Eating back calories lost from exercise - is it needed?
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I eat 5-6 small meals a day that are high in protein and i eat 1300 or less calories a day and have lost 113 lbs in 15 months and I do not use my exercise calories in my number because that's just an excuse to eat garbage for me. So in my personal journey, no I don't eat them back. I have lost the weight steadily which is just about 2 pounds per week on average. I lift, play sports and do cardio for my work outs so it is pretty intense activity and I have no problem keeping it going.
The less you have to lose the more important it will become to eat them, as a larger deficit will lead to a larger % of your weight loss coming from lean muscle, greater chance for thinning hair, weak nails, essentially the slowing down of non life sustaining functions performed by your body.
Excellent point.
Agreed.
i would agree if it wasn't supervised but it is and I have no problems with any of the above things mentioned. In fact, my liver and kidney function are improving. but like i said...it's supervised.0 -
I currently have to lose 125lbs+ and I aim to eat around 1500 calories a day.
Don't worry about differentiating exercise calories, your body has plenty of energy stores to drawn upon. KISS applies, especially when starting out.
Good luck!0 -
One thought I've really appreciated for the whole weight loss process in general is that it is an experiment. I think that takes a lot of pressure off. If you assume "I'm set to lose 1 pound per week" and then you don't, you will be disappointed. If you think "this is a journey over the long term. I will learn a lot about how my body works. Eventually, I will understand how to help my body lose weight," you are much less likely to be disappointed and quit. I say this because across forums, some things work for me and some things don't. Try a couple of months of eating back calories and see how it goes. Maybe you'll need to tweak it and not eat back calories or only eat back a fraction. The cool thing is that figuring this out it completely within your ability and eventually you will find what works!0
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I can only go on my experience:
Do something as long as it works, and then do something else when that stops working.
I originally did not eat all my exercise calories back, and then I was absolutely starving...so I had a binge every 3 to 4 days.
I then ate all my exercise calories, but my weight loss stalled.
Repeated this cycle 3 to 5x.
Then, I figured that maybe I should go back and recalculate. MFP allows you to put in how much weight you need to lose each week (or want to lose). My weight loss goals weren't sustainable.
With a new weight loss goal, I went from 1200 calories per day to 1600. With 1600 calories I don't eat back my exercise calories, I lose at a steady, slow rate and I don't binge.
You have to figure, MFP is not like sitting down with a personal nutritionist, trainer, weight loss coach who will tweak a program for you. You have to just do that tweaking yourself.0 -
I totally agree with the KISS approach of looking at things. When I quit focusing so much on the numbers and just got my azzzzzzzz moving and ate to fuel my body with out deprivation or restriction, I started to lose. It has been steadily coming off since. I still have a lot to go, but I am learning good habits.0
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I have been asking this same question for 2 years now! NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME.
you have to be kidding me? this gets explained multiple times per day...not to mention, it is explained in those stickies you're supposed to read when you sign up for the site.
But...here goes again....and I will use my numbers...this is all pretty much 5th grade math. With MFP, you do NOT include exercise in your activity level...it's just your day to day bull ****. Exercise activity has to be accounted for somewhere in the equation in order to determine total calorie requirements...with MFP, this is done after the fact when you log it.
So, my NON EXERCISE maintenance calories are 2,350 (light active setting with NO exercise)...which means MFP gives me a goal of 1,850 net calories to lose 1 Lb per week (500 calories less my theoretical maintenance). Now I decide to exercise...on average I burn around 400 calories per day (more for long ride days obviously)...so now MFP tells me to eat 2,250 calories...but ohnoes, I'm trying to lose weight right? Well, those same 400 calories get added onto my NON EXERCISE maintenance as well...so my new maintenance now becomes 2,750 (2,350 + 300) and 2,750 - 2,250 = 500 calorie deficit still.
Where people go wrong is that they grossly overestimate their calorie burn...they go swimming for an hour and log a 1,000 calorie burn...sorry...didn't happen...probably about half of that. People also tend to underestimate their consumption. These two things are what makes MFP kind of difficult...if you are not a precision kind of person and just a, "meh...looks like about 30 grams" kind of a person and you don't check you calorie burns for reasonableness, this probably isn't going to work too well for you.
