Why do people eat back their exercise calories?
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Er...so I can eat more? Eating is fun! It's good! I'm 4'11" and no way I'm going to eat some piddling 1200kcal amount every day. That would suck. Plus my deficit would be somewhere in the range of 1000-1800kcal per day depending on how busy I am, I'm not interested in losing weight that fast.0
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VintageFeline wrote: »Everything @rabbitjb said.
I also handily have someone on my feed who is eating below 1200 a day, is working out and not eating their calories back. They are now using pre-workouts to mask the exhaustion just to get through training. And now they've disappeared for two days. This is a pretty good example of how not to do it, ignoring what your body is trying to tell you is bad news as is consistently undereating. I hope said person is okay and has just fallen off the wagon.
Would I lose faster if I didn't eat them back? Absolutely. Would my body look as good once I got closer to goal weight? Probably not. Would I be permanently hangry and possibly screw up my already on a knife edge mental health? Quite likely.
Plus, I like food. So I'm going to eat back some of those calories, I earned them!
cocconuttymummy right?
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So you have mfp set to maintain and you're creating your deficit with only exercise?
This is becoming more relevent to the current thread. If you have 85 calories "earned" that's not your only deficit, that's on top of how much you put into mfp that you wanted to lose. So unless your goal is maintenance, you have a bigger deficit than you think.[/quote]
I have MFP set to 1000. I use a Fitbit HR Charge which I sync with MFP and use negative calorie adjustments. I haven't logged my day today because I ended eating out at a sushi bar with a girlfriend, but the fitbit itself says I used 1285, which means that's all I should eat to maintain. (I'm sure I ate more than that since I had a meal out.) I'm sure if I entered all my data, with the negative adjustment, MFP would probably give me only 1000. Yesterday I had a busier day, campus walking plus my regular 30 minutes walk, which includes 2 hills, and MFP with the fitbit negative adjustments gave me 0 extra calories. I did end up going over and eating 1225, which often happens. Obviously, I'm eating at maintenance because I haven't lost weight in a long time. By the way, I weigh 120. The point is I'm maintaining on around 1200 calories or so a day. Unless I do a real heavy work out (which I do only about twice a week), there's no point to eating exercise calories.
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Op just an example.
If mfp gave someone 1200 calories to lose weight, and this person then went out and burned 1000 calories through exercise, but didn't eat them back... Then this would mean they'd net a measly 200 calories. Nobody can sustain a healthy lifestyle eating 200 calories a day.
As for eating back exercise calories. I do, because it allows me to eat more food while still losing weight. Win win
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So you have mfp set to maintain and you're creating your deficit with only exercise?
This is becoming more relevent to the current thread. If you have 85 calories "earned" that's not your only deficit, that's on top of how much you put into mfp that you wanted to lose. So unless your goal is maintenance, you have a bigger deficit than you think.[/quote]
I have MFP set to 1000. I use a Fitbit HR Charge which I sync with MFP and use negative calorie adjustments. I haven't logged my day today because I ended eating out at a sushi bar with a girlfriend, but the fitbit itself says I used 1285, which means that's all I should eat to maintain. (I'm sure I ate more than that since I had a meal out.) I'm sure if I entered all my data, with the negative adjustment, MFP would probably give me only 1000. Yesterday I had a busier day, campus walking plus my regular 30 minutes walk, which includes 2 hills, and MFP with the fitbit negative adjustments gave me 0 extra calories. I did end up going over and eating 1225, which often happens. Obviously, I'm eating at maintenance because I haven't lost weight in a long time. By the way, I weigh 120. The point is I'm maintaining on around 1200 calories or so a day. Unless I do a real heavy work out (which I do only about twice a week), there's no point to eating exercise calories.
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Your not the only one like this.
My daily burn according to fitness tracker is pretty much the same. I have to take a hour wog each night to earn some deficit calories. idk.... thinking maybe I need to start weight lifting to see if that helps with a calorie burn or get another walk in in the morning.
I do eat them back sometimes b.c I want IceCream !!!
and as many have said, tighten up my logging.
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Because the winner gets to eat the most and still lose.0
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Because most people follow the MFP method on MFP which is designed to give you a defecit without exercise..so when you exercise you burn more calories and get to eat moreI've never understood this, I've always worked out to burn calories in order to loose weigh.. It seems so obvious not to eat them back - what was the point in the first place?
I'm assuming it's so people can eat more food?
Can someone shed some light on this, thanks!
Because it is motivating to move more in order to expand your diet
Because we need to fuel our bodies appropriately for life and fitness
Because I don't want to burn through more LBM than necessary as I lose weight
Because food is delicious and it's not an exercise in deprivation
Because the wider the diet the less chance of crashing and burning
Because it sets you on a good path for maintenance
Because at the end of the day the one who achieves their goals and eats the most wins
Because I can
This. ^^^^
Lost 121 pounds.
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Because most people follow the MFP method on MFP which is designed to give you a defecit without exercise..so when you exercise you burn more calories and get to eat moreI've never understood this, I've always worked out to burn calories in order to loose weigh.. It seems so obvious not to eat them back - what was the point in the first place?
I'm assuming it's so people can eat more food?
