Should I eat my exercise calories back?

chlohanlon
chlohanlon Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Basic summary; I wake up, have breakfast (typically cereal or poached eggs) I then start work at 9AM, have lunch at 12PM (Noodle snack pot or similar) I then go to the gym straight from work so around 5PM, do mostly cardio for 1/1 and a half hours. I therefore eat my dinner when I come home, (eg veggie lasagne).

My net food goal is 1200 calories a day, I burn off around 400-500 in the gym. Am I supposed to eat back my exercise calories?


:heart:

Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Are you losing weight?
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Basic summary; I wake up, have breakfast (typically cereal or poached eggs) I then start work at 9AM, have lunch at 12PM (Noodle snack pot or similar) I then go to the gym straight from work so around 5PM, do mostly cardio for 1/1 and a half hours. I therefore eat my dinner when I come home, (eg veggie lasagne).

    My net food goal is 1200 calories a day, I burn off around 400-500 in the gym. Am I supposed to eat back my exercise calories?


    :heart:

    Yes
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
    I dont know if you are supposed to but I personally do not. MFP says you are but I guess it depends on how aggressive you are with your weight loss goals. Its hard to determine how many calories you are really burning, so to be safe, I dont count those as free calories. However, when I get to my goal weight, I may rethink and ease up.
  • cvenhorst414
    cvenhorst414 Posts: 14
    I try not too. I usually eat my net goals and after i finished dinner and I am getting ready for bed I add what I did for the day. That way I don't over eat and I am losing weight. So far it has worked
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    YES! MFP calculated you at a calorie deficit at 1200 calories. Exercising on top of that deficit creates a larger deficit (potentially larger than a healthy amount) so you should be eating back at least some of your exercise calories.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    Best explanation.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf?hl=again+wtf
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    YES YES YES!

    1200 NET is the lowest a woman should go, and that's probably still too low. I'd reevaluate your goals. First, I'd change my MFP settings from whatever you have it set to (I'm guessing 2 lb loss per week) to .5 lb loss per week. See what your new calorie goal is. If it's still 1200-1300, calculate your TDEE - 20%.

    If you use MFP recommendations, you need to eat your exercise calories back. If your goal is 1200 calories but you're burning 500, your body only thinks it's getting 700. That's WAY too low. You need your net to reach your MFP goal.

    If you use TDEE - 20%, you don't eat your burned calories back. That calculator will ask for your activity level and factor that in to give you a goal for gross calories (not net). If you're exercising 1 - 1 1/2 hours per day, you need more than 1200 calories. Plain and simple.

    Be kind to your body and give it the fuel it needs. You'll still lose weight at a higher caloric intake. Eat!
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    Personally I think that if you are exercising 5 - 7 hours a week, cardio, 1200 is too low for long term sustainability. Eating back around 50% of exercise calories seems to be the mfp norm - alternatively calculate your TDEE using one of the calculators on the web and eat TDEE-20%.
  • kdillson70
    kdillson70 Posts: 63
    I usually eat back 1/2 of mine. I want to refuel my body, but also consistently lose small amounts of weight. However, my ultimate goal is to be healthy.
  • mildammm
    mildammm Posts: 67 Member
    You're supposed to, but since it is so hard to really know how much you're burning, I don't. If I am REALLY hungry and just need a tad more calories, I'll do cardio on a treadmill (where I know my speed, time and weight) and eat that back. But that's not for losing weight, that's for fitness.

    Eating half of your exercise calories would be a good idea if you do workout everyday.
  • DucklingtoSwan
    DucklingtoSwan Posts: 169 Member
    I am trying not to eat them back as a general rule, but once in a while it's nice to have the 'option' if means a treat. For instance, I intend to enjoy the hell out of a couple lovely, light, crispy hazelnut biscotti pieces with my coffee in a moment because my walk later will help offset them. :wink: And on the rare occasions I go out to eat, sometimes I'll let exercise calories give me a little wiggle room.

    As someone else mentioned, when I do get to goal I will probably work them in once I figure out my balance needed for maintenance.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    What is your Ht/Wt?

    In all honesty, 1200 net calories is probably wayyyyy to low of a goal for an 18yr old female.
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
    I eat most of mine back. My net is 2200, if I didn't eat back my exercise calories, I would not be able to maintain my training or active lifestyle. My goal isn't to lose weight so a deficit of any kind would work against my goals.
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    Yes. 1200 is your net, that is the total calories you need in your body to be HEALTHY.Iif you take some calories away, i.e. exercise, you should give them back, i.e. food.
    There is a lot of debate as to wether you eat them all. Some of the predictions for calories burnt on MFP are a bit whack. I did some research online and made my own figures. Now I wear a fit bit and it seems to give a fairly accurate burn.
    A lot of people eat back 50-80% of their exercise calories. That might work for someone like me on maintenance, but as you are on a low, low intake to start with I would aim for 80% minimum. What is the point of looking gorgeous on the outside, if you screw your body to get there?
    You are not obese, so you should be looking at a nice slow and gentle weight loss. This will be much more sustainable. Trust me, I did it the other way for 20 years, yo yo diet, drop 5kg gain 6. I have been maintaining for about 6 months now at the lowest weight I have been in 20 years, because this time I did it the right way.
  • chlohanlon
    chlohanlon Posts: 7
    I'm 63KG and around 5 foot 8
  • chlohanlon
    chlohanlon Posts: 7
    I'm 63KG and around 5 Foot 8
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I'm 63KG and around 5 foot 8

    I'm guessing your goal is set to 2lbs per week?

    1200 net is too aggressive IMHO. You could eat 1400-1600 calories a day and lose weight just sitting on the couch.

    Throw in all the cardio you do, and it's closer to 2000.

    So in short, yes....you need to be eating those back.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    YES! That's how MFP works. They set a calorie goal that includes a deficit to help you lose weight. When you exercise, that calore burn creates an even larger deficit which in most cases is too much to allow for HEALTHY weight loss and therefore you eat back at least half of the earned calories to make sure you're getting enough fuel/nutrients.

    And as RGv2 said, 1200 is probably to low for you anyway. I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh about 40 pounds more and still lose eating 1400-1500 net cal per day. You could too.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    YES! That's how MFP works. They set a calorie goal that includes a deficit to help you lose weight. When you exercise, that calore burn creates an even larger deficit which in most cases is too much to allow for HEALTHY weight loss and therefore you eat back at least half of the earned calories to make sure you're getting enough fuel/nutrients.

    And as RGv2 said, 1200 is probably to low for you anyway. I'm an inch shorter than you and weigh about 40 pounds more and still lose eating 1400-1500 net cal per day. You could too.

    OP is only 18 as well.

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