Should I be eating the calories I burn through my daily exercise ?

raelene_wynder
raelene_wynder Posts: 75 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My cal count per day is 1200. Should I be eating the calories I burn during exercise? Part of me feels like that defeats the purpose. I don't know. But the app automatically gives me more and I didn't notice. What does everyone else do??

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The app gives you a goal that already includes a deficit. So if you exercise, you increase your deficit, that's why you're supposed to eat exercise calories back, to get your deficit back to what you set up. There IS such a thing as eating too little.

    However, sometimes you're better off not eating back exercise calories. MFP numbers are not accurate for exercise, so a lot of people just eat back half that number. And if you're not very accurate in your logging, you might be eating more than you think, so not eating back exercise calories gives you a buffer.
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
    I don't try to eat back exercise. As said before, the accuracy of burned calories is iffy. Stick to your goals and log food religiously. You will be fine!
  • Tenster
    Tenster Posts: 278 Member
    TK6299 wrote: »
    I don't try to eat back exercise. As said before, the accuracy of burned calories is iffy. Stick to your goals and log food religiously. You will be fine!

    100% agree with this. Don't do it, my pet hate is seeing people who burn off 10000000 calories doing 120 minutes on a cross trainer. They're only cheating themselves
  • raelene_wynder
    raelene_wynder Posts: 75 Member
    Thank u. Seemed like a stupid ?? But I was confused
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
    Nothing stupid about it. It's a learning process. Don't feel ashamed at all. The community is here to help you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    raelene_wynder wrote: »
    Thank u. Seemed like a stupid ?? But I was confused

    Not a stupid question considering that the way the app works, you ARE supposed to eat back exercise calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    1,200 calories is a very low goal. For your long term health and energy, you should eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    Since your goal is 1200 I would personally eat about 50% of your exercise cals because you need to feed your body and 1200 is the minimum most women should eat. If you are losing faster then set up than eat more of the exercise. If you are losing slower than eat less. I always lost even eating all my mfp burns. Now I have a jawbone so I don't worry about.
  • annelawrence357
    annelawrence357 Posts: 4 Member
    I agree with janejellyroll. At least a portion of your exercise calories should be eaten back. I try to stay 150 calories under my overall goal (1200 plus exercise), and have lost about 15 pounds since January doing this. I am a compulsive logger so that really helps. And I don't credit myself with every tiny bit of exercise I do, either.
  • wendypark811
    wendypark811 Posts: 65 Member
    I'am confused has well doing on average over 11,000 steps a day then either weights/core or cardio exercise a day. 1200 cals + the steps, I don't count exercise. I can hardly eat it and often find 200-300 cals under. Sure they don't add up right.

    Wendy
  • raelene_wynder
    raelene_wynder Posts: 75 Member
    Yes I try to under score my exercise burn. Cuz it's so hard to be accurate. Thnx everyone
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 402 Member
    Are you finding it easy to stick to a 1,200 calorie diet? In that case, it's your choice - lose slightly faster at 1,200, or slightly slower at say 1,400 or 1,500 calories per day (the actual number would depend on how much you burn). On the other hand, is 1,200 calories per day making you tired, cranky, or at risk or binging? If that is the case, you would be better off eating a bit more - better slow and steady, then fast and crashing.

    I personally wouldn't last a day on 1,200.
  • raelene_wynder
    raelene_wynder Posts: 75 Member
    I'm usually 1500. But i feel like that's so high. Right now I have 600 left for the day.
  • FletcherLoder
    FletcherLoder Posts: 21 Member
    Any calorie burn synced from an activity tracker is inherently inaccurate. You should unlink it from MyFitnessPal.

    Calorie burn from daily activity should be accounted for by your activity level. If you're not losing weight at your current calorie goal over a few weeks, then your activity level needs to be lowered. If your losing weight too quickly over a few weeks, then it needs to be raised.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    I have MFP synced with my Fitbit so I have found my exercise calories to be more accurate than relying on MFP estimates. I eat back anywhere from 70-100% of my exercise calories and I am still losing consistently. Ideally you don't want to eat less than 1200 calories/day, especially if you're exercising and want to maintain muscle.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    raelene_wynder wrote: »
    I'm usually 1500. But i feel like that's so high. Right now I have 600 left for the day.

    If 600 left for the day is even remotely accurate, yes...you should be eating some back.

    How did you come to the 1200 cal number?

    No, it's not stupid to eat back exercise calories, that's how the tool works. It wouldn't give you the cals if it wasn't supposed to. With that said, it's an estimate. That's why most advise eating back about 50-75% for a few weeks and adjust from there.
  • raelene_wynder
    raelene_wynder Posts: 75 Member
    I just punched in my info and that's the number it gave me
  • LCowles87
    LCowles87 Posts: 27 Member
    edited April 2016
    I'm at 1200 a day too. I try to eat back some but not all. I try to stick to around 1400 calories a day with excersoe. But I am also not hardcore working out like I used to. When I start getting hard core I find if I don't eat at least 1600, I am a grumpy mess and tend to stall.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Can I ask your stats?

    Mainly ht/wt/ per week loss goal?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    FletcherLoder wrote: »
    Any calorie burn synced from an activity tracker is inherently inaccurate. You should unlink it from MyFitnessPal.

    Calorie burn from daily activity should be accounted for by your activity level. If you're not losing weight at your current calorie goal over a few weeks, then your activity level needs to be lowered. If your losing weight too quickly over a few weeks, then it needs to be raised.

    I've been eating the calories from my activity tracker since July and have lost/maintained exactly as expected. I think you're over-generalizing. Many people find that activity tracker sync is accurate and helps us meet our goals.

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