Do you eat back your exercise calories?

13

Replies

  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 176 Member
    Yes, I ate back exercise calories during my weight loss phase. It helped keep my energy up :-)

    Just recently started maintenance and am getting used to the higher calorie allotment and how it will impact my maintenance goals...so trying not to eat back exercise calories right now. That being said, yesterday I ended up eating them back ;-).Between lunch out and my sister surprising me with ice cream last nite, well, I chose to eat them back that one time...guess it's the exception that proves the rule...

    Once I am firmly settled in maintenance and learn how best to manage the extra calories, then I'll re-evaluate my approach. In the long term, I do expect my goal will be to eat them back.

    PS My setting is Sedentary...
  • vamaena
    vamaena Posts: 217 Member
    I try to avoid eating back what I earn through excercise. I find it a little counter productive for loosing weight. If I'm doing the exercise to burn more calories to lose more I shouldn't be eating back what I just burned. Even if it's healthier alternatives.
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    Ok, that was beautifully explained! Thanks for taking the time to give me such an elaborate answer. Appreciate it :)

    But I still have a question for you.

    You said that MFP calculates my calorie deficit using my original input of "sedentary" lifestyle.
    But, now that I have incorporated exercise into my daily life, I am no longer sedentary. So, does this mean that the calorie calculation MFP did for me is no longer relevant?
    Do I need to change my settings to update my new lifestyle which includes exercise?

    Thanks again !
    I'm pretty sure that "lifestyle" is based on a normal day without exercise. Just what you do every day regardless. In my case I have a desk job, parked in a sitting position basically all day. Outside of that, there is no sort of real athletic actiivty in my day, just normal stuff, making food, taking care of the kids, that sort of thing. So in my case, I pick "sedentary" as my normal default day.

    I exercise at least every other day now, but that is on top of all that. So that is why I eat back those exercise calories, because those activities are not done every day at a set level.

    You get to pick what activity level you have in your normal every day life that does not change, and if that means you exercise some every day, then calculate it in. If you have a job that has you on your feet all day, or a physically demanding job, then definitely also pick something higher than sedentary.

    For me, and I think this is how the site was designed to work with the whole "eating back calories" thing, is to set that baseline of what calories you need just to survive you normal every day life at your current weight. Any activities you add on top of that are extra activities that burn calories you eat back since you can not account for those every day.

    Hope that helps.

    I'm sure there are many ways to work this, as there are a lot of variables. This is just how I do it, and how I understood the MFP program to work.

    Thanks for the reply. I now understand what you're saying.
    Since I have a full day desk job, my lifestyle would qualify as sedentary too.
    Thanks again !!
  • una2282
    una2282 Posts: 48 Member
    Hi all,
    Do you regularly eat back a portion of your exercise calories?
    If yes, then how much can you eat back and still achieve weight loss?
    Thanks !

    I personally don't eat them back. I feel like that's part of my deficit.
  • curiousgemfit
    curiousgemfit Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. This thread has made me understand the math behind MFP's calorie calculations a little better.
    I was under the assumption that I needed to have an enormous calorie deficit at the end of the day to see significant weight loss.
    While that might be true, I am beginning to see that this would never be a sustainable weight loss.

    The main takeaway i got from most of your replies is that MFP factors in the deficit needed for a weight loss in our food intake numbers. Exercise is just a way to strengthen the body. Any calorie deficit created by exercising should mostly be eaten back in order to provide fuel to the body to continue exercising.

