Calories Earned with Exercise - What do you do?

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  • emilycat214
    emilycat214 Posts: 84 Member
    I eat some of them back. I don't use MFP's calorie estimates for exercise, though--I go with the numbers on the machines, which are more conservative.
  • SyllyReth
    SyllyReth Posts: 59 Member
    I very, very rarely eat all of them back. About half the time I eat half or less back, and around the other half of the time I don't eat any back. Honestly, if I am hungry I eat more and if I'm not hungry I don't force it. I figure it all averages out pretty well over the week anyway, and I am still losing regularly so...
  • eCommencal
    eCommencal Posts: 1 Member
    I try and bank my exercise calories and feel positive about that choice; quite motivated.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    lindamkelly2 wrote: »
    lindamkelly2 wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.

    Most of the time I don't even eat 1200 calories. I never eat the extra calories after exercise. My trainer told me if I eat all of the calories I would only maintain my weight. I'm trying to lose 10 lbs.

    If your calorie goal is based off MFP then your trainer is giving advice about a tool that he is unfamiliar with or doesn't understand. You would have to eat all your exercise calories plus whatever deficit MFP built into your goal in order to be at maintenance. Eating exercise calories puts you at your calorie goal with your deficit built in. All of this is assuming accurate logging and calorie burns.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    lindamkelly2 wrote: »
    lindamkelly2 wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The way MFP is set up, you're supposed to eat exercise calories back. However, due to overestimation of calories burned, most will do only half of them.

    Most of the time I don't even eat 1200 calories. I never eat the extra calories after exercise. My trainer told me if I eat all of the calories I would only maintain my weight. I'm trying to lose 10 lbs.

    If you only have 10 lbs to lose you shouldn't have more than a 250 cal deficit, and it's very unlikely that 1200 minus exercise calories would be even close to that. What are your stats? What are your workouts like? Doesn't sound like much of a trainer to me if he thinks that you need to eat less than 1200 to lose...
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    OP I always ate back my exercise calories, even using the MFP estimations, and then when I got my FitBit I felt even more confident doing so. I lost my weight eating 1700-1900 cals and and am now maintaining eating around 2000 or more.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    I don't because the burns are insane!! And don't allow you to enter relevant information.

    For instance: Elliptical, 30 mins gives someone of my stats 269 calories. This doesn't ask what the incline was set at, what resistance it was, or what total distance was. I could go 4 miles at a high resistance and kick some butt, or I go less than 2 miles with zero resistance in 30 minutes.

    I solved this by getting a Fitbit and going off of that.
  • ssmshastry
    ssmshastry Posts: 3 Member
    Will it accelerate weight loss if I do not eat those calories back? I am wondering
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    ssmshastry wrote: »
    Will it accelerate weight loss if I do not eat those calories back? I am wondering

    Yes, but you should make sure you're still getting adequate nutrition and it's not affecting your energy too much. Dragging your way through every workout isn't fun.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    It depends on how hungry I am and how many calories I have consumed/left to consume. If it gives me an extra 100-150 calories I just leave it. If I have 450-600 calories because I was out shopping all day I might have something a little extra if I'm hungry.
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    I eat back but only 50% due to the regular advice given that MFP overestimates the burns. So if I've eaten 1500 cals and burned 500 in exercise (according to MFP) to get a net cal total of 1000 ... really it's a net of 1250 cals. If that makes sense? ^^
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    I ignore exercise calories. I know my TDEE and deficit so I just stay in that range. Gives me over 1600cals and a loss of a little over 1lb per week. On the days I lift I will eat a little over if I am hungry or for post workout protein. I have a Fitbit HR that I just got so I'm in watch and see mode ATM with calories earned.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    ssmshastry wrote: »
    Will it accelerate weight loss if I do not eat those calories back? I am wondering

    Yes, but that can lead to more muscle loss with too high a deficit
  • ssmshastry
    ssmshastry Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you malibu927.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    edited January 2016
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    No, I don't eat them all unless I am hungry or if I go out to eat and I want to enjoy something special. I always leave daily calories as a buffer for the weekends.

    MFP is not accurate, neither are the machines at the gym, and I read that fitness trackers are not 100% accurate either; and on top of that we are not 100% bullet proof with the measuring and/or weighing of our food. So as long as I eat above my BMI and as long as I have enough calories and nutrients in my body to fuel my life and workouts I am good to go.

    Just do what is best for you. Try and learn.

    Correction because I just realized that I made a mistake. "As long as I eat above my BMR" (NOT BMI). Sorry about that.
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