question about eating back calories?

heathersouthern09
heathersouthern09 Posts: 18
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
So im kinda confused. Say i eat my 1200 calories a day and then i work out and burn 800 do I have to eat them back if so why?
As long as im eating my 1200 to lose a pound a week the other calories i burn would just make me loose more than a pound a week right? This is soo confusing!!

Replies

  • eating4balance
    eating4balance Posts: 743 Member
    I personally don't eat back my calories.

    LOL. You will get A LOT of comments on your post. Some will say to eat back calories, and some will say not to. In the end, until myfitnesspal clarifies the situation, it is really up to you :)
  • 1FITmamaofTWINS
    1FITmamaofTWINS Posts: 185
    check out my blog... I wrote a long post about this topic. but all in all, listen to your body!
  • Bethy25
    Bethy25 Posts: 73
    you are supposed to eat them back so you NET 1200 calories.
  • heathersouthern09
    heathersouthern09 Posts: 18
    But not eating them back is not going to make it harder for me to loose weight right? I just dont see the point of working out if im going to eat them all back lol!
  • LOVEthighSELF
    LOVEthighSELF Posts: 104 Member
    When you are loosing wieght you are trying to create a deficeit right??? So if you cut your cals by 500 and excersizes 500cals off a day over course of week you would loose 1 lbs! So why then would you wanna cut cals and excersize but then eat part of your cal deficeit. I never eat my cals--- makes no since to me.
  • lauble
    lauble Posts: 47
    There is a HUGE controversy on here about this, drama and people arguing even...

    Basically if eat 1200 calories, then exercise and burn 800 you are really eating 400 net calories (1200-800=400). The concern with this is that you will put your body into starvation mode.

    I finally got tired of reading all the wishy-washy back and forth of the do and don't eat your exercise calories back...so I called and talked to my doctor. She said I should not eat my exercise calories.

    I am not sure if that helps you or not, sorry.

    Have a good day :)
  • eystelle
    eystelle Posts: 31
    But not eating them back is not going to make it harder for me to loose weight right? I just dont see the point of working out if im going to eat them all back lol!


    that is what I thought too! is that is right???
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Most folks here seem to agree that MFP over estimates the calories you burn. I usual eat about half the calories I earn from exercise.

    The whole thing about eating back your exercise calories really is about making sure your body has the proper nutrition you need to function healthily. If you're going to eat back those calories in candy or junk it doesn't really matter if you eat them back since you are not doing your body any good. (Sometimes you just need a treat and that's okay) but really you should keep an eye out to work in some nutrition
  • 1FITmamaofTWINS
    1FITmamaofTWINS Posts: 185
    here is my blog post....... It has 74 votes and just as many comments....

    THE 1200 CALORIE "STARVATION MODE"
    Someone recently asked me how I am losing weight when there are some days I consume just under 1200 calories (aka the danger zone/starvation mode) so I just wanted to take a couple mins and explain about this so called "starvation mode" as well as eating back my exercise calories.

    If you take a look at my food log, everyday is a little different.... yeah, I pretty much eat the same foods but sometimes a little more or less. As most of you know there are some days when you constantly feel hungry and other days you can't seem to force yourself to eat.

    Anyway, Is going under 1200 calories really able to send your body into "starvation mode" and slow your metabolism down? YES and NO

    What the hell do I mean yes and no?

    The human body is amazing, it realizes when you do things in patterns. Such as when you do one type of workout for to long.... you see results, you love the results, and suddenly the resuts STOP, in order to continue to get these results you need to keep your body guessing. Same thing goes with food. While going under 1200 calories can slow your metabolism, you would need to continue to do this in a pattern. How long exactly? everyone is different and everything is trial and error. Do I recommend you to eat under 1200 calories a day everyday? of course not, but when their are days that you just arnt hungry I say LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and don't sweat it.

    Your body knows whats best, if it's going into "starvation mode" you would know it, your body would tell you in the form of a stomach growl (or 10). As long as you are eating 5-6 small meals a day every 3 hours and you have energy (unless of course you have twin infants that keep you up all night like I do) I can assure you everything is fine.

