Exercise calories?
xxzenabxx
Posts: 935 Member
How many exercise calories does everyone eat back? 50%, 75% or 100%?
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Replies
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Between 0-50%2
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I also eat probably 0-50 as well depending on my hunger level. I find most calorie burn estimates to be very inflated so I tend to err on the low side.3
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Some days I eat back those necessary to meet my protein target. I don't do that as often as I exercise, though.1
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I am very sedentary and my exercise is pretty much just walking (3 to 4 times a week) and body weight exercises. I consider that neither burns enough to make a difference so I don't eat back.
So far for WL set to 1.5 lbs per week I have lost like 1.6 per week over 7 weeks so that checks out. I will adjust if/when I start exercising more and/or WL rate is markedly different from what I expect.
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I'll eat back about 50% when they are on the higher side 600 to 1200+
Under the 600 calorie mark, I'll ensure my protein intake for the day is achieved.
I am still in a calorie deficit mode in the my "lifestyle adjustment".
Will have to reassess these numbers once I hit maintenance mode.1 -
Hmmm interesting. I’ve normally eaten back all my exercise calories back especially on the days that I lift weights and walk for one hour. I’m definitely rethinking that now. I think I’ll eat 50% of them back now.4
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100% of actual calorie burns. That means using the data from your personal experience over 4-6 weeks then evaluate. Starting with a percentage is fine as all calculators are estimates. But, once you know your numbers, eating them all is the goal.5
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100% - just like you will need to do when you get to maintenance.
Do you really think your estimates are double reality or is there some other reason?2 -
At least half, over the week. Often all if I am hungry but I'm not always hungry after my normal calories plus half the exercise calories.0
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TavistockToad wrote: »
Nope I’ve been in a deficit again for 5 weeks and haven’t lost anything. I’m stuck at 151-152lbs. I’ve been eating between 1500-1800 calories depending on my hunger and exercise intensity. Maybe I should wait abit? Digestion is slow these days too and my period is starting in 6 days but I was hoping for a small loss.0 -
I edit the calories burned from the estimates, generally to about 60%. So I eat 100% of the corrected (sort of, I think) calories.2
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TavistockToad wrote: »
Nope I’ve been in a deficit again for 5 weeks and haven’t lost anything. I’m stuck at 151-152lbs. I’ve been eating between 1500-1800 calories depending on my hunger and exercise intensity. Maybe I should wait abit? Digestion is slow these days too and my period is starting in 6 days but I was hoping for a small loss.
Any reason to think it's your exercise calories that are incorrect rather than your food logging?
Could be both at play of course but the same percentage error rate on your food logging has a far greater impact.
Making your diary public might help identify the problem.
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100% while losing, 100% during my 9yr maintenance.
I would have been undernourished and underfuelled if I hadn't (my NEAT would have dropped to compensate for my exercise energy expenditure).
MFP's exercise cal counts to begin with, an averaging out of personal data later.
(The numbers were within 25cals)
Cheers, h.3 -
100% if I want them, and still lost faster than predicted (have been more in a maintenance mode for quite a while).1
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It depends, if I've accidentally went over at breakfast or lunch then I have to eat back the exercise calories or I don't get to eat dinner. If I get to dinner and I've run out of calories, I will exercise more to gain some. Either way it balances out.1
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I don't log my exercise calories anymore (on maintenance). I only log the time that I spend working out at the gym and taking classes.
Being small, short and old, and not being able to exercise at the same level as I used to, I don't burn that many calories. I calculated my own TDEE, as the max calories to eat per day. Sometimes I meet them, sometimes I am short, and if I eat more during the weekend or when I am hungry, I am still good. I do try to meet my macros, specially protein. So far this approach has worked OK.2 -
I don't log my exercise calories anymore (on maintenance). I only log the time that I spend working out at the gym and taking classes.
Being small, short and old, and not being able to exercise at the same level as I used to, I don't burn that many calories. I calculated my own TDEE, as the max calories to eat per day. Sometimes I meet them, sometimes I am short, and if I eat more during the weekend or when I am hungry, I am still good. I do try to meet my macros, specially protein. So far this approach has worked OK.
Just to be clear for OP and lurkers. This approach works fine but does include exercise calories. They’re just added in ahead of time and averaged out over the week.
If you exercise regularly, this is a fine approach. There are plenty of sites that will calculate TDEE. MFP doesn’t use this approach.6 -
Simple answer is as many of them as I need to not feel hungry.2
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I usually ate back 100% while losing (would add some to my deficit very occasionally, as long as it wouldn't make my deficit unhealthfully large). I lost just fine doing that, adjusting my intake until I was at a reasonable healthy loss rate. In maintenance, I still eat them all back, but do sometimes cut my calorie goal to keep my weight reasonable.
