Dont eat back exercise calories?
banana_butterfly
Posts: 29 Member
My calorie goal is 1200, if i dont eat back the exercise calories, im at 900, isnt that dangerous?? I keep reading "dont eat back those calories", is that good advice or are people on higher calorie diets so that deficit still keeps them above the doctor recomended minimum of 1200?
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Replies
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http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
If you are using MFP to tell you how many calories to eat, you should probably be eating back some portion of your exercise calories.
If you are using an external calculator and then customizing your intake to match that, you should not be eating back your exercise calories.
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NET calories are what's important. If you eat 1200 and then burn off 300 then your NET calories are 900. Your body had an intake of 900 calories for the day. If 1200 calories is giving you a weight loss of 1 pound a week then eating back those calories still works. 1200 -300 + 300 = 1200.
My calorie goal is 2500 a day. I know, I know. Sounds like a ton of food right? But wait. My morning workouts burn around 1,100 calories. How long do you think I could keep running a bit over 10k if I was eating 2500 - 1100 = 1400 calories a day? Not very long. I'd tank within a month I'm sure. I add pretty much all of that back in. Even though I have 3600 calories the NET effect is still just 2500 calories and my weight stays the same. (I'm trying to maintain weight)
Skipping exercise calories isn't sustainable in the long run.
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Yes that's not a healthy thing to do...eat back at least half those exercise calories. You need to aim for a net of 1200.
Eating back some accounts for overestimated calorie burns/inaccuracies.2 -
If I want to lose weight I drop my base to 2000 and still eat back exercise calories. I lose about a pound a week even if I'm eating 3000 calories a day. NET calories are what matter.0
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Ah i see, thanks for the replies!0
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I'm not sure where you're reading "don't eat back your exercise calories". MFP is set up so that you do eat all or at least a portion of your exercise calories back. Your calorie goal is net, including any exercise. Some people will start by eating back just 25-50% because many of the estimated calorie burns given by the exercise database are on the high side. Try that for a couple of weeks and see how much weight you're losing. If it's more than 2 lbs/wk then move up to 50-75% of your exercise calories and try that for a couple of weeks. It takes a little trial and error to find the right mix for you.
Personally, I have my activity set to sedentary and my goal to lose 2 lbs/wk. I eat back all of my exercise calories and sometimes more. As long as I am logging accurately (that's the big key) I lose 2 lbs/wk and feel great.3 -
If you don't need them ie you aren't hungry then don't eat them. But, if you are starving just eat them. Do you want to lose weight faster or are you perfectly happy with whatever goal you have set in myfitnesspal? If you are happy with myfitnesspal predictions then it anticipates you eating them0
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ailledepapillon wrote: »My calorie goal is 1200, if i dont eat back the exercise calories, im at 900, isnt that dangerous?? I keep reading "dont eat back those calories", is that good advice or are people on higher calorie diets so that deficit still keeps them above the doctor recomended minimum of 1200?
That is advice from people have no clue how this tool actually works...there does seem like there are a lot of people without a friggin' clue.4 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »ailledepapillon wrote: »My calorie goal is 1200, if i dont eat back the exercise calories, im at 900, isnt that dangerous?? I keep reading "dont eat back those calories", is that good advice or are people on higher calorie diets so that deficit still keeps them above the doctor recomended minimum of 1200?
That is advice from people have no clue how this tool actually works...there does seem like there are a lot of people without a friggin' clue.
So then what's your advice?0 -
I'm not sure where you're reading "don't eat back your exercise calories". MFP is set up so that you do eat all or at least a portion of your exercise calories back. Your calorie goal is net, including any exercise. Some people will start by eating back just 25-50% because many of the estimated calorie burns given by the exercise database are on the high side. Try that for a couple of weeks and see how much weight you're losing. If it's more than 2 lbs/wk then move up to 50-75% of your exercise calories and try that for a couple of weeks. It takes a little trial and error to find the right mix for you.
Personally, I have my activity set to sedentary and my goal to lose 2 lbs/wk. I eat back all of my exercise calories and sometimes more. As long as I am logging accurately (that's the big key) I lose 2 lbs/wk and feel great.
