Do you eat your exercise calories?
Replies
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SouthernCountryGirl wrote: »I think it depends on each individual person. When I began using MFP I ate back exercise calories. For me, it didn’t work until I stopped eating those calories. Then, and only then, did I start to lose weight. I agree you should eat your daily goal of calories, whatever you’ve set for yourself, or MFP set for you. Undereating does more harm than good! Undereating actually made me retain my weight because my body needed it to fuel my exercise. Try it both ways, for at least a couple of weeks or so each, (because no one thing will give you results overnight) and watch your results. Everyone’s body reacts/retains/loses differently. What works for one might not work for another. You’ll need to listen to your body and follow what works best for you.
It's not really about different things working for different people, though. It is fundamentally part of the CICO equation. If you didn't lose, then there was something wrong in the calculations somewhere, whether it was a logging food issue (perhaps choosing incorrect entries in the database, eye-balling, or using cups and spoons for measuring), logging exercise calories that were too generous, or using a daily activity level that was too high.
Everyone loses in a deficit - everyone. Just because someone "eats their exercise calories" and doesn't lose, doesn't mean "eating exercise calories" in and of itself doesn't work for them. It means they were not calculating a deficit appropriately (provided they didn't try it for something like two or three weeks without seeing a loss and thought "oh, it's not working" - you need more time than that, at least 4-6 weeks). All calculations we use are estimates - activity and food. There are tools we can use to be more accurate with those estimates, but after that, we as individuals have to look at the data and make adjustments. Maybe a person's activity level is lower than the average estimate (but it is highly unlikely it will be off by a tremendous amount). Maybe a person uses the MFP exercise database and identifies a "strenuous" workout, when really it wasn't, and they log and eat all those calories. So, in a sense, you can kind of say eating exercise calories didn't work for that person, but it's not the method that doesn't work, it's the calculations.
MFP is designed to provide a deficit to lose a person's weekly goal without exercise. Other calculations from other sites include exercise. Because it's understood that fueling one's body appropriately for one's activity is important. MFP just gives more control, in a way, to the user. Unfortunately, that also means the user will go for the most aggressive goal possible without understanding the method and without understanding the potential consequences of a too-aggressive goal.
And regarding the PP about not eating exercise calories from fitbit steps - you bet I am eating all of those calories. If I didn't, I'd be eating 1450 per MFP's numbers and be freaking hangry. Eating those I average anywhere from 1700-1900 Sunday-Friday and 2500-3500 on Saturdays. Imagine how much I would be undereating if I didn't consume those calories.10 -
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I do, but I use a HRM for more accurate calories as MFP usually gives me about double, which is very generous and all but stops me from losing weight!1
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Yes! I will say that when I had more weight to lose, it was easier not to eat all of them back. Now that I'm getting closer to my goal, I have to eat all of it back or else I will just be miserable.1
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Every last one. In fact, for a long time I mostly exercised to be able to eat more.4
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SouthernCountryGirl wrote: »I think it depends on each individual person. When I began using MFP I ate back exercise calories. For me, it didn’t work until I stopped eating those calories. Then, and only then, did I start to lose weight. I agree you should eat your daily goal of calories, whatever you’ve set for yourself, or MFP set for you. Undereating does more harm than good! Undereating actually made me retain my weight because my body needed it to fuel my exercise. Try it both ways, for at least a couple of weeks or so each, (because no one thing will give you results overnight) and watch your results. Everyone’s body reacts/retains/loses differently. What works for one might not work for another. You’ll need to listen to your body and follow what works best for you.
It's not really about different things working for different people, though. It is fundamentally part of the CICO equation. If you didn't lose, then there was something wrong in the calculations somewhere, whether it was a logging food issue (perhaps choosing incorrect entries in the database, eye-balling, or using cups and spoons for measuring), logging exercise calories that were too generous, or using a daily activity level that was too high.
