so I'm not too scared to eat most back.
  • 2lottie88
    2lottie88 Posts: 15
    I eat them back if I'm still hungry, but I don't force myself to eat just to make up the numbers if I'm not hungry

Categories