Exercise calories?

xxzenabxx
xxzenabxx Posts: 948 Member
edited November 29 in Health and Weight Loss
How many exercise calories does everyone eat back? 50%, 75% or 100%?
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Replies

  • LaReinaDeCorazones
    LaReinaDeCorazones Posts: 274 Member
    Between 0-50%
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    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.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Some days I eat back those necessary to meet my protein target. I don't do that as often as I exercise, though.
  • MsBaz2018
    MsBaz2018 Posts: 384 Member
    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.
  • Bentforkx
    Bentforkx Posts: 69 Member
    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.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 948 Member
    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.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    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.

    And did you lose at the expected rate eating them all back?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    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?
  • confidenceinrain
    confidenceinrain Posts: 104 Member
    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.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 948 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    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.

    And did you lose at the expected rate eating them all back?

    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.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I edit the calories burned from the estimates, generally to about 60%. So I eat 100% of the corrected (sort of, I think) calories.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    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.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    100% if I want them, and still lost faster than predicted (have been more in a maintenance mode for quite a while).
  • MystikPixie
    MystikPixie Posts: 342 Member
    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.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    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.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    Simple answer is as many of them as I need to not feel hungry.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    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.

  • Blythmag
    Blythmag Posts: 252 Member
    Danp wrote: »
    Simple answer is as many of them as I need to not feel hungry.

    Pretty much this.if im hungry i will use my calorie bank
  • asteriskthat
    asteriskthat Posts: 73 Member
    Danp wrote: »
    Simple answer is as many of them as I need to not feel hungry.

    Pretty much this.if im hungry i will use my calorie bank

    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.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    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).
  • Floatingpencil
    Floatingpencil Posts: 25 Member
    edited October 2018
    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!
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 948 Member
    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!
  • bikecheryl
    bikecheryl Posts: 1,432 Member
    No more than 50%.... I haven't gotten to maintenance yet and this gives me a buffer against overstated exercersize calories.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,192 Member
    xxzenabxx 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.
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