Why I don't count exercise calories

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24

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  • osmoticferocity
    osmoticferocity Posts: 23
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    A well considered and crafted post, sir. I for one am very much concerned with the tracking and arithmetic aspect because it helps me to stay motivated. I concur that tracking casual activity is probably not as helpful and also have no interest in eating only 1200 calories today. I am using MFP's 1690 calorie recommendation.

    Regarding eating back exercise calories, I generally aim for 1690 net calories and exclude exercise. If I am still hungry or really want something, I will consider the calories burned exercising when making the decision to eat or not.

    As well all know, each of us is a little bit different. Yours is a well reasoned method. I would advise people to try multiple and varied approaches (in every aspect of life).
  • Mandam1018
    Mandam1018 Posts: 70 Member
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    Bump, can't read now but would love to read later!
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
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    I never gave myself set amount of cals or eat back exercise cals
    it would be so stressful and scary
    Eat right and exercise right and weightloss will come.
    Im here cuz its social. :)
  • damonmath
    damonmath Posts: 359 Member
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    I think your heart is in the right place and you are correct about a good bit of that advice.

    However, without the benefit of an HRM, even for a beginner, you have no idea just how hard you are working out. Caloric burn differs from person to person. A larger weight individual will burn more calories per hour due to the simple physics of being larger.

    I like that you are trying to simplify the process, but in reality you are just rearranging math to make it seem like eating more is the way to go... In reality, if you exercise and then eat back your calories, it is no different than eating a large meal and then going to work out. Same difference!

    Lastly, when you guess at how much to eat back (150-400) this does not take into account how much muscle you may have burned off each time you under eat your calories back.

    A friend and I started our weight loss at the same time using the same calorie counting method. 3 months later I'm ripped head to toe, as I eat all my calories back. My friend lost the same amount of weight, but now has a sagging mid section and excess skin. He did not eat back his calories.

    :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    i didnt read this.. too long lol

    :laugh: too funny! I clicked on it and thought to myself, "Eh, a little long, but I'll give it a shot"

    Anyways to the OP. I don't think anyone could argue your point but I look at myself and the 20 pounds that never seemed to go away. I think its the 'structure' or discipline of MFP and tracking every last thing that has helped myself and many others here. So while you're 100% correct that it doesn't have to be so concrete/strenuous, I think that's exactly what many of us need.

    As for eating exercise cals... I've tried not eating them, eating some of them, and eating all of them. Typically, I've found that if I don't eat about a majority of them back, then I wake up in the morning dizzy and bumping into walls until I 'fuel' my body w/ something... and thats not exactly healthy. Again, thats just me!

    All good points that you make, but I think the discipline of logging every last calorie is exactly what people need sometimes... And if you work at a clinic/medical facility, then the people you're dealing with are GOING TO A MEDICAL FACILITY to get help. Dunno about you, but I'd rather log everything online and talk to some folks rather than seeing a doctor once a week. I'm not sure which is the lesser of to supposed evils...

    Just to clarify (my own fault in the original text): it is a medically based fitness center. It is little different in appearance than any upscale health club -- the training/education of the staff is higher than what you would find in a typical commercial facility. But it's not a medical clinic--no white coats.
  • AngieDee12
    AngieDee12 Posts: 41 Member
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    bump
  • trishlambert
    trishlambert Posts: 213 Member
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    This is a well thought out and well presented post...thanks.

    I believe that, like so much else in life, it's a matter of "different strokes for different folks" in the weight loss and fitness arena. The best way for me to get into the right zone of weight and fitness for me has always been the numbers game: calories in/calories out. I've tried other programs and other approaches, but this is the one that's always worked for me. (I was glad to find MFP so I could give up the spreadsheet and the food research.)

    Other people do really well with structured programs, and others with structured programs that come with food. But like lifestyle, religion, and politics, one size does not fit all.