Can someone shed some light on this, thanks!
Because it is motivating to move more in order to expand your diet
Because we need to fuel our bodies appropriately for life and fitness
Because I don't want to burn through more LBM than necessary as I lose weight
Because food is delicious and it's not an exercise in deprivation
Because the wider the diet the less chance of crashing and burning
Because it sets you on a good path for maintenance
Because at the end of the day the one who achieves their goals and eats the most wins
Because I can
This. ^^^^
Lost 121 pounds.
Awesomness
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I would pass out while running if I didn't eat most of my exercise calories back.0
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@minties82 I didn't want to name names but yes. And she's back, didn't fall of the wagon. She does worry me though.
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If that was your take away from that thread, I'm sorry. Probably 95% of the people suggested that you should tighten up your logging. Probably half suggested that if you're using mfp to calculate calories burned from exercise they would be too high; you should probably log half to two thirds or just use your fitbit. There were maybe 2 or 3 that suggested you need to net very low, and one who is convinced there's something wrong and you should see a doctor.
I would tighten up your logging for a month and see what happens. No reasons to make 5 different changes at once, especially when one of those drastically reduces your intake.
Well, today was a typical less active day. Had a mammogram scheduled so missed my workout, met a friend for lunch, spent the day working with a student and correcting papers at home, did a 30 minute walk later which burned about 135 calories. My total for the day -- 1282. This means that if I ate 1200 calories, I'd have only an 82 calorie deficit. So on a non-heavy exercise day, not only tighten logging, but lower threshold if I want to see any loss. There's no point in "eating back" that 135 calories. This probably wouldn't be true for a 30 year old who is 5'5", but it's true for someone of my age and size.
So you have mfp set to maintain and you're creating your deficit with only exercise?
This is becoming more relevent to the current thread. If you have 85 calories "earned" that's not your only deficit, that's on top of how much you put into mfp that you wanted to lose. So unless your goal is maintenance, you have a bigger deficit than you think.
Thank you, Thank you.
What you said was so simply put and easy to understand0 -
christinev297 wrote: »Op just an example.
If mfp gave someone 1200 calories to lose weight, and this person then went out and burned 1000 calories through exercise, but didn't eat them back... Then this would mean they'd net a measly 200 calories. Nobody can sustain a healthy lifestyle eating 200 calories a day.
As for eating back exercise calories. I do, because it allows me to eat more food while still losing weight. Win win
Ah I see, yes I understand this.
Thank you for your informative reply
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I have been in a plateau for the last couple of weeks. Was not able to get down below 209. Looking back at my food log, I had really slacked off on the water intake, and I had been doing the same exercise every day on my bike. I decided to crank up the water intake again and take a break from the bike--doing the elliptical every morning this week instead. I also started only eating back about half of my workout calories just to account for any margin of error.
Long story short, on Wednesday I was still 209 and today I'm 207--so I'm in one of those glorious "whoosh" phases again and it feels great. Trouble is, I'm not sure which change I made to trigger it. Was it the water, the change in workout routine, or the not eating back calories.0 -
Because exercising your body all the time and not eating enough to be even close to fueling the activity is probably just as unhealthy for you as being overweight in the first place. You can't just eat nothing and force yourself to burn burn burn. You WILL hurt yourself doing that. It's not less self destructive than binge eating.
Personally I don't actually eat my exercise calories back. But I don't use the MFP method. I just use MFP's logging system. And if at some point I start to crash. You know feeling dog tired, Low performance. Stomach rumbling ALL the time. I assume I haven't eaten enough make myself a slap up nutritious and high calorie meal. And then move on.0 -
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I eat my daily calorie goal (currently 1400) and exercise every day but never eat extra for calories burned. Lost 13 lbs in 8 weeks, happy with that and I don't deprive myself and feel fitter and healthier than ever. 28 lbs still to lose. Feel not eating them back is right for me0
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christinev297 wrote: »Op just an example.
If mfp gave someone 1200 calories to lose weight, and this person then went out and burned 1000 calories through exercise, but didn't eat them back... Then this would mean they'd net a measly 200 calories. Nobody can sustain a healthy lifestyle eating 200 calories a day.
As for eating back exercise calories. I do, because it allows me to eat more food while still losing weight. Win win
This is exactly the same example I was going to use - I'm on 1250 a day (5'4) and will burn around 300-500 calories three times a week and 600-900 once or twice a week. Even if you just count half of that (which is the general consensus on here), I'm already on a deficit of 500 that MFP has calculated plus the exercise calories. That would mean almost every day I'd be on a huge deficit which I genuinely don't think I'd be able to maintain long term. As for eating them back, I just go with how my body is feeling throughout the day, sometimes I eat more sometimes less, it all pretty much averages out while I consistently lose weight steadily, happy days!0 -
The point is to net enough calories that I have enough energy to get through my daily activities, and to have a small deficit so that I get to my goal weight. Some days I am more active, so of course I eat more. If I didn't, I'd be grumpy and listless, and I likely wouldn't be able to make many (or any) fitness gains. I don't like the idea of being lightheaded, weak, tired, or irritable because I didn't get enough to eat. Undereating to excess is just as bad as overeating to excess -- probably it's worse, actually.
