Confused re exercise calories

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sallymason88
sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was given 1200 calories per day from mfp. I am burning between 300 and 600 every day from exercise. I am not eating these calories back because I have read that you are more likely eating more calories than you think, and not burning as much as your machine tells you. I think the calories burned from exercise on mfp seem over estimated so I always enter the calories that my garmin gives me. My question is, should i be eating my exercise calories or not. I read different opinions. People seem to think it best to just eat half of them back, would this be best ? I weigh my food and measure liquids. Is it a bad idea not eating any of the exercise calories back. ?
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  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    edited May 2015
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    If you're on 1200 calories, I would absolutely say eat some calories back.

    Do you weigh all solid foods on a food scale in grams & measure out all liquids except water?

    If you're doing that, eat back a portion of those exercise calories - 50%-75%. Try to stick to the same portion for 4-6 weeks. Evaluate your weight loss at that point and see if it averages out correctly. That is, if you have MFP set at losing 2lb/week and that's the average loss you see, stick with eating the same amount back. Don't evaluate your weight loss weekly - you need to look at the downward trend over that period of time.

    The reason many people recommend eating back a portion is to help offset logging inaccuracies and calorie burn inaccuracies. Over time, you'll see how true the numbers are (or aren't) for you.

    ~Lyssa
  • NerdyNix
    NerdyNix Posts: 111 Member
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    I don't eat them back but have been told that I'm wrong not to!
  • REiiGN15
    REiiGN15 Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm in this dilemma too and I'd like to know. I'm guessing you can eat back those. Wondering if it depends on what you done because in the morning I burn more than 500 calories on running and in the afternoon I burn at least 400-500 weightlifting. It's a bit weird, I'm new to this calorie counting, and having a number and then it shoot up and I have to consume a 800 calorie dinner, which is a bit difficult when you try to eat healthy.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    REiiGN15 wrote: »
    I'm in this dilemma too and I'd like to know. I'm guessing you can eat back those. Wondering if it depends on what you done because in the morning I burn more than 500 calories on running and in the afternoon I burn at least 400-500 weightlifting. It's a bit weird, I'm new to this calorie counting, and having a number and then it shoot up and I have to consume a 800 calorie dinner, which is a bit difficult when you try to eat healthy.

    The running burn might be accurate. That number of calories for weight lifting is just about guaranteed to be grossly overestimated.

    ~Lyssa

  • sallymason88
    sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
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    i am weighing in grams yes and I have the cups for measuring liquid. i am not logging water but i am drinking enough of that.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    sallymason88 wrote: »
    I was given 1200 calories per day from mfp. I am burning between 300 and 600 every day from exercise. I am not eating these calories back because I have read that you are more likely eating more calories than you think, and not burning as much as your machine tells you. I think the calories burned from exercise on mfp seem over estimated so I always enter the calories that my garmin gives me. My question is, should i be eating my exercise calories or not. I read different opinions. People seem to think it best to just eat half of them back, would this be best ? I weigh my food and measure liquids. Is it a bad idea not eating any of the exercise calories back. ?

    You should be eating some of them back...at least 50%.
  • Jayceca
    Jayceca Posts: 16 Member
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    I don't eat mine back. I don't see the point in doing all that work to get it off only to eat it back. I am losing on an average, 1 lb a week, and I think that is good. I am also on 1200 cal because I am only 5' tall and 77 years old, not very active.
  • sallymason88
    sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
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    the nature of my work means i am not active apart from the exercise i am doing. if i dont feel hungry is it better if i just eat something anyway, up to 50% of my exercise calories ?
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Jayceca wrote: »
    I don't eat mine back. I don't see the point in doing all that work to get it off only to eat it back. I am losing on an average, 1 lb a week, and I think that is good. I am also on 1200 cal because I am only 5' tall and 77 years old, not very active.

    The point is that mfp has already set you up at a deficit at 1200 calories so you are already set to lose if you don't work out. If you work out and then don't eat your exercises calories back at 1200 calories, you are risking malnutrition and may run into side effects like hair loss and a higher rate of muscle loss. You need to eat at least half back, it is the way mfp is designed.

  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    sallymason88 wrote: »
    i am weighing in grams yes and I have the cups for measuring liquid. i am not logging water but i am drinking enough of that.

    Eat back some of your calories at least. They'll help fuel future workouts.

    If you see your weight loss slowing significantly, re-evaluate what you're doing.

    And, yes, I would eat up to 50% of those calories, even if you don't feel hungry. My appetite tends to tank after a run so I make sure I have good snacks available and try to get to my net of 1200 calories. Some days I don't and I'll go over the next day instead. As long as it averages out over the week, I'm good.

