Eat back calories or not
nallie562
Posts: 32 Member
Trying to maintain weight. I bike (8-10mi) or run (4mi 2x/wk, one long 6-13 mi 1x/wk) everyday, mixing weights and yoga in on occasion. I'm not very active at work but very active at home. Struggling to find the balance between burn and eating back what I've burnt. I usually eat 1300-1400 calories a day, rarely adding back in what I've burnt, but I actually think maybe I'm not consuming enough.
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Replies
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Are you losing weight?1
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What is your weight/height/age? 1300-1400 does NOT sound like enough, unless you are like 5'2" and 50 years old. You should calculate your BMR: http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
This will tell you roughly how many calories to eat every day. Generally, on days where you do a lot of exercise, you will need to eat more carbs. The amount of fat and protein you eat every day should remain constant. You need between 50-70 grams of fat a day depending on height/weight, and then you need like 120-170 grams of protein similarly depending on height and weight. The protein is much higher here than recommended by most sources because most sources are just wrong. If you want to ensure health and retain muscle mass, you should be eating almost your body weight in protein. For instance, I weigh 198 pounds, and I eat greater than 150 grams of protein every day, regardless of whether I am trying to bulk (build muscle), cut (lose weight), or maintain.0 -
Are you hungry? If so, eat back some exercise calories. I'm always hungry so I eat back nearly all of mine. I'm already set to lose a pound a week and probably wouldn't work out at all if I didn't get to eat those calories. I don't usually eat my garmin calorie adjustments, though. I feel like they are not always right. I just manually log my exercise in MFP since the battery died in my HRM.0
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Trying to maintain weight. I bike (8-10mi) or run (4mi 2x/wk, one long 6-13 mi 1x/wk) everyday, mixing weights and yoga in on occasion. I'm not very active at work but very active at home. Struggling to find the balance between burn and eating back what I've burnt. I usually eat 1300-1400 calories a day, rarely adding back in what I've burnt, but I actually think maybe I'm not consuming enough.
Have you looked up your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? This should be maintenance. There are several calculators....each will give you a little bit different number. Include exercise in that calculation, so it's accounted for. Then you don't have to worry about logging it.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
https://tdeecalculator.net/
Pick a lower estimate & use that for awhile.2 -
I'm a 40, female, 5'8" and 120lbs. I've always been thin. No health issues. Sometimes I'm hungry but often I'm not. I do eat 5-7 times a day, small portions0
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And no I'm not loosing weight0
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I eat basically all of my exercise cals to maintain. 1400 can't be your maintenance cals? You must be eating more than you think as I'm 5ft 2 and maintain on 2100-2300 cals.3
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I track my calories every single day0
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But after looking at the links it looks like I'm under eating0
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »I eat basically all of my exercise cals to maintain. 1400 can't be your maintenance cals? You must be eating more than you think as I'm 5ft 2 and maintain on 2100-2300 cals.
This^I track my calories every single day
There is a bit of a learning curve for tracking calories. There are lots of incorrect entries in the database here. Weighing solid food is going to be more accurate than measuring cups.
There are lots of tips here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p10 -
I look at this way, if you are not loosing and you have plenty of energy to do all those things that you do, and can do it to full capacity and effort then no you are not under eating.
If you are unbalanced energy wise, then eating more exercise calories back is in order. I predict there are logging inconsitencies or not weighing food.
In other words you are to do all that exercise every single day (which appears to be no rest day in between) and go to work and able to be even more active at home, then you have it nailed down to perfect maintenance.1 -
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Someone put the chart up!!! There really is a science to it. When I wasn't eating back any calories, I was stuck, so now I eat about half of my exercise calories (on good cardio days) and am back to losing about 2 lbs a week. There really is a chart. I'm sure it will get posted.
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@nallie562 can you change your diary to public? Something seems to be amiss here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings0 -
Someone put the chart up!!! There really is a science to it. When I wasn't eating back any calories, I was stuck, so now I eat about half of my exercise calories (on good cardio days) and am back to losing about 2 lbs a week. There really is a chart. I'm sure it will get posted.
Here tis
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I use the TDEE method since switching to maintenance because my workout schedule is pretty consistent and I love it!! Previously I ate back 50% of my exercise calories but probably underestimated. Could've been eating more.0
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OP - would advise actually exceeding what does appear to be your current TDEE for a while.
Prolonged dieting can cause a down regulating effect, particularly as regards general activity. Feeling low on energy has an effect on what you actually do.
From the description of your activity and exercise levels your intake does sound a very low number to maintain.
If you add 200 to what appears to be your maintenance now then you should only see an approximate two pound gain in 5 weeks time. If you don't gain then increase cals again.
