Lost 5kg by not eating back exercise calories!

CFrancine88 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

CFrancine88 wrote: »

I have a question related to this... I don't eat back my exercise calories BUT I have MFP set to lose 1 pound a week. I don't exercise everyday. Since you can safety lose 2 pounds a week, isn't it OK to not eat them back? Because if I had set it to 2 pounds a week, it would have me eating less net calories anyway.

I think this is a decent way to do it, unless you are at a place where you get 1200 even aiming for one lb (which you are not). Like you said, it's similar to going for 2 lb/week and then exercising and eating back exercise calories.

I almost feel like eating back exercise calories will trigger me to exercise JUST so I can eat more junk. I know that's what I did when I was on weight watchers. I know it may not "hurt" things but my goal is to lose weight, not figure out how to eat more. So I purposely set myself at only 1 lbs a week just as a safegaurd to prevent undereating.

An approach to losing weight that makes sense to me is to start with a moderate deficit (say cut calories by 500) and then try to work up to a sustainable exercise level of maybe a similar amount. I like that, because it doesn't make you think the best thing to do is eat super low and focusing on making exercise a regular part of life. That was basically what I tried to do, and what it sounds like you are doing too.

pembr0ke wrote: »

synacious wrote: »

I know this is your experience thus far, but posting it here is indirectly offering bad advice to other users.

Lets be clear. I am not offering advice, only sharing my own experience; a big difference. You on the other hand are offering advice, which of course I and others appreciate.

That's why I said indirectly offering advice.

pembr0ke wrote: »

Am I wrong, but I seem to remember from 2/3 years ago, MFP did not adjust specific macros for your food diary when you added your exercise? I seem to remember seeing the exercise calories shown at the top, subtracted from your goal/calories consumed showing how many calories you could still eat, but this did not filter down into your diary specific macros as it does now?

I could be wrong too, but I don't recall them doing that either when I first joined. Heck, I don't even remember the whole exercise calories to eat back thing when this site first launched.

pembr0ke wrote: »

This 'new adjustment' is one reason why I change my exercise calories to 1. It encourages you to eat more than really need, especially if you miscalculated the calories you burned.

I was like you when I first started. I was afraid to eat my exercise calories back thinking that I wouldn't lose weight. MFP overestimates burns so it can be difficult to figure out how much you should truly eat back. What personally helped me was buying a Fitbit Charge HR. It really helped me see how much I burn when I workout. At first I only ate 25-50% of the calories back before my Charge HR; I was losing 2.2 lbs per week, sometimes 3. After my Charge HR I still only ate 25-50% of the calories back. I was on top of the world for around two months or so, then one day I just felt incredibly hungry and tired. I never averaged more than five hours of sleep per night.

I'm 5'3.5" and I started at 139 pounds at the end of June and by the end of August I was 123 pounds. I scaled my weight loss back to half a pound per week after that and started eating back my exercise calories. I usually have 50 to 100 left at the end of my day. I'm still losing weight. I'm 117 pounds now. Last week I lost 2 pounds anyway and it wasn't even my intention. My deficit wasn't close to 7,000 calories, so it just happened somehow. The body is strange. In any case, it feels good to know I get to eat more food now. My skin cleared up and my hair stopped shedding as much when I upped my calorie intake. I also started getting seven hours of uninterrupted sleep by having more food in my system. Looking back, I'm lucky I retained as much LBM as I did because it was only over the course of approximately two months. Listening to your body is the most important factor when it comes to diet and exercise.

Lost




And i eat back what i can, when i can, when ever i can!

if you’re trying to lose weight, chances are you’ll be on the hungry side even without exercising since MyFitnessPal’s weight loss calorie goals are calculated independent of exercise. The upside to this is that those exercise calories become a “bonus”–so if your workout leaves you feeling a bit hungry afterwards, by all means you should enjoy the bump in calories and eat something.
Rather than running for the kitchen cabinet the moment you get home from your workout, trust your tummy to tell you if you need a post-workout snack.
Remember, the calories you eat and exercise off are estimations, and we’re more likely to overestimate calories burned from exercise. If hunger hits between meals, start slow–particularly if you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight. Begin by eat back a percentage of your exercise calories (say, 50%) rather than all of them, and see how you feel in 20-30 minutes.

pembr0ke wrote: »

maplehouse200 wrote: »

We're similar.
For the last 7 wks I've been ingesting an average about 1400 cals per day and a fair bit of that has been beer and wine. (Not Greene King tho'). I'm very active, especially at the weekends so probably have a deficit of 1000+. I'm down 16 pounds and contrary to what I'm reading on MFP, I'm not weak, tired, malnourished, hungry, grumpy etc etc.
I maybe losing some muscle mass but I can still chop firewood for a 5hr stint and I'll pop back to the gym when I lose some more weight; probably another stone.
I don't advocate the way I lose weight to anybody else, just putting it out there as what works for me and what seems to work for you. We are all different.
Do whatever works for you.
Having said that, I appreciate that I do not have too much to lose, and cannot say that this could be sustainable for someone with a lot to lose.
BTW. 55 6'3'' 13st/10lb.
116/68
RHR 54.
(Fuller's London Pride).

Extra calories are easily consumed when a bottle of wine contains 450/500 calories. Add to this the junk I would normally eat with the wine- peanuts, crisps, chocolate, all items I do not need because I am not necessarily hungry. In fact, they are the reason I gained weight in the first place!

Cutting 1000 calories of junk and making good choices for 'necessary' calories shouldn't leave you starved, feeling weak or unwell. The opposite, feeling healthier and having more energy is more likely. To me, the exercise has always been there, it is the diet that needed fixing.

MarcyKirkton wrote: »

are losing at a rate recommended by your doctor or reputable sources

This is a key.

Usually when people are told they should eat back exercise calories they are at a max safe deficit already (2 lbs, not morbidly obese or under a doctor's care) and also exercising vigorously. If you are doing light exercise and not losing beyond the recommended amount, it's not you who is meant. Many use exercise calories to make up for inaccurate logging or cover it with a lower deficit (as discussed above) or a higher activity level, and that's sensible.

Taking a 1000 deficit (or 1200 calories) and then running 6 miles a day on top of that isn't the same thing, and for that person to be told that eating back exercise is counterproductive (or to not understand that she's greatly exceeding the recommended deficit) is a problem, and likely is causing unnecessary loss of LBM, as well as other risks. (And that's more of a danger if close to goal.)

Lots of people seem to think it's weak to not be able to do this, either, so telling them it's not important to fuel the exercise so long as they feel like they don't need to (regardless of how much they are losing) seems irresponsible to me. Better to encourage people to be sensible and acknowledge what's healthier.

I gained weight by eating back my calories!

LightersUp wrote: »

I gained weight by eating back my calories!

Did you have a fitness tracker or were you using MFP's database to determine your calorie burn from exercise? The answer to this question makes all the difference.