Who eats back exercise calories and who doesn't?

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Replies

  • slucki01
    slucki01 Posts: 284 Member
    I eat back many of mine most days. I let MFP calculate my calorie allotment to lost 1 lb a week and then if I exercise I feel free to eat those calories if I want them. I've lost 30 lbs so it clearly works. I probably would have lost more faster if I didn't eat back my exercise calories; however, by allowing myself to eat them I'm able to live a more normal life and not always be "dieting". I'd rather lose a little slower and still be able to enjoy life. My primary focus is not just weight loss.
  • jjasmelon
    jjasmelon Posts: 101
    I try not to eat back the calories I have burnt.. just feels strange after the effort that goes into exercising to just eat them away :smile:
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    I use to eat mine back when I first started out but I don't anymore. Not unless I am feeling really hungry like I need something more. If I am not hungry, I don't worry about it.
  • Phoebeg1723
    Phoebeg1723 Posts: 88 Member
    yogicarl wrote: »
    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.

    You go you beautiful snowflake!
  • _FATNSASSY
    _FATNSASSY Posts: 107 Member
    gia07 wrote: »
    Here is the rule. Careful it's long (copied from a thread last week).

    This was awesome Gia! Thanks!
  • shmulyeng
    shmulyeng Posts: 472 Member
    I don't eat them back. But I do allow myself to eat back the amount of calories I consume to fuel my exercise (gatorade, gu, etc.). I made a category in my food diary called exercise fuel.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I use MFP for my calorie goal.
    I have been losing weight steadily eating back around half of the exercise calories. If I wasn't hungry that day I probably wouldn't force myself to eat those calories as long as I was netting at least 1200.
  • _FATNSASSY
    _FATNSASSY Posts: 107 Member
    I don't eat mine back unless my body really tells me I need to.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    edited January 2015
    I do the TDEE method, which includes exercise, so yes I do, I like to keep my muscles. :D

  • sk1nnyf0rm3
    sk1nnyf0rm3 Posts: 110 Member
    I try not to eat them back, but on days that I'm burning 1200 or more calories I usually end up dipping into them because I need the energy
  • richardositosanchez
    richardositosanchez Posts: 260 Member
    I try eating back ½ of them, or maybe a third. I usually have some left over though.
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
    edited January 2015
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »
    I ate back every single calorie while I was losing weight, and of course I eat them back now that I'm in maintenance. I work out for fitness and health, not just to burn calories.

    Your deficit is already built into your goal. It's not a good idea to make your deficit too large, as you can end up losing muscle instead of just fat.

    For a more in depth explanation:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082

    Ditto. On my "usual" bike ride I burn close to 700 calories. I cannot imagine not refueling after that.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2015
    I think it mostly depends on whether you're using exercise to increase your deficit or to increase the amount of food you can eat while losing at a certain rate. For the former, you usually don't eat back, for the latter, you do.
  • clyn27
    clyn27 Posts: 102 Member
    I do not intentionally eat them back, every now and then I will end up over my goal but I don't sweat it cuz according to mfp after my work out I am still technically under. However, if I know I am going out to eat or to the bar I will do my best to stay super low all day like no creamer in my coffee, no cheese on my eggs kinda stuff then go hard for the work out because I know I will be going way over my goal so I try to make up for it with the work out
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited January 2015
    I eat half of them back on the days when I'm weightlifting and doing a HIIT exercise. On the days when I'm only doing Insanity Max 30 I will only eat to my goal of 1750 calories which is more than enough fuel for the day.
  • Machdude
    Machdude Posts: 136 Member
    I do both. I use both exercise and food to control my weight. If I know I won't be able to work out, I know I really need to watch what I eat and plan accordingly. Conversely, if I know I'm going out to a dinner or a holiday meal, I workout extra to burn off any anticipated extra calories. I usually try to leave 200 or or so just to cover potential inaccuracies in calorie numbers.
  • exstromn
    exstromn Posts: 176 Member
    Hi, I only eat back exercise calories when I'm having a bad day and end up going over. In other words no, not usually. I see those exercise calories as bonus calories burned whenever possible:) Good luck!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,015 Member
    Per the original question, yes, I eat back the calories burned during my workouts. I have lost 30 lbs at a consistent 1 lb/wk rate, while keeping my hard-earned weightlifting muscles, so it's working for me.
  • dale530
    dale530 Posts: 78
    I enter them to keep track but never eat them back.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I do the TDEE -20% method. Seems to work well for me.
  • goingtobefit2015
    goingtobefit2015 Posts: 408 Member
    I personally try not too but I know they are there in the event I need or want to use them up!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited January 2015
    Who eats back exercise calories
    People who understand how this tool actually works and people who know to strike a balance between properly fueling your activities while still maintaining an energy deficit to lose weight.
    and who doesn't?

