Is it best to eat your calories back?

KhloeJadie
KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
edited November 16 in Getting Started
I'm very new at this, before starting to eat better & exercise I wasn't eating frequently enough. I've had concerns about keeping my metabolism going but I'm not sure if eating back my calories burned will help or hinder. Please share your experience & advice :)
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Replies

  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    People have different results with eating back exercise cals, so you would need to try it. I'd only recommend you eat about 50% of them back if you do decide to try using them.

    The biggest problem is that it's very difficult to work out accurately how many calories you are burning through exercise, so you could accidentally end up eating more than you even burnt off. Do you have a heart rate monitor?
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    Oh, and I don't eat mine.
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    I'll really try not to :p
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    Are you hungry often? How many cals does MFP have you on per day?
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    edited April 2015
    Furrycatpig wrote: »
    People have different results with eating back exercise cals, so you would need to try it. I'd only recommend you eat about 50% of them back if you do decide to try using them.

    The biggest problem is that it's very difficult to work out accurately how many calories you are burning through exercise, so you could accidentally end up eating more than you even burnt off. Do you have a heart rate monitor?

    I do have a heart rate monitor & I'm losing as I should be, I just always feel like I'm eating too much. I'm eating more than I was before I started my weight loss journey and it seems so strange to me.
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    Furrycatpig wrote: »
    Are you hungry often? How many cals does MFP have you on per day?

    I'm always hungry lol, and I'm at 1700 calories I have more than 100 lbs to lose
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    Are you eating better food though? You can eat a lot and still lose weight as long as you are eating a clean diet. But obviously you still need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight.

    Try to eat more protein as it helps keep you fuller for longer.
  • coretemp
    coretemp Posts: 1,796 Member
    edited April 2015
    when losing weight I always eat back my exercise calories after accounting for a deficit and make sure to keep an accurate diary log, works great (of course sometimes I fluctuate a little as well +/- but make note of it and carry on because I know I'll either correct for it in the next few days or wait it out for an extra day or two to lose if I'm over).
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    Furrycatpig wrote: »
    Are you eating better food though? You can eat a lot and still lose weight as long as you are eating a clean diet. But obviously you still need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight.

    Try to eat more protein as it helps keep you fuller for longer.

    Definitely eating way better, high quality and frequency.
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you so much for all of your feedback!
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
    If you are still hungry, try eating back 50% of your exercise cals. You'll soon know if you can still lose weight while you eat them. Good luck!
  • stephenrhinton
    stephenrhinton Posts: 522 Member
    I would definitely jump on the 'don't eat back' bandwagon. Keeping a calorie deficit is key, and it is so difficult to be really accurate about calories burned. A greater deficit isn't going to hurt, and eating back risks reducing or eliminating your deficit.

    Other will probably strongly disagree, but I also think being hungry often shouldn't be unexpected. There is a billion dollar weight loss industry dedicated to convincing you that you can lose weight without being hungry. But In My Humble Opinion, you cannot outsmart physics or biology. Physics tells us you cannot lose fat without a calorie deficit because energy is neither created nor destroyed, but only changes forms. Biology tells us that our bodies are setup to anticipate periods of energy scarcity. Therefore, designed to encourage a calorie surplus whenever possible in order to store reserves. Creating a deficit should/will eventually result in your body signalling you in some manner that you should eat more.
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    edited April 2015
    Thank you so much for your reply, yeah everything feels foreign at this point. My body tries to trick me all day! I'm going to try not eating them back and seeing what kind of effect it'll have, I've got a long journey ahead of me.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Please read:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    You really should eat them back (or 50- 75% to account for inaccuracies). However, you also need to ensure your logging is accurate. If it is not (not using a food scale for solids, not choosing correct database entries), then your deficit will be off what you think it should be regardless of the calorie goal you aim for.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I always did when it was a factor for me. Never hindered my weight loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    KhloeJadie wrote: »
    Thank you so much for your reply, yeah everything feels foreign at this point. My body tries to trick me all day! I'm going to try not eating them back and seeing what kind of effect it'll have, I've got a long journey ahead of me.

    So why make that long journey harder by having an excessive deficit?
  • PowerKickChic
    PowerKickChic Posts: 108 Member
    Yes and no. Typically you shouldn't eat them back BUT if you are truly hungry and your stomach is rumbling, for goodness sake eat something but don't eat with the intention of eating them all back.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I always did when it was a factor for me. Never hindered my weight loss.