    All of you have been so helpful in making me understand the science in MFP's approach. Thank you so very much. I really appreciate all the guidance.
  • nicolemviolette
    nicolemviolette Posts: 105 Member
    I do not. Actually, when I log an exercise, I ALWAYS put 1 calorie burned, whether I worked out for 1 minute or 2 hours.
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
    Count me in the every single one camp. I've lost at exactly the rate MFP predicts doing it, too.
  • FitnActive50plus
    FitnActive50plus Posts: 4 Member
    I try not to. Some days:smile: tho, I exercise so much that I have to supplement. I just try to make it high protein and healthy!
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
    Sometimes, I do. Sometimes I don't. If it's a low number, I usually eat back close to all of them...if I burn like 1000 to 1500 then no. I'm not going to throw a big fuss at the end of the day then hurry up and eat a days worth of calories causing a stomach ache.
  • StenSrm
    StenSrm Posts: 19 Member
    Well it depends, I really don't trust walking calories.. I sometimes walk over 10km and it gives me like 800+kcal and my body doesn't feel that hungry at all. So just trust your body, if you eat right and have appetite then eat
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Yes I do
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Usually I do. Part of it is because I happen to be hungrier those days. Part of it is because exercise sometimes causes hypoglycemia (I have type 1 diabetes), so I have to eat to treat lows... though in those cases, I need carbs, not calories. But carbs have calories. Sometimes I'll have a lot of calories from exercising, and I end up eating even more than I should... but that is often because I have to.

    Otherwise, I set my activity level to sedentary (which is right), and I use a Fitbit with negative calorie adjustments turned on. Most days, I lose some calories because I just don't have time to exercise and my actual routine is less than what MFP uses as "sedentary." So I have to eat less those days.
  • wanttolose40lbs
    wanttolose40lbs Posts: 239 Member
    MFP tell me I can only have 1200 calories, and that's not enough for me. I upped my calories to 1500 and don't eat back any exercise calories.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    MFP tell me I can only have 1200 calories, and that's not enough for me. I upped my calories to 1500 and don't eat back any exercise calories.

    You are still eating 1200 calories give or take if you aren't eating back any of your exercise calories.
  • Arsenal1919
    Arsenal1919 Posts: 212 Member
    I tend to exercise 700-1100 calories four times per week.

    Having "exercise calories" or "spare calories" is handy on days when one has unmissable community, work-related or family events.

    Five and a half months ago, when I restarted with MFP, I used to eat almost all my exercise calories every day.

    In the last three weeks, as I feel more organised, I rarely eat more than half the exercise calories. My report graphs for net calories have gone from minor undulations to jagged jumps ... a reflection that I have been less eager to use those "saved" calories.
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    I worry about overestimations in earned exercise calories.
    I pre-log my food for the day the night before.
    I use my earned calories to have "treats." (When I say treats, I mean healthy treats.) Ex. I found an awesome piece of salmon on sale and bought it. I created a recipe that was absolutely divine. I made it. Ate it. Thoroughly enjoyed it....then did an extra hour workout to cover the extra 300 calories I ate that day. I try to eat around 75% of my earned calories back. I figure MFP OVERestimates my calories burned and I tend to UNDERestimate my activity, and 75% seems to be my sweet spot.
  • teresa_toth
    teresa_toth Posts: 1
    Thank you for answering the question. I am so new to this all and was wondering the same thing!
  • bdwax1
    bdwax1 Posts: 5
    I usually don't eat all the calories I'm supposed to i'm close but not all then when I work out i just drink a half glass of milk or something along that line cause i dont wanna eat past 6-7 pm and I usually work out about 8-9 pm.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Yep. every one.
  • jimmye_25
    jimmye_25 Posts: 65 Member
    Check out my experiment!!!! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jimmye_25
  • carolinaem
    carolinaem Posts: 58 Member
    Yes. I have a HRM and I eat back all (or close to) each time. As long as I am seeing a good loss each week doing so, I will keep it up (I aim for ~1 lb a week). When my weight loss slows, I will reevaluate.
  • bmele0
    bmele0 Posts: 282 Member
    Yes. I also try to account for error. But with only 1290 cals to work with- you're damn right I eat those back, otherwise I might feel dizzy and my stomach lurches. In the beginning, I didn't, but I had 1600+ calories and did very light exercise. I do much more intense/longer exercise now.
  • CLM1227
    CLM1227 Posts: 61 Member
    There are people here who use MFPs calorie burn and only eat back about 1/2 of the exercise calories. Others will use a Heart Rate monitor and use an independent heart rate calories burned calculator to determine their true burn and add those to MFP and eat all the exercise calories back.

