Eating Back Calories...Shouldn't we be burning more than we

sweetpeaga7
sweetpeaga7 Posts: 40
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am kind of confused. Lots of people talk about eating back the calories that they've burned from working out. But aren't we supposed to burn more calories and consume less? If we just eat back the calories we've "earned" from working out then what good does that do us in the long run?

My cousin is a professional trainer and body builder and he says that starvation mode is false. He says the only reason people gain weight from not eating enough (or as some call it-starvation mode) is because the next time they eat they tend to over eat because they didn't eat enough to begin with. So we should be eating 5-6 small meals per day, not to avoid "starvation mode" but to keep ourselves full and our metabolisms high.

But back to my real question...shouldn't we be consuming less calories and burning more? SHouldn't we (if our goal is 1200/day) stay within our calorie goal for each day regardless of what we do to workout? I am just a little confused with that. Any comments would be great thanks! :)

Replies

  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    My goal is to keep a consistant calorie deficit of 500 calories. I eat whatever I need to to get near that goal. Somedays that's 2300, some days it's 3000. The deficit is the constant, everything else can change on a daily basis.
  • Celo24
    Celo24 Posts: 566 Member
    Just posted something about this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/188509-my-take-on-exercise-calories-please-read-if-you-are-new

    Hope that helps!!
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
    to me, if you put your calorie target at your true activity level you shouldn't eat your calories back. If you have it way below your activity level than you should.

    There was another big discussion about this the other day.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    if you eat only 1200, but you get on a treadmill and burn off 500, then you're asking your body to function on only 700. Not enough fuel can harm your metabolism over time. It isn't as panicky-drastic-chicken-little-sky-is-falling as you've heard, but is it something to avoid, because it can stall out your progress to underfuel your body.

    There's already a deficit built in to the 1200, go ahead and eat back your earned calories...I promise it's OK! Working for me!
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Here's some great threads that may help. Good luck to you!

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

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

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics
    (This one is mine, but yes, I do think it's great!)
  • lucy1508
    lucy1508 Posts: 10
    Hmm its tough and the only real reason iv ever been told to eat back my caloires is too avoid starvation mode, Now my sister who has been dieting a year (has lost 72lbs) never ate back her cals and never went into starvation mode :)
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    THere are 40 million topics on this, and I see atleast 3 a day. read the links from the first poster.....

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    It's because MFP has already built in decreased calories for you to lose weight at a decent sustainable rate of loss and to keep it off, if you set for 1lb a week you're already in 500 calorie a day deficit, 2lbs your down 1000 calories without lifting a finger in exercise.
    Eating back exercise calories is a choice I've made to keep the weight loss at a rate I can maintain. I don't eat them ALL back because I find that some of the calorie estimates provided here are high.
    Not eating your exercise calories you'll be at a bigger calorie deficit yes... it's a choice you'll make too to eat them or not to, try eating them and see how it works, try not eating them, see how that works, but whichever you do give it 3 weeks or more for each way.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    The goal MFP gives you figures in this deficit already. It's why people get confused, most plans do not calculate this difference for you.

    If you go to your home page and click "Goals" you will see your summary and on the right side you will see how much MFP estimates you burn before exercise- this is the number they start with, and then subtract 500 cals a day from, so that you have your deficit even if you don't workout.

    The flip side to this though is that you should eat at least some of your exercise cals back (and need to be accurate about logging your exercise in the first place) so that you know how much to eat to fuel those workouts.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    My goal is to keep a consistant calorie deficit of 500 calories. I eat whatever I need to to get near that goal. Somedays that's 2300, some days it's 3000. The deficit is the constant, everything else can change on a daily basis.

    and that's the simplest way to look at it. Eat 500 short of maintenance calories for the day

    Maintenance is BMR + normal daily activity + EXERCISE. MFP already includes the deficit based on goal chosen so you eat your exercise calories using their tracking system.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Starvation Mode is real. It is a biological response to us not giving our bodies enough fuel. Not getting enough fuel and nutrition causes the metabolism to slow down. If we continue to not get enough calories and nutrition then our body will stop burning fat and find other ways to get fuel (digging into lean muscle mass or shutting down systems and organ functions). It will store the fat you eat. You weight loss will slow down, stall and you will possibly gain weight. I'm surprised he said this considering he is a body builder. They need a calorie surplus to increase their muscle mass and keep in top condition.

