Help Eating back exercise cals

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curvychar27
curvychar27 Posts: 19 Member
edited May 2017 in Getting Started
Hi all I need advice please on eating back exercise cals... I'm on 1200 cals a day that MFP has suggested. I'm using an exercise bike burning anywhere from 300/800 cals a day. I would like to loose around 2lb a week...( obviously I know it will differ some weeks ) any advice would be greatly appreciated... It's all a bit confusing thanks

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  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
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    Personally I eat half of my exercise calories back - because most calorie calcs (including my HRM) inflate burns.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,025 Member
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    Mfp is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories. Because the exercise calories might be overestimated some people will recommend that you eat back half of them and reevaluate after about 4 weeks. I would recommend that you eat back 150/400 exercise calories per day. If after 4 weeks you are averaging more than 2 lbs per week loss then you can increase the amount of exercise calories you are eating. If you are losing less than that then decrease the amount.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    curvychar27 wrote: »
    Hi all I need advice please on eating back exercise cals... I'm on 1200 cals a day that MFP has suggested. I'm using an exercise bike burning anywhere from 300/800 cals a day. I would like to loose around 2lb a week...( obviously I know it will differ some weeks ) any advice would be greatly appreciated... It's all a bit confusing thanks

    Start with 50% because calorie burns are estimates. Add to that some people are better than others at logging. It's all estimates. Start with a value and adjust up or down based on actual results.

    One thing to consider, 1200 is a minimum. So it's possible that's 2 pounds a week, but it's also possible that 2 pounds was not really in the cards and just MFP defaulted there. Closer to goal equals slower weight loss.
  • Aldomas
    Aldomas Posts: 10 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I'd say at least eat close to your 1200. And if you're still hungry (or just want to treat yourself) in the evening, use the extra calorie allotment as a store to pull from. If you weigh every day, like I do, and you're running a big calorie deficit, you'll see it pretty quickly. A little more calorie deficit than you're shooting for won't hurt in the short run, but if you're consistently on a pace to lose more than 2lbs a week, start eating a little more from the "store", even if you're not hungry.

    That's what works for me.
  • curvychar27
    curvychar27 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thank you folks! I get married in 20 weeks so I want to loose as much as I possibly can by then. I had set myself a rough target of 2lb a week (40lbs) altogether... I'm aware some weeks wouldn't go like that as I know I have to be realistic... I do find I use all my 1200 cals daily... But I'm always a bit peckish in the evening... Hence why I was asking about eating cals back... Thank you all for your replies x
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    curvychar27 wrote: »
    Thank you folks! I get married in 20 weeks so I want to loose as much as I possibly can by then. I had set myself a rough target of 2lb a week (40lbs) altogether... I'm aware some weeks wouldn't go like that as I know I have to be realistic... I do find I use all my 1200 cals daily... But I'm always a bit peckish in the evening... Hence why I was asking about eating cals back... Thank you all for your replies x

    40 pounds in 20 weeks is a very tall order. Just do the best you can. Strength training (if it's not on your to do list) is great for shaping.....inches are better than pounds.
  • dontgobacktosleep
    dontgobacktosleep Posts: 144 Member
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    I eat it back, focusing on protein specifically. Yes I have had a plain chicken breast as a bedtime snack. This is a bit of a generalization but 1200 is not sustainable for the long term, and will directly contribute to leptin sensitivity. Personally I think you look fantastic in your profile pic! Give your body protein to support the muscle growth and your fat won't stand a chance :)
  • curvychar27
    curvychar27 Posts: 19 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    curvychar27 wrote: »
    Thank you folks! I get married in 20 weeks so I want to loose as much as I possibly can by then. I had set myself a rough target of 2lb a week (40lbs) altogether... I'm aware some weeks wouldn't go like that as I know I have to be realistic... I do find I use all my 1200 cals daily... But I'm always a bit peckish in the evening... Hence why I was asking about eating cals back... Thank you all for your replies x

    40 pounds in 20 weeks is a very tall order. Just do the best you can. Strength training (if it's not on your to do list) is great for shaping.....inches are better than pounds.
    TeaBea wrote: »
    curvychar27 wrote: »
    Thank you folks! I get married in 20 weeks so I want to loose as much as I possibly can by then. I had set myself a rough target of 2lb a week (40lbs) altogether... I'm aware some weeks wouldn't go like that as I know I have to be realistic... I do find I use all my 1200 cals daily... But I'm always a bit peckish in the evening... Hence why I was asking about eating cals back... Thank you all for your replies x

    40 pounds in 20 weeks is a very tall order. Just do the best you can. Strength training (if it's not on your to do list) is great for shaping.....inches are better than pounds.

    Yes that is my aim but I'm sure it is prob impossible lol I have arthritis so can't do too much strenuous exercise... Can't lift heavy weights I've just had a shoulder replacement...
  • curvychar27
    curvychar27 Posts: 19 Member
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    dontgobacktosleep wrote: »
    I eat it back, focusing on protein specifically. Yes I have had a plain chicken breast as a bedtime snack. This is a bit of a generalization but 1200 is not sustainable for the long term, and will directly contribute to leptin sensitivity. Personally I think you look fantastic in your profile pic! Give your body protein to support the muscle growth and your fat won't stand a chance :)

    Aww thank u so much but honestly I've a lot of weight to loose around 4 stone!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    curvychar27 wrote: »
    Hi all I need advice please on eating back exercise cals... I'm on 1200 cals a day that MFP has suggested. I'm using an exercise bike burning anywhere from 300/800 cals a day. I would like to loose around 2lb a week...( obviously I know it will differ some weeks ) any advice would be greatly appreciated... It's all a bit confusing thanks

    How is your calorie burn calculated? If the exercise bike you use has a power meter, eat every calorie back and enjoy them greatly; if not, the figure is probably "vanity sized."

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