Obviously if you do gain 2lbs then you have gained knowledge along with those 2lbs!4 -
So according to the TDEE calculator I burn more than I'm currently eating...so I think that's my problem...0
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The answer to your problem isn't going to be found by looking at calculators - that's just a very rough estimate - you earlier said you aren't losing weight.So according to the TDEE calculator I burn more than I'm currently eating...so I think that's my problem...
Have you tried exceeding your current calorie allowance?0 -
Do not eat back exercise calories, just set your target calories higher. I think MFP's formula is pretty good, albeit generous, so stick with the "sedentary" option to offset that. I calculated my TDEE (BMR * 1.2 for sedentary) for my target weight of 140 lbs and it's 1500-1600. My idea is I eat that much now to create a deficit so that I know what I need to maintain. I've experimented and I'm 5'6" and currently about 210 lbs, if I eat 1500-1600 calories per day I lose weight but if I go over 1800 I start gaining it back. I'm still trying to lose weight and just have to keep track of what numbers are working for weight loss. My hope is that I'll be able to eat more and still maintain when I get there, but given my recent experiments I am pretty doubtful.
The most we can burn from exercise per day is about 200 calories (on average, varies from person to person). After that, our bodies adjust and we do not burn more. Our bodies can adjust by limiting repair and immune function, so there really is zero advantage to over-exercising. It doesn't matter if you do 1 mile of walking or 60 minutes of incredibly horrible spin class, you will not burn more calories. There is a sweet spot and you have to find it, that's where you hit that 200 calories with the least amount of effort. A general guideline is 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, and you can break it up into 10 minute chunks.
My advice is properly calculate your TDEE * 1.2 and use that as a starting point. Add up to 200 calories per day to account for exercise. And just play with it from there.1 -
Do not eat back exercise calories, just set your target calories higher. I think MFP's formula is pretty good, albeit generous, so stick with the "sedentary" option to offset that. I calculated my TDEE (BMR * 1.2 for sedentary) for my target weight of 140 lbs and it's 1500-1600. My idea is I eat that much now to create a deficit so that I know what I need to maintain. I've experimented and I'm 5'6" and currently about 210 lbs, if I eat 1500-1600 calories per day I lose weight but if I go over 1800 I start gaining it back. I'm still trying to lose weight and just have to keep track of what numbers are working for weight loss. My hope is that I'll be able to eat more and still maintain when I get there, but given my recent experiments I am pretty doubtful.
The most we can burn from exercise per day is about 200 calories (on average, varies from person to person). After that, our bodies adjust and we do not burn more. Our bodies can adjust by limiting repair and immune function, so there really is zero advantage to over-exercising. It doesn't matter if you do 1 mile of walking or 60 minutes of incredibly horrible spin class, you will not burn more calories. There is a sweet spot and you have to find it, that's where you hit that 200 calories with the least amount of effort. A general guideline is 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, and you can break it up into 10 minute chunks.
My advice is properly calculate your TDEE * 1.2 and use that as a starting point. Add up to 200 calories per day to account for exercise. And just play with it from there.
Regarding the bolded comment.
No your body does NOT have a daily limit like that - that's why Tour de France riders have to try and eat 6000+ calories to try and maintain their weight!!
Exercise comes down to physics - moving mass over distance which takes energy (calories).
What you are describing is a perpetual motion machine that creates energy from nothing - simply impossible, like a car that requires the same amount of fuel to cover 50 miles or 500 miles.
I burn c. 500 cals a day in exercise in winter and far more in summer and have to eat them back.
Come for a 100 mile cycle with me and see if you can fuel it with 200 cals.
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So according to the TDEE calculator I burn more than I'm currently eating...so I think that's my problem...
I'm not understanding why there is a problem. You said you want to maintain and that you are maintaining.
Your weight is actually a bit lower than the healthy zone, which I'm sure you know. If it's always been like that not a big deal, but what are you trying to accomplish?
(I agree with the advice to gradually increase calories and try to push energy and TDEE up.)0 -
The most we can burn from exercise per day is about 200 calories (on average, varies from person to person). After that, our bodies adjust and we do not burn more. Our bodies can adjust by limiting repair and immune function, so there really is zero advantage to over-exercising. It doesn't matter if you do 1 mile of walking or 60 minutes of incredibly horrible spin class, you will not burn more calories. There is a sweet spot and you have to find it, that's where you hit that 200 calories with the least amount of effort. A general guideline is 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, and you can break it up into 10 minute chunks.
Regarding the bolded comment.
No your body does NOT have a daily limit like that - that's why Tour de France riders have to try and eat 6000+ calories to try and maintain their weight!!
Exercise comes down to physics - moving mass over distance which takes energy (calories).
What you are describing is a perpetual motion machine that creates energy from nothing - simply impossible, like a car that requires the same amount of fuel to cover 50 miles or 500 miles.
I burn c. 500 cals a day in exercise in winter and far more in summer and have to eat them back.
