Do you eat back your exercise calories?

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  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 167 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 4,065 Member
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    Yes I do
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    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
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    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: 4,065 Member
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    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: 211 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Thank you for answering the question. I am so new to this all and was wondering the same thing!
  • bdwax1
    bdwax1 Posts: 5
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    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
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    Yep. every one.
  • jimmye_25
    jimmye_25 Posts: 65 Member
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    Check out my experiment!!!! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jimmye_25

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