Not WHY (has been answered), but WHO (exercise calories)

I eat them back. I'm 35 y/o, 5'0" and currently 144 lbs. I am set to 1200 cals per day, and eat at least 75% of my exercise cals back. So far so good. To me, if a person is set to eat 1200 cals a day, you're already so close to that "starvation" threshold that it is risky not to eat them back. If you are set to a higher number, like 1500, then I think it is safer to try not eating them and see if it works for you.

Keep in mind that it will take your body a few weeks to figure out what you're doing, so if you don't eat them, it will prob be a few weeks before your body stops losing. Then it will take a few more weeks of eating more before your body realizes you're not starving yourself and lets you start losing again.

I eat them! I have NO problem eating all my calories! :bigsmile:
I wouldn't force myself to eat them if I wasn't hungry. But, it just so happens that I AM ready to eat every few hours!

i eat about 50% back but only because sometimes its too hard to eat back the calories. I guess it depends on how intense the workout is.

How many calories are you eating daily?

How many calories do you burn during exercise (what kind of exercise do you do)?

Unless you're wearing a HRM there is no accurate way to tell what you're burning. But I would say on the days you exercise eat at least 1/2 of what you estimate you're burning. You definitely need more fuel if you're working out.

I generally eat most of them. (Isn't that the reason you work out? :bigsmile: )

I eat almost all of my exercise calories back and use a HRM to make sure that my calorie burn is as accurate as possible. However, there are days where I don't eat all of them back - either I'm just not particularly hungry that day, or I have a day like yesterday where I was participating in a biking event and burned 1,700 calories... even though I literally ate all day long and started with a big breakfast, I could not eat them all back without making myself sick. However, for the most part, I really do eat all of my exercise calories back.

I should also note that I usually burn 600+ calories in most of my workouts, so that'd leave me with a net of 1,000 calories or less every day if I ate nothing back. I really don't feel like that would be sustainable or healthy for me, and I feel like I would lack the energy to really put 100% into my workouts and everyday life.

I eat them. Though if i have a long workout or race planned, I usually spread them over the day before to the day after. Its really hard to eat an extra 1400 calories!

I find pizza and beer can help you reach 1400 calories pretty easily. I do homemade pizza on my long run days.

Also, I usually eat most of my calories back. I may be under by 100 or so, but I try to keep it pretty close. I don't have a HRM so I don't know how accurate my exercise number is but for 6 weeks, I can't complain.

im usually so tired after working out that i dont eat them back, today i had 863 calories left over, and im not hungry so no i dont eat them back.

I was eating all and was stalled for the last month. Last week I ordered a Polar FT7 and went to eating only half until it arrives; then I'll happliy resume eating all of my more accurate HRM exercise calories back

I was eating mine back when I was at 1200 calories because otherwise my body was not getting enough nutrients and fuel. But now a trainer gave me some advise and I have bumped my calories way up from 1200, so I am experimenting a bit. Not sure I will eat them back as long as I am over 1200. Starting a zig zag approach to caloric intake. But I am in no hurry to get the weight off, rushing is just a diet. I don't want a diet. I want something I can live with. So I am now going at my desired weight caloric intake. It will take longer, but it something that can now be a lifestyle change and not just a quick fix. My advise is to make sure you are at 1200 calories when all is said and done, at least. When we exercise we need fuel, our muscles need to heal properly and if your caloric intake is not enough, you will fatigue, and potentially give up.

This is not really a question that should be answered via a democratic process.

The answer depends on a number of factors--mainly your percent body fat, but also your base number of calories, general daily activities, amount of calories burned during a workout, type of workout, etc.

The answer is further complicated by the fact that, for all the anecdotal evidence presented by each individual, all of our methods of estimating calories--both intake and expenditure, whether you use an HRM or not--are not nearly as precise as we think. And our casual daily activity--which most people can't count at all--varies widely.

