Do I eat back exercise calories?

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Sparkle097
Sparkle097 Posts: 83 Member
edited November 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
Mfp gave me goal of 1400 cals a day to lose weight. I’m planning to workout 4 days a week. I’m not sure how much I will burn daily. Let’s say if I burn around 100 cals, do I eat that back???

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  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Your calorie goal is given to you with the intention that you will eat back exercise calories.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Yes, you do, if you are following MFP's calorie goal and assuming that your exercise calories are calculated accurately. Because many exercise calorie burns are exaggerated, we often recommend that people eat half their stated exercise calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sathmif465 wrote: »
    Mfp gave me goal of 1400 cals a day to lose weight. I’m planning to workout 4 days a week. I’m not sure how much I will burn daily. Let’s say if I burn around 100 cals, do I eat that back???

    Yes
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    yes eat them back. otherwise, your calorie deficit could be too great.
    now if you are eating them back and you find you are continuously gaining weight, consider eating a portion of them back
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), 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. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • jan110144
    jan110144 Posts: 1,251 Member
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    MFP has my calories set at 1200. I usually "earn" 600-800 exercise calories a day from exercise and eat back 250-400 of tgem. This has worked very well for me. In the 4 months I have been doing this, I have lost just under 40 pounds.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    If you are using MFP to set your calorie goals, then you should be eating back your exercise calories. The goals they set for you are set under the assumption that you will be eating back your exercise calories. If you do not, you are under eating. If you do not like the idea of "eating back your exercise calories", you can use another method to set your goal such as TDEE, which already takes into account the exercise you do. If you use this method, then you don't need to eat them back. But if you are using MFP's goal, you need to eat them back (or at least most of them).
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
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    To answer your question - yes - you eat them back. For me however it never seems that simple. First, I make errors in logging my food intake. Second, there are errors in the calorie burn amounts given for a specific exercise and duration. So if I underestimate my calorie intake and overestimate the calories burned in exercise, I can get into trouble and not lose weight.

    So here's the real answer for how I do it. Log your food consumption as accurately as possible, but understand you are most likely underestimating how much you are eating - even if you are being as honest as possible. Log your exercise as accurately as possible and be aware that the calories "burned" are not likely as high as you think they are.
    I eat back about 1/2 of my exercise calories and lose weight according to MFP guide. You will need to just weigh regularly and see what happens. If you are not losing weight you are not in a calorie deficit - either from food logging errors or calorie burn errors or both. Either way you fix it by eating less food.
  • jan110144
    jan110144 Posts: 1,251 Member
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    @garystrickland357 very well said. This essentially what I do and it has been very effective for me.
  • petethegamer_mfp
    petethegamer_mfp Posts: 26 Member
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    I try to eat within my calorie goal but know the food logging is not 100% accurate so if I drift into exercise calories I don't scream at myself. Also I know that buffer is there if I am out at a dinner or party

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