Not eating back exercise calories VS eating them back
janicelo1971
Posts: 823 Member
OK...so I do weigh by food and I do have a polar HRM. for 6 months I was eating back all my exercise calories which was about an additional 1500 calories a week and I maintained my weight...for the last 3-4 weeks I decided to NOT eat them back at the advise of my friends on here in hopes to drop some weight ....I have maintained the same amount of working out, not eaten the exercise calories back and no weight loss?
Based on Scoobys suggestions ..5'6, early 40's and 139 weight...I work at home and sit ALL day when not at tennis or crossfit...
Basal Metabolic Rate 1306 (BMR)
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1560
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1254 calories (to lose weight!!)
I realize I MUST not be accounting for all my food or something as logically im either under estimating, not accounting for all my intake or I have a medical issue...which I don't think any of the above is true...is there any evidence that NOT eating back the exercise calories and eating on *average** (I go by the week-not day) may not have any significant effect?
I would like to lose 10 pounds and at this rate-per the numbers above I can only lose 12 pounds in a year unless I go to a LOWER calorie count:( Suggestions other then working out a ton more?
Based on Scoobys suggestions ..5'6, early 40's and 139 weight...I work at home and sit ALL day when not at tennis or crossfit...
Basal Metabolic Rate 1306 (BMR)
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1560
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1254 calories (to lose weight!!)
I realize I MUST not be accounting for all my food or something as logically im either under estimating, not accounting for all my intake or I have a medical issue...which I don't think any of the above is true...is there any evidence that NOT eating back the exercise calories and eating on *average** (I go by the week-not day) may not have any significant effect?
I would like to lose 10 pounds and at this rate-per the numbers above I can only lose 12 pounds in a year unless I go to a LOWER calorie count:( Suggestions other then working out a ton more?
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Replies
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I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.0 -
I looked at your diary and based on what I see it doesn't appear you use a scale.
there are too many entries in cups, tsp, tbsp and there are quick add calories..those are the devil incarnite
generic - pan fried bacon 2.4 slices (8g) 103 calories??? 3 slices of maple leaf bacon uncooked is 220 calories and the weight is 80grams...once cooked it does lessen but that doesn't make calories less...
Saturday you logged 345 calories??? did you really just eat that or didn't log?
Friday 885 calories??? incomplete maybe?
From what I can see you are probably eating more than you think. If you are weighing your entries are not accurate...you are missing days, using quick adds...which all lead to under estimating calories.0 -
I looked at your diary and based on what I see it doesn't appear you use a scale.
there are too many entries in cups, tsp, tbsp and there are quick add calories..those are the devil incarnite
generic - pan fried bacon 2.4 slices (8g) 103 calories??? 3 slices of maple leaf bacon uncooked is 220 calories and the weight is 80grams...once cooked it does lessen but that doesn't make calories less...
Saturday you logged 345 calories??? did you really just eat that or didn't log?
Friday 885 calories??? incomplete maybe?
From what I can see you are probably eating more than you think. If you are weighing your entries are not accurate...you are missing days, using quick adds...which all lead to under estimating calories.
I do use a scale...I did eat under my calorie count all of Easter weekend...was under the weather...I don't have ANY missed days since I joined almost a year ago..quick adds are honestly usually straight tequila (no mixers...no carb/protein/)..thanks for the thoughts though..I appreciate any observations:)0 -
generic - pan fried bacon 2.4 slices (8g) 103 calories??? 3 slices of maple leaf bacon uncooked is 220 calories and the weight is 80grams...once cooked it does lessen but that doesn't make calories less...
The packaging for most bacon I've tried says about 70 calories for 2 slices. So 103 for 2.4 would be about right.0 -
It depends for me. If I have a heavy day where I burn A LOT of calories, I will eat "some" back to bring my energy back up and because I earned it.
On lighter days, I don't eat any back because how many calories I ACTAULLY burned is too iffy.0 -
Are you using the TDEE method or the MFP method?
