Enough calories? Eating back calories after exercise?

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adampierce142
adampierce142 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to lose a bit of stomach and chest fat, i am around 177 lb and would like to get down to 168 - losing weight and body fat is my aim and thereafter start bulking at the gym.
Anyway my calorie intake is around 1,800 to 2,000 on a daily basis. My aim is to lose maybe 1lb every week.
I run 3.5 miles x 5 times a week thus burning approx 350 calories per run.
This means that my calorie deficit is around 1450 - 1650 on 5 days a week.

My question is do i need to 'eat' the calories that i have lost which doing cardio (350calories) or what in order for me to be on the right track?
or do i need to consume around 2350 calories (2000 my daily intake + 350 i will have burnt doing cardio)

im really confused??

Replies

  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    If you follow what MFP suggests your net calories should be, you do eat back exercise calories. If you are following TDEE -X% you do not.

    Also, didn't you have this exact same thread earlier today?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1392878-calorie-deficit-confused
  • adampierce142
    adampierce142 Posts: 27 Member
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    i tried deleting the other thread :/ sorry my apologise
    im rather confused;

    My TDEE is 2,512 daily - based on my exercise level to be 3 times a week. I m attempting to cut that by 20% which gives me a daily calorie intake of 2,000.
    However, i find that i'm eating around 1,800 - so i need to increase this by 200.
    however, with the cardio 3.5 mile three times a week minimum burning approx 350calories - on some weeks i can run 3.5m every day - DO I NEED TO EAT THIS 350 calories back or not?
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    If you eat at TDEE-20% you do not need to eat back your exercise. The "eat back your exercise" recommendation is for MFP's calculation (which is generally lower than TDEE-20% for a comparable amount per week loss, but allows you to earn extra calories through working out -- generally speaking it comes out in the wash on a weekly basis).

    With TDEE-20%, exercise is already factored in based on what you said your activity level is.
  • adampierce142
    adampierce142 Posts: 27 Member
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    ok thank you for clarifying that for me - i'm just trying to fully understand the maths behind this.

    i'm new to this, and although i' have lost weight in the past by doing cardio and eating healthy, i'm more exited about losing weight than i was before.
    thank you again :)

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