Eating back calories...
Shazr2
Posts: 33 Member
Does everyone eat back calories burned with exercise? I'm planning not to, will this effect my loss? TIA
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Replies
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Im debating with the same question.. I got different opinions2
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MFP as designed intends for you to eat calories back. The app gave you a deficit BEFORE exercise.
Many people will eat back a percentage (50-75%) because calorie burns are estimates.
The reason for eating back some calories - fuel your future workouts - help reduce lean muscle mass loss - encourage more activity.4 -
I am definately no expert, but if you eat the workout calories wouldn't you stay at the same weight? Less calories equal more weight loss?3
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If your calorie goal comes from MFP, you should consider eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories especially if your overall calorie goal is low or you are engaging in more exercise.1
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If you are using MFP as it was designed you should eat back exercise calories....at least some of them.
MFP using the NEAT method (non-exercise activity Thermogenesis) meaning it gives you the calories you need to eat to lose the weight you said you wanted to.
So what you are supposed to do is log the exercise and let it add in the extra calories to your log for consumption.
People do find however that MFP exercise calories can be high (not always the way but some do find it) so the standard recommendation is to eat back 50-75% of them.
I always did and it didn't hinder my weight loss.0 -
JamesBost2016 wrote: »I am definately no expert, but if you eat the workout calories wouldn't you stay at the same weight? Less calories equal more weight loss?
No you don't stay at the same weight if you are using MFP numbers.
If you use a calculator that factors in exercise before giving you a deficit (TDEE less a %)......then you don't eat calories back.
Faster weight loss can mean a larger % of lean muscle mass loss. I want to lower my body fat %, and am not currently obese so eating back calories is important to me.
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The way MFP is designed, you are eating at a deficit already - so exercising creates a larger one.
So... say I eat 1500 calories, which includes a 250 calorie deficit. I workout, burn another 250, so my deficit is 500 - too large for me at this stage of weight loss... so I eat back 250 (give or take), and I'm still back at -250, and will thus lose, not maintain.0 -
If I didn't I would go insane. I've set my calories as sedentary despite probably being lightly active at the very least. I love to eat what can I say1
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If I didn't I would go insane. I've set my calories as sedentary despite probably being lightly active at the very least. I love to eat what can I say
if you set it as lightly active you get more calories anyway...unless you are sedentary and/or have a fitness tracker you shouldn't set your activity level to sedentary.0 -
When you signed up for MFP, it asked you how much you weigh, how much you want to weigh, and how quickly you want to get there.
For the sake of having numbers, let's say I weigh 215 lbs, I want to weigh 200, and I want to lose 1/2 pound per week. That means I should have a deficit of 500 calories per day, I should burn 500 more than I eat.
So let's say I burn 500 calories one day running a 5k. If I eat them back, I have a 500 calorie deficit. If I don't eat them back, I have a 1,000 calorie deficit which means I'm losing weight too quickly, I only want to lose 1/2 pound per week. I don't want to wind up like those Biggest Loser people who gained all their weight back and maybe ruined their metabolism. I want to make this a sustainable thing that I can do for the rest of my life. So yes, I eat my exercise calories back.
The problem is that for a lot of people it's hard to know exactly how many you're burning. You estimate it with whatever method you're most comfortable with, you track your food and your weight, and, over time, you adjust according to your results.2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »When you signed up for MFP, it asked you how much you weigh, how much you want to weigh, and how quickly you want to get there.
For the sake of having numbers, let's say I weigh 215 lbs, I want to weigh 200, and I want to lose 1/2 pound per week. That means I should have a deficit of 500 calories per day, I should burn 500 more than I eat.
So let's say I burn 500 calories one day running a 5k. If I eat them back, I have a 500 calorie deficit. If I don't eat them back, I have a 1,000 calorie deficit which means I'm losing weight too quickly, I only want to lose 1/2 pound per week. I don't want to wind up like those Biggest Loser people who gained all their weight back and maybe ruined their metabolism. I want to make this a sustainable thing that I can do for the rest of my life. So yes, I eat my exercise calories back.
The problem is that for a lot of people it's hard to know exactly how many you're burning. You estimate it with whatever method you're most comfortable with, you track your food and your weight, and, over time, you adjust according to your results.
This is a good explanation, but a deficit of 500 a day would be for a goal of 1 pound per week, not 1/2 per week.1 -
what rate of loss did you choose when you set up your account? what daily activity setting did you pick?
I personally am currently set for 1 lb/week and use my FitBit (it logs my movement and adds exercise calories to my MFP totals when I've moved more in my day, if I move more...). Based on this info, the number MFP gives me is already 500 calories below my "maintenance" calories that I'd need to maintain the same weight. If I eat every calories MFP gives me, I will in theory lose 1lb per week.
However, on a day-to-day basis if I'm more hungry or less hungry I may eat above or below the target MFP gives me. But I look at the average "net" calories for the past week and see if I'm overall on average above or below my target (remembering that my target already includes a 500 calorie deficit).0 -
I focus on both the total calories I consume and the amount I burn... I'm going for a set-amount of calories in a day, which is at a deficit so that my body burns the fat I've accumulated. So, if my goal is for 1500 calories in a day, and I burn 500, then I can eat 2000. A couple things - that doesn't mean for me "Yay, I can eat 500 cal of Ben & Jerry's", I still watch the fat, carb and protein balance. Secondly, if you don't "make up" for the exercise a little bit, you may find later exercise tougher in terms of strength and edurance, so less effective.1
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I do. Fitbit gave me reason to eat more and I feel better about it everyday. I don't have to deprive myself of good food anymore as long as I burn it at the end of the day.