    The one thing that doesn't work for anyone is to just blindly follow an approach or strategy because someone else advocated it. I see this happen all the time in my work (I'm a small business coach, and see clients all the time who just do what some other "expert" said and then wonder why it didn't work for them) and I keep reminding my clients that THEY are the deciders when it comes to how they will run their businesses. The same it true, I believe, for how we pursue our fitness goals.

    I very much appreciate that the points you make work for you--and you have the "credentials" in the form of your results to back you up. And I think it's great that you share your thoughts with us. My view is that anyone reading the post needs to think about it in the context of their own situation and personality (which requires some self-knowledge starting out), and use the ideas in ways that work for them.
  • ghoztt
    ghoztt Posts: 69 Member
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    This method seems like it would work quite well for those who are guessing at their calories burned in an exercise and estimating how much calories they consume because it ensures that they get enough calories to fuel their bodies regardless of exercise or not. Like damonmath said earlier, it is rearranging the numbers but I do like the idea of providing a bigger buffer for those who aren't tracking as accurately. I think a downside would be that the loss wouldn't be as quick as it could be compared to those who were precisely measuring their numbers or rather as precisely as they are able to. Some people, like myself, enjoy tracking all the numbers but I acknowledge there are those who could do without the math. :smile:
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I think your heart is in the right place and you are correct about a good bit of that advice.

    However, without the benefit of an HRM, even for a beginner, you have no idea just how hard you are working out. Caloric burn differs from person to person. A larger weight individual will burn more calories per hour due to the simple physics of being larger.

    I like that you are trying to simplify the process, but in reality you are just rearranging math to make it seem like eating more is the way to go... In reality, if you exercise and then eat back your calories, it is no different than eating a large meal and then going to work out. Same difference!

    Lastly, when you guess at how much to eat back (150-400) this does not take into account how much muscle you may have burned off each time you under eat your calories back.

    A friend and I started our weight loss at the same time using the same calorie counting method. 3 months later I'm ripped head to toe, as I eat all my calories back. My friend lost the same amount of weight, but now has a sagging mid section and excess skin. He did not eat back his calories.

    :)

    Many on this site have only a vague estimate of how hard they are working out or how many calories they are burning even with a heart rate monitor. In many cases when people "eat back" their calories based on HRM numbers and see results, it is more because of coincidence than anything else.

    I also explained in the blog that, yes, this essentially was just a different way of keeping score. The difference, which might be significant for some--is that exercise calorie numbers are too inaccurate to be used to precisely tailor an eating plan. I am trying to make the points that: many people are spending a lot of time and effort (and money) trying to calculate calorie costs of activities and ended up with a number that is no more accurate than making one up--and then trying to include that number into their eating plan. Or they are coming up with wildly inflated calorie counts from HRMs because they are not set up properly, used in the wrong activities or both. And, in many cases they are doing this because they are unnecessarily worrying about going into "starvation mode" if they don't eat back all of their exercise calories.

    People with high levels of body fat can sustain high calorie deficits --combined with eating an appropriate amount of food and a well-structured workout program--they can see good results without suffering ill effects or losing inappropriate amounts of lean mass.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    This is a well thought out and well presented post...thanks.

    I believe that, like so much else in life, it's a matter of "different strokes for different folks" in the weight loss and fitness arena. The best way for me to get into the right zone of weight and fitness for me has always been the numbers game: calories in/calories out. I've tried other programs and other approaches, but this is the one that's always worked for me. (I was glad to find MFP so I could give up the spreadsheet and the food research.)

    Other people do really well with structured programs, and others with structured programs that come with food. But like lifestyle, religion, and politics, one size does not fit all.

    The one thing that doesn't work for anyone is to just blindly follow an approach or strategy because someone else advocated it. I see this happen all the time in my work (I'm a small business coach, and see clients all the time who just do what some other "expert" said and then wonder why it didn't work for them) and I keep reminding my clients that THEY are the deciders when it comes to how they will run their businesses. The same it true, I believe, for how we pursue our fitness goals.