A lot of people don't eat back their exercise calories for a variety of reasons, whether legitimate (hard to estimate how many calories were burned) or not (believing if they eat them back they'll no longer be in a deficit).0 -
So much back and forth on this. I eat some to all of mine(I don't always eat them unless hungry because of possibility of inaccuracies with their calculations on my calories burned) based on hunger and losing 2 lbs/week(which is what I'm set at because I have 100+ lbs to lose its healthy) or near there on average.
I'd say go based on your body. If you aren't losing try eating some/half. If you are losing keep doing what you are doing for now. But technically speaking it is my understanding that MFP is counting on you eating them.2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »ailledepapillon wrote: »My calorie goal is 1200, if i dont eat back the exercise calories, im at 900, isnt that dangerous?? I keep reading "dont eat back those calories", is that good advice or are people on higher calorie diets so that deficit still keeps them above the doctor recomended minimum of 1200?
That is advice from people have no clue how this tool actually works...there does seem like there are a lot of people without a friggin' clue.
So then what's your advice?
Ummm....IDK...maybe use the tool as it is designed to be used...just a thought.
This really isn't effing rocket science...it's pretty much 5th grade math to figure this out.1 -
Everyone's different. But I personally don't eat back my exercise calorie spent
But in all honesty, do what makes you happy.1 -
My goal is 1300 and I eat around 1900-2000. I eat around 75% of my exercise calories. I actually lose weight better when I properly fuel my body.1
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I don't eat mine back because I believe the calories burned estimate given to me is inaccurate. MFP gave me 1450 for weight loss of 1lb/week. I try to stay withon 100 calories of that in either direction.1
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I don't sweat it if I'm a little under or above my goal of 1300-ish. A lot of days I net around 1100, some 1400, on the rare occasion 900, and a handful of times a month, don't even track.
If you're still hungry eat. Whether it's a protein shake, a handful of veggies or fruit; i.e. whatever you might be lacking macro wise.
If you aren't, don't stress about it. Pay closer attention to macros and nutrients vs calories and you'll learn life-long habits that hopefully won't depend on tracking every bite.1 -
ShrinkinMel wrote: »So much back and forth on this. I eat some to all of mine(I don't always eat them unless hungry because of possibility of inaccuracies with their calculations on my calories burned) based on hunger and losing 2 lbs/week(which is what I'm set at because I have 100+ lbs to lose its healthy) or near there on average.
I'd say go based on your body. If you aren't losing try eating some/half. If you are losing keep doing what you are doing for now. But technically speaking it is my understanding that MFP is counting on you eating them.
Yes, unlike TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT system and as such is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back.
However, because the burns given by MFP tend to be inflated, many here suggest not eating more than 50% of the calories you earn from exercise.0 -
If you are on a target calorie goal of 1200, you should eat back all your exercise calories, but you should also check-in with your weight daily and watch your progress for a month. If you don't lose the expected weight in a month, reduce the amount of exercise calories you eat back.0
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I dunno. I eat back maybe 100 of my exercise calories, and I am very strong, healthy and fit. It's not that much doom & gloom1
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If I go for 2lbs/week, my goal is 1200 calories. I just can't do it without eating back exercise, and I can't exercise well with only 1,200. I would say 80% sounds like a nice max so long as your food logging is accurate, but you have to give it a few weeks to see how accurate your burns are. When my Fitbit tracks exercise, it actually gives me very similar burns to what MFP's database would.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »ailledepapillon wrote: »My calorie goal is 1200, if i dont eat back the exercise calories, im at 900, isnt that dangerous?? I keep reading "dont eat back those calories", is that good advice or are people on higher calorie diets so that deficit still keeps them above the doctor recomended minimum of 1200?
That is advice from people have no clue how this tool actually works...there does seem like there are a lot of people without a friggin' clue.
So then what's your advice?
Ummm....IDK...maybe use the tool as it is designed to be used...just a thought.
This really isn't effing rocket science...it's pretty much 5th grade math to figure this out.
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Really??? You don't have to be rude about it.3
This discussion has been closed.
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