eating back excersise cals??

Hi im really confused and need some help suggestions please :smile: im 5ft 4 weigh 146 lbs im trying to get down to 133 or maybe 130 and tone up i have had 3 children the youngest being 7 weeks, i have just started the jillian michaels 30 day shred mfp has set my cals at 1200 so on the days i excersise should i be eating those cals back or will that stop the weight loss im really confused all advice welcome thank you :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Yes, you should be eating those calories back.
  • kts3639
    kts3639 Posts: 188 Member
    You definitely should be eating back your exercise calories. MFP already has you set at a deficit calorie wise. When they give you your calorie count, which is 1200 in your case, they are saying that 1200 is what you would need to eat to lose x amount of weight per week. This does not account for exercise. So when you exercise and burn those calories, you need to eat them back because if you don't, you would put yourself at too much of a deficit and you wouldn't be fueling your body to do even it's basic functions. That is why MFP adds workout calories back in. Hope that helps :flowerforyou:
  • cazzamartinek
    cazzamartinek Posts: 123 Member
    yeah that makes sense now thank you just couldnt get my head around it :laugh:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Yes, you should.

    MFP calculates a calorie deficit for you to lose weight assuming 0 exercise. When you exercise, you burn more cals, and those cals need to be eaten back.

    Additionally, at only 1200 cals, you should probably be eating them back regardless.

    .
  • ks4e
    ks4e Posts: 374 Member
    Yes, you should.

    MFP calculates a calorie deficit for you to lose weight assuming 0 exercise. When you exercise, you burn more cals, and those cals need to be eaten back.

    Additionally, at only 1200 cals, you should probably be eating them back regardless.

    .

    Exactly!
  • cazzamartinek
    cazzamartinek Posts: 123 Member
    Yes, you should.

    MFP calculates a calorie deficit for you to lose weight assuming 0 exercise. When you exercise, you burn more cals, and those cals need to be eaten back.

    Additionally, at only 1200 cals, you should probably be eating them back regardless.

    .

    thank you i will now make sure i do this
  • cazzamartinek
    cazzamartinek Posts: 123 Member
    Thank you everyone now i totally understand why i have stopped losing weight i will now start eating back my excersise cals :wink: :wink:
  • jammallnyte
    jammallnyte Posts: 26 Member
    I am struggling with this. Yesterday I logged my workout between MFP and Fitbit. I usually have anywhere betwwen 1200-1500 calories a day. According to MFP by noon I had a 900 calories deficit. I ate and I ate (nearly 1600 calories) but ended with a net calorie of 366. I could not eat enough calories to make it up. I am still learning about proper nutrition and keep reading I need to eat back these calories but don't know:

    a) how to do it in a healthy way(I know ice cream and cake will do it)
    b) don't know if doing this only 1 or 2 times a week is hurting me or if in the end of a week will even out.

    I am losing weight (23 pounds already) but I do not want to trip up what I have been doing and plateau or worse cause weight gain.

    Could some of you with more experience help?