Argument for not eating/entering exercise cals?

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

Well it depends on a few circumstances;

• Whether you're using the MFP NEAT method*
• Whether you're using the TDEE method
• How many calories you're eating on the MFP NEAT method*

If someone does the MFP NEAT method and eats 1200 calories, but doesn't eat back her exercise calories, then that's stupid because they'll be netting a low amount.

Eating back 50-75% of your exercise calories is advised just to compensate for inaccuracies.

Well said!
Though some do it to crash diet, most are just looking for an easier way to have steady, daily food intake.
The key is that 1 pound per week target.
I think that's the best goal for safe, steady results that last and contribute to optimal health as well.

I think it's due to the fact that the burns are just estimates and therefore it's highly likely that they are inaccurate.

kae612 wrote: »

Alright, makes sense. Sorry for the missing info& thanks for your response!

I'm following the MFP method. I tried looking up TDEE & it's confusing to me. My exercise level also varies week to week, so I don't think it would work so well in my case.

I'm not eating 1200cals, I found it too low for me so I'm at 1300. At first I was eating 100% of the exercise cals, then I was trying 50%.

I thought maybe not eating them back this week might minimize the damage from overeating yesterday & keep me closer to on track. Do you think so?

That's a fine idea. Some of my friends exercise all week and save their exercise calories to splurge on the weekend. You're basically doing the same thing. I use TDEE but often save calories when I go over.

Just don't overdo it. If you're eating 1300 and burn a huge amount, maybe eat back at least some of them, just less than normal. It does not have to be perfect. Don't starve yourself to hit perfect numbers for the week

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

I think it's due to the fact that the burns are just estimates and therefore it's highly likely that they are inaccurate.

Just to add to this -

Yes, this is why I don't log my exercise, little that it is. I also like having a small buffer on my food calories by not logging exercise, which means I don't have to stress about my guess work when I go to a restaurant or have a latte from a cafe, log a "medium" pear or lick a peanut butter knife (those sorts of entries are notoriously off in the database and add calories you can't be sure of).

I never lose more than 0.5kg a week eating 1200, sometimes less. If I was overdoing it and starving myself it would be dropping off me. It's not - it is going at the pace it should be.

I think it also depends on how accurately you log, on how lenient you can be on exercise calories. I am sometimes a lazy logger, which means I need a buffer. How sharp is your logging? Only you can answer that question.

kae612 wrote: »

^ true! Exactly!

My logging is definitely not perfect. I guesstimate peanut butter because measuring it in a measuring spoon when it's so sticky.... I try to guess a little higher than I'd think, but still - definitely not perfect, no food scale, so even measured accuracy may vary.

Quick tip on the peanut butter. Put the jar on your scale and hit "tare" so it weighs zero. Take peanut butter out with a knife until the number of grams you want have been removed This will show up on your scale as a negative 32 grams (or whatever).

Playing around with your exercise calories as a way to compensate for a day where you overate or banking them for a special occasion is just fine. That is one way to do a form of intermittent fasting. On an everyday basis, you should be eating back a portion of them. How many of them depends on you, your calorie target, where you get the burn info from, your weekly weight loss target, etc. If your calorie target is closer to 1200 and/or your weekly loss goal is 2 lb a week, you should definitely make sure you eat back a good sized portion of exercise calories. If you have wiggle room (slower loss rate and/or higher calorie targets), play with them to find the right portion for you to eat.

I was brand new to the idea of NEAT when I started MFP. I set my weight loss target to 1 lb. a week. I got a Fitbit and started a water aerobics class. I ate back 50% of mt Fitbit calories earned and 25% of those earned from logging my class at first, and averaged a little over 1.5 lb. a week. I could easily, and safely, lose 2 lb a week at the weight I was but I kept the target where it was so I had wiggle room as I figured out the exercise calorie thing. After several months, I settled in to a routine where I eat back almost all of my Fitbit calories (they are pretty accurate) and about 50% of calories earned from logged exercise. I am closer to goal so my losses have slowed down to a little under 1 lb. a week.

I use the TDEE methos so I don't log or eat back my exercise calories, EXCEPT when I go for a 50+ km bike ride or a day long hike. Then I'll eat dinner until satiated, and usually I end up eating 1/3 to 1/2 of my exercise calories back (over my usual calorie goal).

I exercise for the sole purpose of being able to eat more, so yes, I eat them back! But, I'm currently burning 500-1000 calories in exercise per day. If it was 200 or less, I probably wouldn't eat them back and just use it as a buffer.

IMO it depends how accurate you are with your logging and how much you have to lose.

I didn't eat them back at first, but I was estimating my portions, so probably eating more than I thought, I had no idea how much I was actually burning, and I had 80 pounds to lose. In this case, you probably don't have to eat them back.

If you weigh all your food though, you can probably safely eat back 50% of your exercise calories. The bottom line is that there is such thing as a too large deficit, and you might end up burning more muscle if your deficit is too large and you don't have that much to lose (and not getting enough energy and nutrition either).

Personally I just switched to the TDEE -20% method anyway after 4 months because I walk a lot and it was just a pain to have to enter every single walk and workout as exercise, and that's how I lost most of my weight. I also weigh my food.

I wanted to lose 1-2 lbs per week. The bulk of my exercise is a crossfit program that I guess to be generally consistent in effort from one week to the next. I started tracking my daily calorie consumption and tried to get it to be the same every day. I weighed myself every day to verify my weight was stable. I then reduced my caloric intake and I weighed myself every day and waited two weeks to see where my weight went. It was on track. If it were off, I would have adjusted my caloric intake accordingly. I have absolutely no idea how many calories I actually burn during exercise or my BMR or RMR. There are so many things that affect your calorie output, I don't understand how it can be accurately calculated. I use the only numbers I feel I have control over, my caloric intake and my weight.

I don't log specific exercises here as I use the Polar app for this. I use the estimate Fitbit provides considering that is on the lower end of the estimation, but my goal is to maintain a deficit currently.

Considering there is a 20% degree of error in nutritional labeling this helps ensure I'm maintaining a deficit. As for fueling the workouts I eat back most of the protein and some carbs, depending on how I'm feeling.

I am a "softcore" calorie counter. I very rarely weigh, I don't create my own foods, I use generics/homemade entries, etc... So, I imagine that I am eating more than I log. And, with that in mind, I use my exercise calories to offset potential inaccuracies rather than to eat more...

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

To be honest @kae612 , eating back 50-75% would be ok for you (I would say 75%).

When people eat at 1200 calories (mainly females), I usually say eat back 100% of your calories because it's such a low amount... they'll still be in a deficit most likely.

Interesting! I'm 5'1 - 130lbs, eating 1300-1500 daily. I try to lift weights 4-5 days/week and cardio 5-6 days/week. I thought not eating those calories back will burn fat faster. So what I'm doing instead is burning muscles, right? No bueno....