To Record or Not to Record? Exercise That Is!

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000Linda000
000Linda000 Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a bit conflicted, I want to record my exercise because I feel good when I see that I've burned a certain number of calories. On the other hand, I feel that instead of banking it, I'll just end up eating more than what I've actually burned.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has the same issue and what's they do about it.
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Replies

  • sybrix
    sybrix Posts: 134 Member
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    You can eat a portion of your exercise calories back, you don't have to eat them all back especially if you doubt the numbers.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Its data, how can you understand what's happening if you don't capture it?
  • smitty3694
    smitty3694 Posts: 4 Member
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    I record my exercise every day, but I ignore the calories that it says I used. Just a perk and can look at charts and see if one day of a lot of exercise or a day of little exercise has any effect on weight lost,
  • aniqa109
    aniqa109 Posts: 364 Member
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    I did log previously but i found that i would eat back the cals or i felt i could eat a little more since i had burnt so many calories
    I now feel it would be better for ME personally not to log so i still have my workout but i dont be tempted to eat back any calories
  • golian99
    golian99 Posts: 4
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    I think that it is important to log exercise because sometimes you end up having a very large caloric deficit. I try to have a consistent daily caloric deficit of around 500 calories.

    I believe that a deficit larger than 500 to 600 calories is not very useful because then you start burning muscle instead of fat.

    Anyways, I would record exercise but concentrate on keeping track of your deficit. I use VirginPulse to track that, but you can change your caloric goals on myfitnesspal so that it actually takes into account the deficit that you want to keep.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    I would suggest using a different app to log the exercise and not share it with MyFitnessPal. This way you keep your meals and exercise separate and don't get tempted by the increase in available calories.

    I use Endomondo for workouts because it has a "weight lifting" category in addition to cardio.
  • smiletime82
    smiletime82 Posts: 29
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    I plan to record everything because I want to see how many more active minutes I can get. I will log if I play an active WII game or if I shovel snow, but I don't plan to eat back all the calories burned. I may eat back calories burned from actual workouts such as my P90X, but I am waiting to see what works best for me. I take medication that tends to make it hard to lose weight, so I have to play with my numbers until I find a formula that works. That will take a few weeks or more to figure out I'm sure, but this way, I can see how much more activity I am putting into my day as I tend to be a big couch potato and I want to get away from that. My first step is to just get moving and I want to see my progress.
  • Seabully
    Seabully Posts: 22 Member
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    I write all of my exercises down in a journal. I don't always record them here.
  • fairygirlpie9
    fairygirlpie9 Posts: 288 Member
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    I always log my exercise. I rarely eat much of the exercise calories back. If you are someone thats worried about splurging after exercise. I would suggest you wait until the late evening or the following day to log your cals because then that day is in the past but you still have a record of your activity levels.
  • 000Linda000
    000Linda000 Posts: 50 Member
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    All great suggestions. Thanks everyone!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I'm curious to know if anyone else has the same issue and what's they do about it.

    As a matter of interest what sort of exercise are you doing and how much do you burn? The MFP modelbis designed with an appropriate deficit, so if you're not compensating for your increased output then you risk disrupting your progress through undereating.

    That said I do leave a couple of hundred cals available to allow for measurement error, however if I didn't refuel I'd struggle,. I tend to burn 1000cals on a decent session which is over half my daily goal intake.
  • frodopuppy
    frodopuppy Posts: 75
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    I don't mind losing slow so I eat back my calories because I love food, just being honest
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
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    I log my exercise, but I don't eat the calories back.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    I like to see my hard work in numbers but since I don't try to eat back my exercise calories most of the time I don't always record it. Food is an always though!
  • 000Linda000
    000Linda000 Posts: 50 Member
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    I'm curious to know if anyone else has the same issue and what's they do about it.

    As a matter of interest what sort of exercise are you doing and how much do you burn?
    Sure things. I usual do 30mins cardio, 30 mins toning and 30 mins stretching and that usually comes to just under 500 calories( according to my watch)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I seem to be in a minority that uses this tool as it's intended to be used....
    Guess there are a lot of people who use screwdrivers to hammer in nails!

    Just a hint, you don't need huge deficits to successfully lose weight.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
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    I don't log exercise. MFP and all other calorie expenditure estimates are normally way off.

    I also don't go by MFP's calorie recomendations I figure my TDEE myself and enter it manually and set my macros myself.

    MFP is a great tool but most of their numbers are way off. You just have to find what works best for you. Just be careful if you go by MFP's numbers.
  • jennwhite34
    jennwhite34 Posts: 534 Member
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    I always log my exercise. It varies day to day on how much I eat back. Some day none, others most of them. What I do use it for is more often is to make sure that I net at least 1200 calories a day.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
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    I don't log anything I figure to be under 200 calories, and I have a Fitbit so I don't log running time, since that's automatically posted. It works for me.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    If you use the MFP defaults, you must eat back at least some of your exercise calories. Your calorie goal includes your daily activity & your deficit, but not your exercise. Some people customize their goal w/ formulas that include their exercise (for example, TDEE minus 20%). The calorie counts & burns are estimates. Some people reduce the margin of error by eating back half their exercise calories.

    Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. Log your exercise, and eat back your exercise calories. If you're still not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

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

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