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exercise calories on or off?

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  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited August 2016
    Personally, I keep mine off but I set my calorie goals higher on workout days than on rest days (+400 calories for a typical workout, or more if I go on a long hike).

    The reason I keep mine off, BTW, is because I plan all my meals in advance and I want to know the day before what I have to work with. If I knew my actual exercise calories in advance I'd definitely keep it on.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I don't log exercise. My Fitbit handles that. I do eat my exercise calories. Yes weight loss is slow. Last I checked it wasn't a race. I tried at first to do a much lower calorie goal and, while I dropped a lot of weight fast, I could barely function. Fuzzy brain and no energy. I need my body working well every day since I use it to make a living.
  • Budjola
    Budjola Posts: 148 Member
    i burn roughly 1000kcal during my cardio sessions i rarely take them back with food, but (check this out) i got 50% of them back for past few days and i feel and look better. go figure
  • bshrom
    bshrom Posts: 71 Member
    I would say it depends on how I feel that day. If the exercise I did was very intense and I am more hungry because of that then I will eat some of those calories back. If it was just moderate exercise and I am not really hungry then I won't eat those calories back.
  • sbubenchik
    sbubenchik Posts: 75 Member
    Yeah I don't typically log my training sessions, I also don't eat back my calories. I simply stay in my same caloric deficit even with training. I've gotten amazing results and I'm never hungry. Went from 200lbs mid march down to 153lbs this morning and feel great. Just do what works for you and what you can easily stick with.
  • Katie_Y89
    Katie_Y89 Posts: 330 Member
    bshrom wrote: »
    I would say it depends on how I feel that day. If the exercise I did was very intense and I am more hungry because of that then I will eat some of those calories back. If it was just moderate exercise and I am not really hungry then I won't eat those calories back.

    I do the same.
    If I'm hungry, then I'll eat some back. If I'm feeling good that day, then I'll leave it be.
  • rebel_26
    rebel_26 Posts: 1,826 Member
    I dont pay attention to that portion as its inaccurate. I dont log my gym sessions for same reason. I stay around my TDEE number based on my activity level. If i am hungry at bedtime I look for foods to keep my macros balanced as close to that goal. If I go over oh well.If I am under oh well , but as long as I dont go to bed hungry its all good.
  • tommytorpedo
    tommytorpedo Posts: 53 Member
    I eat my exercise calories; but, I found that the calories credited for the amount of exercise I do is ridiculously high. This caused me to gain weight. To counter the inaccuracy I don't put the correct time of exercise. I reduce the time by 1/3 or 1/2. That works for me.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    I'm inclined to eat back calories that were from specific exercise such as deliberate running. Imo though non aerobic exercise calories such as those earned from 10K steps throughout the day are really inaccurate. I used to be a really big believer in myfitbit and credited it for helping me lose about 120lbs, however after entering maintenance I found the trackers calorie burn to be off pretty significantly, in that it over inflated the burns every day. Maybe I just got into good enough shape that I was no longer burning very many calories walking around, IDK but I know now I can't really trust it at all.

    The other issue that comes to mind in all of this is logging in accuracies. Many people don't log the 2T of olive oil that they cooked their chicken in or the lick off the peanut butter knife. Exercise calories can make up for those, but if you are logging your exercise calories and eating right up to that limit you are likely going over, never mind the fact that most burns are overinflated anyway.

    I think it is best to use MFP to log your food, and use the calorie goals as a starting point. Log as accurately as possible, then as your weight changes adjust your calorie goals to match. Your real world results and your honesty with yourself and your logging are they keys to continued success.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
    It depends on my level of fitness. For starters, unless you're being really diligent about tracking your heart rate, the number of calories burned is an estimate. A lot of trackers tend to err on the side of more calories burned, so as others have stated, aim for eating back around 50% and see how you are doing. If I'm doing strength training, HIIT, or circuit training I will eat back around 50%-75% of my calories. If I just take my dance classes or go for a brisk walk around the block, I won't.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    If I didn't get exercise calories I'd go INSANE. I get 15k steps a day on average now, about half of that from just doing things and about half from walking my dogs. I spent on average 70 minutes / day walking my dogs on the weekdays, and about 100 on weekends. I MUST HAVE MY FOODS!
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