Who eats back exercise calories and who doesn't?
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snowflake930 wrote: »snowflake930 wrote: »GiveMeCoffee wrote: »I lost over 120 lbs eating back my exercise calories, worked pretty damn well
^I lost 160+ NOT eating back my exercise calories, worked pretty damn well for me. I have been maintaining for 14 months.
We all ARE snowflakes! Do what works for you in all facets of this new way of living.
Sorry but we aren't snowflakes
I am. I am not the same as you or anyone else.
You are more alike all of us than you think. Biology proves that.
Really? How so? Prove that I am the same as you in my nutrition needs. I am truly interested in how you can say this not knowing anything about me.0 -
Phoebeg1723 wrote: »
Careful not to burn yourself out! and make sure you're getting enough supplements. For me, this depends on many things but to sum it up and keep things real, I don't let myself lose over three pounds per week. You have to be healthy and happy or risk failing. I like to have the energy for a good workout, and I find if I'm in heavy caloric deficit I tend to put off a workout and start feeling lazy. If I were to guesstimate, I'd say that I eat 1/3 to half of mine... and I'm not walking around hungry all the time
Tbh I've always eaten this way and have never burned out. I find if I eat my exercise calories I don't lose.m
Then there's a very good chance that your food logging accuracy isn't very good and more by luck than judgement you have cancelled out the mistake of not accounting for exercise.
Beware that as you get closer to goal weight the muscle sparing effect of being fat lessens so please don't try to lose weight quickly all the way to your target or your results might be disappointing in terms of body composition and looks.0 -
I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.0 -
I have a lot of weight to lose still about 45 lbs. I've lost 35 over the past year and was eating back most of my exercise calories. However, over the past couple of months I haven't really been losing much so I have really begun to limit how much I eat back. I also don't really look at calories as a one day thing.
Sure, my net yesterday was like 900. I ate 1500 but I also spent 90 minutes in the gym doing intense cardio, which my hrm calculated as like a 900 calorie burn. (my net goal is 1440). However, I might take today off...and I might just drink a couple of craft beers and go way over 1440. I tend to use the report function to see weekly calorie burns instead. I've started losing again, which feels great and I'm not hungry.
Do what works for you. If you start losing your hair and feeling cold all the time that's probably a sighn you should definitely eat more. There is a big difference in eating to lose weight from being obese and looking to "trim down" and be more fit if you are just out of shape. That probably weighs heavily in the debate to eat back your exercise calories or not.0 -
I eat back my exercise calories. I need to, or I'd keel over dead. The spread for me ranges from 500 exercise calories to 3000. Can't just change the activity level to consistently match that.0
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Phoebeg1723 wrote: »
Careful not to burn yourself out! and make sure you're getting enough supplements. For me, this depends on many things but to sum it up and keep things real, I don't let myself lose over three pounds per week. You have to be healthy and happy or risk failing. I like to have the energy for a good workout, and I find if I'm in heavy caloric deficit I tend to put off a workout and start feeling lazy. If I were to guesstimate, I'd say that I eat 1/3 to half of mine... and I'm not walking around hungry all the time
Tbh I've always eaten this way and have never burned out. I find if I eat my exercise calories I don't lose.m
Then there's a very good chance that your food logging accuracy isn't very good and more by luck than judgement you have cancelled out the mistake of not accounting for exercise.
Beware that as you get closer to goal weight the muscle sparing effect of being fat lessens so please don't try to lose weight quickly all the way to your target or your results might be disappointing in terms of body composition and looks.
Excuse me, but I've been dieting for nearly a year and lost 2 1/2 stone. I think I know how to do things gradually. I way everything so how dare you critique my "logging accuracy" without even asking me what I do!
Also, I wasn't asking for opinions on my eating/exercise habits.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »I eat them back on most days because I look at exercise in a different light: 1. I have fitness goals independent of my desire to lose weight 2. I like food. Exercising is two birds with one stone, I get to work towards my fitness goals and I get to eat more without hindering my weight loss. I have lost close to 100 pounds so far.
This is pretty much how I think of it as well.
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My dietitian said that I need to eat 1500 calories just to be alive, per day. So I aim for that, (or sometimes a little less) per day, no matter if I workout or not. That seems to be my 'sweet spot' where I have had the most success. MFP said that I should only be eating 1200 and I was not losing any weight for the first month (November to December), but once I started the T25 workouts and upped the calorie intake, the weight has started to fall off. Everyone is different and it takes a while to figure out what works for you.0
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So, if you didn't work out at all and maintained your same daily calorie intake, do you gain? It's possible that your daily intake is higher than your body normally burns in a day. ??No I just stay at the same weight.
OK, so then if your goals are set to maintain your current weight, then perfect, you have a good balance on your diet profile. However, if your goals are set to lose say 2 lbs a week at an intake of such and such calories, and your not, then something needs tweaking. Most likely on 'normal daily activities'.
* oh, and this is assuming you're accurate on your recording
Have you noticed any superhuman abilities 0 -
I usually eat it back and I am still losing weight. I started out as stone-cold sedentary and I find the day after brisk exercise I am very, very hungry. So I satisfy it by eating enough.0
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Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
If you don't weigh your solid foods you may be eating 10-50% more than you think you are as well.0 -
Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Phoebeg1723 wrote: »
Careful not to burn yourself out! and make sure you're getting enough supplements. For me, this depends on many things but to sum it up and keep things real, I don't let myself lose over three pounds per week. You have to be healthy and happy or risk failing. I like to have the energy for a good workout, and I find if I'm in heavy caloric deficit I tend to put off a workout and start feeling lazy. If I were to guesstimate, I'd say that I eat 1/3 to half of mine... and I'm not walking around hungry all the time
Tbh I've always eaten this way and have never burned out. I find if I eat my exercise calories I don't lose.m
Then there's a very good chance that your food logging accuracy isn't very good and more by luck than judgement you have cancelled out the mistake of not accounting for exercise.
