Eating Back Calories Burned During Exercise

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Kath8225
Kath8225 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

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  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited August 2016
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    It may help to understand how & how much your body uses energy.

    We each have a BMR - basal metabolic rate - that is estimated based on gender, age, weight and height. This is the energy a body uses in a day for basic bodily functions. For the organs like heart/lungs/brain/digestive system/etc. to work and keep you living.

    Then you also use energy to move your body thru your day. Your job, your home life, your hobbies. For this MFP asks you to select an activity level. The daily activity burn is a function of your BMR. A fairly sedentary person would burn about 20-25% of their BMR thru basic movement. A more active person would burn more.

    Then you have cardio/exercise. (Note that strength training does not burn a signficant amount over the activity calories which are already considered.) Cardio burns more because you're moving multiple major muscle groups for an extended period of time.

    MFP does not ASSUME you will exercise. It takes your stats & activity level, so the first 2 forms of burn, and estimates you will burn a certain level per day. Lets say that is 1840. You want to lose 1 pound a week. 500 cals a day deficit should result in ~1 pound lost per week. So 1840-500 = 1340 and there you have a goal.

    If you DO exercise then you'll burn more than the 1840 that MFP projected. Say you go for a run daily and burn 400 cals. You can choose to eat additional to fuel that activity, as your deficit is already taken from your BMR + daily activity.
  • Kath8225
    Kath8225 Posts: 14 Member
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    OK, that makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to clarify things. Good to know that if I do exercise that I have a little 'leeway' with my calorie intake. I'm not a heavy exerciser but usually burn 2-300 calories doing so.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Yes you are supposed to eat them back that's how MFP is designed, however, the burns are inclined to be overestimated so most of us will suggest eating back 50-75% of exercise calories to be on the safe side.
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
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    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    Most successful dieters in this site don't eat back exercise calories, or only a modest proportion. The problem with getting used to a high exercise lifestyle and eating all that extra food is - are you prepared to keep it up forever?
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I started off with a low calorie goal and relied on exercise to get me enough calories. I was too hungry on nonexercise days though. I now have a much higher calorie goal and seldom eat exercise calories. I aim to exercise every day, and when I don't, I'm probably powering through housework or chasing after a toddler and burning almost as many anyway. I like the "gold star" effect of entering exercise into my diary that generates a notification though.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,931 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Vegplotter wrote: »
    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    Most successful dieters in this site don't eat back exercise calories, or only a modest proportion. The problem with getting used to a high exercise lifestyle and eating all that extra food is - are you prepared to keep it up forever?

    I disagree with the bolded statement - I see more successful people here eat back exercise calories than not.

    @Sued0nim - you've been here longer than I have and have been in maintenance for a while - care to weigh in?

    One of the characteristics of successful dieters in the National Weight Control Registry is that they are active.

    The National Weight Control Registry is a research study that seeks to gather information from people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off. The registry would like to hear from anyone 18 years of age or older who has:
    • Lost at least 30 pounds, and
    • Maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for one year or more

    http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm

    ...90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I have lost over 30lb and kept (most of) it off for 3 years and yes, I tend to exercise an hour a day - 20-25 mins aerobics before breakfast, walk to and from work (15 mins each way), then 20 mins most evenings when I get home. weekends is longer workout/walk.

    And I eat back exercise calories ALL the time. I log even on holiday - way over my calories, but I log it, don't try to fool myself - and weigh everything - cereal, fruit, pasta - so I know if I want something and it doesn't fit my calories for the day I need to do more exercise or not have it. Exercise tends to win ;) If we were indifferent ot food most of us wouldn't need to be on here :/
  • freehorses92
    freehorses92 Posts: 7 Member
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    If I have a big enough deficit, I may eat some of it back. I usually don't coz I also think of my calories as a weekly collective. Sometimes I end up eating something totally unhealthy near the end of the week. I'm also usually not hungry after dinner. And at the end of the week I see what I've been wanting to see on the scale.
    Although the whole method is probably unhealthy lol
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Vegplotter wrote: »
    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    Most successful dieters in this site don't eat back exercise calories, or only a modest proportion. The problem with getting used to a high exercise lifestyle and eating all that extra food is - are you prepared to keep it up forever?

    Ya....no, that's not true. If anything, IMHO, those are the individuals more likely setting themselves up for a crash....

