Do you need to eat calories burned???
michsarg11
Posts: 14 Member
Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
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Replies
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Yes, if you use mfp calculations you should net your calorie goal.
Eat full fat dairy, peanut butter, larger portions of meat, if you're not hitting your calorie goal.1 -
MFP is designed for you to eat back calories burned through exercise, so if your calorie goal comes from MFP, yes.
The trick is making sure your understanding of your calories in (what you're eating) and calories out (what you're burning) is accurate. Many people begin by eating a portion of their calories burn to account for potential over-estimation. If you are losing faster than you expect to, then you can eat more. If you are losing slower than you expect to, you can eat less.2 -
No. You don't have to eat the extra calories unless you want to have the same fixed deficit every day.1
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Thanks! I tend to over estimate when entering calories eaten. Still playing around with the how true the calories burned are. I can really only go by what the machines im using are telling me. When i do things off the machines i always put in lower then whats calculated.0
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No. You don't have to eat the extra calories unless you want to have the same fixed deficit every day.
Thats was the debate my friend and i were having. She said i needed to make them up. I understand her concern for not eating enough but i most certainly dont want to gain anymore.0 -
I do not eat back workout calories, provided that I feel completely fine, know that I'm well nourished in x hours (I also very much love to eat full meals while losing wt)1
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Yes, no, and maybe.....
First off, you have to understand how the tool works...MFP is designed to account for exercise after the fact rather than in your activity level...when you set your activity level based on your day to day WITHOUT exercise, then obviously exercise activity and the requisite energy required to support that effort would be unaccounted for in your calorie targets.
Secondly, you have to look at how accurate your estimates are overall...both coming in and going out. Many people underestimate their calories coming in and overestimate calories going out...then they state that "it doesn't work"...well, it doesn't work because of user error, not the methodology. Being as accurate as you can requires some time and research, particularly in the early stage of the game...many people don't even bother to verify their entries against other sources and they use generic entries like "So and So's Homemade Chicken Casserole" and such and they eyeball servings and have no idea if what they are logging is actually truly what they are consuming and they never bother to research their calorie burns...so again, it's not the method that doesn't work...it's the user who is messing up.
Thirdly, you have to consider what it is you're actually doing exercise wise. There's a huge difference between getting out and going for a walk or jumping on the treadmill for 30 minutes vs hitting the weight room hard and, say, training for an endurance event. I do a lot of cycling and spend about an hour most days during the week doing various training protocols...riding hill repeats...anaerobic interval training...just putting in miles, etc and then I usually ride 30-50 miles on the weekend...on top of that I lift 3x per week...if I didn't account for my training and the energy required to support that training, I'd be on my *kitten*, not to mention recovery and injury would become issues. If I'm just jumping on the elliptical to get in a little cardio, I don't much worry about it...when I'm training, that's another story.5 -
With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.0
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I don't unless of course I'm still hungry at the end of the day.2
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biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.2 -
I always eat back a portion, 50-75%. If I use MFP or machine estimates, (
Over the years I have extrapolated my personal burn by extrapolating MFP data.)
My logging is accurate to maintain my weight, so if I don't eat back my calories I would lose weight.
Worse than that, I would start cutting my everyday activity after a couple of weeks and become more and more of a couch potato that goes to the gym an hour a day- then guess what, my daily activity level would be so low I would start gaining weight.
And really who wants to turn down an evening with friends because the gym has worn then out.
Logging as acurately as possible so you are losing at the desired goal and eating back at least a portion of exercise calories is how MFP is designed to work, and better yet it preserves your energy levels and health.
Cheers, h.2 -
Step by step I will learn how it all works and what works for me. You are all so helpful! Thanks0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Yes, no, and maybe.....
First off, you have to understand how the tool works...MFP is designed to account for exercise after the fact rather than in your activity level...when you set your activity level based on your day to day WITHOUT exercise, then obviously exercise activity and the requisite energy required to support that effort would be unaccounted for in your calorie targets.
