Eating Back Calories Burned

Should you eat back the calories you burn off during exercise?

If you are using MFP as designed....they gave you a calorie deficit BEFORE exercise. This is why MFP adds them back......by making the deficit larger (thru exercise)....you are at risk for losing fat+muscle as opposed to just fat.

However............there are many variables. If you are already at MFP's bare minimum (1200) ....then I would plan on eating most of your calories back.

MFP calorie burns are estimates....the problem people run into when eating calories back....they use MFP's often inflated numbers at face value, or they add every little bit of activity as "exercise." Your activity level accounts for some calories already.

MFP is structured so that you must eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories. A deficit is built into your calorie goal. The calorie counts & burns are estimates, so some people correct for that by eating back half their exercise calories.

If you customize your goals so that your exercise is built in (for example, TDEE - 15%), then you don't eat anything back.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I have just started exercising 4 to 5 times a week. I mostly do hour classes like kickboxing or half cardio/half using weights classes. If I don't get to a class then I do an hour on the elliptical and hit the weight machines for like 20 minutes after. I am trying to get away from processed foods. If I am on the elliptical I use what ever number the machine says I have burned but when I take a class I really have no idea how many calories I have burned. I am not quite fit so i guess I should not be eating them back. Thanks.

The numbers on the machine are also likely inflated. Heart rate monitors do better (for cardio).

BUT the most important aspect is......how big is your calorie deficit up front? Eating at the highest deficit (1200 calories) everyday....and then adding a lot of exercise is like working out to reduce muscle mass.

Read the link that Editorgrrl gave you before making a decision either way. Good info there..........

I have 50+ pounds to lose, work out 6 days a week but I'm just getting started. On average I burn 100-400 calories a day. On my 100-200 burn days I do not eat the calories back. On my 300-400 calorie days I will eat some of them back.

What I end up doing is creating a deficit for myself for the weekends when I have my cheat meal. I still don't eat back all the calories with going over on 1-2 days (if I have 1500 calories by the end of the week that I didn't eat back and I go over by 500-600 one day or even 2 days I still haven't eaten those calories back).

The main advice I can give is pay attention to your body. If you are tired, eat some of them back. If you have a lot of weight to lose, try not eating them back and adjust until you are feeling energized every day from the work outs. If you don't have a lot of fat to burn then you need to supply your body with some calories to counter that and not burn muscle instead.

I love my Polar 4! Best $70 I have ever spent! I learned after buying it I was actually burning more calories then MFP was estimating!1