Everyone loses in a deficit - everyone. Just because someone "eats their exercise calories" and doesn't lose, doesn't mean "eating exercise calories" in and of itself doesn't work for them. It means they were not calculating a deficit appropriately (provided they didn't try it for something like two or three weeks without seeing a loss and thought "oh, it's not working" - you need more time than that, at least 4-6 weeks). All calculations we use are estimates - activity and food. There are tools we can use to be more accurate with those estimates, but after that, we as individuals have to look at the data and make adjustments. Maybe a person's activity level is lower than the average estimate (but it is highly unlikely it will be off by a tremendous amount). Maybe a person uses the MFP exercise database and identifies a "strenuous" workout, when really it wasn't, and they log and eat all those calories. So, in a sense, you can kind of say eating exercise calories didn't work for that person, but it's not the method that doesn't work, it's the calculations.
MFP is designed to provide a deficit to lose a person's weekly goal without exercise. Other calculations from other sites include exercise. Because it's understood that fueling one's body appropriately for one's activity is important. MFP just gives more control, in a way, to the user. Unfortunately, that also means the user will go for the most aggressive goal possible without understanding the method and without understanding the potential consequences of a too-aggressive goal.
And regarding the PP about not eating exercise calories from fitbit steps - you bet I am eating all of those calories. If I didn't, I'd be eating 1450 per MFP's numbers and be freaking hangry. Eating those I average anywhere from 1700-1900 Sunday-Friday and 2500-3500 on Saturdays. Imagine how much I would be undereating if I didn't consume those calories.
Someone asked for opinions/thoughts on a subject. I gave mine. I didn’t say I was right. I gave my personal experience.4 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.1 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
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^^^ I didn't think the response was getting personal at all. They were just explaining the concepts and it was done in a very respectful and objective manner.2
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I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
A lot of people think that if you eat below BMI, you will destroy your muscles and end up in a coma, but its just not true, unless you are drastically under. Harvard Medical, Mayo Clinic, and other well known research and health facilities recommend that you don't go below 1,500 calories a day for men and 1,200 for women. They also recommend 1 to 2 lbs per week as an ideal goal for weight loss. I can tell you that 1,500 calories is below BMI for a lot of men. I highly doubt these established facilities would recommend a caloric intake that would cause you to waste away and go into a coma, and most recommend exercising with that diet.
Now, if you are at your ideal body weight, or eating, say 800 calories a day, then yes, you could have significant health issues if you do this for long. You do not, however, need to eat 2,400 calories a day just because you did a half hour of cardio, or lifted weights for 45 minutes. Now if you are running 5 miles a day, six days a week, then obviously you are going to need more fuel.
I always let my weight loss guide me. If my goal is two pounds per week, and I am losing more than that, I add more calories. If I am not achieving my weight loss goal, I cut adjust calories or exercise more until I am back on track.9 -
I personally don't eat them back. Although I know a lot of people do- and it works for them! I am on 1200 cals and honestly I almost find it hard to fulfill the full 12 some days. Given I also eat tons of veggies and fruits and I do fill up on water throughout the day. So I never really get hungry enough to eat them back.4
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I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
I honestly think the easiest thing for me to do is keep the exercise deficit because that’s the only thing I’ve changed. Weight loss was slow to start with because I was 133lb at 172cm/5’8 (went down to 130 for the first two weeks of my diet but now 133 again ugh), but the way I was logging worked for me despite it might have been half an egg off.
I don’t want to wear a Fitbit, nor do I want to weigh every egg (steak I understand). I need my food routine to be easy enough for me to follow through with as a lifestyle... am just not the type to be weighing every egg or piece of bread.
Ahhhh I just want to wear my jeans again and do notttt want to start buying a size up, losing 10lbs is so much work.1 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
To gain 3 pounds of fat you'd have to eat 10,500 calories over maintenance. Most likely you have some water weight... I see you mention soy sauce, even the low sodium is sky high.4 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
I honestly think the easiest thing for me to do is keep the exercise deficit because that’s the only thing I’ve changed. Weight loss was slow to start with because I was 133lb at 172cm/5’8 (went down to 130 for the first two weeks of my diet but now 133 again ugh), but the way I was logging worked for me despite it might have been half an egg off.