Also, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, massive calorie deficits due to not eating back exercise calories aren't as detrimental as they are when you start to lean out...when you start to lean out it becomes very important to not under-fuel your body too much...it becomes a very fine line.0 -
I probably eat 1/2 back as I only get 1200 calories a day and it's pretty hard. Especially when 10
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I probably eat 1/2 back as I only get 1200 calories a day and it's pretty hard. Especially when 1 banana is over 100 calories.0
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I have a 100 lbs to lose also wait! 96 lol and I'm new on here BUT I have seem MOST not ALL or FEW but MOST say you need to eat back 1/2 of what you burn... that said I have not been doing that my lbs. have came off slow but I've also lost inches so it's a win.
I just changed my program up but for me, what I have found with calories burned is they give you a safety net, I don't eat them back but knowing that I can, seeing that I'm not on the edge come dinner but seeing I have plenty of room left just makes me feel better, I can stick to my 1200 limit and even feel smug when I see how many I have left and it is also there if you are hungry you can go over by using your burn calories and not beat yourself up.0 -
Hey all, sorry if this has been posted before but I'm new to MFP and..well, organized dieting in general.
I currently have to lose 125lbs+ and I aim to eat around 1500 calories a day.
I make sure I eat enough, 3 meals and a snack.
I'm just wondering if it's necessary to eat back your calories burned during exercise, or eat part of them back? Wouldn't eating them back make exercise more pointless and make you lose less weight? Lol, I'm just confused by the whole thing, sorry
I'd appreciate some help
No eat what you have been assigned and dont go under because that will also put your body into starvation mode. This is where my trainer has me at right now, later he says we will "eat the calories back" and reintroducing carbs after the weight decreases.0 -
I don't eat back my calories either.0
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I have been asking this same question for 2 years now! NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME.
you have to be kidding me? this gets explained multiple times per day...not to mention, it is explained in those stickies you're supposed to read when you sign up for the site.
But...here goes again....and I will use my numbers...this is all pretty much 5th grade math. With MFP, you do NOT include exercise in your activity level...it's just your day to day bull ****. Exercise activity has to be accounted for somewhere in the equation in order to determine total calorie requirements...with MFP, this is done after the fact when you log it.
So, my NON EXERCISE maintenance calories are 2,350 (light active setting with NO exercise)...which means MFP gives me a goal of 1,850 net calories to lose 1 Lb per week (500 calories less my theoretical maintenance). Now I decide to exercise...on average I burn around 400 calories per day (more for long ride days obviously)...so now MFP tells me to eat 2,250 calories...but ohnoes, I'm trying to lose weight right? Well, those same 400 calories get added onto my NON EXERCISE maintenance as well...so my new maintenance now becomes 2,750 (2,350 + 300) and 2,750 - 2,250 = 500 calorie deficit still.
Where people go wrong is that they grossly overestimate their calorie burn...they go swimming for an hour and log a 1,000 calorie burn...sorry...didn't happen...probably about half of that. People also tend to underestimate their consumption. These two things are what makes MFP kind of difficult...if you are not a precision kind of person and just a, "meh...looks like about 30 grams" kind of a person and you don't check you calorie burns for reasonableness, this probably isn't going to work too well for you.
Also, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, massive calorie deficits due to not eating back exercise calories aren't as detrimental as they are when you start to lean out...when you start to lean out it becomes very important to not under-fuel your body too much...it becomes a very fine line.
Sarcasm, wolfman! Because obviously, this does get asked AND answered a lot...0 -
BEST. WEBSITE. EVER. :drinker::laugh:0 -
.....I wouldn't class me walking to the shop etc as "exercise" but when I get into proper workouts I'll add a bit more food in so that I've got more to burn off
OK, you say that you have 125lbs to lose...so I am taking a guess at your weight...250lbs
A 250lb person, moving at the slow pace of 2mph, will burn around 47cals in 10 minutes... doesn't sound like much right?
10 minutes to get there, 10 minutes in there, 10 minutes back = 30mins = 142cals... that is almost 10% of your daily intake ....from a simple slow walk to the store at 2mph. You covered a mile...5280 feet.
Going faster? Burns more cals per minute, so it all comes out about the same, as you spend less time getting there.
Carrying bags of stuff back? Burns more cals per minute. 10lbs of stuff will kick your burn up to 49cals in 10 minutes.
But then again, a 5'5" person at 250lbs has a BMR of 1865... so if you do nothing but lie in bed all day, and eat 1500cals, you will have a 365cal deficit.0 -
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A 250lb person, moving at the slow pace of 2mph, will burn around 47cals in 10 minutes... doesn't sound like much right?