Come for a 100 mile cycle with me and see if you can fuel it with 200 cals.
Hi @sijomial, while what you are saying would seem to make logical sense, it doesn't actually play out that way in the real world.
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)01577-8
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647711/
"A growing number of studies examining the long-term metabolic effects of exercise suggest that the relationship between physical activity and total energy expenditure is more complex than Additive models allow. Rather than increasing total energy expenditure linearly in response to physical activity, individuals tend to adapt metabolically to increased physical activity, muting the expected increase in daily energy throughput. These metabolic changes can be behavioral, such as sitting instead of standing, or fidgeting less, but they may also include reductions in other, non-muscular metabolic activity. "0 -
The most we can burn from exercise per day is about 200 calories (on average, varies from person to person).
That's absurd. You're saying that when I get on my bike and ride 50 miles, the first 7 miles happen because I'm using energy my body stored to move myself down the road, but the next 43 miles happen by magic.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11093184126 -
The most we can burn from exercise per day is about 200 calories (on average, varies from person to person). After that, our bodies adjust and we do not burn more. Our bodies can adjust by limiting repair and immune function, so there really is zero advantage to over-exercising. It doesn't matter if you do 1 mile of walking or 60 minutes of incredibly horrible spin class, you will not burn more calories. There is a sweet spot and you have to find it, that's where you hit that 200 calories with the least amount of effort. A general guideline is 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, and you can break it up into 10 minute chunks.
Regarding the bolded comment.
No your body does NOT have a daily limit like that - that's why Tour de France riders have to try and eat 6000+ calories to try and maintain their weight!!
Exercise comes down to physics - moving mass over distance which takes energy (calories).
What you are describing is a perpetual motion machine that creates energy from nothing - simply impossible, like a car that requires the same amount of fuel to cover 50 miles or 500 miles.
I burn c. 500 cals a day in exercise in winter and far more in summer and have to eat them back.
Come for a 100 mile cycle with me and see if you can fuel it with 200 cals.
Hi @sijomial, while what you are saying would seem to make logical sense, it doesn't actually play out that way in the real world.
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)01577-8
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647711/
"A growing number of studies examining the long-term metabolic effects of exercise suggest that the relationship between physical activity and total energy expenditure is more complex than Additive models allow. Rather than increasing total energy expenditure linearly in response to physical activity, individuals tend to adapt metabolically to increased physical activity, muting the expected increase in daily energy throughput. These metabolic changes can be behavioral, such as sitting instead of standing, or fidgeting less, but they may also include reductions in other, non-muscular metabolic activity. "
@mmmpork
You are completely misunderstanding those studies.
There is some adaption - just some, a small amount from day to day movements etc. See my much earlier post repeated below in italics. A small amount from the fidgeting less, choosing to sit not stand etc.
Prolonged dieting can cause a down regulating effect, particularly as regards general activity. Feeling low on energy has an effect on what you actually do.
Maybe hundreds (generous...) and certainly not thousands.
It does not cap your daily exercise - it's impossible. When I am cycling at 200 watts that energy is coming from my body - it has to! No movement can happen without burning energy.
If I cycle for a hour I burn "x calories", if I cycle for two hours I burn "2x calories" and so on.
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If you are not losing weight you are not undereating. If you were you would lose.1
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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1109318412
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1116892278
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1164644001
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1116892023
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/913079039
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/903807892
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/881753099
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/875674446
I'm surprised at how many calories I burned from the run but if you look at the average heart rate and the time, it's on the high end of possible. I've been losing weight at the rate I'd expect based on the calories I eat and burn throughout all of these. For sure you can burn more than 200 kCal in a day from exercise.
Consistent with the study, I do find myself being lazier after an event like these. ("These metabolic changes can be behavioral, such as sitting instead of standing, or fidgeting less, but they may also include reductions in other, non-muscular metabolic activity.")0 -
Trying to maintain weight. I bike (8-10mi) or run (4mi 2x/wk, one long 6-13 mi 1x/wk) everyday, mixing weights and yoga in on occasion. I'm not very active at work but very active at home. Struggling to find the balance between burn and eating back what I've burnt. I usually eat 1300-1400 calories a day, rarely adding back in what I've burnt, but I actually think maybe I'm not consuming enough.
One way or another you need to account for exercise as well as all of your other activity. Think about it this way...the more you drive your car around, the more gas you go through...food is your gas.
I personally couldn't imagine someone who exercised regularly would maintain on 1300 - 1400 calories.0 -
Definitely plan on eating back some of your exercise calories. Just make sure to keep it clean (no chips, soda or late night salty foods).
Having such a huge deficit in calories will guarantee muscle deterioration rather than growth. Your body will start breaking down the muscle fibers when the fat has already been broken down.
I usually have some cottage cheese or non fat yogurt before bed... s slow burning protein is ideal in my humble opinion.1
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