    ~Lyssa
  • Sgtcupcake35
    Sgtcupcake35 Posts: 5 Member
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    1200 calories seems a bit on the low side. As you lose weight, your body burns less calories....in my opinion it is better to start at 1500 and as you lose weight and become more fit you can drop down to about 1400 or so. The body is an amazing machine and always adapts. I only eat 1400 calories a day to lose weight ONLY because i have had my metabolism tested and I truly do have a very slow metabolism (genetics I was told). If not, I would be eating close to 1800 calories per day. I think on your workout days you should keep the calories up around 1500 and on your days you don't workout, drop them down to around 1300. I think many things depends on how much you weigh, how much you need to lose, what type of exercise you do, etc. You can also get away with eating more calories if you protein intake is higher. As people have said, see how you do after a week. I just worry about those that are eating too low because the body adapts to that, and then when you start to try to eat more, you gain weight very easily.
  • sallymason88
    sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
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    I will follow your advice starting today, thank you, I really appreciate it. I will eat my 1200 plus half the exercise calories.
  • mljacobs23
    mljacobs23 Posts: 38 Member
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    If you're active I would recommend eating at least some of them back. For me personally I can't imagine not eating my exercise calories, I wouldn't have the energy to workout otherwise. I have my calorie intake set to 1500 a day, I weigh and measure carefully and track everything. I wear a garmin HR monitor. I subtract out 5-10% to account for the calories I would have burned anyways (I calculate a netcalorie burn, there are calculators online that do this for you). I eat all of my net exercise calories back over the course of the week (I "bank" some for dinners out weekends etc), and I typically lose a pound a week; sometimes closer to two. As other posters have said, trying eating some of them back for a month and see how it goes. 1200 calories a day is very hard to maintain over the long term, or it would be for me.
  • sallymason88
    sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
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    I just went with the calories I was set by mfp. I work nights so i count midnight to midnight for ease. I sit down for 9 hours overnight then go to bed for 5 hours, then exercise, then sit down before i go to work, so I am extremely sedentary to say the least !. (apart from normal housework) I am also doing les mills pump to try and keep muscle tone, my cv is cycling
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    Sgtcupcake35 wrote: »
    1200 calories seems a bit on the low side. As you lose weight, your body burns less calories....in my opinion it is better to start at 1500 and as you lose weight and become more fit you can drop down to about 1400 or so. The body is an amazing machine and always adapts. I only eat 1400 calories a day to lose weight ONLY because i have had my metabolism tested and I truly do have a very slow metabolism (genetics I was told). If not, I would be eating close to 1800 calories per day. I think on your workout days you should keep the calories up around 1500 and on your days you don't workout, drop them down to around 1300. I think many things depends on how much you weigh, how much you need to lose, what type of exercise you do, etc. You can also get away with eating more calories if you protein intake is higher. As people have said, see how you do after a week. I just worry about those that are eating too low because the body adapts to that, and then when you start to try to eat more, you gain weight very easily.

    This is all good advice....If you know the OP's stats. Current height and weight, weight loss goal & general activity level.

    I'm 5' tall, 120 lbs, and I have MFP set to Sedentary and lose 0.5lb/week. If I don't get a lot of movement in (less than 2k steps), my calorie goal is 1240. 1500 would put me at maintenance. 1400 would barely be a deficit.

    I make it a point to get 7k-8k daily just so I can eat more because 1200 just isn't that much. Plus I like to eat lol.

    It takes a very long time for the body to adapt. I don't recall the exact time but it's much longer than a few weeks.

    ~Lyssa
  • sallymason88
    sallymason88 Posts: 69 Member
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    I am 5'4, weigh 193 lbs and want to lose 42 lbs
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    edited May 2015
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    My goal to lose 1 pound per week is 1580 calories. I burn on average 600 to 800 calories at the gym 5 days per week. I don't eat any of them back, however, I bank them until the weekend or other days I might need them. I end up even out give or take a few hundred calories.
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I don't necessarily think there is a right and wrong way to do it. I like to do whatever keeps me satisfied so I don't go hungry or binge but keeps me loosing. To do this I do eat my exercise calories back. I struggle to be happy on the 1600 that I am allowed so I exercise in order to eat at a level that stops me being hungry or feeling denied.

    As for how many calories I eat back - it depends on what exercise I'm doing. Steady state exercise like running or elliptical I eat 100%. If I'm doing circuit training or boxercise class I eat 50% and if I'm doing weights I eat 25%.

    So far that is working for me.

    Edited to add - I have a heart rate monitor. I have found that the HRM is quite similar to the machines that I use at the gym (elliptical and running machine) but that may be because they are linked to my profile (they are technogym machines) so they know my sex, weight and height etc
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
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    REiiGN15 wrote: »
    I'm in this dilemma too and I'd like to know. I'm guessing you can eat back those. Wondering if it depends on what you done because in the morning I burn more than 500 calories on running and in the afternoon I burn at least 400-500 weightlifting. It's a bit weird, I'm new to this calorie counting, and having a number and then it shoot up and I have to consume a 800 calorie dinner, which is a bit difficult when you try to eat healthy.

    Ice cream and a beer after dinner - problem solved :)
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    I am depended on childcare in order to excersise at the gym. I can't use the gym on Sundays and on Saturday it's open limited hours. So my best days to go to the gym to do cardio is during the week. Sure, I can go for long walks with the baby in stroller but my daughter loses patients quickly and tries to climb out....sigh..

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