Calories minused from exercising

kacisjourneytohealthy
kacisjourneytohealthy Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
My current daily target goal is 1310. Let's say I burn 310 calories exercising; do I have to eat 310 more calories? I know that only puts me at 1,000 for a daily calorie intake, which isn't that great, but it's not as though I didn't eat the calories. Can anyone help me? Trying to make sense of this all. Thank you so much!

Replies

  • ErinMcMom
    ErinMcMom Posts: 228 Member
    You need to eat back your exercise calories.
    Personally, I eat back 50-75% of my exercise calories (since mfp calorie burn projections tend to overestimate)
  • BurntCoffee
    BurntCoffee Posts: 234 Member
    MFP adds them back into my calories for the day but I don't eat them. It's more of a personal preference I think. My way of thinking is that surely sometimes I forget to log something or don't measure exactly right so not eating those calories make up for that. I'm sure there are tons of opinions on this. I am by no means claiming to be right. That's just what I do.
  • Forty6and2
    Forty6and2 Posts: 2,492 Member
    It really depends on how you measure your calorie burns as some methods are more accurate than others. If you are using a heart rate monitor, you can eat back most of what you burn. However, if you are using MFP to calculate your calorie burn, you should not take the number at face value. MFP tends to overestimate calorie burns by quite a bit.
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    If your exercise is above the activity level you set when you created your goals, yes you're supposed to eat those back--at least some of them. If you're using MFP to estimate the calories, people generally suggest eating only 50-75% back as the site overestimates for almost all cardio burns. So eat back about 160 cals.

    These links should help you out getting started:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
    You need to eat back your exercise calories.
    Personally, I eat back 50-75% of my exercise calories (since mfp calorie burn projections tend to overestimate)

    The calorie burns might be overestimated but the TDEE is grossly underestimated. Try using scoobycalc to figure out what your TDEE should be and what you should eat for sustainable healthy weight loss.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    I eat my exercise calories back because I want my body to be fueled for my workouts. My workouts make me stronger and raise my metabolism so I can eat more and still lose weight. Perfect system IMO - I don't want to be one of those people who has to eat toddler portions of food to lose weight.
  • ehample
    ehample Posts: 19
    I eat my exercise calories back because I want my body to be fueled for my workouts. My workouts make me stronger and raise my metabolism so I can eat more and still lose weight. Perfect system IMO - I don't want to be one of those people who has to eat toddler portions of food to lose weight.

    This is correct. When I eat too little I start retaining weight and can't get much out of my exercise program. My body thinks it is being starved. I don't typically make it a point to eat back my calories but I work out in the morning and have the rest of the day to refuel my body. By the way, just my opinion, I think your eating too little to begin with.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I eat my exercise calories back because I want my body to be fueled for my workouts. My workouts make me stronger and raise my metabolism so I can eat more and still lose weight. Perfect system IMO - I don't want to be one of those people who has to eat toddler portions of food to lose weight.
    AMEN!

    Yes, take into consideration that MFP's calorie burn estimates are a bit high, but also understand that the daily calorie goal MFP gives you already has you at a deficit BEFORE exercise. Meaning you could eat all your calories every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you burn off more cals through exercise, you're creating a much larger deficit, which can lead to heaps of problems for ya in the long run. That's why MFP adds the cals back into your daily goal - you're supposed to eat them back, at least a good portion of them, bringing your daily net cals up to, or very near goal. And you're still in a deficit, and you will still lose.

    Food is fuel! Don't sell yourself short by trying to eat less & exercise to lose faster. Yeah, you may lose, but say goodbye to your lean muscle along with any fat, and eventually energy for workouts, balanced hormones, good moods, motivation..... :tongue:

    True story, we see it here on the boards ALL. THE. TIME.
  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    I eat my exercise calories back because I want my body to be fueled for my workouts. My workouts make me stronger and raise my metabolism so I can eat more and still lose weight. Perfect system IMO - I don't want to be one of those people who has to eat toddler portions of food to lose weight.

    This ^^^

    I do mark down what my HRM tells me a little though as I think it can be a bit high and MFP is usually way WAY too high with it's guesses for cals burned.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    IMO there are two separate goals here.

    Goal 1: Lose fat
    Goal 2: Get fit

    For Goal 1 you need to eat at a caloric deficit, that's it.
    For Goal 2 you need to exercise, preferably both resistance training and some cardio, and to do that you need to fuel your workouts with fuel to get the most out of them.

    If you want to do both at the same time then you eat a goal number of calories per day to be at a set deficit and when you exercise you eat the calories back you burned to maintain the same deficit while still fueling your exercise.
  • kacisjourneytohealthy
    kacisjourneytohealthy Posts: 7
    Thanks to everyone for your help! I am, by no means, trying to cut back on eating. Some days I just feel like I've eaten all day and I STILL haven't reached my calorie goal. :) I will just keep on truckin'! Thanks again!!

Categories