Exercise calories

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fattymcfatterson2121
fattymcfatterson2121 Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi lovely people!

I have recently restarted MFP having lost 3 stone some time ago, putting 1 stone back on and having 2 stone to lose now!

I am tracking everything I eat (about 1,500 a day, I set WL to be 1.5lbs a week but wondering if I should lower it to 1? I am 5ft8 and 178lbs) and I do crossfit 4 times a week. I don't log exercise as there is no option for crossfit. I guess I could get some sort of Heart Rate Monitor but 1. I am not sure how well this would work for crossfit and 2. not able/willing to spend a lot of money on one.

Regardless, I don't think it is too important for me to track my calories burnt as I don't plan to eat them back. Is this the right attitude to have? Do you eat back burnt calories?

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    if you are following MFP yes you eat back calories burnt in exercise - you need to fuel your body properly and eat a wide range of foods within your calorie defecit so why wouldn't you?

    If you don't want to buy an HRM don't - although I think it would probably work for this

    This might help - you can make your own exercise - but I'd only eat back 50 - 75% of this to start with
    " team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's exercise physiology program monitored 16 healthy and fit volunteers as they burpee'd and thrusted their way through two separate CrossFit workouts, Donkey Kong and Fran. The men burned nearly 21 calories a minute while women burned just over 12. Each routine took varying amounts of time to complete, however, all the participants maintained an elevated heart rate throughout the entire workout and reached about 80 percent of their VO2max, satisfying fitness industry guidelines for improving cardiovascular endurance, according to ACE".

    Or work out your TDEE on scooby calculator, cut 500 a day and set your calories manually
  • fattymcfatterson2121
    fattymcfatterson2121 Posts: 45 Member
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    Hi rabbitjb,

    Thanks for that, that's really helpful. I didn't know you ate back the calories burnt with MFP, previously I did WW which I think is really similar in terms of portion control and calorie counting and with that eating back burnt calories was purely optional.

    Do you use a HRM? If so, would you recommend the brand?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    HRM won't give you any more accuracy for crossfit than just having a stab in the dark. Completely wrong style of exercise to use a HRM so save your money.

    But please eat back your exercise calories as you are doing a significant amount of exercise. You could use the TDEE method (many calculators are available) where exercise is estimated in advance.

    Or if you prefer the MFP eating back exercise calories method (I do!) then you could try logging as circuit training perhaps.

    Whatever you do be consistent and adjust calorie balance based on actual results.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I don't eat back exercise calories. I've been on MFP for over 900 days, and it's very rare I dip into my exercise calories. Even when I was pregnant I didn't.

    I'm 5'6 and probably 185lbs now (haven't weighed for a while but have been losing 1lb a week before) and eat 1500-1600 calories a day. I have 3 young kids and I'm on maternity leave now. I got a Fitbit for Xmas and I'm doing at least 10,000 steps a day, plus I'm at the gym pretty much every day, sometimes doubling up on classes, and doing PT sessions twice a week most weeks.

    I weigh my food, so I know my logging is 95% accurate (I leave some room for mistakes!). With all that, I am still only losing 1lb a week. Maybe my body is still affected by pregnancy (my baby is 8 months) but I know if I ate my exercise calories I'd lose nothing.

    I lost 66lbs after my 2nd baby by doing the same.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Crossfit is dangerous enough as it is. Not eating enough to sustain it could be deadly.
  • fattymcfatterson2121
    fattymcfatterson2121 Posts: 45 Member
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    Thanks sijomial,

    I like the thought of eating more calories :)

    I think the days I go to the gym I will try to log some form of exercise and eat some of it back. I imagine it would be quite prudent though. Given an average WOD lasts between 10-15 mins that is only 110-160 calories for me although I am sure we all know you burn a lot more than that in a crossfit class (or at least I should hope so!)
  • GlenG1969
    GlenG1969 Posts: 28 Member
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    I dissagree folks, i never eat back calories burnt. Whats the point of smashing out an hours worth of physical training only to eat extra calories? You may as well just not bother.

    If fattymcfatterson is trying to lose weight by diet and exercise eating extra calories on top of the 1500 she is giving herself is still extra calories.

    Thats my two peneth worth.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    GlenG1969 wrote: »
    I dissagree folks, i never eat back calories burnt. Whats the point of smashing out an hours worth of physical training only to eat extra calories? You may as well just not bother.

    If fattymcfatterson is trying to lose weight by diet and exercise eating extra calories on top of the 1500 she is giving herself is still extra calories.

    Thats my two peneth worth.

    if you're following a cut from TDEE none

    if you're following MFP calories then LOTS - preservation of more LBM, fueling your body appropriately, adequate nutrition for calorie burn, wide and varied diet, long-term maintenance
  • GlenG1969
    GlenG1969 Posts: 28 Member
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    Read this from the dietitian, right here on Myfitpal.

    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    GlenG1969 wrote: »
    I dissagree folks, i never eat back calories burnt. Whats the point of smashing out an hours worth of physical training only to eat extra calories? You may as well just not bother.

    If fattymcfatterson is trying to lose weight by diet and exercise eating extra calories on top of the 1500 she is giving herself is still extra calories.

    Thats my two peneth worth.
    The point of exercise is fitness, health, strength and the preservation of lean mass - not to promote rapid weight loss.

    If you are calorie counting and are doing a significant amount of exercise then it makes no sense not to account for those calories.

    If someone isn't exercising much it's not a big deal.

    If someone has is hugely overweight then they can sustain larger calorie deficits without losing too much lean mass. That is not the case if you don't have much to lose.
    Fast weight loss doesn't mean it's good weight loss.

    Learning the habits you will need at maintenance is much more valuable than losing weight fast.
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
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    If you don't want to eat back exercise calories but exercise consistently each week, you can try just increasing your activity level in your account settings to account for it. If you don't eat your exercise calories back and also eat at a deficit you will be starving your body which is not healthy. If you have your settings to lose weight, it already decreases your calories to lose weight. If you exercise on top of that you need fuel for your workouts or you will create too large a deficit.

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