Calories

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mrsross7338
mrsross7338 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. Should I be eating the full amount of calories the app says I can have on a daily basis including exercise calories ?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Ideally, yes. However, exercise calories can often be overstated, so recommendations are to only eat back 50% of them.

    Or instead of daily, you can follow a weekly goal. Many people who like to socialize on the weekends will do this, cutting a few more calories out from the days leading up to that one so when they eat more than their goal it won't do so much damage.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Set your calorie goal according to what you have to lose (don't assume 1200 calories is always best), log correctly, including weighing everything on an electronic food scale, and eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories.
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
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    Yes. Some people quibble about the accuracy of the exercise calories sk only eat back 50% or none. But what works for you is what works for you.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Keep in mind that the daily goal MFP gives you has you at a calorie deficit even without exercise. Meaning you can eat to goal daily and you'll lose weight. And if you log exercise, eating at least some of those back is ideal because you're still in deficit.

    My goal is to eat as many cals as I can while still losing - keeps me well fueled, it's sustainable, and it works - lost the weight and have kept it off for around 4 years now eating at a very small deficit.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    Yes, you should eat all of the set calories that MFP gives you. However, excercise calories are optional. If you feel more hungry on a particular day, eat some or all of them back. If not, no need to eat them back.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Eileen_S wrote: »
    Yes, you should eat all of the set calories that MFP gives you. However, excercise calories are optional. If you feel more hungry on a particular day, eat some or all of them back. If not, no need to eat them back.

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    Lots say to eat back 50-75%...when I used MFP NEAT method I logged exercise here and ate them all back and it didn't hinder my weight loss...

    But try 50-75% if you are worried and if you are losing at a rate you are good with and that is healthy it's all good.
  • mrsross7338
    mrsross7338 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks everyone
  • stephinator92
    stephinator92 Posts: 162 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Eileen_S wrote: »
    Yes, you should eat all of the set calories that MFP gives you. However, excercise calories are optional. If you feel more hungry on a particular day, eat some or all of them back. If not, no need to eat them back.

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    Lots say to eat back 50-75%...when I used MFP NEAT method I logged exercise here and ate them all back and it didn't hinder my weight loss...

    But try 50-75% if you are worried and if you are losing at a rate you are good with and that is healthy it's all good.

    What do you mean by the NEAT method?
  • kaaaaaat3
    kaaaaaat3 Posts: 13 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    I think the issue is that most of MFP's exercise calorie estimates (and even estimates from HR monitors) can be way too big, so if you're eating back all of your exercise calories, you may be going over your target net calories for the day.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    edited May 2016
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    stephinator92 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Eileen_S wrote: »
    Yes, you should eat all of the set calories that MFP gives you. However, excercise calories are optional. If you feel more hungry on a particular day, eat some or all of them back. If not, no need to eat them back.

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    Lots say to eat back 50-75%...when I used MFP NEAT method I logged exercise here and ate them all back and it didn't hinder my weight loss...

    But try 50-75% if you are worried and if you are losing at a rate you are good with and that is healthy it's all good.

    What do you mean by the NEAT method?

    NEAT is Non Exercise Activity Thermogenics. vs TDEE method of Total Daily energy Expenditure which is the amount of calories required to maintain

    Meaning MFP gives you the amount of calories required to lose the weight prior to exercise calories.
    kaaaaaat3 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    I think the issue is that most of MFP's exercise calorie estimates (and even estimates from HR monitors) can be way too big, so if you're eating back all of your exercise calories, you may be going over your target net calories for the day.

    It depends on the person...MFP exercise calories are bang on for me.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Yes that is how the app works (calories to loose weight + exercise calories = net calories for the day).

    However, play with the amount of exercise calories you eat back. You don't have to eat these calories and choke on them if you are absolutely not hungry.. it will just give you a larger deficit for the day.

    If you want to eat them back and you are 100% confident in how the calculated burn was created (device watch, cardio computer, HR, phone app, etc) you can eat back some or all (word of caution usually over inflated so try to eat back a portion and watch your weight loss trend and eat more or less based on the weight trends).
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    kaaaaaat3 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »

    I wouldn't call them optional. MFP uses the NEAT method which gives you the calories required to lose the weight you have entered...the exercise calories are meant to be eaten back. You need to fuel your next work out...I equate it to putting gas in the car...

    I think the issue is that most of MFP's exercise calorie estimates (and even estimates from HR monitors) can be way too big, so if you're eating back all of your exercise calories, you may be going over your target net calories for the day.

    Both when briefly using MFP calories and when using my HRM they've been bang on for me. I think a lot of this "exercise calories are grossly inflated" assertion around these parts is exaggerated. As much could be accounted for with logging errors/inaccuracies and people just blame "wrong" calorie burns. Fact is, if using MFP as designed, you should be fuelling your workouts if they are of any sort of decent intensity.

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