Article about eating back calories burned

kimgriff
kimgriff Posts: 14
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Yahoo has an article today titled, "Eating Mistakes That Squash Workout Results". It addresses the "eating back calories burned" debate:

"Buying Into the Afterburn Myth
While it's true that you will torch more calories in the hours after a workout, for most women it amounts to just an additional 50 calories burned, not enough to sanction a splurge (note: a medium original Pinkberry = 230 calories).
The Fix: My general rule of thumb: the 50/50 principle - if you’re trying to trim down you can afford to add about half the calories you burn to your usual intake, preferably about 50% before to help fuel the activity, and half after, for recovery. For example, an hour on the elliptical burns about 500 calories (for 150 pound person), which means you can safely “spend” an extra 125 cals both before and after hitting the gym – that’s the amount in about one slice of whole grain bread spread with one tablespoon natural peanut butter before, and a half cup each nonfat Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries topped with a tablespoon of sliced almonds after. "

Here's the link for the full article:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/workingit/eating-mistakes-that-squash-workout-results-2488742/

Just FYI!

Replies

  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
    Thank you for thatt!
  • losinfat4good
    losinfat4good Posts: 69
    What a great article! I agree 100% for MY body.
  • aissance
    aissance Posts: 5
    thanks that's really helpful. I've been adding my exercise, but not consuming the extra calories because I've always felt it was a waste of effort to eat what you burned.
  • ItsTerriC
    ItsTerriC Posts: 436 Member
    I'm no expert, but that reinforces what I've felt from the beginning. I'm doing well by following that advice on most days, so I think I'll stick with it.
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
    I always thought eating back your excercise calories was a bit odd. It seemed like a double negative to me. You work out to lose weight and maintain muscle, then you eat those calories back, just seemed like a never ending battle to me. Maybe it works for some people who have a higher metabolism. I just stick to my daily calorie intake and what ever I burn for workouts I look at it as a plus! But heck! I could be wrong. There is so much information out there it is really overwhelming at times!
  • sararb319
    sararb319 Posts: 10
    Definitely makes sense to me!!
  • nancymmorris
    nancymmorris Posts: 310
    This is what works for me and my body. A lot of people disagree with me but it is what works for me. I just tell everyone that they need to try different things because every body is different. I am glad to see this, Thank you for sharing.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    This makes no sense for people who are already on a calorie reduced diet. MFP's calorie goal already has a calorie deficit built in, and is a reduced calorie diet. Creating a larger calorie deficit may help you lose weight faster, but it will lower your metabolism and will get you to a plateau faster.
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
    good point, i guess, if this is what works for you. but MFP already builds in a calorie deficit for you based on your set goals. the reason you're supposed to eat back your exercise calories here is because not doing so may cause you to increase your deficit to unhealthy proportions.

    read the stickies if you don't believe me.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I don't think that article takes into account the method that MFP uses, which is, you already have a deficit built in to your goals. You are not creating your deficit here via exercise. It is ALREADY there.

    The reason you eat back your exercise calories on MFP is to maintain that deficit exactly, because too large of a deficit can be detrimental to your health and weight loss.
  • LovelySnugs
    LovelySnugs Posts: 389
    This makes no sense for people who are already on a calorie reduced diet. MFP's calorie goal already has a calorie deficit built in, and is a reduced calorie diet. Creating a larger calorie deficit may help you lose weight faster, but it will lower your metabolism and will get you to a plateau faster.

    SIMULPOST! great minds and all. . .
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
    This makes no sense for people who are already on a calorie reduced diet. MFP's calorie goal already has a calorie deficit built in, and is a reduced calorie diet. Creating a larger calorie deficit may help you lose weight faster, but it will lower your metabolism and will get you to a plateau faster.

    Amen sista!!!!
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    Thanks for the post. This is not towards you. It's towards the people who wrote that article. It's such a crock, and I am putting it lightly. Here is one example, it says to drink a smoothie before you work out. What's the point, to burn sugar and no fat? make no sense. Exercising increases growth hormone, hunger (empty stomach) also increases growth hormone which also perserves muscle mass... I wrote about all that stuff in one of my blogs. Here is my blog, it talks about eating back your exercise calories in detail.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/asmcriminal/view/common-theories-disproven-108628
  • Fattack
    Fattack Posts: 666 Member
    This makes no sense for people who are already on a calorie reduced diet. MFP's calorie goal already has a calorie deficit built in, and is a reduced calorie diet. Creating a larger calorie deficit may help you lose weight faster, but it will lower your metabolism and will get you to a plateau faster.