    1200 is a baseline number and one that can apply to everyone - at least women. We lose fat and muscle mass when we diet and exercise. Sure you can lose weight staying under that number but it isn't the healthy way to do it.

    Looks what happens to anorexics. They restrict their calories to the point of starvation. Sure they might be losing weight but they aren't burning fat. The burning muscle and their organ functions and systems are shutting down while their bodies try to conserve fuel.

    MFP is trying to teach you the healthy way to lose weight. Slow, steady and healthy. You can't 'diet' the rest of your life.
  • bechill13
    bechill13 Posts: 1
    I don't know exactly what you're referring to as far as eating back calories but I do know starvation mode can actually be problem. If you are someone who is working out intensely 5-6 days a week, you need to be eating SMALL meals every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism up. I'm pre-med and I know if there isn't some source of food to burn after a workout your body's first reaction is going to be to burn muscle, since the concentrated protein there is easier to burn and a quick source of energy. THIS DOES NOT MEAN WORKING OUT MEANS YOU SHOULD EAT MORE, you need to have a deficit to lose weight. But, you need to break your calories up so you're eating more often and keeping your metabolism up.

    I understand that trainer's have different views on starvation mode, but in addition to my medical studies, my brother is a D1 ice hockey player and is drafted to the NHL and has an incredible trainer. They both break up their own daily calories into smaller meals throughout the day to keep their body fat percentages low. It protects them from losing the muscle mass they need for their careers. You can starve yourself and still lose weight - you will just be more unhealthy and will be more likely to see your weight yo-yo.

    The other important thing to remember is that yes, to lose weight you MUST burn more calories than you consume, but a fully sedentary female (no exercise, just works at a desk) still burns around 1600 calories per day just to keep their body functioning. If you are only eating 1200 calories you are already at a deficit before you even work out.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    When you entered your goals and settings on MFP, you told it what your activity level is, your age, gender and desired loss per week (1 pound, 2 pounds, etc.). MFP calculated your maintenance and deducted the appropriate calories from that figure to enable you to lose per your goal (but not less than 1200 per day) all without doing a single bit of exercise. Now, if you go out and exercise, you are increasing that deficit to potentially unsafe and unsustainable levels. If you eat those exercise calories, you are maintaining your deficit exactly, which is the healthiest way to do it. Just like your trainer says, if you don't eat enough, you may very well binge and/or overeat later which negates all your hard work. Your body needs fuel to function, particularly when you're exercising.
  • 1113cw
    1113cw Posts: 830 Member
    My goal is to keep a consistant calorie deficit of 500 calories. I eat whatever I need to to get near that goal. Somedays that's 2300, some days it's 3000. The deficit is the constant, everything else can change on a daily basis.

    and that's the simplest way to look at it. Eat 500 short of maintenance calories for the day

    Maintenance is BMR + normal daily activity + EXERCISE. MFP already includes the deficit based on goal chosen so you eat your exercise calories using their tracking system.

    This is exactly how I look at it to keep my sanity... fluctuates daily but all the more motivation to get to the gym?
  • jrueckert
    jrueckert Posts: 355 Member
    MFP already gives you a number that's under what you burn without exercise per day. So, if you stick to that, you're burning more than you consume. It's always up to you if you would like to eat back what you burn in exercise or not.
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
    There are tons of threads about this. Just look until "Search" and you'll get tons of answers!

    The best way to explain it is to be mindful of your "Net Calories". On your home page, it will show you your net by factoring in calories eating minus calories burned. Your net shouldn't go under 1200 calories. So yes, eat those calories!
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