Bonus calories
bgrgach71
Posts: 2 Member
Are you supposed to consume these bonus calories to promote weight loss?
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Replies
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What bonus calories are you referring to?0
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What is a bonus calorie?0
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Exercise calories? If following MFP's goals, yes.0
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You need to properly fuel your body, so, yes, you should eat the exercise calories.0
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Eat back about half of them.0
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Thanks for the info0
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No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.0 -
No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
Most dieticians use the TDEE method to figure calorie intake which is why they don't recommend eating exercise calories, they are already included.
While I agree with both of your reasons, you can't make blanket statements like that on here. MFP is designed to NOT account for exercise. Plus, people often set too high weight loss goals. People with a lot to lose, or who aren't very active may do fine just following MFP's recommendations and not eating the extra calories. But it may not be a good idea for those who already have severe calorie deficits set and exercising on top of that. Especially for those who go into this whole weight loss thing trying to eat as little as possible while exercising excessively (by that I mean for the sake of burning calories only and at a rate they wouldn't normally or can't sustain)
For people following MFP's recommendation, some people should be consuming them, or at least part of them.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
Most dieticians use the TDEE method to figure calorie intake which is why they don't recommend eating exercise calories, they are already included.
While I agree with both of your reasons, you can't make blanket statements like that on here. MFP is designed to NOT account for exercise. Plus, people often set too high weight loss goals. People with a lot to lose, or who aren't very active may do fine just following MFP's recommendations and not eating the extra calories. But it may not be a good idea for those who already have severe calorie deficits set and exercising on top of that. Especially for those who go into this whole weight loss thing trying to eat as little as possible while exercising excessively (by that I mean for the sake of burning calories only and at a rate they wouldn't normally or can't sustain)
For people following MFP's recommendation, some people should be consuming them, or at least part of them.
This right here. If you're using MFP numbers, eat the extra calories.0 -
No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
Thank you, it has never made any sense to me to eat back all of the calories you just lost working out if your goal is weight loss.
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I don't eat back my exercise calories. First, I don't know if that's actually how many calories I burned. Second, I don't know if what I ate, even if scrupulous in measuring and weighing, really had the actual calories I ate. I don't log in stupid stuff like a ten-calorie cough drop, nor do I log in 2.5 minutes walking to and from my mailbox. Not to say I don't monitor the major stuff very carefully. As long as you are losing, you are doing it right.0
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jeepinshawn wrote: »No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
Thank you, it has never made any sense to me to eat back all of the calories you just lost working out if your goal is weight loss.
Because the goal MFP gives you is calculated without exercise. When you exercise, that deficit increases. In order to keep it constant and fuel your body, you should eat back a portion of them, generally 50-75%. Only eat them all if you are 100% certain of what you burned, because machines and MFP's database do overestimate.0 -
I sometimes eat 1/2 of them back and other days I don't. Just depends on what my body says hunger wise. I use how hungry or not I am to gauge if I am going eat them or not. It seems to be working for me. However I have a large amount to lose so this may change as I get closer to my goal. However I will only eat 1/2 at anytime because I agree with other that the calculations tend to be higher than what I think I actually burned.0
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This thread is arguing theory when the answer lies in a simple personal choice. Each person needs to decide whether they'd rather have an extra 250 calories or an extra 1/2 lb per week. I opted for the extra calories because I was content with my rate of loss and because they extra food was an (not the) incentive to exercise0
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If it's a small amount of exercise. 50-100 calories eat them or don't, not going to make a massive difference assuming your logging and goal are slightly accurate.
If you do like a hour or 4 of exercise and burn 500 calories you should eat them, 50-75% to allow room for over and under estimates like mentioned above.
If you drive further in a car do you not fill it up more?
Eating exercise calories is to keep your deficit equal day to day.
Say you have it set to 1 pound lost and then exercise and burn 500 calories every day and not eat them back, your likely to lose 2 pounds not one.
There was probably a reason you picked your goal weight loss. Eating exercise calories helps you achieve your goal instead of over shooting it.0 -
No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
@MKEgal I've been to ask you this.. What would you suggest if someone's goal was 1400 calories, and they then burned say, 600 calories through exercise. If they didn't eat those exercise calories back, or at least a portion of them, then they would be netting 800 calories a day. How can this be deemed healthy?
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No.
Both my dietitian and doctor (an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues) said not to.
In fact, before I asked they'd never heard of such a thing.
It's a bonus toward weight loss.
2 reasons.
1 - most people underestimate what they eat
2 - most machines overestimate calories burned
For most people, most of the time, those errors cancel out.
If they don't, pay closer attention to your intake - weigh & measure.
It is true that the burned calories is overestimated that is why people only eat half back
and indeed what you advice can be very unhealthy...
Example for myself today..
I eat around 1600 calories now and today i put in about 3.5 hours of exercising which when i estimate low ( i have a HRM on so i know the numbers) but for the heck of it lets keep it low say 200 calories an hour.
Means 700 calories
i would be netting 900 isnt it..which is much to low!
Now i know it is even more. And you dont have to say my HRM miscalculates..because it does but i know by how much ( simply because my weight loss data shows me the exact numbers)
So i know i really burned 836 calories in those 3.5 hours
And not eating any back????
bad advice
Also what said here is right lot of nutrionist do TDEE advice..why dont ask me, ask them!
So when people join MFP and do the NEAT method there is confusion.
I also think there is a big difference between burning a 100 calories.....and eating all of those back...
or somebody who serious heavy exercised and burns 300 to 400 and above.
when i burn 100 calories more i really dont eat those back... those 50 calories extra ( when i eat half back) make no difference to me. But for some people it does
So dont come with the under estimation or over you can calculate that. When you lose weight than each pound is 3500 calorie deficit over that time
Take an average of weeks and you will exactly know what you consumed and what you burned!
Its math!
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
Why not. Makes sense to me. I want a deficit of 500 calories for example.
If I over eat by 500 have I not failed to achieve my goal? The other side of this is under eating and creating a 1000 cal deficit. I have still failed to achieve a 500 cal deficit.
Burn more=eat more=achieving my goal of 500 cal deficit
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »fwiw, prior to signing up with MFP I'd never heard of "eating back" calories. I still don't think it's the best approach.
Today I burned 2270 calories by running 12.2 miles (I'm 225# and ran a 11:45 pace if you care to check the calculations). You're saying I shouldn't take that into account when figuring out how many calories I should consume today?
If I followed that advice, I'd be one hurtin' pup. First and foremost, you have to fuel the engine. If my goal is a 500 calorie daily deficit, that deficit can only be determined after account for the calories I burned and I should eat back every single calorie I burn.
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