I don’t want to wear a Fitbit, nor do I want to weigh every egg (steak I understand). I need my food routine to be easy enough for me to follow through with as a lifestyle... am just not the type to be weighing every egg or piece of bread.
Ahhhh I just want to wear my jeans again and do notttt want to start buying a size up, losing 10lbs is so much work.
Well at 133 lbs. and 5'8" you are already at a normal weight. Probably the most you can lose is .25-.5 lb. per week. Have you considered strength training instead of losing weight to get the body you want?4 -
collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Well, yes, if you are running 25 miles per week, you had better be fueling up. I see a lot of people who walk so many steps with their Fitbit and then think they should eat significantly more to compensate. Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.
I eat my Fitbit calories and still lose/maintain right on schedule.... getting calories from my Fitbit just means I've exceeded the activity level I selected in MFP.3 -
collectingblues wrote: »I don't either. What's the point in working out to assist with weight loss if you are just going to eat it all back?
Because you're set to lose without exercise, and while creating a larger deficit may sound appealing it isn't necessarily a good thing. Plus your body needs the additional fuel if you work out.
Meh. When I add up the calories burned from the weight lifting and cardio I do, it maybe comes out to 1,500/week, which won't even equate to 1/2 a pound of loss.
If you are at your ideal bodyweight, that's one thing, but when you are carrying around 35 lbs of excess fat like I am, your body can tap into those reserves for energy.
Good for you.
I run 20-25 miles a week. I'm fueling those.
Well, yes, if you are running 25 miles per week, you had better be fueling up. I see a lot of people who walk so many steps with their Fitbit and then think they should eat significantly more to compensate. Some people don't realize that if you are not getting your heart rate up to your target rate, you aren't burning a ton of calories.
I eat my Fitbit calories and still lose/maintain right on schedule.... getting calories from my Fitbit just means I've exceeded the activity level I selected in MFP.
Seems to be working for you, so no need to change
Just curious...how many calories does your Fitbit say you've burned that you eat back?1 -
Yes, yes, a million times yes! Why bother with only cutting calories if you cannot enjoy a little something? I lost over 70# and have kept them off over two years. OK, I exercise a lot and run when the weather lets me. Still, CICO...3
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I think the best advice is to just listen to your body and monitor your progress. If you are eating back the calories, and not losing after giving it several weeks, then you are probably eating too much. If you are eating your calories back and satisfied with your rate of loss, then it's obviously working for you.2
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lucerorojo wrote: »I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
I honestly think the easiest thing for me to do is keep the exercise deficit because that’s the only thing I’ve changed. Weight loss was slow to start with because I was 133lb at 172cm/5’8 (went down to 130 for the first two weeks of my diet but now 133 again ugh), but the way I was logging worked for me despite it might have been half an egg off.
I don’t want to wear a Fitbit, nor do I want to weigh every egg (steak I understand). I need my food routine to be easy enough for me to follow through with as a lifestyle... am just not the type to be weighing every egg or piece of bread.
Ahhhh I just want to wear my jeans again and do notttt want to start buying a size up, losing 10lbs is so much work.
Well at 133 lbs. and 5'8" you are already at a normal weight. Probably the most you can lose is .25-.5 lb. per week. Have you considered strength training instead of losing weight to get the body you want?
Have definitely considered strength training, right now I’m doing body weight exercises (my yoga studio does sculpt classes) and when I can comfortably work with my own body and light weights I will join a real gym. But the fat shedding still happens in the kitchen, or am I mistaken?1 -
I'm no expert, it's just that from what I read on here, the weight loss when you are at a normal weight already is REALLY slow. You might actually be losing fat but you can't see it on the scale because it is so slow. I guess if you aren't hungry or low energy when you aren't eating back your exercise calories, it doesn't matter. I just imagine it would be more pleasant to eat normally and do the strength training (as opposed to eating at a deficit).2
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I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
To gain 3 pounds of fat you'd have to eat 10,500 calories over maintenance. Most likely you have some water weight... I see you mention soy sauce, even the low sodium is sky high.
