i gain weight when i eat my exercise calories back!!

TAMMY_76
TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
ok so i gave it a try and eating my exercise calories back just isnt doing it for me..when i wasnt eating them i was losing but since i started to try it i have put back on 3 pounds..so not doing that no more

Replies

  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    Do what's right for you :)
  • purrteetea
    purrteetea Posts: 24
    i know right!!! I"m not doing it anymore either!!!
  • adfranks
    adfranks Posts: 161 Member
    yeah... I think it takes playing with your cals to see what works best for you... the thing is that it is difficult to measure the number of cals you burn with or without exercise, so it is different for each person. I tend to only eat them if I really feel extra hungry that day, but usually I don't eat all of them.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
    Probably the estimate of what you're burning with exercise is off. Try eating back 1/4 or 1/2 of what you estimate your are burning or go back to not eating them back.
  • allegram
    allegram Posts: 117
    samesies. Its frustrating, but listen to your body and I'm sure you'll make amazing progress!
  • andreadleb
    andreadleb Posts: 16 Member
    i agreee with you on the e exercise cals i dont want to gain weight because of that
  • TAMMY_76
    TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
    Probably the estimate of what you're burning with exercise is off. Try eating back 1/4 or 1/2 of what you estimate your are burning or go back to not eating them back.

    i use a heart rate monitor with chest strap..so these isnt as accurate as people say?
  • SassyStef
    SassyStef Posts: 413
    how long did you eat them back.....sometimes it takes time for you body to adjust. Like it took mine over a month to adjust to upping my calories. I was eating too little because I had my activity level set wrong, unknowingly and then once I realized it I had to eat like 300 more calories a day and I didnt loose for a bit.
    you are reprogramming your body so give it time. Maybe try and just eat like 50% then bump up to 80 then all of them see if that helps.
    It could also depends on the types of foods you are eating too.
  • alexbowser
    alexbowser Posts: 322
    I lose weight when I eat mine, everyone is different.
  • Slayer66
    Slayer66 Posts: 265
    Were you near the starvation mode area before, if so I think once you start giving your body the extra calories it will hold onto them for awhile till it adjusts to not going without again? Not sure though =)
  • TAMMY_76
    TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
    Were you near the starvation mode area before, if so I think once you start giving your body the extra calories it will hold onto them for awhile till it adjusts to not going without again? Not sure though =)
    no i dont think i was
  • SassyStef
    SassyStef Posts: 413
    Probably the estimate of what you're burning with exercise is off. Try eating back 1/4 or 1/2 of what you estimate your are burning or go back to not eating them back.

    i use a heart rate monitor with chest strap..so these isnt as accurate as people say?

    I use this site to help calculate my cals then I times the number it says that I burned by .85 and that is what I use for my calories burned.
    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm
  • TracyJackson1969
    TracyJackson1969 Posts: 11 Member
    I don't think the calories that MFP gives you for exercise is accurate. If I ride my stationary bike, the bike tells me that I have only burned 100 calories but MFP tells me that I have burned doubled that. I think that may cause you to be eating more calories than you actually have.
  • ramosriley
    ramosriley Posts: 32
    I sooooooooo understand what you are saying. Therefore, I believe that something is off. For example maybe what we record, what we consider exercise and what we calculate as portion.
  • lisapickering
    lisapickering Posts: 374
    Probably the estimate of what you're burning with exercise is off. Try eating back 1/4 or 1/2 of what you estimate your are burning or go back to not eating them back.

    i use a heart rate monitor with chest strap..so these isnt as accurate as people say?

    It's not necessarily your exercise calories that are off... maybe it's your starting calories -- what MFP gives you is just an estimate based on weight, age, etc but if you have faster or slower metabolism than the "average" person that might not be the right number for you. You just need to play with the numbers and see what works for you. For me if I eat back about 80% of my exercise calories I lose my 1 lb / week but everybody is different so it just takes trying different things to see what works for you.
  • ShrinkingNinja
    ShrinkingNinja Posts: 460 Member
    The estimated calories burned on here are extremely high when compared to my heart rate monitor.

    I never easy back calories burned. Seems counter productive to me.
  • elyssiam
    elyssiam Posts: 31 Member
    I have the same issue. If I burn 500 calories, I try to only eat 200 - 300 of the exercise calories - not all the ones I've "earned." If I follow this, then I notice I lose weight, although it's only about a pound a week.
  • Tamstar1985
    Tamstar1985 Posts: 334 Member
    i lose weight faster when i eat mine back! and i get a lot more out of my workouts. but everyone's body is not the same, maybe yours works better with a higher calorie deficit, etc etc. make sure you listen to your body.

    also, how many days did you eat the calories back before giving up? try it for about a month. are you logging your food properly? maybe you are underestimating what you eat?

    there are soooo many factors involved in weight loss, ones we can control, and ones we cannot... just experiment a bit and find what works best for you
  • ramosriley
    ramosriley Posts: 32
    I don't think the calories that MFP gives you for exercise is accurate. If I ride my stationary bike, the bike tells me that I have only burned 100 calories but MFP tells me that I have burned doubled that. I think that may cause you to be eating more calories than you actually have.
  • ramosriley
    ramosriley Posts: 32
    i agree with this
  • Delaina1
    Delaina1 Posts: 168 Member
    I use an HRM with a chest strap too, so I feel pretty confident that my calories are close. I only eat back some of mine, and only if I'm hungry. When I eat all of mine back, I gain or stay the same....never lose!
  • spackham
    spackham Posts: 252 Member
    My HRM with chest strap is off. I was hooked up to a portable ekg thingy recently and it was 2 beats per minute off. So I decide to wear it all day. I made it only 20 hours and the HRM said I was already OVER 5000 cals but my BMR is only 1500. So, ya think its off a bit? With that said, I feel your frustration in wanting to know exactly your cal burn and cal consumption and all that. I am with you on wanting it to be a more exact science.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I lose weight when I eat mine, everyone is different.

    Me too.
    Find what works for you. Maybe eating half would work for you.
  • ok so i gave it a try and eating my exercise calories back just isnt doing it for me..when i wasnt eating them i was losing but since i started to try it i have put back on 3 pounds..so not doing that no more

    I do not do it either, it just doesnt work for me, like you, i either stay where i am or gain.
  • Smurfette64
    Smurfette64 Posts: 64
    I'm the same - just sticking to the calorie limit only now too
  • Lantern823
    Lantern823 Posts: 115
    I never eat mine back and im down 34 pounds
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    Yeah you're either adding too many calories for the exercise or too few calories for the food. It's okay to not eat them all back. Just do half or so.
  • scottRN
    scottRN Posts: 14 Member
    I don't think the calories that MFP gives you for exercise is accurate. If I ride my stationary bike, the bike tells me that I have only burned 100 calories but MFP tells me that I have burned doubled that. I think that may cause you to be eating more calories than you actually have.

    While I think MFP does overestimate a bit, you need to remember that your bike does not know how much you weigh. The more you weigh the more you burn in that same amount of time.
  • ramosriley
    ramosriley Posts: 32
    I don't think the calories that MFP gives you for exercise is accurate. If I ride my stationary bike, the bike tells me that I have only burned 100 calories but MFP tells me that I have burned doubled that. I think that may cause you to be eating more calories than you actually have.

    While I think MFP does overestimate a bit, you need to remember that your bike does not know how much you weigh. The more you weigh the more you burn in that same amount of time.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
    What kind of foods were you eating back? I try to eat at least half back but i use it as my after workout protein carb boost. I am only at 1200 calories so eating back for me isnt that bad, I hope.
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