Success Eating Exercise Calories:

katbass · February 2011

I often see people wondering if they should eat their exercise calories back. I know every person is different, but I just have to share my success, especially since I used to be sooo skeptical about eating more to lose more.

On January 2nd, I weighed 175.6 lbs. I am 5'9.5" tall and my BMI was 25. (Overweight)...juuuust slightly).
Having tried MFP as "a diet" in the past, I thought I could repeat my performance by eating 1200 calories "that MFP recommends", not eating exercise calories unless I was starving, drinking my water, and watching the scale drop the same 20 lbs I lost last time. I was hoping I would also lose the extra 8 pounds I gained once I stopped treating MFP like a diet. (Yes, I gained all my weight back, plus MORE, when I stopped tracking my food and fell back into old habits.)

I decided to try something different this time. I asked a friend who is a registered dietician what I should do. She told me to eat my BMR (1500) on days I dont exercise and eat 1800 or half of my exercise calories on days I do exercise. I trusted her and committed to doing this for at least a month. I never felt deprived because I was "allowed" to eat 1500 calories plus exercise calories, but I did worry that I would end up gaining weight. I knew that the years of yo-yo-ing had wrecked my metabolism and that it would take more than a week or two to jump start some weight loss and remind my metabolism that I was not going to fail this time. Because I dedicated to true healthy living and a healthy way to lose weight, I was okay with the idea of an initial gain. I prepared myself for the long haul and got to work.

In less than a month, I have lost 7 pounds. But even more exciting than that? I took measurements this morning and I have lost a total of 6.75 inches over my body. In less than a month! This may not be a big deal to some, but this is proof to me that I CAN do this the right way and that even though the scale says I "only" lost 7 lbs, I am losing INCHES. I am shrinking! In my waist, I am 4.5 inches smaller than I was less than 30 days ago. 4.5 INCHES!!!

I had a handful of days where I didnt track my food at all, but because I have better habits, I wasnt afraid to eat. I now know what I should eat. I never denied myself a craving within reason. I had cupcakes at birthday parties. I had a hotdog, a bucket of popcorn, and fries (all in one day!) at Disney World. I even had a ridiculous amount of pinot grigio when a college friend was in town. Could I have lost more if I hadnt indulged on those occasions? Perhaps. But I didnt have to deny myself in order to see some pretty decent success.

Again, everyone is different, so I wont claim to be proof of anything...but FOR ME, eating my BMR + at LEAST half my exercise calories = healthy weight loss.

Good luck to everyone!

determined2bfit · February 2011

This is awesome and very encouraging!!!!!

liz_bolin · February 2011

Good Luck!

jo_marnes · February 2011

Thanks - I'm still struggling with the idea of eating my exercise calories.... more posts like this please! :-)

katbass · February 2011

Thanks! I also wanted to add that I dropped my BMI to the "Healthy" range in the last 30 days. It feels really good to be out of that "Overweight" range.

And I also did 100% of my workouts at home while my daughter napped. I get bored when I do the same thing day after day, so I changed it up with some Jilliam Michaells workouts, some Bob Harper workouts, some treadmill runs, and even some old school 8-Minute Arms, 8-Minute Abs, 8-Minute Legs, and 8-Minute Buns.

my8kidsmom · February 2011

That is great! Thanks so much for posting!

kaymd · February 2011

I totally agree with this but I am still scared to eat that many calories because I end up going over in my sodium and going over my sodium is almost worse to me than eating over my calories. I'm getting braver and am starting to eat more than before. Thanks for the post because people do need to be reminded of this including me.

MobiusMan · February 2011

I'm with you...I eat whatever portion of exercise calories I want regardless of the number sometimes it's just a little sometimes more. Don't starve, keep a nice solid total deficit. Great Job and continued good luck to you. It truly isn't a diet it's a mindset.

ababygrace · February 2011

I am glad I came across this because I wasn't sure what to do since I have never heard of eating back calories since coming to MFP. What is BMR and how can i figure mine out? I would like to try this approach for a month and see where it takes me. Thanks

katbass · February 2011

I totally agree with this but I am still scared to eat that many calories because I end up going over in my sodium and going over my sodium is almost worse to me than eating over my calories. I'm getting braver and am starting to eat more than before.

In the beginning, I was WAAAAAAAAAAY over on sodium every single day. Im talking 1000+ over. Ive learned to get under my goal with more fresh veggies and fewer packaged snacks, but I still have days where I am over. Its a long-term learning process

GOOD LUCK!

