Should I be eating back the calories that I exercise off?
jnunez5
Posts: 13 Member
Should I be eating back the calories that I exercise off?
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Replies
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Are you using the calorie goal provided by MFP?0
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I think one of our biggest mistake, cuz I am guilty of this too, is that we do eat back the calories... I've read a lot of blogs and they all agree that we should not eat our calories back this will not lead to weight loss.0
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I think one of our biggest mistake, cuz I am guilty of this too, is that we do eat back the calories... I've read a lot of blogs and they all agree that we should not eat our calories back this will not lead to weight loss.
You're wrong.
MFP uses net calories.
Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned.
So if you are eating to the goal that MFP has given you, then yes, you eat back (at least a portion of) exercise calories.
Of course if you are using the TDEE method, this differs.
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I think one of our biggest mistake, cuz I am guilty of this too, is that we do eat back the calories... I've read a lot of blogs and they all agree that we should not eat our calories back this will not lead to weight loss.
Are those blogs addressing the MFP method specifically? Because the goal MFP gives you assumes you will eat back your exercise calories. If you don't, you may find that your net calorie intake is too low to ensure wellbeing and energy.0 -
Yes, that's how the app was designed. Eat them back. If you don't lose after a couple weeks, try eating half of them.
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MFP doesn't assume anyone will exercise (some people can't). So ideally you log exercise, you eat those calories also and you get back to square one (original deficit).
BUT - calorie burns are estimates. So many MFP users eat back 50-75%....then see how weight loss progresses. If they are losing a little slower than expected eat less, if they are losing faster than expected eat more.
A moderate deficit helps your body support existing lean muscle mass.0 -
MFP is set up so that you can lose weight without exercise. Not everyone can exercise, after all. So, you already have the deficit needed to lose weight at the rate you specified in your goals (.5 to 2 pounds per week) built into your calorie goal for each day. When you exercise, you earn calories to eat because eating them maintains the deficit needed to meet your goal.
When we eat too far under our maintenance calories on a regular basis our bodies freak out and think we're starving and won't have access to food any time soon. Rather than take all of the energy it needs from stored fat it will start breaking down lean muscle mass for fuel especially if you aren't using those muscles aggressively. So what you end up with at the end is a lower weight on the scale but a higher body fat percentage (since you lost lean muscle mass) and a slightly lower metabolism. If you then put some of that weight back on (and aren't lifting heavy weights) it's going to be all fat. Now your body fat percentage is even higher and it'll be even harder to lose weight the next time around.
Eat back at least some of your exercise calories.0 -
Its designed such that if you eat a net worth of the number of calories suggested,you'll drop the weight off. For example if your goal is 1200, and youve eaten 1500 but worked out for 300, youre still good. I think the best thing would be to eat something good for you, if youre under your daily calorie goal, for example, some grilled chicken breast instead of a PBJ sandwich:) the type of food youre eating is so damn important.
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Try eating back half of them to start. MFP, for the most part, overstates your burn.0
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I don't eat my calories back on purpose. Sometimes I do accidentally. I log in my food as I eat and as I'm about to close out, enter my exercise.0
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MFP is already calculating a deficit for your before any exercise. By NOT eating back your exercise calories you are making your deficit higher...which you would think is a good thing until you become fatigued, start losing hair, and start losing lean muscle. Remember we can't gain muscle when we are on a deficit so even though you're working out really hard you are only toning and strengthing what you have. If you don't eat back at least some of those calories you will gradually lose that muscle which should not be your goal.0
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Should I be eating back the calories that I exercise off?
It depends.
How much are you exercising? What are your goals? How accurate is your logging?
Etc etc etc.
Having said that, one of the most common reasons on MFP for weight loss problems is eating back exercise calories, primarily due to massive over-estimation of how much is being burned, and typically accompanied by under-estimation of what is being eaten. You can avoid this by not eating them back - but then you have monitor your body, if it starts slowing down and you find you can't perform like you used to, you may need to eat some of the exercise burn back.0 -
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I try not to eat mine, but if I do, I'm still ok for the day.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »Are you using the calorie goal provided by MFP?