Those are gross calories. Cut that in half, or you're double counting what's already covered in your BMR....a 5'5" person at 250lbs has a BMR of 1865...
Not unless they're a 'roided up bodybuilder. Not all pounds are created equal, a "normal" 250 pounder at that height is going to be about 60% body fat, with a BMR closer to 1300.0 -
I eat back about half, sometimes less (Sometimes more, but we call those 'maintenance' days). You don't have to (As I agree with Mr. Knight that you should have plenty of energy stores to draw from.) but if you're feeling peckish go for it. I caution against eating back more than half because it's incredibly easy to overestimate calorie burn.0
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NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10
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I have been asking this same question for 2 years now! NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME.
The best satire always seems genuine at first glance.0 -
Thanks for the entertaining post guys. I never used to eat back calories. Now I got a heart rate monitor and was shocked to learn I burn 900ish calories most days. I am not hungry but am going to try to eat some back. My loss can be slow and starvation mode is lame. Plus, isn't' there such a thing as "eatting yourself thin"?0
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I have been asking this same question for 2 years now! NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME.
you have to be kidding me? this gets explained multiple times per day...not to mention, it is explained in those stickies you're supposed to read when you sign up for the site.
But...here goes again....and I will use my numbers...this is all pretty much 5th grade math. With MFP, you do NOT include exercise in your activity level...it's just your day to day bull ****. Exercise activity has to be accounted for somewhere in the equation in order to determine total calorie requirements...with MFP, this is done after the fact when you log it.
So, my NON EXERCISE maintenance calories are 2,350 (light active setting with NO exercise)...which means MFP gives me a goal of 1,850 net calories to lose 1 Lb per week (500 calories less my theoretical maintenance). Now I decide to exercise...on average I burn around 400 calories per day (more for long ride days obviously)...so now MFP tells me to eat 2,250 calories...but ohnoes, I'm trying to lose weight right? Well, those same 400 calories get added onto my NON EXERCISE maintenance as well...so my new maintenance now becomes 2,750 (2,350 + 300) and 2,750 - 2,250 = 500 calorie deficit still.
Where people go wrong is that they grossly overestimate their calorie burn...they go swimming for an hour and log a 1,000 calorie burn...sorry...didn't happen...probably about half of that. People also tend to underestimate their consumption. These two things are what makes MFP kind of difficult...if you are not a precision kind of person and just a, "meh...looks like about 30 grams" kind of a person and you don't check you calorie burns for reasonableness, this probably isn't going to work too well for you.
Also, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, massive calorie deficits due to not eating back exercise calories aren't as detrimental as they are when you start to lean out...when you start to lean out it becomes very important to not under-fuel your body too much...it becomes a very fine line.
Sarcasm, wolfman! Because obviously, this does get asked AND answered a lot...
I figured that out after the fact...sometimes on MFP I can't tell the difference between derp and sarcasm...plus I'm really tired today...only a couple hours of sleep last night.0 -
For me it depends. If my exercise calories put me under 1200 I will eat back enough to cover.I figure as long as I net 1200 calories I don't 'have to' eat back all the calories. Alternately, if I totally know that I must have some Ben & Jerry's later that day I do end up eating them back.
I have my profile set to no exercise/sedentary & use a heart rate monitor while I work out (I find it's much more accurate that MFP exercise database thingy) & log as my exercise. So far, so good!0 -
I've been using this since last July and have never eaten back exercise cals.. In my opinion not eating them back just speeds up the weight loss, like you I think it would defeat the point in exercising!0
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It all depends on the person and how active they are and how much you work out. When I first started out I had set my calorie goal at 2,000 and was doing about 30 minutes of workout for 3 days a week. It worked great for the first 5 lbs but then I got stuck and nothing seemed to help. I slowly dropped my calorie goal and upped my work out so I would over work myself too fast and get my body accustomed to the lesser amount of calories. I'm right now at 1,650 for my calories and working out for an hour for 5 days a week. You don't want to get too low on your calorie goal for it would do more harm then good. If your concerned about going over your calories, try to eat foods that have lower calories in them, but don't ever starve your body from much needed nutrients.
This may not always work for everyone for everyone is different. It works best for me if I eat up to my calorie goal and don't go over, but there are times where I do go over but its all right since I have burned off quite a bit of calories to equal each other out. Don't always get in the habit of taking back what you lose in exercise cause it wont always be helpful if your having to lose weight.