Secondly, you have to look at how accurate your estimates are overall...both coming in and going out. Many people underestimate their calories coming in and overestimate calories going out...then they state that "it doesn't work"...well, it doesn't work because of user error, not the methodology. Being as accurate as you can requires some time and research, particularly in the early stage of the game...many people don't even bother to verify their entries against other sources and they use generic entries like "So and So's Homemade Chicken Casserole" and such and they eyeball servings and have no idea if what they are logging is actually truly what they are consuming and they never bother to research their calorie burns...so again, it's not the method that doesn't work...it's the user who is messing up.
Thirdly, you have to consider what it is you're actually doing exercise wise. There's a huge difference between getting out and going for a walk or jumping on the treadmill for 30 minutes vs hitting the weight room hard and, say, training for an endurance event. I do a lot of cycling and spend about an hour most days during the week doing various training protocols...riding hill repeats...anaerobic interval training...just putting in miles, etc and then I usually ride 30-50 miles on the weekend...on top of that I lift 3x per week...if I didn't account for my training and the energy required to support that training, I'd be on my *kitten*, not to mention recovery and injury would become issues. If I'm just jumping on the elliptical to get in a little cardio, I don't much worry about it...when I'm training, that's another story.
As usual, cwolfman13 gives good advice.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!0 -
biggsterjackster wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!
If you're almost at your goal BMI, with a 1000 cal deficit per day you are definitely undereating.2 -
biggsterjackster wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!
yes they do but we minimize it by having a reasonable deficit.
I expect if you really are eating 1500 and burning 2500 a day you have lost more muscle mass than you know...
strength training and protein only take you so far and if you are in a 1k deficit you are not adding any muscle....
I suspect you are eating more than you think if you can actually eat so little for your activity....because you are in the vlcd area if these numbers are "true".0 -
To the OP...I eat most of mine back and have yet to stall at all....ever.
I equate it to our cars....we fill them with gas, drive until it has 1/4 tank...if we follow the same route back we will run out of gas so we need to at least put in another 1/2 tank of gas...to get us back.
Our bodies work like the car....you need the fuel for later..the next workout, the next day, the next hour whatever it is.
Goal should be to eat as much food as you can and still lose a reasonable amount of weight.1 -
biggsterjackster wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!
As close as you are to goal, why would you still be working at a 1000 cal/day deficit? Besides the risk of losing lean muscle as others have pointed out, that is going to be difficult to adjust to a maintenance calorie level.
OP there is a lot of good information in the "Most Helpful Posts" at the top of each forum section that will help explain how to be successful with this tool. In particular, I like this one and the links provided within it:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1235566/so-youre-new-here/p10 -
biggsterjackster wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!
yes they do but we minimize it by having a reasonable deficit.
I expect if you really are eating 1500 and burning 2500 a day you have lost more muscle mass than you know...
strength training and protein only take you so far and if you are in a 1k deficit you are not adding any muscle....
I suspect you are eating more than you think if you can actually eat so little for your activity....because you are in the vlcd area if these numbers are "true".
I thought vlcd is 800 cal a day. I eat 1500. Like I said everyone is losing muscle in a cal. deficit but it wasn't to much according to the gym where I have my measurements taken. As soon as I reach my weight goal, which is in about 4 weeks, I'll eat at maintenance and keep up my strength training to build up muscle. BTW no hair loss either.0 -
biggsterjackster wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »biggsterjackster wrote: »With my 1000 cal deficit per day goal I simply can't eat them back. MFP wants you to eat it back I guess.
Unless you have over 75 pounds to lose, a 1000 cal deficit per day goal is too aggressive. You'll be losing lean muscle mass as well as fat, which is not a good thing. Chronic undereating can also put one at risk for hair loss, etc.
Everybody who is losing weight loses lean mass too more or less. I eat 1500 cal and burn 2500 cal a day. Lost a lot of fat and not to much lean mass thanks to high protein/calcium diet plus strength training. Almost at my dream BMI 22. Probably not recommended for most people but I gain muscle through strength training very easy. So no worries!
yes they do but we minimize it by having a reasonable deficit.
I expect if you really are eating 1500 and burning 2500 a day you have lost more muscle mass than you know...
strength training and protein only take you so far and if you are in a 1k deficit you are not adding any muscle....