    The most successful have found out what portion of their exercise calories they need to eat back while still hitting their goal. For some their logging is so off that yes, not eating back exercise cals may still only allow them to lose 1-2lbs per week. It's all an estimate, that's why many only eat back a portion. When I cut, I eat back about 75% to meet my weekly goal.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I eat back all my exercise and activity calories and then some because over time I've worked out that my TDEE is higher than my Fitbit and HRM will allow for...at one stage I added 3 inches to my height and dropped 30 years on my Fitbit and it was about right

    Prior to losing weight I was an asthmatic couch potato

    I started at the gym with a trainer twice a week the week I started watching my intake, gradually got fitter, started walking more

    ...now have a trainer once a week and go alone twice

    ...I am 18 months into maintenance and am absolutely keeping up my exercise levels and get tempted to do more, my outlook is different, what I enjoy is different.

    I like going to the gym, heck I like getting dressed to go to the gym, I love lifting heavier stuff than I could last month...I love the look of my body

    I enjoy walking to walk rather than driving (2.5 miles)... I like the spring in my step, the meditative power of walking, the time alone and chance to listen to loud music

  • Wophie
    Wophie Posts: 126 Member
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    I eat back some, but not all. My Fitbit always seems to calculate a large amount of calories burnt for the day, so I try to leave some calories left. However it does give me room to eat more on those "off days".
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Vegplotter wrote: »
    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    Most successful dieters in this site don't eat back exercise calories, or only a modest proportion. The problem with getting used to a high exercise lifestyle and eating all that extra food is - are you prepared to keep it up forever?

    I have to disagree. I routinely eat back 50% or more of my exercise calories and did that while losing weight. I have been maintaining for several years now and continue that practice. One of my main goals is to keep my lean muscle mass. Losing weight too quickly by not trying to stay within my calorie goal plus exercise is counterproductive to that goal.

    I certainly hope people would plan to keep up with exercise forever! Why would you do it simply as a means to lose weight? Exercise offers a lot of health benefits the least of which is that you can eat more and maintain your weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Vegplotter wrote: »
    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    Most successful dieters in this site don't eat back exercise calories, or only a modest proportion. The problem with getting used to a high exercise lifestyle and eating all that extra food is - are you prepared to keep it up forever?

    How could you even know this?

    I am prepared to exercise forever. Active people get to eat more. This is a fact of life. But you're right. Not everyone here treats diet OR exercise as a lifestyle change.
  • Kath8225
    Kath8225 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your input. Even with not eating back the extra calories I haven't found that I've been especially hungry at any time (yet - only been doing this for 2 weeks). However, I think I will add back a percentage of the extra calories burned into my food plan just the same. I'm not concerned with losing weight quickly and don't have a specific time frame to work towards. I just want to feel healthier and fit into my clothes better. I think I would feel too overwhelmed and discouraged if I set a goal at this point and was struggling to meet it. My weigh in day is Thursday so I'll see how I'm doing then.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Kath8225 wrote: »
    I'm relatively new at this and I'm a bit confused. I have 1340 calories available to me daily to eat according to the calculations on MFP. I'm usually pretty much on goal with this when I log my food intake. What confuses me is if I exercise, for example if I burn 250 calories walking, am I supposed to increase my caloric intake by that amount (1340+250=1590)? If that's the case, I am not taking in enough calories and need to redesign my food plan. :)

    It's kind of like if your car's gas tank holds 13 gallons. You fill your tank, but after driving to work and back home, you've burned 2.5 gallons. So you stop right before you get home and top it off. You've actually put 15.5 gallons of gas into your tank today, but it's only actually holding 13 because you used the other 2.5 driving to work and back. The point is that those 2.5 gallons (aka your 250 calories from walking) are not extra, they were used up. They're very real. Putting gas in your car after driving is not cheating and doesn't stall your progress.

    The problem is knowing if you've really burned 250 calories or was it 125 or 340 or what? But that's a separate issue.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,931 Member
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    Kath8225 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your input. Even with not eating back the extra calories I haven't found that I've been especially hungry at any time (yet - only been doing this for 2 weeks). However, I think I will add back a percentage of the extra calories burned into my food plan just the same. I'm not concerned with losing weight quickly and don't have a specific time frame to work towards. I just want to feel healthier and fit into my clothes better. I think I would feel too overwhelmed and discouraged if I set a goal at this point and was struggling to meet it. My weigh in day is Thursday so I'll see how I'm doing then.

    Good for you to want to do this slowly and sustainably!

    A note on weekly weigh ins - many women gain water weight at ovulation and premenstrually. I weigh daily so as to not get disturbed by normal fluctuations and compare myself to this time last month rather than this time last week.

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