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amandaherr · June 2016

Did anyone else read the article about feeling weight loss is hopeless? I am particularly wondering about the part that says you will sabotage weight loss by counting your exercise calories toward your daily allotted calories. Anyone have any comments on this? I am at a 16 pound loss and have 95 pounds to go for goal so I need the best advice.

ElJefePerron · June 2016

Counting exercise calories is dangerous as it's incredibly imprecise. Most people here suggest counting 50%or less of those calories. I tend to agree with that.

Personally, unless I exceed 500 exercise calories, I tend not to eat any back. I also try to incorporate resistance and higher impact interval training as studies show thru boost metabolic rates for longer periods of time, adding to a caloric deficit.

fatacceptanceisstupid · June 2016

I just do rough counts of my calories and ensure that I'm around 200-300 under my recommended. Like ElJefePerron, I don't really count exercise unless its a day hike or a golfing trip. If I had to get a scale and calculator each time, I'd go crazy.

I think it's BS to think that calorie-counting is 'sabotage.' In fact, it clarified to me which foods were contributing most to my weight.

Congrats on the weight loss. You clearly are doing something right.

MissusMoon · June 2016

I don't usually count my exercise calories but if I was extra active (gym plus a lot of physical activity during the day--more than normal) I don't sweat going a bit over, especially if I need energy. Never anything significant.

Weight loss is done in the kitchen. Weighing, logging and planning is empowering. It empowered me to have a ribeye steak and wine tonight and know I'll still lose weight.

When I started I had more to lose than you. I'm confident this will get done. Counting my calories and getting exercise is working for me. Even more, I feel terrific. My health has improved vastly.

You can do this. Don't look for reasons to be discouraged. Spend more time reading the "success stories" forum than articles that provide excuses to quit.

Lenala13 · June 2016

I think the danger lies in getting stuck in the mentality of "I exercised, so I can eat whatever I want". Generally, it's very difficult to exercise enough to make up for poor food choices. Try thinking of exercise as a tool to help with weight loss and use nutritious foods and reasonable portions to fuel your exercise.

catsdogsh · June 2016

I never count my exercise calories because I don't trust the measurement of calories burned

LessthanKris · June 2016

When I started, I ate all my exercise calories back and it worked out perfectly fine. Lost 30 lbs with no weighing anything and eating all my calories back. For me, MFP already had me at 1200 so I felt like I would not sustain by not eating them back.

I still eat them back but I have a harder time not going over this last year and I work out six days a week. I gained about 10 lbs the last half of the year due to various "excuses" and have been maintaining so far this year but I know why. When I just eat my exercise calories back I lose but like I said, I have been over. I try not eat my Fitbit calories back though so maybe since I usually get my 10k steps in and my profile is set to lightly active it has made up the difference when I do lose.

raindawg · June 2016

I eat my exercise calories back and still consistently hit my weekly weight loss goal. I realize I may be in the minority though.

victoria_1024 · June 2016

I lost all my weight eating back exercise calories. Not all of them but most. Lost 87 lbs and I'm in maintenance now. I seriously don't think I could've kept it up long term if I hadn't eaten them back.

veganbaum · June 2016

I looked up the article, because the few times I've read an MFP article/blog/whatever the heck they're called on here, I actually haven't agreed with them.

I think you're latching onto one thing in that article rather than the larger picture. It just mentioned that a Vox article looked at studies saying that counting calories from exercise will sabotage your weight loss. Now, I'm not going to look at those studies to see what the context of that statement is. Did you? Maybe it would clarify things for you.

What I will say is that if I didn't count my calories from exercise and accurately account for my activity level, I would really be under eating. I chose sedentary on MFP because I have a kind-of desk job. However, with intentional non-exercise movement throughout the day, most work days I am much more active than sedentary. Then I add exercise on top of that. I can't adequately fuel all of that on a sedentary setting with no adjustments (I use a Fitbit and allow that to adjust my calories as necessary).

AnnPT77 · June 2016

I've eaten back my exercise calories (most or all of them) while losing 60+ pounds April 2015-March 2016, and while maintaining at around 120 pounds since then.

I do estimate exercise calories conservatively (heart rate monitor, comparison with MFP & other, more multi-variable exercise calculators, then pick the low end).

I'm pretty active, and if I cut calories too far (which happened briefly during weight loss), I get fatigued. But I'm old (60), plus hypothyroid, so those may be why it hits me harder if I get too deep a deficit.

jkal1979 · June 2016

OP do you have a link to this article?

Christine_72 · June 2016

The only reason I got a fitbit is so I could better estimate my calories out and know how many to eat back. I am pretty sure it overestimates, so I don't eat all of them back.

ElizabethOakes2 · June 2016

I eat back half my exercise calories, and have lost weight steadily since I started really tracking my intake/output. *shrug* And if I've done serious cardio that day? I NEED those calories or I end up with the hangries.

fr33sia12 · June 2016

I don't usually eat my exercise calories back, unless I burn 400-500 cals then I might eat an extra 100 or so. I'll only eat some of them back if I'm hungry knowing I have some extra calories. I've found this has been working for me personally.

Machka9 · June 2016

I count my exercise calories ... but low, of course. I know that most calorie counters overestimate the number of calories burned while exercising so I choose slow speeds and light workouts even if I actually put in quite a bit of effort.

When I was actively losing weight, I ate about 50% of my exercise calories back.

Now that I've lost 25 kg (55 lbs), and I'm closer to maintenance, I eat about 80-90% of my exercise calories back.

Works for me.

VintageFeline · June 2016

I eat all of my exercise, lose exactly as I should. A someone else said, I'd be undereating and just plain hungry if I didn't eat them and I only ever have set my goal to 1lb per week.

I do however use an HRM and a smart watch with a gym specific app for my calorie and step counts.

Women who eat 1200 gross and exercise quite intensively scare me a bit with the damage they are probably doing to their bodies. Assuming those 1200 calories are accurately tracked of course.

And there's the rub. Generally, those who complain eating all of their calories or a good proportion of them and complain it stalls their losses aren't tracking their food accurately enough. Making the fault their accuracy of intake and not the accuracy of output.

amusedmonkey · June 2016

I don't feel this is an issue for me. I count and eat back my exercise calories without problems. I'm reasonable of course, I don't expect to rack up 500 calories in 30 minutes of "cleaning", but things like walking and running are pretty predictable and consistent calorie-wise.

I also don't see an issue with the "exercise to eat more" mentality if you understand what reasonable burns look like and don't have an eating disorder. This whole "exercise for this purpose and nothing else" doesn't gel with me. People should be free to exercise for whatever reason they want and shouldn't feel ashamed if they secretly have "inferior" reasons like calorie burns or looks. Those extra 2-300 calories can enhance a meal in great ways or allow for an extra snack that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

sijomial · June 2016

I eat all my exercise calories back whether losing or maintaining and my weight follows suit - that's roughly 3500 in winter and sometimes 7000+ a week in summer.

It's not a flawed method, the flaw is in how people apply the method.

For most people, even a high exerciser like me, the accuracy focus is better spent on your food intake which has a far greater impact.

20yearsyounger · June 2016

I'm in maintenance and I count calories and enjoy eating and drinking every single one of my exercise calories back. I didn't eat all of mine back when losing but that wasn't because of inaccuracy, that was because I wanted to lose faster and didn't feel like I needed to feed my body more than what it was asking for.

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