    I use the HR monitor unless I can't find it, and then I do 50% mfp calculation.
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
    When I first started logging food, I was doing it through weight watchers. There, I didn't log exercise and never ate my exercise back.

    When I switched to MFP and read the introductory guides, I began to understand the way the deficit was built into calorie goals. WW doesn't explain that to users very well and is one of several reasons I recommend MFP to people over WW.

    Since I started MFP, I've been losing at the same rate as or better than WW. Here is what I do:

    I set my exercise default to sedentary. I have a desk job and if I don't do much, sedentary is pretty accurate. My exercise is almost exclusively walking or running, so I invested in a fitbit. When synced to MFP, it will track your calories burned and adjust the burn that had been built in for the sedentary lifestyle. I've found that anything over about 3,000-4,000 steps in a day gets me a calorie adjustment. Typically, a 10,000 step day will get me 300-500 extra calories, depending on how much of it was "very active minutes." Ideally, I'd know what my adjustment will be so I can spread them through the day better, but that is not usually the case. So, if I'm hungry at the end of the day, I will eat them back via dinner or evening snacks and feel no guilt. If I'm not, I don't force them into me just because. Its worked wonderfully for me and I average about 1.5 lbs per week. I've never once felt my exercise was for nothing.
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    For the most part I never do.

    I try to eat about 2000 calories a day and end up burning about 1750 a day through exercise losing a half a pound a day over the last four months.

    I'm in the eat if you are hungry camp personally but once I knocked most of the junk food out of my life I found I really wasn't hungry all that often.
  • amandalechenet
    amandalechenet Posts: 3 Member
    I think this might be my recent problem.

    I've lost 60 pounds over the last five years, and I've been pretty successful at keeping it off...except for recently. I've gained about 10 pounds in three months, which is not normal for me. This is the most that I've weighed in a year and a half.

    I've tracked everything I've eaten (with the exception of a couple of days) and I've not been eating badly. I'm starting the Feed the Muscle Burn the Fat workout plan in order to focus on reducing my body fat %.

    I generally have trouble eating more than 1200 calories a day. And I think this is my issue. I do not eat back the calories I burn exercising - around 400 a day. So I think I'm starving my body, which is why I've been gaining weight. What I do eat is very healthy, non-processed foods.

    I'm hoping that if I eat enough (1800, with 400 calories of exercise) the weight will come back off.

    Any thoughts?
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    I think this might be my recent problem.

    I've lost 60 pounds over the last five years, and I've been pretty successful at keeping it off...except for recently. I've gained about 10 pounds in three months, which is not normal for me. This is the most that I've weighed in a year and a half.

    I've tracked everything I've eaten (with the exception of a couple of days) and I've not been eating badly. I'm starting the Feed the Muscle Burn the Fat workout plan in order to focus on reducing my body fat %.

    I generally have trouble eating more than 1200 calories a day. And I think this is my issue. I do not eat back the calories I burn exercising - around 400 a day. So I think I'm starving my body, which is why I've been gaining weight. What I do eat is very healthy, non-processed foods.

    I'm hoping that if I eat enough (1800, with 400 calories of exercise) the weight will come back off.

    Any thoughts?

    It's absolutely impossible to gain weight because you are starving. You have to know this...
  • msmichelelynn
    msmichelelynn Posts: 15
    Absolutely. My "diet" is already modified for a calorie reduction in order to lose weight. I see an extra snack as the reward. I'm already building muscle mass (by exercising) and reducing caloric intake for weight loss... I say "carpe diem".

    I'm currently only allotted 1200 calories a day. And I'm hungry most of the time... lol :)
  • librarydebster
    librarydebster Posts: 177 Member
    Sounds like you need to eat more. 1200 calories is what doctors used to prescribe in the 60'sand 70's when they didn't know any better.
  • tamarawisniewski
    tamarawisniewski Posts: 24 Member
    I don't. I used to but wasn't losing, just staying the same. I asked a trainer and she said it sort of puts you back where you started before you worked out. So, I stopped and am finally seeing some progress. I suppose it would be different for me if I were doing some major workouts ...like some serious cross fit or marathon running, but since I am just working out like the average mom, it didn't seem to be helping me.

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