I ask because I see you mention Scooby's in your calculation.0 -
I don't eat all my exercise calories back, but it gives me that option to eat more if I want to. I exercise to get fit & healthy as well as to lose weight and will continue to exercise when I maintain, so again it'll give me the option to eat more if I find myself hungry.0
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quick adds are honestly usually straight tequila (no mixers...no carb/protein/)..thanks for the thoughts though..I appreciate any observations:)
If you're regularly having over half your daily calorie intake in the form of tequila then that might be part of the problem tbh. Alcohol can hinder weight loss, apparently. And I'm guessing it's interfering with your nutrition as you're only essentially eating 600 cals of food daily regularly.
If not eating back your exercise calories made no difference to your weight loss then I'm guessing that's your answer. And in your case I would imagine it's a sensible idea to eat them back for the nutritional value.0 -
I swore I would not eat back the burned calories, and then I started doing it... it was totally wrong in my case and here I go starting back up again. If eating them back was working than do that! Everyone is different so you have to do what works best for you. Remember don't lower your intake too low or your body will hold the calories!
As for calorie count I do not go with MFP entries unless I have checked to make sure it is right on the right amount. So like bacon, read the back of YOUR brand and go with that! Sounds like you have been though so keep it up!0 -
i eat back my workout calories atleast 3 days of the week iam not losing any results iam gaining :laugh: but everyones different0
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I swore I would not eat back the burned calories, and then I started doing it... it was totally wrong in my case and here I go starting back up again. If eating them back was working than do that! Everyone is different so you have to do what works best for you. Remember don't lower your intake too low or your body will hold the calories!
As for calorie count I do not go with MFP entries unless I have checked to make sure it is right on the right amount. So like bacon, read the back of YOUR brand and go with that! Sounds like you have been though so keep it up!
Very true ..I just need to be patient ...thanks:flowerforyou:0 -
generic - pan fried bacon 2.4 slices (8g) 103 calories??? 3 slices of maple leaf bacon uncooked is 220 calories and the weight is 80grams...once cooked it does lessen but that doesn't make calories less...
The packaging for most bacon I've tried says about 70 calories for 2 slices. So 103 for 2.4 would be about right.
Glad I don't have to eat that bacon then...blah...how thin is it? paper thin?0 -
generic - pan fried bacon 2.4 slices (8g) 103 calories??? 3 slices of maple leaf bacon uncooked is 220 calories and the weight is 80grams...once cooked it does lessen but that doesn't make calories less...
The packaging for most bacon I've tried says about 70 calories for 2 slices. So 103 for 2.4 would be about right.
Glad I don't have to eat that bacon then...blah...how thin is it? paper thin?
I also get the blah bacon...LOL...
Oscar Mayer/Bacon... "no nitrate or nitrite added except naturally occurring in celery powder and sea salt"....."Natural... Minimally processed/No artificial ingredients".
2 slices:
Fat 5g
cholesterol 15mg
sodium 250mg
total carbs 0g
protein 6g
calories: 70 (50 from fat)0 -
OK...so I do weigh by food and I do have a polar HRM. for 6 months I was eating back all my exercise calories which was about an additional 1500 calories a week and I maintained my weight...for the last 3-4 weeks I decided to NOT eat them back at the advise of my friends on here in hopes to drop some weight ....I have maintained the same amount of working out, not eaten the exercise calories back and no weight loss?
If you do the exact same thing, and eat less, one would think you'd lose weight regardless of what calculations you use.
I would guess that if you swapped out the alcohol for food you'd start to lose. Alcohol effects the body a little bit differently than food. Try it for two-three weeks and see what happens.
Or reduce your calorie total by 100 a day and see what happens.
Sometimes I get stuck analyzing things when really I just need to do something. As long as the something isn't dangerous it is usually worth a try.0 -
I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
Funny, I eat my calories back because to not do so I feel would defeat the purpose. Guess we have a different purpose.0 -
Okay, just for the record, I eat back 1/2 my exercise calories but that's because I use the MFP recommendations.
If you're using TDEE method, then you're not supposed to eat back the calories according to everything I've read.
Nothing more to add.0 -
Weigh in grams..... not ounces, cups, half cups, etc.....
I eat back some exercise calories each day butnot all. I seem to be doing fine!0 -
It depends for me. If I have a heavy day where I burn A LOT of calories, I will eat "some" back to bring my energy back up and because I earned it.