Yes, I am.
Ok I see what you're saying here. I don't eat them all back just sometimes.I think one of our biggest mistake, cuz I am guilty of this too, is that we do eat back the calories... I've read a lot of blogs and they all agree that we should not eat our calories back this will not lead to weight loss.
You're wrong.
MFP uses net calories.
Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned.
So if you are eating to the goal that MFP has given you, then yes, you eat back (at least a portion of) exercise calories.
Of course if you are using the TDEE method, this differs.
Thanks that helps!MFP is set up so that you can lose weight without exercise. Not everyone can exercise, after all. So, you already have the deficit needed to lose weight at the rate you specified in your goals (.5 to 2 pounds per week) built into your calorie goal for each day. When you exercise, you earn calories to eat because eating them maintains the deficit needed to meet your goal.
When we eat too far under our maintenance calories on a regular basis our bodies freak out and think we're starving and won't have access to food any time soon. Rather than take all of the energy it needs from stored fat it will start breaking down lean muscle mass for fuel especially if you aren't using those muscles aggressively. So what you end up with at the end is a lower weight on the scale but a higher body fat percentage (since you lost lean muscle mass) and a slightly lower metabolism. If you then put some of that weight back on (and aren't lifting heavy weights) it's going to be all fat. Now your body fat percentage is even higher and it'll be even harder to lose weight the next time around.
Eat back at least some of your exercise calories.
Ok, that makes sense I usually sync with my polar watch.Try eating back half of them to start. MFP, for the most part, overstates your burn.MFP is already calculating a deficit for your before any exercise. By NOT eating back your exercise calories you are making your deficit higher...which you would think is a good thing until you become fatigued, start losing hair, and start losing lean muscle. Remember we can't gain muscle when we are on a deficit so even though you're working out really hard you are only toning and strengthing what you have. If you don't eat back at least some of those calories you will gradually lose that muscle which should not be your goal.
woah! losing hair!! not good lolShould I be eating back the calories that I exercise off?
It depends.
How much are you exercising? What are your goals? How accurate is your logging?
Etc etc etc.
Having said that, one of the most common reasons on MFP for weight loss problems is eating back exercise calories, primarily due to massive over-estimation of how much is being burned, and typically accompanied by under-estimation of what is being eaten. You can avoid this by not eating them back - but then you have monitor your body, if it starts slowing down and you find you can't perform like you used to, you may need to eat some of the exercise burn back.
Thanks for that. I'm following a 6 day lifting program and then i try to run at least 3-4x a week and i just started logging again so i try to be as accurate as possible.
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Don't worry about logging the lifting calories. They aren't that much anyway and MFP really seems to overdo it on those. I usually give myself 90 calories for a one hour session. I would eat back most of the running calories, though. Walking and running calories are the two things I actually trust MFP to calculate fairly accurately.Thanks for that. I'm following a 6 day lifting program and then i try to run at least 3-4x a week and i just started logging again so i try to be as accurate as possible.
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I took a metabolic test through the hospital and it measured how fast I burn food. We found out I don't burn calories very well and I was told not to use exercise calories. I recommend the test, usually you can take through the fitness department at the hospital. It takes a few minutes and you breath into a machine.0
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Don't worry about logging the lifting calories. They aren't that much anyway and MFP really seems to overdo it on those. I usually give myself 90 calories for a one hour session. I would eat back most of the running calories, though. Walking and running calories are the two things I actually trust MFP to calculate fairly accurately.Thanks for that. I'm following a 6 day lifting program and then i try to run at least 3-4x a week and i just started logging again so i try to be as accurate as possible.
Yea I don't log the lifting ones just because it would be a pain to sit there and log all the sets and reps I'm doing but when I eat some back they are from running.Freemansfox321 wrote: »I took a metabolic test through the hospital and it measured how fast I burn food. We found out I don't burn calories very well and I was told not to use exercise calories. I recommend the test, usually you can take through the fitness department at the hospital. It takes a few minutes and you breath into a machine.
Interesting! Do you know what the test was called?
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