Exercise calories

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alison6902
alison6902 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
will I lose weight if I always eat my exercise calories? I'm on 1290 cals and find it a bit hard to stick to if I don't eat exercise calories? X

Replies

  • punkuate
    punkuate Posts: 127 Member
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    It's hard to accurately measure how many calories you're burning through exercise so I think most people don't eat all the extra calories. I don't eat any of mine back but I think other people generally eat about half of them.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
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    Most people eat back half of their exercise calories. If you are using MFP's calorie estimates, you probably should eat a 1/3 to 1/2 of the calories back since they are usually grossly over estimated and see how your weight loss is progressing after 4-6 weeks of following this "guideline." You can then make adjustments as needed.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
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    MFP use the neat method so a calorie deficit is already built in. So you should be eating those calories back. However depending on how those exercise calories are calculated their accuracy can be variable. Even a heart rate monitor is an estimate a high tech estimate but still an estimate. I'd recommend eating a portion of them back and see how it goes say 30% or 50%
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    It's recommended to only eat back 50-75% of them to account for overestimations, either in the database or from machines. If you do that and make sure you log everything accurately (because that's where most people go wrong), you should be good.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    I have. I am close to my goal with not a lot to lose. I am 5'2", 46 yrs old. I lift heavy 3x-4x/wk, little cardio. I eat around 1350-1400 calories net. I've been steadily losing since January.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
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    If you're accurately logging everything, it will work. It might take some trial and error to find the right balance for you. I typically eat most of my exercise calories and still lose more than expected. I'm aiming for .7 pounds a week and averaging about one pound a week. (11.5 pounds in 12 weeks)
  • alison6902
    alison6902 Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks for the information everyone. That's great. I will try your suggestions and keep you posted. :D:D
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    I've been recording all my exercise in Runkeeper and compare what the machine says to what Runkeeper gives me. Usually they're about the same and I log the lower number. I've been eating most of them back some days; others it's part, but I've been losing at the rate I've expected (around 0.5-1lb/week) so I'm gonna keep doing that :)

    If you can enter your age, height and weight into the machine, the estimation will be closer to accurate, but there's no way of knowing if it's 100% correct.

    ~Lyssa
  • alison6902
    alison6902 Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks Lyssa. Il try run keeper too. :D
  • iamchuckbass78
    iamchuckbass78 Posts: 34 Member
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    I eat back my calories. I'd be starving and eat an entire box of Cheez Its if I didn't.
  • cladyw
    cladyw Posts: 7 Member
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    I have eaten some of my exercise calories but my problem is being over my fat intake..
  • samgamgee
    samgamgee Posts: 398 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Timorous_Beastie wrote: »
    If you're accurately logging everything, it will work. It might take some trial and error to find the right balance for you. I typically eat most of my exercise calories and still lose more than expected. I'm aiming for .7 pounds a week and averaging about one pound a week. (11.5 pounds in 12 weeks)

    This is my experience, too! Everyone says MFP overestimates exercise calories, but I eat back most/all of mine and have still been losing a pound per week when my goals are set for half a pound per week. I'm not huge (153) so I feel like despite weighing food I must be miscalculating something somewhere, maybe my activity level... Not that I'm complaining.

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