On lighter days, I don't eat any back because how many calories I ACTAULLY burned is too iffy.
This. Generally speaking... if I'm hungry still...and I have exercise calories available... I might eat a little more... but all in all I try to religiously stick to my goal no matter what... unless say I've worked in the yard for 5 hours or something and then I'll eat part of those calories back so I'm not too far in the red.0 -
OK...so I do weigh by food and I do have a polar HRM. for 6 months I was eating back all my exercise calories which was about an additional 1500 calories a week and I maintained my weight...for the last 3-4 weeks I decided to NOT eat them back at the advise of my friends on here in hopes to drop some weight ....I have maintained the same amount of working out, not eaten the exercise calories back and no weight loss?
Based on Scoobys suggestions ..5'6, early 40's and 139 weight...I work at home and sit ALL day when not at tennis or crossfit...
Basal Metabolic Rate 1306 (BMR)
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 1560
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1254 calories (to lose weight!!)
I realize I MUST not be accounting for all my food or something as logically im either under estimating, not accounting for all my intake or I have a medical issue...which I don't think any of the above is true...is there any evidence that NOT eating back the exercise calories and eating on *average** (I go by the week-not day) may not have any significant effect?
I would like to lose 10 pounds and at this rate-per the numbers above I can only lose 12 pounds in a year unless I go to a LOWER calorie count:( Suggestions other then working out a ton more?
You did not figure TDEE. You calcuated TDEE for sedentary when you are not. TDEE is supposed to include your regular exercise. This tends to cause a lot of confusion here.
If you figure actual TDEE,you do not eat back exercise calories.
If you follow the NEAT method (like MFP or figuring at sedentary and adding in exercise), you should eat at least some of them back.
If you aren't losing, you aren't in a deficit for some reason. First place to start is your logging.0 -
I log all exercise as 1 and don't eat them back, it's a mental game but also acts as a safety net if I go over some. To each their own though0
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Everyone has to figure out what works w/their own body. MFP calorie burn estimates are notoriously overestimated. So at first I just ate back my cardio (machines that give calorie burn) calories & I was losing about 1-1.5 lbs/week. When I tried to eat back ALL my exercise calories, either I didn't lose at all or hardly lost anything. When I tried to NOT eat back any of my calories, the same thing happened, so figure my body went into starvation mode (yes, I know that's a controversial issue...just telling you what happened w/me). So, for me, what works best is eating back just cardio. But when you experiment, give it a couple of weeks to make sure it wasn't just a one week fluke.0
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I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
How does it "defeat the purpose"?0 -
If I eat 2000 calories in a day, and exercise and burn 400, but decide to eat back my exercise calories there is 400 calories less that I would have been in deficit.I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
How does it "defeat the purpose"?
If I am in maintenance mode, maybe that would be the case but in a strict weight loss mode I want that exercise to be most beneficial.0 -
I don't eat my calories back. It somehow seems to defeat the purpose. I know of some people who lost weight doing it. I tried it for a couple of weeks I didn't lose a pound. So I'm back to what works for me.0
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I don't eat them back. I have used the FitBit to track exercise and integrate it with MFP and it was increasing my calories by a LOT and I was eating those calories because MFP was helpfully adding those in every day and I and I was gaining weight and not losing at all! I stopped integration of it and stuck to a set amount of calories and do not go over it and I have lost 7 pounds so far in a month. So as much as I love my Fit Bit and I love that it integrates with MFP, it totally did not work for me. I think my metabolism just sucks! If I use any of the standard "calculators" for how many calories I should be eating a day, they NEVER work either. I have to really restrict my calories in order to lose weight. Period. It sucks but at least through trial and error, I know what I need to do. I have always been one of those people who doesn't look my actual weight, I look more muscular and solid and when I DO lose weight, you can barely tell. If there is one thing I have learned, it's that we are all very different. What works for one, might not work for the other.0
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I was loosing by not eating back, finally after a year hit a plateau. Joined a gym, trainer, increased working out and ate back calories... Nothing for months!!! Mfp people said eat more, keep eating back. Finally the past month the scale is moving again with me not eating back my calories.
