Do you eat all of your exercise calories?

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ShesFabulous
ShesFabulous Posts: 9
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
I'd like to hear from those who have lost a significant amount of weight eating back all of their exercise calories. I see all over the threads that they need to be eaten back or fear the starvation mode... but when i am taking the time to look at the diaries (that are open) of the people who say you MUST eat them back, they (from what I see from the open diaries) aren't eating them back or not eating more than half of them back. I'd just like to see for myself some success stories. I know why they should be eaten.. just want to see for myself. Thanks
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  • ShesFabulous
    ShesFabulous Posts: 9
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    .......anyone at all?
  • Littlestandrews
    Littlestandrews Posts: 96 Member
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    I've only lost about 25lbs altogether. But I only eat back 1/2 of my exercise calories. Most machines and apps over estimate your calorie burn so I'd rather stay under than risk going wayyyy over.
  • kroonha
    kroonha Posts: 102 Member
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    I do on the days where I don't want to miss out (i.e friends are over and there's snacks on the table) but overall, I probably only eat back 100 or 200 of them if I'm really hungry after working out (since I tend to work out late night, quite some hours after eating dinner). If I do eat them back though, mostly they are in good calories, not junk/processed stuff.
    My rule on this is that if I'm hungry, I can eat them...but I don't force myself.
    Fruit is a good way to use these calories up though.
  • ShesFabulous
    ShesFabulous Posts: 9
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    Thank you for your replies. I suppose that when machines and websites overestimate calories burned it can cause one to eat more if they are not careful. Thanks
  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
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    Some days I do, some days I don't
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I'd like to hear from those who have lost a significant amount of weight eating back all of their exercise calories. I see all over the threads that they need to be eaten back or fear the starvation mode... but when i am taking the time to look at the diaries (that are open) of the people who say you MUST eat them back, they (from what I see from the open diaries) aren't eating them back or not eating more than half of them back. I'd just like to see for myself some success stories. I know why they should be eaten.. just want to see for myself. Thanks

    It's hard to tell just by looking at diaries. Some people use a different method from MFP. The TDEE less a % method incorporates exercise calories up front..... calories are technically eaten back....just not added to MFP.

    People using MFP may eat a percentage of calories back because MFP is known to inflate calorie burns for many activities. Also, some people "bank" their calories for the weekend.

    I eat my calories back (nearly 100%) because
    1. I use a heart rate monitor & have more confidence in the numbers
    2. Losing weight at a slower rate is acceptable to me because I am over 50 an want to preserve as much muscle mass as possible
    3. My activity level is set to sedentary & I only log "actual" workouts.

    Starvation mode is way overblown.....do anorexics have screwed up metabolisms?....yes. But you have to work pretty hard. Eating back calories is more about.....do you want to lower you body fat % ....or just lose weight?

    Also consider those with a great deal of weight to lose have some (initial) protection against muscle loss.
  • emaren
    emaren Posts: 934 Member
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    I only eat back some of them.

    As a general rule I try to stay right around my daily target, but also exercise too.

    So, if my target is 1430 (which it is), and I burn 700 at bootcamp, I am not too worried if I blow my target by 200 ish, because I am still eating less than I burn.

    I used to eat back everything, but that did not work too well for me....
  • SIMA80
    SIMA80 Posts: 60 Member
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    I lost over 100. I usually eat back about 20-30% back Monday-Friday and pretty much all Saturday-Sunday. And once in a while, either Saturday or Sunday are my cheat days. You need to have that to get your metabolism to speed up, because it slows down as it gets used to the same calorie intake.
  • GinaRamp
    GinaRamp Posts: 16 Member
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    I don't eat mine back on purpose but sometimes it happens. I feel like the less I eat, the more I will lose. That's just from my experience though.
  • ellybeann
    ellybeann Posts: 122 Member
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    I dont eat my calories back, . Ive asked 2 seperate trainers and they both at seperate times said not to eat them back. You have ato figure out what your body reacts to in a healthy way..Good Luck!!
  • ShesFabulous
    ShesFabulous Posts: 9
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    I'd like to hear from those who have lost a significant amount of weight eating back all of their exercise calories. I see all over the threads that they need to be eaten back or fear the starvation mode... but when i am taking the time to look at the diaries (that are open) of the people who say you MUST eat them back, they (from what I see from the open diaries) aren't eating them back or not eating more than half of them back. I'd just like to see for myself some success stories. I know why they should be eaten.. just want to see for myself. Thanks

    It's hard to tell just by looking at diaries. Some people use a different method from MFP. The TDEE less a % method incorporates exercise calories up front..... calories are technically eaten back....just not added to MFP.

    People using MFP may eat a percentage of calories back because MFP is known to inflate calorie burns for many activities. Also, some people "bank" their calories for the weekend.

    I eat my calories back (nearly 100%) because
    1. I use a heart rate monitor & have more confidence in the numbers
    2. Losing weight at a slower rate is acceptable to me because I am over 50 an want to preserve as much muscle mass as possible
    3. My activity level is set to sedentary & I only log "actual" workouts.

    Starvation mode is way overblown.....do anorexics have screwed up metabolisms?....yes. But you have to work pretty hard. Eating back calories is more about.....do you want to lower you body fat % ....or just lose weight?

    Also consider those with a great deal of weight to lose have some (initial) protection against muscle loss.

    I'd like to get one of those heart rate monitors. What kind of brand or kind is most accurate do you know?
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
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    I eat as many as I feel I need generally about 50% I refuse to eat for the sake of it, that one of the reasons I am here in the first place, I have been losing 3 lbs a week for the last 9 weeks since I started logging!
  • ShesFabulous
    ShesFabulous Posts: 9
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    I lost over 100. I usually eat back about 20-30% back Monday-Friday and pretty much all Saturday-Sunday. And once in a while, either Saturday or Sunday are my cheat days. You need to have that to get your metabolism to speed up, because it slows down as it gets used to the same calorie intake.

    From someone who has lost as much as you, I'll take your advice =) congrats by the way!
  • Lib_B
    Lib_B Posts: 446 Member
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    i look at it as my 'bonus' - if i'm craving something sweet, it gives me a little wiggle room, but i don't eat more than half back. i know what others 'say', but this is what works for me.
  • ShesFabulous
    ShesFabulous Posts: 9
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    i look at it as my 'bonus' - if i'm craving something sweet, it gives me a little wiggle room, but i don't eat more than half back. i know what others 'say', but this is what works for me.

    Thank you
  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
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    I do not eat all of my cardio calories back. I do eat what FitBit tells me I should though. I do 2 bike rides a week where I burn over 1000 calories and there is no way I can eat those all. But I do have bigger lunches on those days
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
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    I dont eat my calories back, . Ive asked 2 seperate trainers and they both at seperate times said not to eat them back. You have ato figure out what your body reacts to in a healthy way..Good Luck!!
    Were those trainers familiar with MFP and did they realize that your calorie goal was already set with a deficit?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Heart rate monitors .... you want one with a chest strap, not just the wrist thingie. The wrist only models only measure your heart rate "from time to time"...plus arm movements can throw them off.

    I like my Polar FT4
  • mel4bee
    mel4bee Posts: 225 Member
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    Most of the time, I eat 1/2 to 3/4 of them back but sometimes I eat them all back :P

    I lost almost 10 pounds since september. 5 more to go.
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    I have lost about 40 pounds consistently eating back my exercise calories!
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