Question on eating calories back after exercise

yatezy84
yatezy84 Posts: 5 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
New to this and only 2 weeks into MFP but this has made me curious.

When setting up your calories to eat you set up your activity level. Does this not take into account the calories that are lost during exercise? Why do you need to add an extra deficit into your daily diet if it's already been taken into account?

Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    On MFP your activity level is supposed to be based on what your day is like WITHOUT exercise and you get to eat a bit more when you do workout. This is so you lose with or without working out at approximately the same rate.

    Now the "exercise goals" are not used in calculating your calorie goal. This is just a personal goal for you to shoot for at the bottom of your exercise diary. The calories for the exercise don't get accounted for until you log it. So if you don't workout as much as you said you would it won't impact your rate of loss.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    The activity level is meant to account for "accidental exercise" you get - basically the stuff you do "outside" the gym.

    You might be a mailman on a pushbike then come home and have three brats children to run around after. You do this daily and your accidental activity level is higher. Compare that to an office worker that drives to work, sits down for 7-8 hours, drives home, binge watches Game of Thrones with their cat (no kids, you see) and then goes to bed. Not much accidental exercise there!

    So MFP takes these factors into consideration and goes, okay - on an "average" day, using our formulas, you need X calories (Which is your maintenance minus your loss deficit). Then you go sweat it out in the gym for an hour and suddenly you are another Y calories down, making your loss deficit even bigger. Now this might not be a problem if you have a lot to lose, but if you're on a cut/bulk cycle and trying to preserve muscle mass, the extra deficit could speed up your loss rate and interfere with your goals - therefore you eat back some of them tasty exercise calories.
  • yatezy84
    yatezy84 Posts: 5 Member
    Got it, cheers.

    I think I may need to look at my activity level again as I have set it based on the inclusion of exercise. Good information, thank you.
  • madikasingersmommy
    madikasingersmommy Posts: 15 Member
    I never eat the calories I work off :)
  • robynswmo
    robynswmo Posts: 13 Member
    madikasingersmommy wrote: »
    I never eat the calories I work off :)

    Just for clarity...

    Because if you had OVER 100lbs to lose the calories worked off through exercising an hour... Should, in fact, help you lose weight?

    Right?
  • robynswmo
    robynswmo Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you. Thank you very much. That makes sense and sounds healthy as well.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    robynswmo wrote: »
    madikasingersmommy wrote: »
    I never eat the calories I work off :)

    Just for clarity...

    Because if you had OVER 100lbs to lose the calories worked off through exercising an hour... Should, in fact, help you lose weight?

    Right?

    Wrong. That's not clarity, it's your opinion and not how the tool is set up to be used.

    That person would have a long period of weight loss and it needs to be sustainable.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Worth reading -

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • robynswmo
    robynswmo Posts: 13 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    robynswmo wrote: »
    madikasingersmommy wrote: »
    I never eat the calories I work off :)

    Just for clarity...

    Because if you had OVER 100lbs to lose the calories worked off through exercising an hour... Should, in fact, help you lose weight?

    Right?

    Wrong. That's not clarity, it's your opinion and not how the tool is set up to be used.

    That person would have a long period of weight loss and it needs to be sustainable.

    Thank you.

    Yes. This is a journey.
    And on this journey, I would like to understand / know that I am creating a healthy sustainable process/ lifestyle as to not create an unhealthy yo-yo fad trending diet that will not sustain me.

    I have over 100 pounds to lose... This is not a feat that I want to have to repeat after losing.

    Plus, I am strength training because I want to be healthy, fit, and strong.

    I am asking because I believe that just maybe 2 or 3 people may explain giving me the tools/ knowledge I need to hit the ground running.

    Knowledge being one of the sustaining factors.
  • PhedraJD
    PhedraJD Posts: 1,392 Member
    I loved the link, it was very helpful.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    robynswmo wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    robynswmo wrote: »
    madikasingersmommy wrote: »
    I never eat the calories I work off :)

    Just for clarity...

    Because if you had OVER 100lbs to lose the calories worked off through exercising an hour... Should, in fact, help you lose weight?

    Right?

    Wrong. That's not clarity, it's your opinion and not how the tool is set up to be used.

    That person would have a long period of weight loss and it needs to be sustainable.

    Thank you.

    Yes. This is a journey.
    And on this journey, I would like to understand / know that I am creating a healthy sustainable process/ lifestyle as to not create an unhealthy yo-yo fad trending diet that will not sustain me.

    I have over 100 pounds to lose... This is not a feat that I want to have to repeat after losing.

    Plus, I am strength training because I want to be healthy, fit, and strong.

    I am asking because I believe that just maybe 2 or 3 people may explain giving me the tools/ knowledge I need to hit the ground running.

    Knowledge being one of the sustaining factors.

    There's loads of good sticky threads at the top of various forums - well worth the time reading.

    A long way to go but try and think ahead to maintenance, build long term sustainable habits while losing and maintenance is far easier. And enjoyable!
    And IMHO that includes fuelling exercise properly and not seeing it as a weight loss tool. It's for health, strength, fitness instead.
  • robynswmo
    robynswmo Posts: 13 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    robynswmo wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    robynswmo wrote: »
    madikasingersmommy wrote: »
    I never eat the calories I work off :)

    Just for clarity...

    Because if you had OVER 100lbs to lose the calories worked off through exercising an hour... Should, in fact, help you lose weight?

    Right?

    Wrong. That's not clarity, it's your opinion and not how the tool is set up to be used.

    That person would have a long period of weight loss and it needs to be sustainable.

    Thank you.

    Yes. This is a journey.
    And on this journey, I would like to understand / know that I am creating a healthy sustainable process/ lifestyle as to not create an unhealthy yo-yo fad trending diet that will not sustain me.

    I have over 100 pounds to lose... This is not a feat that I want to have to repeat after losing.

    Plus, I am strength training because I want to be healthy, fit, and strong.

    I am asking because I believe that just maybe 2 or 3 people may explain giving me the tools/ knowledge I need to hit the ground running.

    Knowledge being one of the sustaining factors.

    There's loads of good sticky threads at the top of various forums - well worth the time reading.

    A long way to go but try and think ahead to maintenance, build long term sustainable habits while losing and maintenance is far easier. And enjoyable!
    And IMHO that includes fuelling exercise properly and not seeing it as a weight loss tool. It's for health, strength, fitness instead.

    I really appreciate you Sijomial. I am off to check the link and forum out!
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