I say this as someone close to her goal weight. People with a lot to lose may have more wiggle room to not eat those exercise calories, but it would be an absolutely bad idea for me to do the same.0 -
I think it can also depend on what your workouts are. I'm only 23 days in and still figuring out how CICO works with my workout schedule. So far, I've just been Crossfitting since starting MFP. I don't have a clue as to how many calories I burn at Crossfit because everyday is so different. I log it, but just have my recovery shake and call that good for extra cals. I've had plenty of energy and am still making steady gains while losing weight slowly. I start my running season tomorrow and that will change how I eat back my exercise cals. I am pretty confident in my running burns so I will eat back about 50% of my weekday runs and 100% of my weekend long runs. I can adjust that with how I feel as time progresses. I have a good 2 months until my half marathon training to get a feel for it. If I don't get enough calories for my long runs, it makes them MISERABLE. Even a 1hr track workout can be rough without enough calories in my body. I'm actually excited to track calories for the first time during a training season so I can take some of the guesswork out of my eating. Last year without counting calories, I overcompensated and actually gained a couple of lbs during training season.
I'm also 5'1.5" so my deficit at 1200 cals (preworkout) isn't very big. Working out helps me make it bigger, but I don't want it to be too big to the detriment of my body or my fitness.0 -
Because most people follow the MFP method on MFP which is designed to give you a defecit without exercise..so when you exercise you burn more calories and get to eat more
Because it is motivating to move more in order to expand your diet
Because we need to fuel our bodies appropriately for life and fitness
Because I don't want to burn through more LBM than necessary as I lose weight
Because food is delicious and it's not an exercise in deprivation
Because the wider the diet the less chance of crashing and burning
Because it sets you on a good path for maintenance
Because at the end of the day the one who achieves their goals and eats the most wins
Because I can
This question is asked on here at least 6 times per day. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise given the little article MFP frequently sends out about not eating back exercise calories. Still, this is the best response I've seen yet. Comprehensive and easy to understand. The stuff stickies are made of
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I've never understood this, I've always worked out to burn calories in order to loose weigh.. It seems so obvious not to eat them back - what was the point in the first place?
I'm assuming it's so people can eat more food?
Can someone shed some light on this, thanks!
because you should be accounting for that activity somewhere. most calculators include an estimate of your exercise calories in your activity level and thus those calories are included in your calorie targets. MFP does not...you account for them after you log that activity...your calorie targets already include your deficit to lose weight WITHOUT any exercise.
also, the point of exercise is fitness, not burning calories to lose weight....maybe get your head wrapped around that one and it'll make more sense to properly fuel your body for recovery which is where you make your fitness gains.0 -
Childfree1991 wrote: »
Tell that to the professional bodybuilders. But who cares. Its working for me.Childfree1991 wrote: »
I do. It has done more good than bad. After resistance training I'll either eat canned tuna, cottage cheese, quinoa, canned sardines, a protein bar, or eggs.DeguelloTex wrote: »
It's pretty straightforward to eat protein after a workout -- leaving aside the efficacy of meal timing -- without eating back exercise calories, though.Childfree1991 wrote: »So I'm supposed to lift weights and not repair my muscle tissue after? The body needs nutrients especially post-activity. That's how I lost weight and became fit in the first place. protein after a workout
You know that Protein timing is irrelevant, right?
Talk about majoring in the minors. Nutrient timing may help, but 99.5% of your results will come from just meeting your intakes on a daily basis, the other 0.5% could be from timing. makes much more sense to focus on getting what you need.
for body builders, timing could be the difference in finishing first or second in a comp. Not worth the return on investment for the majority of people.
It is working for you as you meet your requirements, you would probably not notice any difference if you changed up when you ingest your protein.
There you go. Great post. So much of the nutrient timing thing, although backed by research, really may only make a difference when looking at an elite athlete competing against other elite athles for a small, but potentially winning edge. For the rest of us proper nutrients (regardess of the timing) and exercise gets us there0 -
Getting to eat is my biggest motivation to workout.0
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elkhunter7x6 wrote: »Getting to eat is my biggest motivation to workout.
Haha! It is definitely a big one for me. I am exercising to get fit, too, but when I am feeling like giving up, thinking about how I will now have room for a scoop of ice cream in my day definitely helps.0 -
The real reason has already been covered by many previous posts (that the intake is simply required to fuel your ongoing activity). That doesn't mean that it has to be deliberate and measured, but those calories are getting eaten at some point, whether through reasonable refueling or a binge after a crash.
For example, I had a very low calorie day last Friday (~1400kcal) due to a general lack of hunger. It happens occasionally. However, on Saturday I was eating all the way to bed. I went to the batting cage and fit in a regular workout, but eating so little the day before is what drove me for the most part. I track lots of data points so I can see the ups and downs and try to figure out what initiates certain eating patterns, and it happens without fail. If I'm on a solid streak with high activity and have a low intake day, within a day or two I will eat anything within arms' reach (and I have pretty long arms).
Long story short, you're eating back the calories whether you want to or not. It's all about whether you control how it's done.0
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