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If I didn't I would go insane. I've set my calories as sedentary despite probably being lightly active at the very least. I love to eat what can I say
if you set it as lightly active you get more calories anyway...unless you are sedentary and/or have a fitness tracker you shouldn't set your activity level to sedentary.
True but it seems like it would be better to just to add in the calories manually. I did have a couple activity trackers bit returned them. I have a mi band 2 coming on eventually so I can do my own adjustments. I don't know I'll eat at the level of sedentary and a few of the extra calories buy not all. I'm not actively trying to lose weight right now but am about 5 pounds over my original goal weight so if I continue to lose it wouldn't be too bad. Eventually I'll find a better way.0 -
Does everyone eat back calories burned with exercise? I'm planning not to, will this effect my loss? TIA
I don't. I normally don't exercise until about 6pm and I don't feel hungry after that. I don't want to eat just because it says I've earned back calories. To me, the whole idea of working out is to get healthier and burn calories. Why burn a couple hundred calories on the treadmill only to eat it back?2 -
I have MFP set to maintenance. I eat every single exercise calorie back, and I'm consistently, albeit very slowly, losing weight.0
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For me, i'm set on sedentary and I wear a fitbit when i'm leaving the house and exercising (never around the house for me, i don't move enough to count it as exercise). This helps me get a perspective of how much calories i can eat. I generally never eat more than 50% back. So, if i get 800kcal from fitbit, i'll eat about 100-400kcals back.0
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I rarely eat mine back. Now that I have the fitbit blaze, feel a bit more comfortable eating some back, but it's rare. I use the extra calories, usually about 500 a day to offset a few pretzels, vitamins or steak sauce on something, so those occasions might be 100 calories.0
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Many people will eat back a percentage (50-75%) because calorie burns are estimates.
I do the same. I eat back up to 60-70% of exercise calories because I figure the apps I use to calculate those exercise calories are inflated by about 30%. If you don't eat some of the calories back you'll be at an unhealthy rate for losing weight. You'll end up sick, tired, or even injured in the future all because of malnutrition. Of course if you are severely over weight some of that can be compensated by burning existing body fat, but once you get lower and closer to your goals your body needs those extra calories to function efficiently.0 -
jammer1963 wrote: »Does everyone eat back calories burned with exercise? I'm planning not to, will this effect my loss? TIA
I don't. I normally don't exercise until about 6pm and I don't feel hungry after that. I don't want to eat just because it says I've earned back calories. To me, the whole idea of working out is to get healthier and burn calories. Why burn a couple hundred calories on the treadmill only to eat it back?
Timing isn't relevant. If you know you will be working out then plan those calories somewhere in your day.....or even the next day.
Why eat them back?
There are people that set aggressive weight loss goals .....say eat 1200 calories & then exercise for 400 calories. That person is only netting 800 calories. That is dangerously low. If you've set a moderate goal, and are doing moderate exercise....then it's not such a big deal. BUT, be aware that when most people lose weight (obese people not so much) but most people lose fat+lean muscle mass. Fast weight loss makes it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass.
It's not just the number on the scale....it's body composition too.0 -
JamesBost2016 wrote: »I am definately no expert, but if you eat the workout calories wouldn't you stay at the same weight? Less calories equal more weight loss?
No!!!!
If you borrow $5 from a friend and then immediately pay it back, do you have less money than when you started?2 -
Today I've ate 1128 calories but burned 412 calories. My total calories per day is 1200, so I then think I have 72 left so how many should I aim to eat back??0
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My husband and I do NOT. There is no way I am eating up my hard work. No matter how much I want that snack. My MFP is set to sedentary with a 1 lb loss. I consistently lose 2lbs a week eating the calories it specifies for 1 lb by not eating my exercise calories. If I move the loss up to 2lbs it puts my calories down to 1200 and I get HANGRY.
Every one does it differrent. You have to do what works for you.3 -
Today I've ate 1128 calories but burned 412 calories. My total calories per day is 1200, so I then think I have 72 left so how many should I aim to eat back??
In theory, you can eat 484 more calories and still lose at the rate you've set the ap to. Though, in practice most people eat only a portion of their exercise calories if they "eat them back" at all.1 -
I don't unless I'm really hungry afterwards0
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jammer1963 wrote: »Does everyone eat back calories burned with exercise? I'm planning not to, will this effect my loss? TIA
I don't. I normally don't exercise until about 6pm and I don't feel hungry after that. I don't want to eat just because it says I've earned back calories. To me, the whole idea of working out is to get healthier and burn calories. Why burn a couple hundred calories on the treadmill only to eat it back?
part of working out and being/getting fit and healthy is also learning how to actually fuel your fitness...failure to fuel your fitness retards fitness gains. burning some calories is a nice bi-product of exercise...but not the purpose of exercise.4 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »jammer1963 wrote: »Does everyone eat back calories burned with exercise? I'm planning not to, will this effect my loss? TIA
I don't. I normally don't exercise until about 6pm and I don't feel hungry after that. I don't want to eat just because it says I've earned back calories. To me, the whole idea of working out is to get healthier and burn calories. Why burn a couple hundred calories on the treadmill only to eat it back?
part of working out and being/getting fit and healthy is also learning how to actually fuel your fitness...failure to fuel your fitness retards fitness gains. burning some calories is a nice bi-product of exercise...but not the purpose of exercise.
Yep. As someone who has gotten more and more serious about fitness over the past year and a half, it's made me realize how important fueling my workouts really is. I don't just *feel* better when I eat enough to fuel my activity. I run faster/longer, can do more reps, recover more quickly, etc.3
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