Eating work out calories

emilybeaver
emilybeaver Posts: 365 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I walked on the treadmill yesterday and after dinner I a little under 1,000 left to eat...do I eat those? I couldn't imagine eating another 1,000 calories even after dinner!

Replies

  • Guitarist4L1fe
    Guitarist4L1fe Posts: 31 Member
    edited May 2015
    Some people eat half back because of the inaccuracies in judging how many calories are burnt during an exercise. I do not intentionally eat any back. But it's a nice buffer, if at the end of the day I go over 50-100 calories most likely I am still at more then enough deficit to lose.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    emilybeaver wrote: »
    I walked on the treadmill yesterday and after dinner I a little under 1,000 left to eat...do I eat those? I couldn't imagine eating another 1,000 calories even after dinner!

    If you are using MFP's system then yes, you eat back your calories. How did you calculate the burn? Generally MFP's database and many machines over estimate calories burned so it is a good idea to start out by eating back about half. After a few weeks, evaluate your progress and if you are losing faster than your plan, eat back more. If you are losing slower, eat back fewer.

    Currently I am averaging about 75% of the calories given me from my Fitbit but 25% of those I log into MFP when I swim. Overall, it figures to about 60% of all calories MFP gives me to eat back.

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Depends on what you're using to calculate your calorie burns.

    If you're using MFP, try eating only half of those.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    I would only eat back some if you are hungry. OR can save it up for the weekend! Either way, you will still be in deficit and lose weight. Others are right though, MFP over-calculates and machines are inaccurate usually. I would count on 50% of that , so maybe 500 calories extra to play with this week for you. Good Luck!
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    For short periods of time, you can under-eat by not eating back exercise calories. But in the long term, this could be a problem. Your body uses the food you eat to build back and fuel your actions. If you don’t eat enough, your body will begin cutting back on “nonessential” functions such as organ function and muscle retention. You should seldom if ever eat less than your basic calorie needs.

    Also, I don’t completely buy into the daily calorie thing. I prefer to look at calories in/out over a week. This lets me have days when I don’t eat all the calories and days when I eat more.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited May 2015
    AllanMisner wrote: »

    Also, I don’t completely buy into the daily calorie thing. I prefer to look at calories in/out over a week. This lets me have days when I don’t eat all the calories and days when I eat more.

    This is why I recently switched to TDEE. On NEAT, I would have 1760 calories to eat on rest days, about 2100 on walking only days, and as much as 3000 on days where I both walked and swam laps. I felt like Goldilocks. 1760 was too little, 3000 was too much, and 2100 was just right. I am now eating 2000-2100 but I average it out by keeping a rolling weekly total of about 14,500.

  • emilybeaver
    emilybeaver Posts: 365 Member
    I have a fitbit zip that I wear, and that is what it calculated as yesterday. I seemed a little high to me so I didn't touch the work out calories....but I weighed heavy this morning....so I'm not sure...
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    emilybeaver wrote: »
    I have a fitbit zip that I wear, and that is what it calculated as yesterday. I seemed a little high to me so I didn't touch the work out calories....but I weighed heavy this morning....so I'm not sure...

    You could easily have weighed heavy this morning because your muscles retained some water in order to repair themselves after the workout. I strongly suggest eating back about 50% for a couple of weeks, then see your results compared to what you have set MFP to lose. A couple of days does not give you near enough info to evaluate.

  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    1,000 calories on the treadmill? Did you run 10 miles?

    It takes roughly 1 mile to burn 100 calories. You obviously burn more per mile if you're going very fast or up hill, but it still tends to average out to 100 calories/mile. You burn even less if you hold on in any way.
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