MobiusMan · February 2011

I totally agree with this but I am still scared to eat that many calories because I end up going over in my sodium and going over my sodium is almost worse to me than eating over my calories. I'm getting braver and am starting to eat more than before. Thanks for the post because people do need to be reminded of this including me.

If you are truly working out to gain the calories you are also bleeding out electrolytes. It won't hurt to go a bit over on Sodium in that case. Being high in sodium with out working out and sweating is a whole different thing.

Loribell23 · February 2011

That is all kinds of awesome!!!!! WTG and continued success. I'm so happy for you. It feels so good when everything just "clicks".

cmo115 · February 2011

bump

Rae12 · February 2011

That's great! I have been skeptical about eating enough calories for my bmr, MFP says I should be lower. But I know I'm eating below my maintenance calorie allotment, so here we go!!!

EAMac · February 2011

This is just what I needed to read today!!! Thank you!!!

kwardklinck · February 2011

Eating 1200 cals whether I exercised or not led to no results. Eating 1400-1500 calories on the days I exercised, led to weight loss. This may not be the key for everyone but for me it was. I wasn't ever hungry and I ate often. Eating and exercising actually increased my metabolism. I was eating more than I was ever able to eat before without gaining weight. The difference is, I was eating healthfully. The kind of food you choose makes a big difference in your results.

heathersmilez · February 2011

I am glad I came across this because I wasn't sure what to do since I have never heard of eating back calories since coming to MFP. What is BMR and how can i figure mine out? I would like to try this approach for a month and see where it takes me. Thanks

Your BMR is your basal metabolic rate, the minimum calories your body requires in order to funciton properly i.e. organ functioning and digestion. You shoud NEVER eat less than your BMR but MFP actually goes by basic 1200 minumum standards when in reality you should be eating 80-100% of your BMR depending on how active you are. The BMR tool is actually here on MFP under tools.

Here is the thread I started to get an answer;

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/157447-mfp-goals-bmr-sounds-unsafe?hl=bmr+unsafe#posts-2118703

Here is the best answer from Tonya (a trainer);

According to everything I've been taught in Sports Nutrition, you should be eating a minimum of your BMR and no less then 80% of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (which is BMR + activity level + planned exercise) But the problem is that a lot of places use the activity level calories as the BMR, which is incorrect, so if you just get your BMR from a website, you don't know if it is truly accurate. MFP gives you a calorie goal based on activity level minus a calorie estimate to lose your goal. So, if you want to lose 1 pound a week, then it will subtract 500 calories from your BMR + activity level calories per day. It uses that as your goal giving you a deficit so that you can eat all of your exercise calories and still be in a deficit. This is fine for the general public, who unfortunately tend to have a lot to lose, but not so hot for athletes or people who exercise regularly. The body has to have a minimum number of calories in relation to what you are burning in order to continue losing body fat and maintaining muscle mass. If it doesn't have a calorie intake close to what it is burning, then it will go into that starvation mode everyone is always talking about. From basic nutrition classes, we're taught 1200 for women and 1500 for men, which is where MFP gets that minimum intake of 1200. But once we go on to more advanced nutrition classes for athletes and exercisers, we learn the 80% rule. So, if you have a BMR of 1400 with an activity of 1800 and exercise 200, you get a Total Daily Energy Expenditure of 2000 calories. (Activity includes the BMR, so you only add the activity and exercise amounts) 80% of 2000 is 1600, so you shouldn't eat less then 1600 on that day to prevent starvation mode. That number changes however on days when you don't exercise because the TDEE is only 1800. 80% of that is 1440. Notice that both of those are above the BMR. I tell all my clients to never eat below the BMR, specifically because the body needs fuel for the activity we're doing. Even sedentary individuals get an activity addition of 20% (Standard multiplication factor for determining activity calories from BMR), so that if they cut 20% to lose weight they are still eating the BMR. Unfortunately, while I love MFP, it's just too much for computer programmers to put in all the possible combinations of numbers in their programs so they have to set a standard number. Sometimes that standard doesn't work because you are setting goals higher then what your body is really willing to work with. This is why I set up my own numbers on MFP.

chelsiburnett · February 2011

I am the same!!! I was so skeptical about eating my exercise calories back until one day I noticed the scale stopped moving ...for 3 weeks!!! Didn't budge, so i decided to try eating my exercise calories back for 1 week and see the results. I lost 1/2 pound with in 3 days!!!! I was pumped! So from now on I follow these steps. I log everything I am going to eat that day first thing in the morning. I can see what needs help and change a few things here and there! I add my exercise that day and see how much I have left then add a few more nutritious snacks and there you go!! It isn't easy at first but it is worth the time and effort to lose the weight correctly!