    Me too - always ate back the majority

    When using MFP database I would eat back 50 - 75%
    sijomial wrote: »
    KhloeJadie wrote: »
    Thank you so much for your reply, yeah everything feels foreign at this point. My body tries to trick me all day! I'm going to try not eating them back and seeing what kind of effect it'll have, I've got a long journey ahead of me.

    So why make that long journey harder by having an excessive deficit?

    He's right! This shouldn't be an exercise in willpower, this should be a change of habits that allow you to continue to enjoy life.

    Yes you will have difficult days / moments .. but if you work out how to eat everything you love, how to work out what fills you up and still allows you joy in cooking and eating you will have a big emotional win


  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Depends on your method. If you are using MFP for caloric guidance, you would eat back exercise calories. If you are using TDEE, don't eat back exercise calories, as they are already calculated.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Food is fuel. When you exercise, you increase the amount of fuel your body needs. Not eating back any calories after increasing your exercise amount is like not adjusting the amount of gas you put in your car every week after changing the distance of your commute to work, or not adjusting the amount and frequency of oil you need to buy for your furnace after turning the thermostat up higher.
  • TechOutside
    TechOutside Posts: 101 Member
    KhloeJadie wrote: »
    Thank you so much for your reply, yeah everything feels foreign at this point. My body tries to trick me all day! I'm going to try not eating them back and seeing what kind of effect it'll have, I've got a long journey ahead of me.

    You have time, take this journey in as small of goals as you can. Each little win strengthens your resolve for the next. You have made the decision to change (win!). You are asking questions of others with experience (win!) take these in baby steps and it will go faster than you think. You got this!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    As an example 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.
  • bluetuesday5
    bluetuesday5 Posts: 99 Member
    Yes I do, however my goal is to lose very slowly while gaining strength, and I also burn quite a lot through cardio so not eating any back would leave me in a huge deficit.
  • CindyRoseMarie
    CindyRoseMarie Posts: 28 Member
    I have come to find that doing what works for me is what works best, for me :) I also have 100 lbs to lose and have been in this head game challenge for a long while. The mind wants me to get in shape, the body tells me it's too much work. I am fighting my bodies impulses to just give up. I don't try to eat my exercise calories but if I go a little over in my defit calorie intake I don't worry about it if I have been good at keeping my exercise calories set aside. Does that make sense to you? It's like a rainy day fund. Not that you can have yourself an over eaters party on those calories, but they do make up for a day when you go a little over without hindering your weightloss. Best to you on your journey. We can do this!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Assuming you are going by MFP's numbers, eat back at least a portion of them. Too large of a deficit will increase hunger (opening up a door for binges), cause you to lose lean body mass, and can make you feel weak and tired a lot of the time.

    How much depends on how well you trust the calculator giving you the extra. I trust my Fitbit and do not log walking as exercise so I eat back almost all of the extras my fitbit gives me. I don't trust MFP's calculations as much so I eat back closer to 25% of the calories given me for my lap swimming.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    THink about it this way...if you drive your car and never put gas in it....it eventually sputters...and stops and won't go again until you put at least some gas in it.

    Yes you are eating but you are burning "fuel" by working out...that fuel needs replaced...not just to live but to exercise too.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    THink about it this way...if you drive your car and never put gas in it....it eventually sputters...and stops and won't go again until you put at least some gas in it.

    Yes you are eating but you are burning "fuel" by working out...that fuel needs replaced...not just to live but to exercise too.

    A more correct analogy would be if you only put 3 gallons of gas in your car each time, but you drive long enough to use up 4. Depending on how much gas was there before you started rationing, you can use the excess for a little while, but eventually there are no more reserves to use up.

  • philreeduk
    philreeduk Posts: 51 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    KhloeJadie wrote: »
    Thank you so much for your reply, yeah everything feels foreign at this point. My body tries to trick me all day! I'm going to try not eating them back and seeing what kind of effect it'll have, I've got a long journey ahead of me.

    So why make that long journey harder by having an excessive deficit?

    Hi, can you clarify this? at the moment I have a rather huge deficit (1,000 a day) then add to that about 3-400 calories for the walking I do. Why would not eating these calories contribute to a longer weight loss time?
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Probably about half of them, because MFP gives you a ridiculous calorie burn estimate, and if you eat all that you might actually end up gaining!
  • carliekitty
    carliekitty Posts: 303 Member
    I've eaten back most of my exercise calories through loosing 100lbs. It's allowed me to enjoy a treat on a regular basis. I'm also a dedicated exerciser and eating to little makes me hungry, lazier, and just nasty. I tried to cut my calories to low for the last two weeks (going to paris) and ended up eating 1300 calories of to die for chocolate....
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