Extra Calories Burned from Excercise - To use or not to use

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jbatinker
jbatinker Posts: 313 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been using MFP since February this year and have lost 35 pounds so far. I try to maintain a 1500 cal. intake everyday and do mild fitness. I walk 2 miles a day during the week, go to a circuit core class two days a week. I have been ignoring the extra calories from exercise but should I?

Would love to hear your thoughts - Thanks.
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Replies

  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    MFP is designed to eat them, so yes you should be.

    With that said....it's all an estimate. Most start out eating back 50-75% of them and adjust from there.
  • rakowskidp
    rakowskidp Posts: 231 Member
    edited June 2016
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    If I ignore my exercise calories, I lose way too quickly. Then again, I tend to OVER-estimate my food consumption.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    It... depends...

    1) on how intense your exercise is and how many Cals you're burning;
    2) on how aggressive your deficit is (how many lb/kg per week to lose you have MFP set up);
    3) if you're using a TDEE method or NEAT method (MFP default is NEAT);
    4) probably a few other things, but those are the big ones.

    If you're losing what you should, then keep on doing what you're doing. If you're losing quicker, then you'd probably want to eat back some of your exercise Calories.

    Without knowing your stats, though, it's difficult to tell which way you should go.
  • quietandmildspirit
    quietandmildspirit Posts: 19 Member
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    Hi I'm not savy with the abreviations and I'm probably not the only one. What's TDEE or NEAT?
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's all of the energy (Calories) you typically burn on an average day, including any exercise.

    NEAT = Non-Energy Activity Thermogenesis. It's the energy (Calories) you typically burn on an average day, not including any exercise.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    NEAT is the energy used in activities other than exercise ie daily living, fidgeting etc. Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It's a few hundred calories but the term does get misused here to include other things.

    The MFP idea of eating back exercise calories is to maintain a constant daily deficit whether you exercise or not. Perhaps this appeals to some but isn't a necessity especially for people with weight to lose and modest exercise levels.
  • Garthweightlosspal
    Garthweightlosspal Posts: 73 Member
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    jbatinker wrote: »
    I have been using MFP since February this year and have lost 35 pounds so far. I try to maintain a 1500 cal. intake everyday and do mild fitness. I walk 2 miles a day during the week, go to a circuit core class two days a week. I have been ignoring the extra calories from exercise but should I?

    Would love to hear your thoughts - Thanks.

    If you are cutting, I'de recommend not eating them back unless you are 100% sure what you eat back is what you worked off.
  • jbatinker
    jbatinker Posts: 313 Member
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    Thank you so much for all the feedback.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Yes eat some of them back (around 50-75%), your body will be more fuelled/energetic and it wont hinder your weight loss :smile:
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
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    I generally don't eat back base on exercise, but I normally eat more than what MFP suggests. For me I eat above by BMR because I really don't want to lose a lot of muscle mass. Additionally I don't want to take the extra effort to modify my consumption based on my exercise. In general the deficit works out about right over the period of a week.
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
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    you've amassed quite a bit of data if you've been doing this since Feb, if you feel you're losing too quickly (over your goal) you could/should eat them back or if you're happy with the current rate of loss then you should keep doing what you're doing.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    akf2000 wrote: »
    you've amassed quite a bit of data if you've been doing this since Feb, if you feel you're losing too quickly (over your goal) you could/should eat them back or if you're happy with the current rate of loss then you should keep doing what you're doing.

    Pretty much this. You've been at this since February and, if you've had the same workout routine the whole time, you should be able to compare your actual rate of loss against your predicted weight of loss. If it has been spot on, you probably shouldn't eat many exercise calories back as it's likely you've been underestimating your food intake a little bit unless you're okay with slowing your rate of loss down just a bit. If you're losing at a faster rate than expected, especially if it's more than two pounds per week, you should probably start by eating back 50% of your exercise calories and give it a few more weeks before readjusting. If you're losing slower than expected, you're likely underestimating your food intake and eating back exercise calories would slow down your rate of loss even more. All that being said, it's just taking food and exercise into account and not the fact that these calculators are merely estimates and you may have a slightly slower or faster metabolism than the average person.
  • BlueberryWatermelon
    BlueberryWatermelon Posts: 73 Member
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    My calorie goal is quite low (1300), so I definitely need to eat back some of my exercise calories or I'll be way too tired/cranky. That said, I always underestimate (if I run for 45 min, I'll only log 30 min), and if I'm not hungry, I won't force myself to eat back all the calories. It's been working well so far.

    If what you're doing has been working for you so far, then I'd say keep at it. If you find you're getting too tired/hungry, then maybe eat back 50% of your exercise calories, and see how how you feel.
  • Saskia1549
    Saskia1549 Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm glad I found this thread. I've been eating most of the calories I burned off after exercising daily. I'll try to not touch them now. I almost kinda wish they didn't add to daily allounce as it makes me feel like I've earned them!
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    I'd go crazy insane without exercise calories added back in. That said, I also log meticulously and weigh everything so there's no mistakes made.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,946 Member
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    If I just exercise a little bit ... like a short walk, I might eat half my exercise calories back.

    If I exercise a moderate amount ... like a 50 km bicycle ride, I might eat about 75% of my exercise calories back.

    If I exercise quite a bit ... like riding a 100-mile bicycle ride, I'll eat close to 100% of my exercise calories back.

    I too log meticulously and weigh everything so I've got a pretty good idea about my amounts.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I don't want to be punished for exercising. I earned those calories and I'm eating them!!! I'm just going to be honest and say that those extra calories from exercise are a HUGE motivator for me. They enable me to eat my treats and thoroughly enjoy them while I do!

    Been here on maintenance for almost 6 years and eating back my exercise calories (or at least most of them) hasn't harmed me at all. In fact, if I didn't eat them back, I'd probably burn out or just go sedentary. My body needs fuel for the next workout and for repairing from the one I just did. B)
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    I don't want to be punished for exercising. I earned those calories and I'm eating them!!! I'm just going to be honest and say that those extra calories from exercise are a HUGE motivator for me. They enable me to eat my treats and thoroughly enjoy them while I do!

    Been here on maintenance for almost 6 years and eating back my exercise calories (or at least most of them) hasn't harmed me at all. In fact, if I didn't eat them back, I'd probably burn out or just go sedentary. My body needs fuel for the next workout and for repairing from the one I just did. B)

    You got the idea, sister! I usually like to exercise because it makes me feel good, additionally though that cushion is nice for a nice treat. I don't always eat them all back since I'm not hungry

  • Saskia1549
    Saskia1549 Posts: 25 Member
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    Saskia1549 wrote: »
    I'm glad I found this thread. I've been eating most of the calories I burned off after exercising daily. I'll try to not touch them now. I almost kinda wish they didn't add to daily allounce as it makes me feel like I've earned them!

    But you DID earn them. This makes me sad. :'(

    That's how I feel. Knowing I perhaps shouldn't eat them made me doubt myself..

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