    People who don't understand the above concept and don't understand the MFP method...and people who use other methods like the TDEE method which already includes and estimate of exercise activity in your calorie goals.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Who eats back exercise calories
    People who understand how this tool actually works and people who know to strike a balance between properly fueling your activities while still maintaining an energy deficit to lose weight.
    and who doesn't?

    People who don't understand the above concept and don't understand the MFP method...and people who use other methods like the TDEE method which already includes and estimate of exercise activity in your calorie goals.

    Truth.
  • akb2008
    akb2008 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm pregnant now and just logging in calories for macro factors (thanks gestational diabetes) but when I am working out moderately/strenuously I eat back half of them if I'm not over calories for the day already. I would eat at least 1/3rd of them back at the very least unless your going by TDEE calculation. Unless you want to put your body in starvation mode.
  • rachylouise87
    rachylouise87 Posts: 367 Member
    i eat back 50% of mine as i can feel *kitten* later in the day when i need a snack. usually a good protein snack helps loads. but my weight loss is slower than when i dont eat them back at all. sometimes i net 1300 cals most days its 1200
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    I only decided to use NEAT a few weeks ago, but I'm currently eating back nearly 60% of my exercise calories with plans to adjust in another two weeks if I've lost too much weight or not enough (aiming for 1lb/wk). I feel much better than I did last year when I was eating under 1k due to ignorance.

    I get my burn numbers from Fitocracy.
  • Lalalindaloo
    Lalalindaloo Posts: 204 Member
    When I was losing, I ate them back if I was hungry, didn't if I wasn't. Lost 60-ish lbs in about 9-10 months.

    Now that I'm maintaining (just started recently), I eat them back if I'm hungry, I don't if I'm not. For instance though, date night tonight and what i didn't eat back last night? That's buying me a beer or two.
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
    Its math.

    I spent time when I first landed here trying to get a handle on my BMR and estimated daily burn for this body that hangs out in an office chair most of the day. I tried to figure that out as accurately as reasonably possible.

    Then I spent time trying to figure out the appropriate deficit to achieve a sustainable, reasonable and safe goal, while still keeping my hair and some muscle mass.

    I weigh my food and figure out that part of the equation in my best effort to keep the deficit I identified in steps 1 and 2 above.

    So if I'm going to exercise and not account for the change in equation, not eat the calories, I'm messing around with a deficit I put a lot of effort into identifying. And I've created a whole different deficit, a different goal by default, and different results that aren't what I was looking for.

    So yes, I eat my exercise calories. And they are delicious!
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    There's every chance that you are underestimating calories in and overestimating calories out. Also, your calculated TDEE is just an estimate since MFP has no real way of knowing exactly how many calories in a day you actually burned. With all that considered you need to err on the side of caution when it comes to eating your exercise cals. I would just take the extra calories burned as a bonus.
  • azev314
    azev314 Posts: 6 Member
    I do some intense cardio routines and burn from 700-1,000 per workout, so I do eat back some calories, but with healthy choices.
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