Randee75 · February 2011

Thanks for the post and congrats on your success!!! I have to say for months I was staying around 1200 cals/day plus exercising anywhere from 200-500 cals/day which means I was only getting 700-900 cals/day no wonder the scale wasn't moving and I was run down, frustrated, pissed off and hungry lol. Eating exercise calories really does work I have lost over 3 inches in waist alone and lost 11 lbs. in a month on MFP.

courtrptr13 · February 2011

Congrats on your sucess! I don't track how many calories I eat, I'm just conscious of what I'm eating, but I do eat a little more on the days I work out but I try to make healthy choices.

golfbrew_matt · February 2011

Great success, thank you for sharing!

summerstarr · February 2011

You convinced me a month ago to try it and I am SO glad I listened to you! Thanks for being such a great support and friend!

Listen to her folks-she knows what she is talking about!

AND thanks for posting this for everyone!

mckval · February 2011

First, congratulations to YOU...

That same type of format has worked well for me, too.

I think the best lesson tracking my calories and exercise on this site has had for me is just that: lesson. I have learned so much. I've paid attention to what I eat (I wasn't an over eater, necessarily, just a poor eater). I've started a life-changing workout regimen, which has been truly body changing.

I never really had a problem with weight until I got into my mid-40s. Then I, over several years, ended up overweight. Without this site, and even these posts, I'm not sure I would have accomplished what I have. Nor would I be as confident as I am that I will lose more.

So, YES, eat your exercise calories. It does work. Zig-zag every now and again. That's certainly worked for me as well.

janesmith1 · February 2011

Really interesting and agree with you. The thing is for me, at 1200 cals I really do feel like I'm starving, at around 1400 I feel much better and still lose weight.

laurie_powers · February 2011

Good to know, and nice work!

eponai · February 2011

Thanks for this explanation. I am having a hard time figuring out what cals I should eat because my profile is not normal for an activity level. I sit 9 hours a day, but I work out for 2 hours a day 5 days a week and garden on the weekends. So I'm not technically sedentary, but not technically active neither.

Any advice on how to figure out cal requirements for someone with a desk job who works out a lot?

Thanks!

amycal · February 2011

IIn less than a month, I have lost 7 pounds. But even more exciting than that? I took measurements this morning and I have lost a total of 6.75 inches over my body. In less than a month! This may not be a big deal to some, but this is proof to me that I CAN do this the right way and that even though the scale says I "only" lost 7 lbs, I am losing INCHES. I am shrinking! In my waist, I am 4.5 inches smaller than I was less than 30 days ago. 4.5 INCHES!!!

Good luck to everyone!

I would be freaking excited if I lost 4.5 inches from my waist. I think its down about 3 since I started in November but I am at a higheri point, older and have 2 kids.

steph_669 · February 2011

Thanks for the post and congrats on your success!!! I have to say for months I was staying around 1200 cals/day plus exercising anywhere from 200-500 cals/day which means I was only getting 700-900 cals/day no wonder the scale wasn't moving and I was run down, frustrated, pissed off and hungry lol. Eating exercise calories really does work I have lost over 3 inches in waist alone and lost 11 lbs. in a month on MFP.

I am super excited to hear this. I like eveeryone else was concerned about my exercise calories. I never ever eat them and have just lost 3lbs in the month.
Thanks for the info. I'm modivated more than ever to get cracking

ShrinkinMel · February 2011

Great success. 4.5 inches is amazing, I was happy with 1 inch off my waist and hips each in a month. I am doing half my exercise calories too lately.

If I ate them most days my calorie intake would be 2100-2200 based on exercise and the base of 1660 I get. So far in 4 days I have dropped about 2 lbs with this method. WOOHOO!! That 2100-2200 just seems like it would be counter productive. I do enjoy treating myself when I have earn extras though.

lilmisslanna · February 2011

bump

Crowhorse · February 2011

I wouldn't worry THAT much about sodium, unless your doctor specifically warned you from it.

Success Eating Exercise Calories:

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