I suspect you are eating more than you think if you can actually eat so little for your activity....because you are in the vlcd area if these numbers are "true".
I thought vlcd is 800 cal a day. I eat 1500. Like I said everyone is losing muscle in a cal. deficit but it wasn't to much according to the gym where I have my measurements taken. As soon as I reach my weight goal, which is in about 4 weeks, I'll eat at maintenance and keep up my strength training to build up muscle. BTW no hair loss either.
So you are just going to add 1000 cals/day to what you are currently eating? That's quite a jump.0 -
michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
It's going to depend on if you have any metabolic disorders or syndrome. If so definitely do not try eating back calories or you won't drop an ounce!!0 -
michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
What's that ? You weren't eating enough and so what put on weight ? Goodness. And now your what ? Overweight from not eating enough ?
Think you maybe need to get honest with yourself.
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That was mean.michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
What's that ? You weren't eating enough and so what put on weight ? Goodness. And now your what ? Overweight from not eating enough ?
Think you maybe need to get honest with yourself.
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There is a Scoby Calculator you can use to get a more accurate idea of what you should be eating. You can customize your goal on MFP.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/0 -
michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
What's that ? You weren't eating enough and so what put on weight ? Goodness. And now your what ? Overweight from not eating enough ?
Think you maybe need to get honest with yourself.
The OP will have to clarify but I understood her question to be related specifically to eating back exercise calories. She had a goal of 1390 provided by MFP, and didn't realize that she was also supposed to eat back some exercise calories on top of that (a common mistake). Difficulty reaching the goal is also a common mistake when people start out and begin tosubstitute more nutrient dense, higher volume, lower calorie foods for what they previously ate. There are threads with good suggestions on how to overcome this like:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p12 -
WinoGelato wrote: »michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
What's that ? You weren't eating enough and so what put on weight ? Goodness. And now your what ? Overweight from not eating enough ?
Think you maybe need to get honest with yourself.
The OP will have to clarify but I understood her question to be related specifically to eating back exercise calories. She had a goal of 1390 provided by MFP, and didn't realize that she was also supposed to eat back some exercise calories on top of that (a common mistake). Difficulty reaching the goal is also a common mistake when people start out and begin tosubstitute more nutrient dense, higher volume, lower calorie foods for what they previously ate. There are threads with good suggestions on how to overcome this like:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
Yes that makes more sense than my literal reading of the post.0 -
michsarg11 wrote: »Being new to this Healthy eating and living im a bit lost. Im currently following a 1390 calorie intake. I have also been working out and going to the gym. The question I have is do i stick to the 1390 or do I need to eat more to make up calories burned??? Most days i find it hard to even make it to my goal of 1390 which is crazy..... I was apparently (unintentionally) not eating enough. Any and all thoughts are welcome!
In some cases, No. In some cases, Yes. I'll try to explain. The exercise database has an exercise for us desk jockeys called "Sitting at desk". Having vast experience with sitting at desk, I understand that it is scarcely more taxing than a basal metabolic rate. One of my friends new to this whole thing logged her job and overtime as 11 hours of "Sitting at desk" and got credit for burning over 600 calories. Or maybe she used that as a substitute for sitting on the couch watching Judge Judy. I don't know. Either way, you will greatly err, and gain weight, if you add 600 calories of food to your 1390 food plan just because you sat on your butt all day.
A few weeks ago I was sticking to my ~1400 plan on a Saturday and decided to cut down a tree. That turned into quite a lot of work. The exercise database does not have an entry for lumberjacking, so I used 'Gardening, General' and got credit for burning over 600 calories before dinner. I was at negative net calories for the day during the afternoon, and felt lightheaded while still working. As I was working with a chainsaw, I wanted to be alert, so I went inside and ate a banana. It turned out that the amount of calories in that banana were the net calories I had that day.
Since you are at the beginning of this journey, I'm going to infer that you are not accustomed to burning a hard-core ton of calories in a fitness club. Rather, you go grocery shopping and can get credit for "Walking, 2.0 mph" for all kinds of outings and excursions. Use discretion. If it doesn't feel like a workout, don't eat back the calories. If it does feel like a workout, don't eat back any more than half the calories.1
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