Eating back calories

sonyambrown510
sonyambrown510 Posts: 30
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious to see how many of you eat back your exercise/steps calories?
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Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I do not - but I set my base calories higher to account for that.
  • jacaylac
    jacaylac Posts: 13 Member
    I was told I should eat back about half.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I used to and lost just fine doing so (I ate back about 75%, but it somewhat depended on the activity). Now I use the method where I estimate and average them into my calories in advance so eat a higher base.
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
    I eat most of them back. If you add exercise, I would set your basic calculation to sedentary, so you're not counting activity twice.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    i eat my exercise calories back a few days of the week either half or all of them
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    I don't.

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  • votick
    votick Posts: 77 Member
    I'm set to "Light Activity" on my profile and I just eat back my calories. I may switch to eating back only half as that sounds good too; but there is no way I could ignore 800+ calories burnt after a solid run and then make it through my day as if I don't need to recover them...
  • FatOldManMN
    FatOldManMN Posts: 1,116 Member
    Depends on if you can rely on the accuracy of the calculated calories. But I don't eat back...its all a net loss
  • keenesmom
    keenesmom Posts: 115 Member
    I do not eat back my exercise calories on a regular basis. However, if I do happen to eat some back I don't fret.
  • jenniferguson14
    jenniferguson14 Posts: 3 Member
    I had a hard time losing weight when I wasn't eating back the majority of my calories. I have my profile set to sedentary, then I use a personal tracker to add in all my exercise from work (I work retail, so I'm constantly on my feet), and exercising. I would STARVE if I didn't eat back at least half of them.
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
    I don't believe anything is 100% accurate (I even use a bodymedia fit to track everything I do) so if I'm hungry...I eat. Simple as that. I don't gorge myself daily.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    I didn't. Burned out. Stopped. Do now. Feel BETTER!
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
    i eat back half,sometimes more if im still hungry
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    jpaulie wrote: »
    I didn't. Burned out. Stopped. Do now. Feel BETTER!

    word! I am a machine, and this engine runs hot!
  • Oncebittentwiceshy38
    Oncebittentwiceshy38 Posts: 127 Member
    I set my daily calories to higher and then I just count all exercise as 1 calorie. I don't like the mentality of "eating back" the calories.
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
    If you're using MFP's NEAT method, you are recommended to eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories (due to the overestimated burn amounts). If you had a HRM, you could remedy that and eat back what you burned according to that.

    If you go by the TDEE-20% method, you don't eat back exercise calories because all of your burned calories are included in the total amount of calories you eat a day. This is preferable for a lot of people because it takes a lot of guesswork out of the equation. Here is a helpful link about that.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    I decided to give NEAT a shot for the heck of it and currently eating half. I'm using Fitocracy to get my numbers though.
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
    BBeccaJean wrote: »
    I eat most of them back. If you add exercise, I would set your basic calculation to sedentary, so you're not counting activity twice.

    Not recommended. Sedentary means you literally do nothing at all.
  • bsmith404
    bsmith404 Posts: 333 Member
    I eat back at least half. Let's say you have your calories set to 1500 a day and burn about 500 then you are netting only 1,000 calories for that day which to me is way too low.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I use TDEE method, so no.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    No, I never do.
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    If I'm hungry after exercise I do, if I'm not, I don't. Sometimes I don't even make my base caloric intake for the day, and others I'll get eat nearly all of it back. If you listen to your body, it'll tell you what it wants to do.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Before I switched to TDEE, yes
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Before I switched to TDEE, yes
    And again
  • sonyambrown510
    sonyambrown510 Posts: 30
    Thank you everyone, looks like I need to look into TDEE a bit more.
    Did a quick calculation and its saying:
    BMR: 1354
    TDEE: 1862

    So that means I should eat no more than the 1354 a day?
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
    sonyambrown510 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone, looks like I need to look into TDEE a bit more.
    Did a quick calculation and its saying:
    BMR: 1354
    TDEE: 1862

    So that means I should eat no more than the 1354 a day?

    No. Your BMR is the bare minimum amount of calories your body requires to keep your vital organs functioning.

    Assuming the 1862 is WITHOUT anything subtracted, to lose weight you subtract 10-20%. 1676-1490 calories to lose for a low to moderate deficit. However, if you don't have very much to lose, you may need to do even less of a deficit, like minus five percent.

    What was your choice of variable? Never Sedentary unless you do literally NOTHING.
  • sonyambrown510
    sonyambrown510 Posts: 30
    I put exercise level 3 times a week.

    I used this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    If 1354 is the bare minimum then why does MFP tell me to eat 1200?
  • sonyambrown510
    sonyambrown510 Posts: 30
    furioushummingbird wrote: »
    sonyambrown510 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone, looks like I need to look into TDEE a bit more.
    Did a quick calculation and its saying:
    BMR: 1354
    TDEE: 1862

    So that means I should eat no more than the 1354 a day?

    No. Your BMR is the bare minimum amount of calories your body requires to keep your vital organs functioning.

    Assuming the 1862 is WITHOUT anything subtracted, to lose weight you subtract 10-20%. 1676-1490 calories to lose for a low to moderate deficit. However, if you don't have very much to lose, you may need to do even less of a deficit, like minus five percent.

    What was your choice of variable? Never Sedentary unless you do literally NOTHING.

    I am currently 71.5kgs and would like to lose 15kgs
  • redwoodkestrel
    redwoodkestrel Posts: 339 Member
    The main reason I exercise is so I can eat more! :smiley: nomnomnom I've lost almost 100 lbs in less than a year, so it seems to be working! Usually eat at least half back, if not more.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    When I did the MFP method I did...as that is the way this tool is designed. Of course, I also checked my estimated burns against other sources and made an allowance for error.

    Ultimately I switched to the TDEE method as I became very consistent in my exercise and it just made more sense to include some estimate of that activity in my acitvity level rather than trying to estimate it separately and log it...it also made planning my days out easier too...but really, if you're inconsistent in your exercise the TDEE method can be a detriment.
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