Do you eat back your calories from excercise?

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mzbek24
mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm relatively new to MFP. I'm trying to lose weight, and I noticed that when you do log in a certain amount of exercise, your caloric limit for the day then increases. Are you supposed to eat all of those calories back? It seems to me that's the sensible thing to try and do, so I normally do that.

Do you eat back all your calories from exercise, and do you know if it's a good idea?
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  • rosepetal325
    rosepetal325 Posts: 5 Member
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    I try not to, because then what was the reason for exercising?
  • FarTooJones
    FarTooJones Posts: 38
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    How many calories are you consuming a day? If your consuming 1200 calories and then burning 300 calories working out i would eat those back. Now if you consuming 1800 calories and burning 300 exercising than I wouldnt worry about it as much. If your hungry eat some or all of them back, if your not no worries.
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
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    Hmm. Yeah I have no idea whether or not what I think makes any sense, kinda hoping other people will have a better idea lol. I should read up about this as well.

    But I basically thought *may be silly* that since MFP is already set up to have a bit of a deficit, that when you exercise its just creating an even bigger one. And then if I ate the same amount of calories as normal, it would be too big, you would get too hungry and your immune system could slow down and prevent you losing any more weight. It's just set at 1200 for now, and it goes to around 1600 with my usual exercise. I tend to burn between 200-500 a session riding my bike, and I do it about 3 or so times per week.
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
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    yes you hit it on the head, MFP is already set up for a deficit.... if you excercise then its just a bigger one. i DO eat them back some days and others i don't.... it just depends on how hungry i am or whats going on. you CAN eat them.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    okay... so....

    this thread again.


    MFP is already set up so you lose weight. If you don't work out AT ALL, you're already at a caloric deficit.

    Now, that said, the calorie burn estimates that MFP gives off are... well.. just that... estimates. Not eating back at least 50-75% of your calories isn't really doing you any favors.

    If you're using MFP as it is designed, then you eat the calories back.
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
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    I try not to, because then what was the reason for exercising?

    to eat more? to improve cardiovascular fitness? to increase strength and maintain lean body mass? because it's enjoyable?

    and yeah, basically what everyone else has said.
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
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    Oh ok. Thanks for your help guys :) looks like maybe it's just one of those situational/personal pref things. I'll just have to see how I go. I will probably still eat some back. I generally try not to leave myself feeling too hungry or having calories left over, I want to be able to have plenty of energy and gradually increase the distance I ride, too.
  • felonebeats
    felonebeats Posts: 433
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    I don't eat my exercise calories back. My maintenance calories is about 3000,I'm eating 2200 atm and losing fat nicely but not too quickly.I workout for 90 mins 5 times a week
  • AdventureFreak
    AdventureFreak Posts: 236 Member
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    Absolutely! Isn't that part of the point?!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I try not to, because then what was the reason for exercising?

    Good luck with sustaining a lifestyle change if the only reason you exercise is to burn extra calories, lol.

    To the original question... Yes, I do and have always eaten back most or all of my exercise calories, usually 800-1200 of them and I seem to be doing just fine.
  • joycloete
    joycloete Posts: 22
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    I do 'cause I seriously can't function on 1200 calories a day.
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
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    But I basically thought *may be silly* that since MFP is already set up to have a bit of a deficit, that when you exercise its just creating an even bigger one. And then if I ate the same amount of calories as normal, it would be too big, you would get too hungry and your immune system could slow down and prevent you losing any more weight. It's just set at 1200 for now, and it goes to around 1600 with my usual exercise. I tend to burn between 200-500 a session riding my bike, and I do it about 3 or so times per week.

    You're exactly right, MFP is designed so that you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. You're set up at a deficit. Eat those exercise calories!
    That said, the calorie burns from the MFP database and from what I understand from most HRMs depending on the type of exercise, are often vastly over-exaggerated. What many people do is to eat only some or like 1/2 of the burned calories. As well, be as accurate and honest as you can with entering your food/exercise it will help you see the best results :)

    That's actually a really good point. Trying to get the amount of calories burned accurately measured is really important. I'm going to work on getting a HRM, at the moment I use the 'Mapmyride' app on my phone and it gives a calories burn reading after a workout. It's usually at odds with MFP so yeah that's something you've gotta be mindful of...I mean if you assume its accurate and eat back all the calories, could be over eating them. Maybe I shouldn't eat back all of them until I get something more accurate sorted?
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    Every last bowl of ice cream worth!

    Check my diary... Truth! Lol
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
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    When I was losing weight, I didn't eat them. Now, when I'm on maintaince I eat at least half of them. :)
  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
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    I'm still losing weight when eating them back, it's slow progress though. I have shifted 3kg in a month. At that rate it would take around 4 months to reach my goal weight if I can stick with it.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    - because I underestimate the calories I consume and MFP is too generous with calorie burns in most cases - I only eat back half my exercise calories, so I don't feel like all that work was for nothing but I also don't make the whole thing a waste of effort by not losing excess body fat.

    I used to eat back all my exercise calories but would either stay the same or start to increase (most likely fat) weight, so I now do the above and it is working for me.
  • samyadas
    samyadas Posts: 9
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    no. that's a bad idea. unless you're clocking hours of intense cardio, don't even enter your walks/treadmill/etc in MFP. the calories burnt factor in your BMR, so if the treadmill says you burnt 350 cals in an hour, its realistically at least a hundred calories less. the excess adds up over time.
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
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    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    in MFP. the calories burnt factor in your BMR, so if the treadmill says you burnt 350 cals in an hour, its realistically at least a hundred calories less. the excess adds up over time.

    I don't think you are correct here as the MFP initial registration takes into account BMR and then anything you do as exercise is extra as BMR has already been taken into account at registration.

    Having said that, I find MFP exercise calories to be on the high side and tend to eat back half to be safe.

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