Is it best to eat your calories back?

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KhloeJadie
KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
edited April 2015 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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  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
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    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
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    Oh, and I don't eat mine.
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
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    I'll really try not to :p
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
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    Are you hungry often? How many cals does MFP have you on per day?
  • KhloeJadie
    KhloeJadie Posts: 14 Member
    edited April 2015
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Thank you so much for all of your feedback!
  • CatHunterFit
    CatHunterFit Posts: 194 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 15,268 Member
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    I always did when it was a factor for me. Never hindered my weight loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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