Eating back excercise cals?

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mlleigh
mlleigh Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Should I eat back my excercise cals or not? I don't seem to lose any weight when I do. I'm on 1200 plus any excercise that I do (including walking and spin class 2-3 times a week)

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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Courtesy of @lemonlionheart

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Eating back exercise calories is how MFP is designed. However, calorie burns are estimates (many are generous). MFP users will often eat back 50-75% to make up for error.

    1200 is MFPs default minimum. So unless you are logging hundreds of calories in exercise everyday, you might want to look at how you are logging food (a food scale will be most accurate).

    People close to goal lose very slowly. Within 10-15 pounds can expect 1/2 pound a week loss. Weight loss won't be linear, so don't expect a loss every single week. Perhaps you are losing, just not as quickly as you hoped (?)
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Taking everything at face value, you probably should. But, this is just a huge mess of estimates, so "should" may not always be "do".

    KISS approach -

    Are you losing weight? Yes. Do you feel good/have decent energy? Yes -- good, keep doing what you're doing
    Are you losing weight? No. Do you feel good/have decent energy? Yes -- eat a little less
    Are you losing weight? Yes. Do you feel good/have decent energy? No -- eat a little more
    Are you losing weight? No. Do you feel good/have decent energy? No -- something isn't right


    Give things at least a month before you decide if it's working or not.
  • mlleigh
    mlleigh Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks all very helpful. Perhaps I just need to give it more time and be extra careful with my tracking.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    mlleigh wrote: »
    Thanks all very helpful. Perhaps I just need to give it more time and be extra careful with my tracking.

    Those things are NEVER bad options.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    and if you are not, use a food scale to be more accurate
  • iangelab
    iangelab Posts: 42 Member
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    I personally don't post my exercise to mfp so it gives me that buffer I need. I log it on my fitness tracker so I know what I am doing, but I only eat up to my normal calories without the exercise.
  • mlleigh
    mlleigh Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you. How do you find that works with your weight loss? I jet worry as I'm only having 1200 a day if I don't eat more when I excercise my body will go into "starvation mode" and squirrel away all my fat
  • iangelab
    iangelab Posts: 42 Member
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    I think that depends on how much your exercising. if it is a 30 minute cardio workout then it's okay-if I had to do a ten mile run training, then I would boost calories for sure. I am not an excessive exerciser-I try to walk 10k steps a day, I do yoga 2-3 times a week and I do cardio 2-3 times a week so for me this is working. I think it really depends on what your exercise is. It is easy to undercount calories eaten and overcount calories on exercise and that is the challenge.
  • JoshLikesBeer
    JoshLikesBeer Posts: 88 Member
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    Eating back 75% of my exercise calories as calculated by MFP and the machines seems to work for me.
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
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    I'm on a 1600 cal diet and never eat back calories. I don't even add exercise in this tracker since I don't track my HR beyond reassuring I'm not pushing myself too hard (which seems to never happen)

    If you have a Fitbit or a device similar than its a lot easier to rely on that to do the work for you since some constantly track your HR.

    If anything, increase your caloric intake by a few hundred on workout days to squeeze in a protein shake and something solid to restore your glycogen stores just to ensure proper recovery. Especially if you start to experience headaches.

    Remember, this is a journey, not a race. You will meet your goals with determination and consistency. Don't kill yourself getting to your goal faster than needed. Good luck doll face!
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
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    mlleigh wrote: »
    Thank you. How do you find that works with your weight loss? I jet worry as I'm only having 1200 a day if I don't eat more when I excercise my body will go into "starvation mode" and squirrel away all my fat

    Starvation mode is a myth.
  • mlleigh
    mlleigh Posts: 6 Member
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    That's good then. I really don't think I will be starving any time soon fortunately: P
  • mlleigh
    mlleigh Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you all very helpful. I do spin class 2-3 times a week and push myself as hard as I can, and walk quite a lot and run around after a toddler. So not an athlete by any shape or form. I think I will just see how I feel after exercise and if I need extra oomph I'll have some protein etc
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    mlleigh wrote: »
    Thank you. How do you find that works with your weight loss? I jet worry as I'm only having 1200 a day if I don't eat more when I excercise my body will go into "starvation mode" and squirrel away all my fat

    Over time, trial and error and HONEST LOGGING using a SCALE... It's a must and guestimating is a NO NO if you really want to get it right...

    But don't forget to log everything!!! Small misses on the logging of 1200 calories can eat right through a deficit..

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