    I very much appreciate that the points you make work for you--and you have the "credentials" in the form of your results to back you up. And I think it's great that you share your thoughts with us. My view is that anyone reading the post needs to think about it in the context of their own situation and personality (which requires some self-knowledge starting out), and use the ideas in ways that work for them.

    In this case, absolutely. This in no way is intended to be dogma.
  • Eskimopie
    Eskimopie Posts: 235 Member
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    I think this is great advice, especially for people who are pretty consistent with working out and such. And for people without the time to diligently log every exercise and calculate precise numbers for the day. I go on and off with exercising so I find its better to eat less on the days I don't, and eat more on the days I do, and adding in exercise calories and eating them back helps me keep track.

    But I totally agree with you that reading this site can drive one up the wall and make losing weight seem SOOO complex, when it doesn't have to be.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    A friend and I started our weight loss at the same time using the same calorie counting method. 3 months later I'm ripped head to toe, as I eat all my calories back. My friend lost the same amount of weight, but now has a sagging mid section and excess skin. He did not eat back his calories.

    :)

    respectfully, I'm thinking genetics has a lot to do with you being ripped and your friend not
  • Collinsky
    Collinsky Posts: 593 Member
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    Azdak, I always enjoy your posts! Thanks!
  • LaurnWhit
    LaurnWhit Posts: 261 Member
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    So you recommend every female to start eating a minimum of 1600 calories? I like the sound of that!
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
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    I appreciate your post and the reasoning behind it. For me, since I'm fairly serious about my athletic training, it's good for me to track my workouts. Yes, the numbers may be off...but I know my body fairly well and know what should be a good estimate for me based on how hard I worked cardiovascularly and the number of muscle groups worked. I use the numbers here as a guess and often adjust a little down, since I'm in pretty good shape.

    If I didn't log my exercise calories, I would eat the same on the days I train for 6 hours as on the days I only train for 2. That may work out in the long run, but for each day, I would be fueled so differently for my workouts it would be hard to make consistent progress cardiovascualrly or with strength training.

    I agree that if all the counting seems too overwhelming, try the way you've suggested. But I feel like logging, even though not 100% accurate, may actually be slightly more accurate than your suggestion if your activity levels vary greatly from day to day.
  • karilynn27
    karilynn27 Posts: 190 Member
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    i didnt read this.. too long lol

    lol if that's you in your avatar, you probably didn't need to read it anyways. It pertains to those of us trying to lose weight.

    Wow, what a B!TCH!
  • karilynn27
    karilynn27 Posts: 190 Member
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    I personally feel like I wouldn't have been successful If I didn't eat back some of my exercise cals and log it as a daily thing. Glad you found something that worked for you! Cheers!
  • truchamp06
    truchamp06 Posts: 78 Member
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    Thank you for these tips!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I appreciate your post and the reasoning behind it. For me, since I'm fairly serious about my athletic training, it's good for me to track my workouts. Yes, the numbers may be off...but I know my body fairly well and know what should be a good estimate for me based on how hard I worked cardiovascularly and the number of muscle groups worked. I use the numbers here as a guess and often adjust a little down, since I'm in pretty good shape.

    If I didn't log my exercise calories, I would eat the same on the days I train for 6 hours as on the days I only train for 2. That may work out in the long run, but for each day, I would be fueled so differently for my workouts it would be hard to make consistent progress cardiovascualrly or with strength training.

    I agree that if all the counting seems too overwhelming, try the way you've suggested. But I feel like logging, even though not 100% accurate, may actually be slightly more accurate than your suggestion if your activity levels vary greatly from day to day.

    Note that I mentioned that this was appropriate for beginners with high levels of body fat.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    So you recommend every female to start eating a minimum of 1600 calories? I like the sound of that!

    If they are over 200 lbs, it's not a bad idea.

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