Please Advise, Exercise and eating more from calories lost by exercise?
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gibran30
Posts: 30 Member
Hello there, I have many questions but will start here. My Fitness Pal gives me the daily amount of calories that I am supposed to eat... but what if I exercise and then burn calories exercising... is it best to no allow yourself to eat more because you exercised and lost calories? Or should you eat more? thanks for your time
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Replies
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If you are following the MFP calorie goal, then you would eat back all exercise calories assuming they were calculated correctly. However, most exercise calorie counts are estimates, so it’s generally recommended to eat half your estimated exercise calories, see what your weight does over a month or so, and adjust as needed.7
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Read the stickies at the top. I like this one>> http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p14
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The answer to your question is going to vary depending on who you ask. It is honestly a personal preference. I lost 100 lbs in 8 months back in 2017. I opted to NOT eat into my exercise calories except for the rare occasion of a birthday celebration or something of the sort. Some people do not eat into them at all. Some folks opt to eat half or just under half and some eat them all back. You may need to test the waters to see what works best for you.22
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ChelleDee07 wrote: »The answer to your question is going to vary depending on who you ask. It is honestly a personal preference. I lost 100 lbs in 8 months back in 2017. I opted to NOT eat into my exercise calories except for the rare occasion of a birthday celebration or something of the sort. Some people do not eat into them at all. Some folks opt to eat half or just under half and some eat them all back. You may need to test the waters to see what works best for you.
This is not a personal preference question. It is a question of using MFP the way it was designed, or not.20 -
ChelleDee07 wrote: »The answer to your question is going to vary depending on who you ask. It is honestly a personal preference. I lost 100 lbs in 8 months back in 2017. I opted to NOT eat into my exercise calories except for the rare occasion of a birthday celebration or something of the sort. Some people do not eat into them at all. Some folks opt to eat half or just under half and some eat them all back. You may need to test the waters to see what works best for you.
That’s like saying when asked if you should use a hammer to put a nail in the wall...
“Well that depends. You could use a rubber chicken. Or a screwdriver. Or a hammer. It’s really personal preference.”
MFP is a tool that has a specific application. Not using it the way it’s designed isn’t personal preference it’s misusing a tool.
100 lbs in 8 months is ~ 3lbs/week? More aggressive than the 2 lb/week recommended for the fastest rate of loss. Likely because you ignored those exercise calories.22 -
I tried to use a water bottle to drive a nail into the wall once. Didn't have a hammer nearby, and Nalgeens are indestructible. You know what? It really didn't work very well. At all. Great for holding water though. Important lesson, tools are better at what they're designed for. MFP is no exception.
You legitimately burn calories with exercise. One day you're going to reach your goal weight, and you want to stay there. You'll need to eat your exercise calories in maintenance, you might as well get some practice now.
I'm reminded of a turtle and a rabbit, and the importance of sustainability and consistency.11 -
It depends what you set your activity settings as. If you put it as active, then the calorie goal is increased anyway. If you put sedentary, you need to eat at least some back to fuel your workout12
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I found I was gaining weight even eating half my exercise calories back but losing steadily when I ignore the suggestion.4
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It depends what you set your activity settings as. If you put it as active, then the calorie goal is increased anyway. If you put sedentary, you need to eat at least some back to fuel your workout
@SLL1803
Sorry that's not the way this site works - the activity setting specifically excludes purposeful exercise, they have no connection at all (unlike TDEE sites which amalgamate them into one adjustment).
If you have a sedentary lifestyle but exercise you should log and eat back exercise calories.
If you have an extremely active lifestyle and add exercise on top you still need to log and eat back exercise calories.
Example being my son - a construction worker working long hours and an extremely physical job. That job is covered by the activity setting but any exercise would be on top of that.
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First time I joined here I did that, ate those dang exercise calories right back. Found myself riding my bike 2 more miles so I could eat more at one sitting, ha. That was my downfall and before I knew it I was back to eating the same old way and just skipped the hard exercise and went right to the rewards. Weight came back. This time, and I am down 63 pounds I still record my exercise but I don't eat any of the calories back. This site is great for figuring out what you should be eating to lose weight and I refer to it often as my weight drops and my exercise increases.https://phenq.com/blog/how-many-calories-eat-lose-weight/2
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First time I joined here I did that, ate those dang exercise calories right back. Found myself riding my bike 2 more miles so I could eat more at one sitting, ha. That was my downfall and before I knew it I was back to eating the same old way and just skipped the hard exercise and went right to the rewards. Weight came back. This time, and I am down 63 pounds I still record my exercise but I don't eat any of the calories back. This site is great for figuring out what you should be eating to lose weight and I refer to it often as my weight drops and my exercise increases.https://phenq.com/blog/how-many-calories-eat-lose-weight/
For clarity that site is a TDEE calculator and so does have you eating back your exercise calories - just a daily average estimate included in your daily same-every-day calorie goal.
Instead of here on MFP which you estimate after the event instead of before.
Both methods have their pros and cons and suit different people but both should end up in roughly the same place over an extended period of time.
Look at the "step 2" questions which are asking you to estimate both daily activity AND exercise, unlike here which excludes exercise, hence different BMR multipliers.7 -
First time I joined here I did that, ate those dang exercise calories right back. Found myself riding my bike 2 more miles so I could eat more at one sitting, ha. That was my downfall and before I knew it I was back to eating the same old way and just skipped the hard exercise and went right to the rewards. Weight came back. This time, and I am down 63 pounds I still record my exercise but I don't eat any of the calories back. This site is great for figuring out what you should be eating to lose weight and I refer to it often as my weight drops and my exercise increases.https://phenq.com/blog/how-many-calories-eat-lose-weight/
Riding a bike 2 miles burns what, 30 calories? Bikes are one of the most energy efficient forms of transportation ever invented.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Riding a bike 2 miles burns what, 30 calories? Bikes are one of the most energy efficient forms of transportation ever invented.
I think its more like 90 calories0 -
kimondo666 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Riding a bike 2 miles burns what, 30 calories? Bikes are one of the most energy efficient forms of transportation ever invented.
I think its more like 90 calories
i would estimate that as too high...i burn 1000 cal (roughly) on a 3hr/56mile ride - which is roughly 18cal a mile and that is in the 16-18mph range with steady power3 -
kimondo666 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Riding a bike 2 miles burns what, 30 calories? Bikes are one of the most energy efficient forms of transportation ever invented.
I think its more like 90 calories
Actually it's very varied and a wide range is possible.... Depends on the bike/terrain/elevation/weight/size/speed/aero/tyres etc.
Last Sunday I did 100 miles and averaged between 26 to 27 net cals per mile.5 -
kimondo666 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Riding a bike 2 miles burns what, 30 calories? Bikes are one of the most energy efficient forms of transportation ever invented.
I think its more like 90 calories
For what it's worth, my "I don't have much time" loop is 7.5 miles, about 200 feet of elevation gain, and about 200 kCals to do in 30 minutes. Measured with a direct force power meter.0 -
How many calories you burn is also individual to The person and affected by their physical composition, type of bike, terrain, effort, fitness and speed,1
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Hannahwalksfar wrote: »I found I was gaining weight even eating half my exercise calories back but losing steadily when I ignore the suggestion.
This often happens when someone is making common logging errors in their food diary, causing them to be eating more than they think.
If you'd like us to troubleshoot, change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings7 -
As others have said, MFP is designed such that your daily calorie goal is how much you should eat before exercise, to lose the amount of weight in your weight loss rate target you put in your profile, assuming your calorie needs allow for a deficit that big. Then, you're intended to log exercise and eat those calories back, in order to keep that same loss rate (and fuel your exercise). Some people worry that it's difficult to estimate exercise accurately, so eat back only a portion until they see how their actual weight loss works out after several weeks.
If someone sets up their MFP profile asking for an aggressive weight loss rate for their current size (like 1% or more of body weight per week), and then does a lot of exercise without eating any of the calories back, they stand a good chance of losing weight very fast, creating an unnecessarily high risk to their health.
On the other hand, if someone sets up a quite-slow weight loss rate for their current size, and does a fairly modest amount of exercise, they're probably fine just letting the exercise increase their calorie deficit, if it's going to move their weight loss from slow to moderately (but not crazily) fast.
In between those extremes, it's a judgement call.