I was hoping it’d be water weight but usually my water weight = fluctuations day or two, and significantly decreases after a 90 minute hot yoga session. 15ml of low sodium soy sauce is probably a lot less sodium than a lot of people eat haha.0 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
To gain 3 pounds of fat you'd have to eat 10,500 calories over maintenance. Most likely you have some water weight... I see you mention soy sauce, even the low sodium is sky high.
I was hoping it’d be water weight but usually my water weight = fluctuations day or two, and significantly decreases after a 90 minute hot yoga session. 15ml of low sodium soy sauce is probably a lot less sodium than a lot of people eat haha.
We are mixing in several people with specific different problems who are bringing their specific issues to the discussion without fully disclosing them.
And its not just you, by any stretch. But it does take something out of keeping the discussion generalized.
You don't account for water weight variation caused by, for example, your period or exercise by sweating it out during hot yoga.
And if you only weigh yourself once, in the morning, after using the washroom and before eating and drinking, how would you know what you weighed after hot yoga?
If you ARE weighting yourself the next day after hot yoga again, maybe your body has compensated for the extra stress.
Hot yoga does not burn extra calories. The increase sweating and heart rate generated by the heat do not translate into a bigger caloric expenditure. But it does mess up your sweating!4 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
Just FYI - scanning a barcode just points you to a particular database entry which may or may not be accurate...
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I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
To gain 3 pounds of fat you'd have to eat 10,500 calories over maintenance. Most likely you have some water weight... I see you mention soy sauce, even the low sodium is sky high.
I was hoping it’d be water weight but usually my water weight = fluctuations day or two, and significantly decreases after a 90 minute hot yoga session. 15ml of low sodium soy sauce is probably a lot less sodium than a lot of people eat haha.
We are mixing in several people with specific different problems who are bringing their specific issues to the discussion without fully disclosing them.
And its not just you, by any stretch. But it does take something out of keeping the discussion generalized.
You don't account for water weight variation caused by, for example, your period or exercise by sweating it out during hot yoga.
And if you only weigh yourself once, in the morning, after using the washroom and before eating and drinking, how would you know what you weighed after hot yoga?
If you ARE weighting yourself the next day after hot yoga again, maybe your body has compensated for the extra stress.
Hot yoga does not burn extra calories. The increase sweating and heart rate generated by the heat do not translate into a bigger caloric expenditure. But it does mess up your sweating!
Hot yoga doesn’t burn extra calories, so when I weigh myself before and after a hot session and am 2lb lighter, it’s probably water weight from all the sweat, no? So so so much sweat. And then I replenish with water throughout the day and get the 2lb back.
I weigh myself everyday first thing in the morning and sometimes before and after hot sessions.1 -
NextRightThing714 wrote: »I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
Just FYI - scanning a barcode just points you to a particular database entry which may or may not be accurate...
This I did not know. I thought scanning the barcode = quick way of entering nutritional data chart.
It’s usually spot on with packaged products because I look through it anyways. But no wonder I’ve had to fix some entries.2 -
NextRightThing714 wrote: »I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
Just FYI - scanning a barcode just points you to a particular database entry which may or may not be accurate...
This I did not know. I thought scanning the barcode = quick way of entering nutritional data chart.
It’s usually spot on with packaged products because I look through it anyways. But no wonder I’ve had to fix some entries.
keep in mind too that you should still weigh whats in the package. the package weight is not exact and dont forget not all packages show the full calories but have it broken up into servings that are smaller than the full package.0 -
I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
To gain 3 pounds of fat you'd have to eat 10,500 calories over maintenance. Most likely you have some water weight... I see you mention soy sauce, even the low sodium is sky high.
I was hoping it’d be water weight but usually my water weight = fluctuations day or two, and significantly decreases after a 90 minute hot yoga session. 15ml of low sodium soy sauce is probably a lot less sodium than a lot of people eat haha.
We are mixing in several people with specific different problems who are bringing their specific issues to the discussion without fully disclosing them.
And its not just you, by any stretch. But it does take something out of keeping the discussion generalized.
You don't account for water weight variation caused by, for example, your period or exercise by sweating it out during hot yoga.
And if you only weigh yourself once, in the morning, after using the washroom and before eating and drinking, how would you know what you weighed after hot yoga?