    On another note, exercise calories. Do you really need to eat them back? Short answer- NO you don't (if you notice, I hardly log my exercise because I don't want the temptation to consume the extra calories) The only extra calories I consume from exercise is in the form of my protein shake. (140 cals)

    I am bad at explaining things but here it goes. Example- I consume 1200 calories a day... which is enough calories for me to live off of and yet still lose weight WITHOUT exercise. So if I exercise and burn 300 calories can I eat them and still lose weight? of course... but do I need to? NO! I don't eat them back because I workout late at night... so I drink my protein shake after my workouts and then right before I go to bed eat some cottage cheese. If I worked out during the day would I probably eat my exercise calories? if I needed the energy.

    So you see, it's all personal choice and whatever works best for your situation but at no point should you feel compelled to eat them if you don't want to. I hope this helps because I know alot of it's pretty confusing stuff and I have seen multiple answers, much that were very misleading... but as I said before



    LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

    Good luck, live healthy and LIFT heavy! =)
  • heathersouthern09
    heathersouthern09 Posts: 18
    HAHA I have no clue I just dont see why you would loose them just to eat them right back ahah thanks for everyone answering tho!
  • lauble
    lauble Posts: 47
    Above all I listen to my body. If I am feeling weak, I have a snack and don't feel too bad if I slightly go over my calories for the day. You need to make sure you give your body energy it needs to work out and burn that fat :) Doc also told me that. :)
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    But not eating them back is not going to make it harder for me to loose weight right? I just dont see the point of working out if im going to eat them all back lol!

    You'll still be building muscle which in and of itself boosts your metabolism, so your BMR will be higher if you have more muscle.
  • ratbone
    ratbone Posts: 7
    I have to eat back some of my calories or my body goes into a starvation mode and I dont lose any weight. Then I burn 700 to 1000 calories exercising most days. I know how my body works, I platued for over a year and kept working out and eating about 1800 cals a day, could not lose anything significant.By eating say 50% of my calories back I am moving the scale very nicely now, plus I'm able to maintain a high energy level during workouts
  • bathori
    bathori Posts: 33
    Ok. The way you calculate your deficit is as follows - pay attention.

    Calculate your BASIC METABOLIC RATE (BMR) - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
    This is how many calories you need to live if you lie in bed and never move, etc.

    Then you take that number and you multiply it by your Harris Benedict formula multiplier based on your activity level (this INCLUDES exercise)

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

    This total is your MAINTENANCE number to stay the SAME weight as you are now.

    To lose weight subtract from this number. Most people aim for a pound a week - so that equals roughly 500 cals a day less than maintenance.

    My Fitness Pal has to default at something, so it just starts at 1200 cals but that number is almost exactly the deficit number for a 30 years old, sedentary woman who is about 138lbs and 5'6. You need to calculate your own number.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Personally, I lose weight faster if I eat more calories. When I was on 1200 calories a day, I lost at most a pound a week. At 1350, I lose about a pound and a half a week. When I didn't know what I was doing and only netted 700 calories a day, I lost at most a half pound a week.

    Your body needs fuel. You're exercising to build strength and endurance, and that requires MORE fuel.

    By all means, see what works best for you, but don't fall into the trap of thinking, "The less I eat, the faster it'll come off." It doesn't work that way.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Eating exercise cals does NOT "defeat the purpose". You already have a deficit - if you do not eat at least some exercise cals, you have created a larger, and probably unsustainable, deficit. Creating too large of deficit slows the metabolism and leads to an undesirable loss of muscle, rather than fat.

    Here are some great threads that actually explain how MFP works (it is designed for you to eat them, as it has a built in deficit, regardless of exercise), and metabolism and why eating too little will backfire. MUST READS!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • petey49
    petey49 Posts: 58 Member
    This is the best explination I have found on this subject

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Your body knows whats best, if it's going into "starvation mode" you would know it, your body would tell you in the form of a stomach growl (or 10). As long as you are eating 5-6 small meals a day every 3 hours and you have energy (unless of course you have twin infants that keep you up all night like I do) I can assure you everything is fine.

    I would have to disagree. I've been there - and I had no idea. There are many, many ways to suppress appetite (knowingly, or unknowingly) and after continued undereating, there are rarely ANY cues from the body that you are underfeeding - and even if there are, most people have spent enough time suppressing them or ignoring them that they can no longer recognize them. During prolonged (yes, a week is prolonged, though effects can take much longer to appear) underfeeding, hormones that control appetite, fat storage, metabolism and hunger cues are effected and no longer functioning correctly.

