Eating back exercise calories!??

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bbrand975
bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was just told that if you already created a calorie deficit and are working out a decent amount that you should eat back at least 75% of your "workout calories burned" to keep your usual deficit...can someone please explain??
Some info about my diet/workout just in case anyone is kind enough to help:
Female, 23, 158lbs
BMR- 1,441
Deficit calorie plan- 1,200
Normally I ride my bike every single day for 30-45min while pulling my toddler and 5month old in a baby trailer...up hills and down. MFP- 425 calories burned
Running/walk interval training in morning- 15-20min- 125 calories usually
Weight training 3x week -no amount

Help! I'm stuck at 158lbs. Can I stop eating back any calories burned?? I'm breastfeeding the five month old as well.
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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    MFP gives you a calorie goal that has a deficit built in. If you increase this deficit with exercise, it may be a good idea to eat some of those calories back to ensure you're fueling your body properly.

    But if you are eating back your calories and not losing weight, it's a sign that something is probably off. Either you're eating more than you think you are or your exercise isn't burning as much as you think it is.

    How long have you been stuck? Are you eating back 100% of the estimated calories burned through exercise? How are you determining how much to eat back?
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    If you are using the calories provided when you plugged your stats into MFP, then yes, the deficit is already built into that amount. Theoretically, if you ate all your exercise calories back, you would still lose weight at around the same rate as if you didn't do any exercising and just hit your calorie goal.

    That said, calorie burns are notoriously difficult to calculate and many burns using the exercises listed in MFP will be higher than what you actually burn. I use an HRM (heart rate monitor) to measure the calorie burns from my cardio and I try to eat 50%-75% of those calories to make up for any inaccuracies in the the HRM burn.

    If you are breastfeeding and doing cardio, I would encourage you to continue eating at least a portion of your exercise calories, especially if your calorie goal is set to 1200. How did you get to such a low calorie goal, anyway? Are you really short?
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    Yeah 5' 3" :( I use a Fitbit flex but still learning how the heck it's supposed to track anything
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    I have been stuck at 158-156 for a month. I'm down from 185 after my 5month olds birth
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    I usually eat back what MFP tells me but the last couple weeks I have been making sure 150-200 is left
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    bbrand975 wrote: »
    Yeah 5' 3" :( I use a Fitbit flex but still learning how the heck it's supposed to track anything

    Even with that height, you should be eating more. When I said really short, I meant 5'0" or below. With your age, weight, height, breastfeeding, and considering the work that goes into being a new mother, you should be eating more than 1200 and still losing.

    I have a feeling that your lack of progress is more likely due to food logging than it is to eating back exercise calories. Are you weighing your food?
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    No I don't usually have time to weigh it
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    I suppose I'll have to start.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    bbrand975 wrote: »
    No I don't usually have time to weigh it

    I think you may be eating more than you think you are. If you open your diary, you may get some useful advice.
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    So far today, breakfast was 377 calories. 2/4 cup of disgusting Oatmeal, coffee with 1/4 cup milk and 2tsps sugar. Glass of orange juice, 8oz
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    There are a couple of greats video showing the difference in calories between similar looking serving sizes of the same foods. It's quite easy to be several hundred calories off when you're eyeballing versus weighing in grams. I would start with that (you can get a cheap digital scale that tares) and see what happens.
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    3/4 not 2/4 MFP is stuck in offline mode and sticking when I type. Sorry
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    bbrand975 wrote: »
    So far today, breakfast was 377 calories. 2/4 cup of disgusting Oatmeal, coffee with 1/4 cup milk and 2tsps sugar. Glass of orange juice, 8oz

    I have found huge variances between weighing oatmeal and measuring it with a cup -- things like this can add up to eating more than you think you are. Before blaming the exercise calories, I would focus on understanding how many calories you're actually taking in and adjusting from there.

    (Why are you eating disgusting oatmeal?)
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    Ok. I'll try it. Thanks for the help!
  • bbrand975
    bbrand975 Posts: 12 Member
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    Because almost everything is too many calories and not worth it. I absolutely hate hate hate this. Lol it's come down to: eat one meal you actually like today or eat several craptastic low calorie meals. Hell even Tajik Osh (rice, shredded beef, shredded carrots, with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions) is too many calories unless you eat freakin 1/2 a cup.
  • Slug62
    Slug62 Posts: 7 Member
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    Have you tried Jamie Oliver Superfoods? There are some really easy online recipes, decent portions. You have done so well losing all that weight so far, especially with two very young children. Hats off to you.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Actually, technically, you eat 100% of your calories burned. This 50% and 75% crap is total BS. The rule is, by the book, you eat them all back. Some people don't because they feel like they don't properly estimate their food intake, or that their exercise calories might be off a bit, so they just take a percentage of their burn. That's sloppy. Be accurate and be correct in your estimates. MFP gives you a deficit. So, if you choose to lose 1lb per week, MFP tells you how much to eat to lose 1lb per week. When you exercise, you increase that deficit. If your plan is to lose 1lb per week, then you eat back all of your exercise calories. Be accurate in weighing your food, and be accurate in your calorie burns from exercise. And, it should work. Sometimes, though, you have to play with the numbers because your body might not be average, which is what all the estimates are based upon. So, you might burn calories faster or slower than average. Over time, not 3 weeks, but over time, you should learn where you lose, and where you maintain, and then this gets much easier.

    It's impossible to be 100% certain about the calorie burns. How do you calculate burns from strength training? What about interval training? That's why the recommendation is not to eat 100% of burns. You can make adjustments, as you pointed out, based on your outcome over time, but calorie burns from exercise are way too hard to pin down.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    bbrand975 wrote: »
    Because almost everything is too many calories and not worth it. I absolutely hate hate hate this. Lol it's come down to: eat one meal you actually like today or eat several craptastic low calorie meals. Hell even Tajik Osh (rice, shredded beef, shredded carrots, with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions) is too many calories unless you eat freakin 1/2 a cup.

    3/4 of a cup oats is about 450 calories (assuming you measured dry, the most accurate way to measure oats). The sugar is about 30 calories or so. The orange juice is about 100 more. 580 calories could be a fantastic breakfast sandwich, a big bowl of tofu/egg scramble, toast with nut butter, lots of things.

    Lots of people love oatmeal. Those people *should* eat oatmeal for breakfast. People who find it disgusting have lots of other options. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable.
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    bbrand975 wrote: »
    So far today, breakfast was 377 calories. 2/4 cup of disgusting Oatmeal, coffee with 1/4 cup milk and 2tsps sugar. Glass of orange juice, 8oz

    You can eat you daily calories however you want, but I myself wouldn't care to drink them--i.e. I'd skip the OJ. I understand the need for coffee but I like mine (and luckily always have) with sweetener. And no reason to eat disgusting oatmeal.

    One month is not long enough time to panic. Keep at and give it time. As others said, you should weigh your food as it is more accurate. Open your diary if you want more specific help.

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