If you ARE weighting yourself the next day after hot yoga again, maybe your body has compensated for the extra stress.
Hot yoga does not burn extra calories. The increase sweating and heart rate generated by the heat do not translate into a bigger caloric expenditure. But it does mess up your sweating!
Hot yoga doesn’t burn extra calories, so when I weigh myself before and after a hot session and am 2lb lighter, it’s probably water weight from all the sweat, no? So so so much sweat.
I weigh myself everyday first thing in the morning and sometimes before and after hot sessions.
But you're already well into normal weight, trying for an extremely low BMI barely within normal weight, and you're basing your decisions about how much you weigh and how much you can eat on frequent weigh ins in non identical conditions and not using your weight trend as guidance.
Hence my comment that you present a more special case than your average user when it comes to considering exercise calories. And my more cryptic comment that neither you, nor at least one other person posting that they don't eat back their exercise calories, fully disclosed their particular circumstances.
When you're aiming for near under weight bmr and/or under-fat levels or specific physique goals things are not always going to be as simple as what works for people just trying to get to a standard healthy BMI/bodyfat level.8 -
Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »NextRightThing714 wrote: »I was told to eat more calories since I was eating 1200, so I’ve been eating the exercise calories back. But I’ve had 0 progress since, and even gained 3 pounds back that stayed on all week. I don’t know, maybe my lifestyle is tooo sedentary and I don’t burn as many calories as I think I do exercising.
It’s hard to get to a sweet spot where I can still lose 1lb a week but still have a “healthy” diet at my already normal BMI.
I don’t think I want to eat my exercise calories back anymore though, unless I’m really hungry.
My logging is pretty tight, I even log low sodium soy when I use it which is only like 10cal, use no oil, and measure butter. I measure my food etc. Drink nothing except 0 calorie water or tea.
Could be an over-estimation of calories out, but it more likely a combo of errors with calories in and out. Logging can be tight, but if the information in the logging is inaccurate, you can still be off in your calculations. Weigh all solid foods on a food scale (including pre-packaged foods and things like slices of bread of eggs), and measure all liquids in measuring cups/spoons (they're aren't accurate for solids). And there are a lot of whack entries in the database. Be sure and use one that matches the packaging of your product or the USDA database. When you have a small deficit, it all matters. Like my 1.15 slices of bread and my eggs which are always 1.5 eggs.
Yeah I just ignore the database entries and scan the barcode on the packages.
Just FYI - scanning a barcode just points you to a particular database entry which may or may not be accurate...
This I did not know. I thought scanning the barcode = quick way of entering nutritional data chart.
It’s usually spot on with packaged products because I look through it anyways. But no wonder I’ve had to fix some entries.
keep in mind too that you should still weigh whats in the package. the package weight is not exact and dont forget not all packages show the full calories but have it broken up into servings that are smaller than the full package.
Yeah the serving sizes are ridiculously small too. 1 serving of salmon is only 125g lol which is nothingggggggg even on a 1200cal diet so I eat 2 per meal.
I honestly don’t weigh my packaged foods, like frozen salmon I just divide them into equal portions of the serving size, and then by the end of the week I would’ve eaten the whole package anyways. So piece 1 being slightly bigger than piece 3 evens out. Oatmeal and rice, I pour out in a measuring cup.
I don’t think I can get as meticulous with weighing as some people on MPF so maybe my exercise calories were a good buffer for a deficit when I was actually losing weight, and not gaining like I have been this week.0 -
nickipurnell wrote: »Just wondering whether I can still loose weight if I am eating my calories gained through exercise? I'm a bit worried about eating too little as in the past I have got very hungry when I have dieted in the past as then ended up binging. But will I loose weight if I eat my exercise calories?
To answer the original post - I eat back what I believe to be the actual number of calories burned from intentional exercise (usually 50-75% of reported number depending on the exercise). I've done juuusstt fine.2 -
I don't eat them back, because I'm usually not hungry enough, so I'm fine without them. I tend to work out late, it's the only time I have available to hit the gym. By the time I'm done, I'm ready for a shower and some sleep.0
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