    This
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
    The thing about that is the article isn't taking into account that MFP ALREADY figures a calorie deficit for you. It is really only SAFE(and borderline at that) to lose 2 pounds per week which puts you at a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day, and then ONLY if that doesn't put you below 1200 NET calories a day. Any less that that, and you risk doing serious harm to your body and to your metabolism. MFP has that deficit figured for you, so you CAN eat those calories back and still have the desired weight loss. I don't ALWAYS eat ALL of my exercise calories back, but I ALWAYS make sure I net over 1200.... I want to be healthy, and to me that means not completely screwing up my metabolism by not eating enough.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)

    This!

    The article even says that if you are eating your normal calories (not a reduced number), that eating back 50% of them is fine.
  • Rob82
    Rob82 Posts: 15
    I think some people still don't get it. Your calorie goal here on MFP is set such that YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT WORKING OUT, just by creating a calorie deficiency between what you eat and the calories you will burn with regular daily activity. Therefore, the calories you burn working out can be eaten back, because there was already a deficiency before working out. You will lose more weight then the weight loss goal you set if you don't eat workout calories back because you've just made the calorie deficiency larger. Obviously, don't eat back your calories with milkshakes and cake. If your eating calories at a level that MAINTAINS yourt weight BEFORE exercise, which is the basis of this article, then obviously you shouldn't eat back workout calories.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)

    This!

    The article even says that if you are eating your normal calories (not a reduced number), that eating back 50% of them is fine.

    I lost 20lbs with NOT eating them back in 3 weeks.
  • krhea31
    krhea31 Posts: 9 Member
    thanks for the link!
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)

    This!

    The article even says that if you are eating your normal calories (not a reduced number), that eating back 50% of them is fine.

    I lost 20lbs with NOT eating them back in 3 weeks.

    Did you take your body composition before and after? Did you retain all of your lean body weight?
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)

    This!

    The article even says that if you are eating your normal calories (not a reduced number), that eating back 50% of them is fine.

    I lost 20lbs with NOT eating them back in 3 weeks.

    Did you take your body composition before and after? Did you retain all of your lean body weight?

    No I didn't take those type of measurements. I can just tell by how my body looks it's not much from muscle mass. I take a biochemical approach to weight loss. That helps preserves muscle. Using Growth hormone to my advantage, used naturally by the way you diet. Eating increases insulin which is a storage hormone, which will store fat if your muscle stores are full of glycogen.

    Here is a link, it demonstrates that people can be on a 800 calorie diet with out losing muscle mass. I believe they lost 25lbs in a month? Maybe in 6 weeks, I don't remember. Keep in mind, I am highly against eating calories that low, it's unhealthy for people who aren't under 100lbs.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    MFP gives you a NET goal. That means eat back your exercise calories. (Not that that's gospel. Just explaining the MFP approach.)

    I've lost 40 lbs. in the last 5 months by always eating back 100% of my exercise calories and I always feel awesome. Just sayin'. :)

    This!

    The article even says that if you are eating your normal calories (not a reduced number), that eating back 50% of them is fine.

    I lost 20lbs with NOT eating them back in 3 weeks.

    Did you take your body composition before and after? Did you retain all of your lean body weight?

    No I didn't take those type of measurements. I can just tell by how my body looks it's not much from muscle mass. I take a biochemical approach to weight loss. That helps preserves muscle. Using Growth hormone to my advantage, used naturally by the way you diet. Eating increases insulin which is a storage hormone, which will store fat if your muscle stores are full of glycogen.

    Here is a link, it demonstrates that people can be on a 800 calorie diet with out losing muscle mass. I believe they lost 25lbs in a month? Maybe in 6 weeks, I don't remember. Keep in mind, I am highly against eating calories that low, it's unhealthy for people who aren't under 100lbs.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10204826

    Without taking your body composition before and after weight loss, it's impossible to determine by "looks" whether you've retained all of your lean body mass. The bulk of what you lost might be fat and water, which likely caused greater definition of the muscle you retained. Good luck in your continued journey.
  • kimgriff
    kimgriff Posts: 14
    As I said originally, just FYI. I understand there's more than one side to this debate, just like there's more than one side to the science of losing weight. Each person needs to figure out what works for them and then do it. I just put it out there for everyone...

    Good luck and enjoy what the day brings!
  • yusineddy
    yusineddy Posts: 457 Member
    bump
  • L_mills
    L_mills Posts: 8 Member
    It has taken me the longest time to figure out whether or not to eat back the calories I burned off or not....you just cleared it up for me, and with your weight loss success I trust you!!! Great advise/ explanation!!!! Thank you!!
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    Thanks, but I'm just going to keep doing what's working for me, and that's eating them back :-)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories