Eating back exercise calories..?

JenMarieD87 · April 2019

Do you? Why or why not?
I'm trying to decide if I should. Tbh I'm just getting started on a walking routine but I'm trying to see the pros and cons.♡

nutmegoreo · April 2019

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

I don't but I also don't go by the MFP determined calories, I set my daily goal 500 calories higher.

Panini911 · April 2019

If using MFP as it was designed you are supposed to eat them back. if you are super concerned exercise estimated calories burned are too high start with eating a portion and monitor.

MFP gives you the calories to eat to lose at the rate (with small exceptions if that means you go under 1200/1500 cals) requested. So not eating exercise calories increased the deficit and can lead to seriously under eating which can lead to health issues.

MikePTY · April 2019

If you are using the MFP model of calculating your goal, you need to, because MFP is not taking any exercise into account when giving you your goal. Let me spin it to you this way: When you enter your stats in MFP, would you say that you are 50 pounds lighter than you are, or 6 inches shorter, so MFP gives you a lower calorie goal than it would at your real weight and height? My guess is you would probably not do that. But not eating your exercise calories back more or less the same thing, since MFP is not using that energy output in its calculation when giving you a goal.

A lot of people eat back 50-75% of their exercise calories to start, because sometimes exercise calories can get overestimated, so they do that as a way to gauge their burns and see how accurate it is for them. But you should be taking them into account and at least eating some of them back.

The other way to do it is to use a TDEE calculator, which takes into account your exercise level. If you exercise, it will give you a higher daily goal than MFP, and you can use that as a custom goal and then not use your exercise calories. I don't necessarily recommend that if you are just starting out with exercise though. It works better if you have consistent routines and schedules.

cwolfman13 · April 2019

That is the way MFP is designed. That said, I would be a little wary of adding walking calories unless your walking is taking you to an active level of steps. I think I'd only do that if I had a tracker like a Fitbit linked to MFP. I started out just walking my dog for about a mile everyday, but I didn't really count that since I wasn't doing any other kind of exercise at the time, and despite my walk, I was still at 5,000 or less steps per day. Remember that sedentary is going to include some amount of steps...I believe it's up to 5,000 is still considered sedentary...so you could potentially be double dipping into what is already accounted for in your activity level.

I do much more longer duration and higher intensity exercise now, and I most definitely account for it by eating more calories than I would if I wasn't exercising.

india1311 · April 2019

Personally the simple answer for me is, don’t eat then back! x

JaydedMiss · April 2019

I generally just walk but days im working (moving furniture) or excessively active (20k+ steps for me) Ill eat some back but mainly just if im hungry or want an extra snack ill eat them otherwise save them up for either more weight loss or a special snack/meal later thats bound to happen in life. Not worth eating to me if i feel fine and am eating just to "eat them back". Ill only eat up to a few hundred extra though, I dont believe i burn THAT much more. 50%ish tops

AnnPT77 · April 2019

I eat them all. I did so all through 50ish pounds of weight loss (with the rare exception for specific reasons), and certainly do now, in year 3 of maintenance.

If you have a conservative (slow) weight loss rate going on (say, half a percent of body weight weekly or less), and are doing small amounts of relatively mild exercise, then it's probably find not to eat them back.

If you have an aggressive weight loss target (1% or more of body weight weekly, or 2 pounds weekly, or something like that), and are doing large amounts of intense exercise, then it's likely to be a bad idea not to eat back any of the exercise calories. (It would be creating too large of an effective deficit, and creating higher risk of negative health consequences, or of introducing fatigue that would be counterproductive for weight loss).

In between those two extremes . . . well, think hard, be careful.

risottogirl · April 2019

I only eat them back (50-75%) if I have actually worked out that day. I don't eat them back for just routine daily steps (usually 1000-1200). My job is sedentary but I do walk to/from public transit and takes stairs between floors at the office, etc.

Usually I don't know what the total will be until evening and I am not going to just eat to eat before I go to bed.

thanos5 · April 2019

yeah, i try to eat back half. mainly because i was exhausting myself when i didn't. no fuel left my body pretty pissed off at me.

apullum · April 2019

india1311 wrote: »

Personally the simple answer for me is, don’t eat then back! x

This would constitute using MFP incorrectly, and potentially risking health problems due to undereating.

kami3006 · April 2019

I eat all of my actual calories burned which I determined by watching my trend over four to six weeks. FWIW, my numbers for my elliptical and for strength training are spot on with MFP's MET values. So, they're not always inflated for everyone.

I tried not eating them when I first started, and given that I don't have a lot of calories to play with, it was not enough food; didn't have enough energy to progress in my workouts, I was moody, and hungry. It just wasn't sustainable. Adding the calories in had me losing at the rate I originally indicated in my profile while supporting workouts and allowing me to adhere to my plan.

Now, in maintenance, eating them is necessary for the same reasons and to actually maintain my weight.

Eating more and losing is a win-win.

Eating back exercise calories..?

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