Beware that as you get closer to goal weight the muscle sparing effect of being fat lessens so please don't try to lose weight quickly all the way to your target or your results might be disappointing in terms of body composition and looks.
Excuse me, but I've been dieting for nearly a year and lost 2 1/2 stone. I think I know how to do things gradually. I way everything so how dare you critique my "logging accuracy" without even asking me what I do!
Also, I wasn't asking for opinions on my eating/exercise habits.
You posted on a public forum asking for opinions so you get them. Feel free to cherry pick the ones that agree with you. If you wanted validation not opinions maybe you should have said so?
Your diary is also public.
So you are excused.0 -
Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
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Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because this is scary and I would not want to see anyone do damage to themselves.
And by posting on an open forum they are opening themselves up to be questioned, just like you did with me! 0 -
Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because this is scary and I would not want to see anyone do damage to themselves.
And by posting on an open forum they are opening themselves up to be questioned, just like you did with me!
When did I question what you eat or don't eat?
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I don't usually eat back my exercise calories, but I have had some binge days this month, so I hope the days I don't eat back my exercise calories help offset the binge days.
Also, MFP says I burned over 1000 calories for 45min of elliptical. Now, I do HIIT on the interval, so I probably do burn on a lot, but over 1000? Also, I don't tell MFP that it's interval training. So, I wouldn't feel comfortable eating back exercise calories due to the perceived lack of accuracy.0 -
Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because this is scary and I would not want to see anyone do damage to themselves.
And by posting on an open forum they are opening themselves up to be questioned, just like you did with me!
And because there are many lurkers out there who read but don't post and maybe one of them would see this and think, "wow, maybe I need to take another look at how I'm doing things".
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You questioned why I posted.Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because this is scary and I would not want to see anyone do damage to themselves.
And by posting on an open forum they are opening themselves up to be questioned, just like you did with me!
When did I question what you eat or don't eat?
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Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because this is scary and I would not want to see anyone do damage to themselves.
And by posting on an open forum they are opening themselves up to be questioned, just like you did with me!
And because there are many lurkers out there who read but don't post and maybe one of them would see this and think, "wow, maybe I need to take another look at how I'm doing things".
Thank you... that is another reason!0 -
I don't eat back. Doesn't seem much point based on the effort. I only trust my Garmin 920XT record of calories burned for activities like running and swimming. it worked for me 60lb loss in 4 months.0
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Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because they are trying to help - simple as that.
It's a form of support!0 -
So now I will contribute more then:
say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" or TDEE calculator may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.
So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.
What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.
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I eat some of them. I burn a large amount of calories with my workouts often times 1,000+. I am starving otherwise, it's just to large of a deficit.0
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I eat them back, both when I lost weight and now at maintenance - that's typically c.4000 a week but can be over 6000 in the cycling season.
There's no point setting a calorie balance goal and then not trying to meet it. It's not smart thinking to assume faster weight loss is better.
Exercise is for fitness, strength, preservation of lean mass plus it allows you much more freedom to eat while still hitting your goal.
This is my way of thinking as well.
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I do not. The amount I supposedly burn, being old and short... it would be gone by eating like 5 crackers or something anyway!!!0
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While losing weight I never ate back the exercise calories, but now on maintenance I do eat back some of them.
I weigh myself daily and if I have gained any weight at all then I will go a week without eating them back again.0 -
Phoebeg1723 wrote: »Atrocity108 wrote: »I usually don't. Honestly, I only eat 1200-1300 on most days. On days that I really push myself, I go up to 1400. Beyond that, I think it has to do more with the quality of food you are putting into your system. I take in a lot of egg whites, baked chicken, and Tuna fish.
That is just me, though. It took me a long time to figure out what works for me. What worked for my friend at the time he was trying to lose weight would was not working for me.
Yikes, as a man you should not be getting less than 1600 or so Net cals (1600 + exercise cals) Otherwise a large % of your weight loss will be coming from lean muscle, not just the fat that you want to lose. Unless you are 4'11, 110lbs, then 1400 or so should suffice.
Why do people feel the need to offer advice which hasn't been asked for.. -_-
Because they are trying to help - simple as that.
It's a form of support!
But it just sounds like a lecture, especially when people haven't asked for advice.0 -
I personally don't eat back my calories. I figure if I don't, its a bigger deficit and quicker weight loss. However, if I feel like I am STARVING and cannot go without more food for the rest of the night, I'll eat them.0
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Yes and no. I generally shoot for 1500 calories daily, rain or shine. I work out for strength and fitness, not weight loss, so generally I don't touch those calories - UNLESS I had an extra long workout that's left me particularly hungry or something like that. Then I'll eat mmmaybe half of it back to make sure my body has what it needs.
Also because food is great and I love it.0 -
Because my exercise sessions only burn around 300 calories each session, that doesn't leave a lot of room for error - I could easily eat 100 calories more than I thought and or burn 100 calories less. If I do both of those on the same day I could be thinking I have 300 calories to eat back but I could only really have a 100 deficit.
- so I eat an energy bar of around 100 calories - half before and the other half after I workout and that works for me as it seems to hold off hunger before and just after work out; which are both dangerous over-eating times for me.
- and yes - I am a snowflake. I like snowflakes.0
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