As for logging in your work out into the MFP database, I do agree that its not all the accurate. I have a treadmill that is pretty accurate log in what I burn off from fallowing that. Also, it wouldn't hurt to invest in a pedometer to help you keep track of your steps and calories per day. I've done some research and they say people who walk 9,000 steps a day tend to stay healthier then those that don't.0 -
I've been using this since last July and have never eaten back exercise cals.. In my opinion not eating them back just speeds up the weight loss, like you I think it would defeat the point in exercising!
so you don't believe there is any point to exercising other than burning calories? good luck with all that...0 -
I have been asking this same question for 2 years now! NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME.
you have to be kidding me? this gets explained multiple times per day...not to mention, it is explained in those stickies you're supposed to read when you sign up for the site.
But...here goes again....and I will use my numbers...this is all pretty much 5th grade math. With MFP, you do NOT include exercise in your activity level...it's just your day to day bull ****. Exercise activity has to be accounted for somewhere in the equation in order to determine total calorie requirements...with MFP, this is done after the fact when you log it.
So, my NON EXERCISE maintenance calories are 2,350 (light active setting with NO exercise)...which means MFP gives me a goal of 1,850 net calories to lose 1 Lb per week (500 calories less my theoretical maintenance). Now I decide to exercise...on average I burn around 400 calories per day (more for long ride days obviously)...so now MFP tells me to eat 2,250 calories...but ohnoes, I'm trying to lose weight right? Well, those same 400 calories get added onto my NON EXERCISE maintenance as well...so my new maintenance now becomes 2,750 (2,350 + 300) and 2,750 - 2,250 = 500 calorie deficit still.
Where people go wrong is that they grossly overestimate their calorie burn...they go swimming for an hour and log a 1,000 calorie burn...sorry...didn't happen...probably about half of that. People also tend to underestimate their consumption. These two things are what makes MFP kind of difficult...if you are not a precision kind of person and just a, "meh...looks like about 30 grams" kind of a person and you don't check you calorie burns for reasonableness, this probably isn't going to work too well for you.
Also, if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, massive calorie deficits due to not eating back exercise calories aren't as detrimental as they are when you start to lean out...when you start to lean out it becomes very important to not under-fuel your body too much...it becomes a very fine line.
Sarcasm, wolfman! Because obviously, this does get asked AND answered a lot...
I figured that out after the fact...sometimes on MFP I can't tell the difference between derp and sarcasm...plus I'm really tired today...only a couple hours of sleep last night.
That's ok. It got me as well. 0 -
For those of you that don't eat back, are your net calories under 1200 (ladies)?0
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A 250lb person, moving at the slow pace of 2mph, will burn around 47cals in 10 minutes... doesn't sound like much right?
Those are gross calories. Cut that in half, or you're double counting what's already covered in your BMR....a 5'5" person at 250lbs has a BMR of 1865...
Not unless they're a 'roided up bodybuilder. Not all pounds are created equal, a "normal" 250 pounder at that height is going to be about 60% body fat, with a BMR closer to 1300.
The Harris–Benedict equations revised by Roza and Shizgal.
Men --- BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)
Women --- BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)0 -
Wow, this has turned into a huge discussion, again, sorry I can't quote you all and reply one by one, took me a while just to read everything! Lol, lots of information there which will definitely take more than one read through, seems everyone has a pretty different take on what to do and what not to.
I guess I'll have a bit of trial and error finding what's right and healthy for me, I've never paid attention to calories before so mixing maths and exercise into the equation just..makes me even more dumb :P lol
I thank you all for your time, effort and comments especially as I now know you answer this question on a daily basis
(again, sorry about that)
Also a couple of things to throw at some of the commenters:
1) Isn't starvation mode when you have 6% or under body fat? That's what I recently heard and trust me, I have a lot more than 6% body fat lol
2) 250lbs for me was close, I'm currently 276.5lbs, trying to get to 11 stone to begin with, then work my way down from there to a comfortable weight for me. The way it's been worded about some daily chores don't seem like they burn a lot of calories but when broken down like you guys have explained it's making me rethink things.
Trying my best to put as much focus into my diet at the minute, does seem quite confusing and complicated at the minute though, hoping that I start picking up the pace and getting used to it over the coming weeks0
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