Do you eat back exercise calories

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tjsims8
tjsims8 Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's hard for me to do because I feel like I'm wasting an hour of working out hard when I could just not eat the extra 400 or so cals
Also, if I am below my caloric goal, say I am at 1000 calories and I'm suppose to net 1200, would you still exercise?

Replies

  • Kaylee11133
    Kaylee11133 Posts: 31 Member
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    I I know how you feel lol. From what I understand though, that's your own choice. But, you should be "netting" at least 1200 calories. Say you ate 1400 calories and you burned 400, you should eat an extra 200 calories so that you net 1200 still. Working out increases your metabolism though, so there's always that plus side too.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    The purpose of training is to improve your health and fitness, not just burn calories.

    If your training is something that leads you to think like that, then I'd question whether you're doing appropirate training for you.

    Personally I loathe training indoors, and get particularly bored doing resistance training. I'd rather go for a good long run or cycle for a couple of hours than spend any time inside a gym.

    so yes, eat them back and in particular try to stay above 1200 calories net.

    to put it in context, I'm generally burning up several hundred calories, at least. I generally don't burn less than 600, and more often around the 1000 mark. There's no way that I'd manage if I didn't eat back.
  • homemadehippy
    homemadehippy Posts: 44 Member
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    I eat back 150 exercise calories each day. (I'm sure its just a coincidence that that is the amount of calories in a Skinny Cow mint ice cream sandwich.)
    I walk on my lunch at around a 3mph pace for 40 minutes and burn around 250 calories. I log it as a 2mph walk for 30 mins which comes out to 150 calories burned. On the weekends I walk for an hour and burn more, but still log it and eat back 150
    I also burn another 300 on my stationary bike Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
    On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, I burn around 150 on my bike, plus do strength/toning exercises.
    I do not eat back any biking or toning calories.
    So, I eat back some calories to get more food, and I leave some out and tell myself they are pure calorie burn and extra pounds lost. It equals a win-win motivational-wise for me.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
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    I eat back a small amount, but not all because like you I see it as wasted effort then. But I also like the health benefits exercise gives me, so I would still work out no matter what (I also workout first thing before any food is taken in so I wouldn't really have that dilemma).
  • rebeccaplatt21
    rebeccaplatt21 Posts: 175
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    i've been really confused about this today also...worried i'm not eating enough cals because of exercise.

    age old question on here (with a thousand different topics posted on it too): to eat or not to eat exercise cals!

    guarantee you'll get a different answer from each person! i'll keep checking back on the post to see what people say.
  • fvtfan
    fvtfan Posts: 126 Member
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    It depends on how you have your goal set in MFP - I don't eat back all of my calories burned, but do eat some of them. Keep in mind it would be "net calories" because you burn calories just sitting. I looked at a net calorie calculator today and my 900 calorie bike ride yesterday actually netted me 750 calories - that is a big difference if you are eating all of them back.
  • Flutterloo
    Flutterloo Posts: 122 Member
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    I have eaten some of them back if I felt hungry. I try to not eat them back, or only eat back about half at most.
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
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    Usually like to eat back half, sometimes more. Never had a problem losing doing that.
  • dfranch
    dfranch Posts: 207 Member
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    I generally don't eat back calories. If my net is less than 1200 however, it might be a good idea to have an apple or something to get over 1200.
  • mnwalkingqueen
    mnwalkingqueen Posts: 1,299 Member
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    What if you at 3 meals and 2 snacks and you are still under 1200 calories for the day? I had a couple days last week due to situations like broken down car where I burned over 1200 calories in a day from walking everywhere I went. I ate 3 meals and 2 snacks and still came in under 1000 calories but I was full not feeling hungry at all.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    I eat back 150 exercise calories each day. (I'm sure its just a coincidence that that is the amount of calories in a Skinny Cow mint ice cream sandwich.)
    Very nice. :smile:

    Currently, I very, very rarely do. Later, when my pre-exercise calorie goal starts impinging on my energy and my ability to lift and do cardio, I will.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    It all depends....

    It depends on your goals, your exercise, how much you have to lose, how you're estimating the burn etc.....

    Someone with a lot of weight to lose can get away with not eating back exercise calories (or very little).

    Someone with little to lose will most likely need some (if not all) of those calories to properly fuel their body.

    Calorie burn, for the most part, is an estimate. A person normally starts out by eating back half and adjusting from there.

    For most is comes down to properly fueling their body while staying at a moderate deficit. I need to eat my exercise calories each day, otherwise I'd have a giant deficit and little energy reserves.

    Would I tell someone to exercise who has a caloric goal of 1200, who is only at 1000, and 100% plans to not eat back exercise cals......no, especially if they were a 26 yr old female.
  • Charlottereneey
    Charlottereneey Posts: 1
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    I used to not. I'd net anywhere from 600 to 800..;

    It's not sustainable. I now make sure to always net at least 1200. It's just better overall. Less foggy of a mind, more energy and lasting weight loss. I lost 30 pounds eating back my calories netting anywhere from 1200-1600.
  • levicrouch
    levicrouch Posts: 99
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    If you are tracking calories *and* exercise with MFP, then you are doing a "net calorie" program. So, if MFP says you have a total of 1500 calories for the day *and* you enter your exercise into MFP. MFP will automatically add your exercise calories, if you end up at zero calories remaining at the end of the day you will have eaten back your exercise calories, which means you still net 1500 calories. If you end up at the end of the day with some calories remaining, you did not eat back your exercise calories, which then makes your net calories lower than you target of 1500 calories.

    Example:
    Target Calories = 1500\day

    1. You consume in one day 1500 calories and do no exercise, you have consumed and net 1500 calories for that day. No energy burned through exercise.
    2. You consume in one day 1860 calories and burn 360 calories through exercise (all logged in the MFP app), you will have consumed 1860 calories but, net 1500 calories for the day. MFP shows zero calories remaining for the day. You met your goal for the day.
    3. You consume in one day 1500 calories and burn 360 calories through exercise (all logged in the MFP app), you will have consumed 1500 calories (MFP with show 360 calories remaining for the day) but, net 1140 calories for the day. You did not meet your goal for the day. You did not eat back your exercise calories.

    If you are doing a "net calorie" approach you should enter all food consumed, enter all exercise performed, and end with zero calories remaining for the day. That is how the app is intended to work.
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
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    I eat enough of them back to net at least 1200.

    I also use them to help with special treats - like if I know I am going to a party and want to have a cocktail, I will try to make sure and get to the gym that day to give myself a little extra caloric room.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I do NO math. Doesn't appeal to me. I don't even know (or care) what the TDEE is. I also don't log exercise.

    When I workout, I get hungrier and I eat more. Even lifting/pushing weights will make me a little hungrier...not like swimming!...but some.

    I do the old-fashioned, no math required, "Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full" thing. It's not cool. It doesn't have gadgets that send numbers to other gadgets or post my walk on Facebook for everyone to see. I don't have numbers that I eat up to or down from.

    It's simple and it works for me.

    So, I think I "eat back" calories, if that means what I think it does. I don't care if it is what I'm supposed to do.

    You should do what works for you. When all the math, acronyms, gadgets and plans have changed, people will still gain and lose weight. They really aren't that damn important. You can lose without any of it. :)

    So, do what works for you. If that means eating back, do it. If not, don't.

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