Exercise calories

kcgjohnson1
kcgjohnson1 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I was just wondering how many people use their exercise calories & still have had successful weight loss. I'm at 1200 calories at day, I sit all day at a desk. I come home & exercise & im not sure if I should eat the extra calories from exercise. Im five four, 40, & would like to lose 40 lbs. Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    When you set your calorie goal for the very absolute minimum calories (which you have) I always 100% recommend to eat at least a portion of your exercise calories back.
  • BiomedDent
    BiomedDent Posts: 107 Member
    I eat about a 1/3-1/2 of them if I'm hungry. I won't eat them if I'm not hungry though :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

    My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    Mfp is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories. It is especially important to eat some of them back if you are at a 1200 calorie goal. If you feel that your calorie burns are too high you can just eat back a portion of them and reevaluate after about 4 weeks. If you are losing faster than expected eat back more, if you are losing slower than expected eat back less. I ate back most of mine and had no problems losing weight as expected.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited January 2017
    kcgjohnson1 wrote: »
    Hi. I was just wondering how many people use their exercise calories & still have had successful weight loss. I'm at 1200 calories at day, I sit all day at a desk. I come home & exercise & im not sure if I should eat the extra calories from exercise. Im five four, 40, & would like to lose 40 lbs. Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

    I've always eaten at least a portion of my exercise calories back the whole time I've lost weight. I'm older and shorter than you and worked from a base of 1200 calories like you. Eating half back is a good idea. It's the way MFP is designed to work!

    Editing to add that doing this in no way impeded my weight loss. I lost weight at or even more quickly than the rate expected for the deficit I was creating.

    Further edit: Initially, I logged my exercise using MFP burns. I've since switched to using a Fitbit. I trust my Fitbit more, but am currently using exercise to effectively create a high TDEE for myself from which to create a deficit. So far, I can trust my Fitbit to be spot on in calculating my calories burnt for me to use to calculate a deficit from that total burn.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    kcgjohnson1 wrote: »
    Hi. I was just wondering how many people use their exercise calories & still have had successful weight loss. I'm at 1200 calories at day, I sit all day at a desk. I come home & exercise & im not sure if I should eat the extra calories from exercise. Im five four, 40, & would like to lose 40 lbs. Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

    I'm 5'3 and lost from 200 when I started MFP (I actually started before I found MFP) to 125 when I was 44 (in 2014). I had a 1250 goal and ate exercise calories on top of that. Eventually when my exercise was more consistent I changed to the TDEE method where you add it in to your calories in advance, but either way I was adding calories for exercise. Worked really well for me, and it is what MFP's way intends. If you do things where the calories are hard to estimate maybe start eating back 50-75% of them and then adjust depending on results. (For running I ate back most calories other than from long runs.)
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Have a question on this, that in no way relates to me but might to the OP and it's been bugging me.

    First, I agree with what's been posted, so that's not an issue.

    In her case, she has hit the bottom limit of MFP @ 1200 calories. Let's say she exercises for 300 more. That would mean she could eat 1500. But what if her calculation would have been 1050 if it weren't for the limit imposed. Should she eat at 1350? Or 1200 (1050 + 1/2 of 300), or 1350 (1200 + 1/2 of 300)?

    And yeah, I'm overthinking it. But I could see it making a difference to someones weight loss when they are small to start with.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited January 2017
    Yes you should be eating them as that's how this site works and how it sets your calorie goal.
    If you prefer a same everyday calorie allowance then go to a TDEE calculator and use the number they give you (includes an average exercise amount) instead.

    I prefer the MFP method as my exercise varies hugely daily, weekly and by the seasons. It worked perfectly for me.

    Just use some common sense with your estimates and adjust your goal based on results over time. Focus on sustainability and building good habits rather than speed of loss.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited January 2017
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    Have a question on this, that in no way relates to me but might to the OP and it's been bugging me.

    First, I agree with what's been posted, so that's not an issue.

    In her case, she has hit the bottom limit of MFP @ 1200 calories. Let's say she exercises for 300 more. That would mean she could eat 1500. But what if her calculation would have been 1050 if it weren't for the limit imposed. Should she eat at 1350? Or 1200 (1050 + 1/2 of 300), or 1350 (1200 + 1/2 of 300)?

    And yeah, I'm overthinking it. But I could see it making a difference to someones weight loss when they are small to start with.

    Since I'm small and can't even create a 250 calorie deficit on a sedentary setting, I'll answer this.

    I have my goal set on maintenance for sedentary. Now I'm not sedentary, but my health is variable, and there are spells where I might be. That calorie allowance is 1350. Fitbit sends over all of my exercise calories on top of that. I have my activity over there set on sedentary too so I don't get any funky night time negative adjustment for going to bed early.

    So far, so good.

    All I do, is leave enough calories at the end of the day to create the deficit I want.
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
    I've never lost weight trying to eat back my exercise calories. Since most people underestimate the number of calories they take in in a day, I figure if I don't try to eat back my exercise calories it will compensate for the underestimation of intake. For me, that seems to work out fine.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I'm an older sedentary female. FP set my base as 1200 to lose a pound a week, 1210 to lose .5 and 1470 to maintain, so presumably my 'real' base would be 970 without the 1200 limit to lose a pound a week. I also exercise regularly - walking and running. I eat back almost all my exercise calories. I lost 11 pounds in less than 3 months. So yes, it can work.
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