Whatever strategy that works for an individual--eating, not eating--is as often as not a matter of coincidence as much as it is due to a specific plan. That's why someone else's answer might not be the best for you.

FWIW, my strategy was/is to focus on refueling the workout. I ate a base number of calories each day (kept it in the 1500 range) and ate any "extra" in my post-workout refeedings. Depending on the workout, that might have been 200-400 calories. I tracked exercise calories, but more as just a "score" of total aerobic work, with no expectation that it was a precise number. My exercise burn rate is an "honest" 800-1000/hour (verified by metabolic testing). I never "counted" strength training or any recreational activity (golf, walking the dog, etc) at all.

So, in a sense, I "eat back" exercise calories, but it's not based on any calculation of calories burned during exercise, just a general amount based on research about refeeding after exercise.

Nice post!

I know the topic of "Should I eat back my exercise calories?" has been discussed many, many times on this site. I have searched the forums and I understand why it is recommended to eat back your exercise calories. I do.

But...

I am still unsure as to whether I should do it or not, considering I have a pretty demanding goal and deadline.

My question therefore is, not WHY should I eat back my exercise calories, but... WHO EATS THEIR EXERCISE CALORIES?

I just want to get a feeling of what everyone is doing, and if it is working for them.

Any and all responses would be appreciated!!!

Here are the "facts" about it. THe best way to lose weight is slow and gradual, no one argues that. If you're just starting out and you're hungry, "it's okay to eat back your calories" If you feel "fine" without them... don't eat them back, no point.

I eat more on my training days... but I don't scrutinize over matching my extra cal intake per cals burned during training. I eat more just so I have the fuel to get a good work out and a decent intake for my recovery period. That way I don't feel wiped out during and after.

Here is my perception on the matter. I actually use this site just to track my calories. I use a different method to determine how many calories I should be eating and suggest it to many. According to this website, if you use their calculations, if you workout and burn 300 calories, than you should eat an extra 300 calories that day because the site has already built in a deficit for you. The more you have to lose the bigger an acceptable deficit is but the closer your goal is, the smaller your deficit should be. This is because the more muscle you have, the lower the body fat, the more fuel you body needs to sustains it's functions. Also, a deficit is should never been more than 1000 calories a day (which would allow for 2 lbs per week loss) but it more acceptable to do 1 lb a week or 500 calorie deficit. Additionally, a woman should eat not less than 1200 net calories. This is the amount of calories after you workout. So if you burn 500 calories, you need at least 1700 calories; men should be no less than 1500-1700 after workout calories from my research. Also, a large part of these calories should be driven by protein based sources. The ammino acids in the protein is what stimulates muscle growth. The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn at rest.

My approach looks at Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you slept 24 hours, for me, my BMR is 2000 calories. I then mutliply it by my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE); how many calories I should eat to make up for daily activities (walking, working out, etc) to get a total number of calories. Because I do a program like p90x, I multiply my 2000 calories by 1.725 which equals 3400 calories. This amount of calories is the amount I need to eat to maintain weight. I back off 500 caloires as my deficit and eat 3000 calories in a day. This is the website I use.


http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

I then go into a custom setup under my goals and set my daily intake for 3000 calories (well I will starting sunday, right now it's 2800 because I haven't officially started p90x until sunday). Additionally, to follow the p90x food guide, I set up custom ratio's. I do 45% of carbs, 35% of protein and 20% for fats. As I progress, I will lower protein and increase carbs. This method has worked for me and others I have worked with on the site. MFP just makes it simple for anyone to come on and lose weight. I take more of a scientific approach to weight loss. When I started I was 210 & 18% body fat. Now I am 189 and 12% body fat and hoping to break single digits within 3 months.

Cliff notes: if you go by the sites calculations, you absolutely should eat back your workout calories as they preload the deficit. If you go by the more scientific method, you don't have to worry about it, it's already figured in your number.

Good luck everyone.