maintaining weight

mehrunisan
mehrunisan Posts: 64 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
does anyone here eat back all their exercise calories?

Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I do.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    MFP is set up so that you must eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories. (Your calorie goal is your activity level minus your deficit.) The burns are estimates, so some people reduce the margin of error by eating back half their calories.

    If you've customized your goal using TDEE, then you can't eat back any exercise calories. TDEE includes exercise, so eating back = double dipping.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • mehrunisan
    mehrunisan Posts: 64 Member
    @SLLRunner

    are you currently maintaing your weight?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    When you enter maintenance, eat back your exercise calories the same way you did while you were losing.

    Your weight will fluctuate, so pick a "window" rather than an exact weight. (For example, 113–117 lbs.) If you go above that, cut 100 calories per week until your weight stabilizes. If you go below, add 100 calories per week.

    Just like weight loss, maintenance takes a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you.
  • mehrunisan
    mehrunisan Posts: 64 Member
    yeah that makes so much more sense than just targeting 115! thank you so much.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    You're welcome, and congratulations on your loss!
  • RUNNING_AMOK_1958
    RUNNING_AMOK_1958 Posts: 268 Member
    I eat back most of them. I try to have no more than 200 left over. If i do a long run with a huge burn it is impossible to eat most of them back in one day, so I'll go over other days of the week. So far I've been able to maintain my goal weight.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    If i do a long run with a huge burn it is impossible to eat most of them back in one day, so I'll go over other days of the week.
    ^Good point. Always look at your nutrition for the past 7 days, not just today. (Edited to add that it's easier in the app.)

    Maintenance is all about "the big picture."
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    does anyone here eat back all their exercise calories?
    [/quote

    No, I don't eat all of my exercise calories unless I am hungry; however, I am eating a bit more now than when I was losing. Having said that, I didn't eat all of my exercise calories back then either. I have been in maintenance for 3 and half years.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I seem to do best when I set up for a 1/2 lb. loss a week and eat to my goal or close to it. Some days over and some under. My exercise is included in the total so yes I eat back exercise calories and yes I am maintaining.
  • zenhiker2014
    zenhiker2014 Posts: 84 Member
    Yes. I track my normal daily activity with a fitbit, and my workouts with an HRM, so I have reasonably good daily estimates of actual calorie burn. I try to eat about 100 calories less than my target amount every day. So if I exercise, MFP adjusts my target calories upward and I adjust my eating to match.

    I am not in maintenance quite yet, but I've just entered the top end of my goal range and am trying to coast to a stop in the middle of the range, so this is basically how I'm going to maintain as well.
  • mehrunisan
    mehrunisan Posts: 64 Member
    Thank you! I never ate more than 1500 when i was losing, but for the past two days ive been going all out with 2000+ ( i burn almost a 1000 in the gym everyday, six days a week) but i'm so happy with my physique now! don't want three years of hard work to go down the drain.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    @SLLRunner

    are you currently maintaing your weight?
    Pretty much. I've lost a few more pounds, but it's not enough to be worried about.

    I should clarify that I only count cardio exercise calories, my weight lifting is counted into my active activity level.
  • MildredBarhopper
    MildredBarhopper Posts: 99 Member
    I am maintaining and I eat back all my calories. However, through the week it doesn't look I do because I leave 150 to 200 cals depending on what exercise I have done, and then I go over on the weekends, so that equals out to me eating back exercise cals. It has been working well for me :). I even took a week off around Easter, didn't work out and ate a LOT. I did gain weight, but was back to normal in a few weeks after going back to eating at maintenance.
  • mehrunisan
    mehrunisan Posts: 64 Member
    I guess once you get the confidence and strength to do it once it gets easier :) thank you all so much for replying.

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