    There are lots of ways to fool the body - it doesn't always tell you what's going on, and many people don't know how to listen to it.
  • atomdraco
    atomdraco Posts: 1,083 Member
    Eating exercise cals does NOT "defeat the purpose". You already have a deficit - if you do not eat at least some exercise cals, you have created a larger, and probably unsustainable, deficit. Creating too large of deficit slows the metabolism and leads to an undesirable loss of muscle, rather than fat.

    Here are some great threads that actually explain how MFP works (it is designed for you to eat them, as it has a built in deficit, regardless of exercise), and metabolism and why eating too little will backfire. MUST READS!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    Read all the above, and also check this out: http://www.weightlossforall.com/body_composition.htm
  • Mollywater
    Mollywater Posts: 42 Member
    here is my blog post....... It has 74 votes and just as many comments....

    THE 1200 CALORIE "STARVATION MODE"
    Someone recently asked me how I am losing weight when there are some days I consume just under 1200 calories (aka the danger zone/starvation mode) so I just wanted to take a couple mins and explain about this so called "starvation mode" as well as eating back my exercise calories.

    If you take a look at my food log, everyday is a little different.... yeah, I pretty much eat the same foods but sometimes a little more or less. As most of you know there are some days when you constantly feel hungry and other days you can't seem to force yourself to eat.

    Anyway, Is going under 1200 calories really able to send your body into "starvation mode" and slow your metabolism down? YES and NO

    What the hell do I mean yes and no?

    The human body is amazing, it realizes when you do things in patterns. Such as when you do one type of workout for to long.... you see results, you love the results, and suddenly the resuts STOP, in order to continue to get these results you need to keep your body guessing. Same thing goes with food. While going under 1200 calories can slow your metabolism, you would need to continue to do this in a pattern. How long exactly? everyone is different and everything is trial and error. Do I recommend you to eat under 1200 calories a day everyday? of course not, but when their are days that you just arnt hungry I say LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and don't sweat it.

    Your body knows whats best, if it's going into "starvation mode" you would know it, your body would tell you in the form of a stomach growl (or 10). As long as you are eating 5-6 small meals a day every 3 hours and you have energy (unless of course you have twin infants that keep you up all night like I do) I can assure you everything is fine.

    On another note, exercise calories. Do you really need to eat them back? Short answer- NO you don't (if you notice, I hardly log my exercise because I don't want the temptation to consume the extra calories) The only extra calories I consume from exercise is in the form of my protein shake. (140 cals)

    I am bad at explaining things but here it goes. Example- I consume 1200 calories a day... which is enough calories for me to live off of and yet still lose weight WITHOUT exercise. So if I exercise and burn 300 calories can I eat them and still lose weight? of course... but do I need to? NO! I don't eat them back because I workout late at night... so I drink my protein shake after my workouts and then right before I go to bed eat some cottage cheese. If I worked out during the day would I probably eat my exercise calories? if I needed the energy.

    So you see, it's all personal choice and whatever works best for your situation but at no point should you feel compelled to eat them if you don't want to. I hope this helps because I know alot of it's pretty confusing stuff and I have seen multiple answers, much that were very misleading... but as I said before



    LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

    Good luck, live healthy and LIFT heavy! =)

    AWESOME. And well written. Thank you for sharing! I am also a mom of twins, 18 months old, and a four year old. Trying to get my twin body back on track! Thanks again!
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    How long do you plan to live on 400 calories a day? Seriously, how long do you think your body can live on that? The majority of the people who eat their calories back plan on living this lifestyle forever and not just doing it rapidly so they can then go through the whole process again in 6 six months.

    And MFP is VERY clear that they want you to eat them back. That's why they add the calories to your totals. Not doing so would be like going on Weight Watchers and telling them that you think that counting points is stupid.

    (and those who think that the only point of exercise is to burn calories will be for certain going through this process again in a few months when they reach their arbitrary number on their scale, stop exercising and gain back any of the weight that MFP helped them lose.)
  • heathersouthern09
    heathersouthern09 Posts: 18
    I taked to my doctor and i DO NOT have to eat them all back as long as im eating 1200 a day and its healthy of course he also says if ur bodys telling you that your hungry listen to it! :)


    .,... some people on here are just rude!
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