When first starting out, I tried to be very analytical about estimating exercise calories, comparing multiple estimating methods for activities I was doing regularly, and picking what seemed like the most-likely-to-be-accurate estimating method. I'm not as concerned about things I do rarely, but eat back when I do. I just try to be sensible/conservative in estimating those, but +/- 100 calories for something I do once a month or thereabouts is just lost in the noise of other errors, not worth stressing about.
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holycrosser wrote: »
Me three. I'm not always hungry for the exercise calories. But if I am, I eat them all! It's worked well enough so far.1 -
100%, but in my case I calibrated my Fitbit to my weight loss to result in 100% calories (had to make myself a bit shorter/older but not by much).0
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amusedmonkey wrote: »100%, but in my case I calibrated my Fitbit to my weight loss to result in 100% calories (had to make myself a bit shorter/older but not by much).
So glad I don't have a fitbit- I don't want to be any shorter or older than I am at this point in time. I'm finding 65 so much harder to write than 64.
Cheers, h.
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Roughly 50% - I find that MapMyWalk (and pretty much any other walking app I've tried) overestimates. I'd argue it massively overestimates, though my settings are correct.
So I usually eat back about 50%, but if it makes sense, I give myself the option to eat them all. My calorie goal is set lower than some people have advised me, the theory being that if my exercise calories are overestimated it mostly puts me back where some people would have set me in the first place - only I had to go out walking to earn those extras. It's convoluted I suppose, but makes sense to me. I'm not too concerned what rate I lose weight at, so long as the scale continues to go down.
Mostly I find I don't eat them all back though - it just gives me enough for some chocolate in the evening which is all I usually want, since I generally save enough calories for a satisfying evening meal anyway!0 -
Floatingpencil wrote: »Roughly 50% - I find that MapMyWalk (and pretty much any other walking app I've tried) overestimates. I'd argue it massively overestimates, though my settings are correct.
So I usually eat back about 50%, but if it makes sense, I give myself the option to eat them all. My calorie goal is set lower than some people have advised me, the theory being that if my exercise calories are overestimated it mostly puts me back where some people would have set me in the first place - only I had to go out walking to earn those extras. It's convoluted I suppose, but makes sense to me. I'm not too concerned what rate I lose weight at, so long as the scale continues to go down.
Mostly I find I don't eat them all back though - it just gives me enough for some chocolate in the evening which is all I usually want, since I generally save enough calories for a satisfying evening meal anyway!
Oh no I’ve been eating back ALL of my MapMyWalk calories back. It said I burn 300 calories from my walk so that’s where I’ve been going wrong. I’ve been overeating by overestimating my exercise calories. Thanks for pointing that out!0 -
Floatingpencil wrote: »Roughly 50% - I find that MapMyWalk (and pretty much any other walking app I've tried) overestimates. I'd argue it massively overestimates, though my settings are correct.
So I usually eat back about 50%, but if it makes sense, I give myself the option to eat them all. My calorie goal is set lower than some people have advised me, the theory being that if my exercise calories are overestimated it mostly puts me back where some people would have set me in the first place - only I had to go out walking to earn those extras. It's convoluted I suppose, but makes sense to me. I'm not too concerned what rate I lose weight at, so long as the scale continues to go down.
Mostly I find I don't eat them all back though - it just gives me enough for some chocolate in the evening which is all I usually want, since I generally save enough calories for a satisfying evening meal anyway!
Oh no I’ve been eating back ALL of my MapMyWalk calories back. It said I burn 300 calories from my walk so that’s where I’ve been going wrong. I’ve been overeating by overestimating my exercise calories. Thanks for pointing that out!
Mapmywalk MASSIVELY overestimated calories burnt.
Walking is bodyweight in lbs x 0.3 x distance in miles5 -
No more than 50%.... I haven't gotten to maintenance yet and this gives me a buffer against overstated exercersize calories.0
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TavistockToad wrote: »Floatingpencil wrote: »Roughly 50% - I find that MapMyWalk (and pretty much any other walking app I've tried) overestimates. I'd argue it massively overestimates, though my settings are correct.
So I usually eat back about 50%, but if it makes sense, I give myself the option to eat them all. My calorie goal is set lower than some people have advised me, the theory being that if my exercise calories are overestimated it mostly puts me back where some people would have set me in the first place - only I had to go out walking to earn those extras. It's convoluted I suppose, but makes sense to me. I'm not too concerned what rate I lose weight at, so long as the scale continues to go down.
Mostly I find I don't eat them all back though - it just gives me enough for some chocolate in the evening which is all I usually want, since I generally save enough calories for a satisfying evening meal anyway!
Oh no I’ve been eating back ALL of my MapMyWalk calories back. It said I burn 300 calories from my walk so that’s where I’ve been going wrong. I’ve been overeating by overestimating my exercise calories. Thanks for pointing that out!
Mapmywalk MASSIVELY overestimated calories burnt.
Walking is bodyweight in lbs x 0.3 x distance in miles
Yes, I noticed that long time ago. I only use the app to calculate the distance, no calories.1
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