For me, I can't eat back calories... I weigh my food with a scale, use HRM. I think it depends on factors: CW, height, etc because what people suggested didn't help.0 -
If I eat 2000 calories in a day, and exercise and burn 400, but decide to eat back my exercise calories there is 400 calories less that I would have been in deficit.I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
How does it "defeat the purpose"?
If I am in maintenance mode, maybe that would be the case but in a strict weight loss mode I want that exercise to be most beneficial.
If MFP suggests 2000 calories a day and you choose 1 lb a week weight loss goal, your daily calorie requirement is 2500 calories to maintain weight. When you eat 2000, you are at a 500 calorie deficit. If you add 400 calories in exercise, your body needs 2900 calories (2500 + 400 in additional calories because of the exercise) and you are only eating 2000. So you now have a 900 calorie deficit instead of a 500.
When you are looking at more aggressive weight loss goals or higher activity levels, this can be problematic. There are tons of reasons to maintain a modest calorie deficit.
Drop those numbers to around 1200 - 1400 where a lot of women are, and you are looking at feeding your body 800 calories when it needs closer to 2000 or more.0 -
If I eat 2000 calories in a day, and exercise and burn 400, but decide to eat back my exercise calories there is 400 calories less that I would have been in deficit.I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
How does it "defeat the purpose"?
If I am in maintenance mode, maybe that would be the case but in a strict weight loss mode I want that exercise to be most beneficial.
If MFP suggests 2000 calories a day and you choose 1 lb a week weight loss goal, your daily calorie requirement is 2500 calories to maintain weight. When you eat 2000, you are at a 500 calorie deficit. If you add 400 calories in exercise, your body needs 2900 calories (2500 + 400 in additional calories because of the exercise) and you are only eating 2000. So you now have a 900 calorie deficit instead of a 500.
When you are looking at more aggressive weight loss goals or higher activity levels, this can be problematic. There are tons of reasons to maintain a modest calorie deficit.
Drop those numbers to around 1200 - 1400 where a lot of women are, and you are looking at feeding your body 800 calories when it needs closer to 2000 or more.
and I would rather have a higher deficit than a lower deficit. That is why I dont eat back my calories from exercise.0 -
If I eat 2000 calories in a day, and exercise and burn 400, but decide to eat back my exercise calories there is 400 calories less that I would have been in deficit.I personally dont eat them back.
I just feel it defeats the purpose, plus many people over estimate the calories burned during a workout and it has them eat too many calories.
How does it "defeat the purpose"?
If I am in maintenance mode, maybe that would be the case but in a strict weight loss mode I want that exercise to be most beneficial.
If MFP suggests 2000 calories a day and you choose 1 lb a week weight loss goal, your daily calorie requirement is 2500 calories to maintain weight. When you eat 2000, you are at a 500 calorie deficit. If you add 400 calories in exercise, your body needs 2900 calories (2500 + 400 in additional calories because of the exercise) and you are only eating 2000. So you now have a 900 calorie deficit instead of a 500.
When you are looking at more aggressive weight loss goals or higher activity levels, this can be problematic. There are tons of reasons to maintain a modest calorie deficit.
Drop those numbers to around 1200 - 1400 where a lot of women are, and you are looking at feeding your body 800 calories when it needs closer to 2000 or more.
and I would rather have a higher deficit than a lower deficit. That is why I dont eat back my calories from exercise.
What you prefer is up to you. Many prefer not to for a lot of reasons. But that is a world away from it "defeats the purpose"0 -
Okay, just for the record, I eat back 1/2 my exercise calories but that's because I use the MFP recommendations.
If you're using TDEE method, then you're not supposed to eat back the calories according to everything I've read.
Nothing more to add.
OK, so I guess I was initially confused...or just chose the best of both worlds...if I go with the NEAT-MFP recommendations of losing half a pound a week it tells me to eat 1200 calories a day...the Scooby method gave me a few more calories....however I see now I should NOT be eating my calories back if I go with the Scooby method....makes sense I was maintaining for the last 6 months...and it was just the last 2-3 weeks I now enter (1) for exercise calories burned and I don't eat them back....I guess im just jealous at all the others that can eat 1500 plus calories...I really just need to get off my booty and exercise more!! I also don't have a ton to lose, so I guess it will be slower...0
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