The thing is that losing weight too slowly can be frustrating, but losing weight too fast can be dangerous. Things can happen like fatigue, weakness, hair loss, gallbladder problems, etc. Are bad things sure to happen? No, but the risk is higher.
Losing any significant amount of weight, at any actually achievable rate (even a too-fast one), is a long-term process, not a quick fix. Personally, I'd rather err at the start on the side of slower loss, then adjust after a few weeks to a faster rate, if a faster rate would still be safe and sustainable.
I did undereat at first, even while eating back all exercise, because MFP underestimated my calorie needs (this is rare, but it can happen). I felt just great, until suddenly I didn't: I got weak and fatigued. Even though I adjusted as soon as I realized, it took several weeks to recover normal energy level and strength. Thankfully, nothing worse happened.
People who use an outside TDEE calculator to determine their calorie goal are using a different process than the one MFP is designed for. The way they're doing it will work, but they should not give inappropriate and inaccurate advice to people who are letting MFP calculate their calorie goal, because that's not how MFP is designed to work.
Best wishes!5 -
The OP asked a question and I answered with my feedback. Y'all don't have to agree with any thing I shared.ChelleDee07 wrote: »The answer to your question is going to vary depending on who you ask. It is honestly a personal preference. I lost 100 lbs in 8 months back in 2017. I opted to NOT eat into my exercise calories except for the rare occasion of a birthday celebration or something of the sort. Some people do not eat into them at all. Some folks opt to eat half or just under half and some eat them all back. You may need to test the waters to see what works best for you.
This is not a personal preference question. It is a question of using MFP the way it was designed, or not.
We will have to agree to disagree. MFP gives you the data, yes. BUT just as each of us are different, so are how we opt to go about things. Just like for how I maintain... others will not choose to maintain the same way I have and continue to do.WinoGelato wrote: »ChelleDee07 wrote: »The answer to your question is going to vary depending on who you ask. It is honestly a personal preference. I lost 100 lbs in 8 months back in 2017. I opted to NOT eat into my exercise calories except for the rare occasion of a birthday celebration or something of the sort. Some people do not eat into them at all. Some folks opt to eat half or just under half and some eat them all back. You may need to test the waters to see what works best for you.
That’s like saying when asked if you should use a hammer to put a nail in the wall...
“Well that depends. You could use a rubber chicken. Or a screwdriver. Or a hammer. It’s really personal preference.”
MFP is a tool that has a specific application. Not using it the way it’s designed isn’t personal preference it’s misusing a tool.
100 lbs in 8 months is ~ 3lbs/week? More aggressive than the 2 lb/week recommended for the fastest rate of loss. Likely because you ignored those exercise calories.
YES, I IGNORED Exercise calories and I would do it again. Period. I changed everything about my lifestyle... my food choices (what and how much I ate), I worked with a personal trainer and I exercised daily... Sure, I may have loss the weight quickly or as you want choose to describe it, aggressively... but I am the healthiest I have been in my adult life and got the GO AHEAD from my Dr to keep doing what I am doing so I believe I will listen to him. This is one reason why I steer clear of these boards. When people come here and ask for opinions and advice there is always a handful of folks that think they KNOW the ONLY answer to be had for folks is their information. I appreciate the new rectum you guys want to give me... but MFP thought highly enough of my loss to even feature my story.... SO condemn me and my choices all you like... I still lost the weight, improved my health and have maintained my loss for almost 2 years with my DR telling me I am healthy, my blood work is awesome and I am doing great.
That's a WIN in my book. NorthCascades wrote: »I tried to use a water bottle to drive a nail into the wall once. Didn't have a hammer nearby, and Nalgeens are indestructible. You know what? It really didn't work very well. At all. Great for holding water though. Important lesson, tools are better at what they're designed for. MFP is no exception.
You legitimately burn calories with exercise. One day you're going to reach your goal weight, and you want to stay there. You'll need to eat your exercise calories in maintenance, you might as well get some practice now.
I'm reminded of a turtle and a rabbit, and the importance of sustainability and consistency.
I have sustained my loss... and I am in maintenance. I take weekends off... I eat more freely and don't log and get back to it on Monday mornings... NOT how everyone else handles maintenance but HOW I choose to and it has worked for close to 2 years. Doing just fine. ONE way is not the ONLY healthy way to get things done.
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