Who does not eat back exercise calories???

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Replies

  • jaygirl3
    jaygirl3 Posts: 320 Member
    i dont eat mine too
  • katedonn5
    katedonn5 Posts: 16
    I don't record my exercise so I don't know what calories I can eat back. MFP isn't very good with the lifting exercise tracking anyways so it's difficult. I say it's not worth eating back on a regular basis.
  • tyadrake
    tyadrake Posts: 107 Member
    I don't either, I stick pretty close to the 1200 mark. However, after getting home from the gym, sometimes I'm not that hungry and have to force myself to eat up to the 1200 mark. On other days it just allows me to have an extra glass of wine or a 55 cal beer (or two) :drinker:
  • Garrett1234
    Garrett1234 Posts: 147 Member
    I do if I'm hungry, but I don't make a point of trying to.
  • CalamityCat
    CalamityCat Posts: 26
    I do it a bit odd, I eat about 75% of them and also deduct 10% off the predicted work out numbers. So I make sure I am under in work out calories, as I do worry they get over estimated!
  • hperowl
    hperowl Posts: 234 Member
    I don't eat mine unless I'm hungry. My calorie goal is 1600 and I work out at least an hour every day and I've lost 23 lbs since the end of June. I'm meeting with a nutritionist this afternoon and plan to ask about the eating back exercise calories thing - I'll post back with what she says!

    I would love to hear what the nutritionist says! I am on a 1200 cal diet and I try not to eat back the calories I burn off exercising. I don't usually feel hungry between meals and I try to save my 'big' meal for dinner. I am averaging a 2-3 pound/week weight loss. Honestly, when I started MFP I didn't even know you were supposed to eat back the burned off calories. Any new info would be appreciated!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

    Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!
  • stelid
    stelid Posts: 60
    I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

    Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!

    I agree with you. I don't eat back all my exercise calories (I eat more than 1200 generally, but not much more) and this is the first time I have lost any weight in 5 years. I also weight train, swim, and run--I have noticed some definite toning so I doubt I am losing lean muscle.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    I really think it all depends on where you are in your weight loss. I didn't eat mine back for a long time and lost a lot of weight. And then I stopped. And then I gained a few back. I had to start eating more to lose once I got down closer to my goal. So those who aren't right now...probably will down the road. it is just a matter of where you are on your journey. :-)

    Agreed...seems like the people who are most insistent that you should eat them are at their goal weight and in better shape then many of the people on here. Its easier to say "eat, eat, eat" when you don't still need to lose a bunch of weight. People who are just getting on track are thinking how eating a lot (and eating when you weren't even hungry) is what got them here in the first place!

    Actually what it is...is that the larger and more overweight that you are, the larger deficit of calories your body can tolerate. So if you are getting to those last few pounds, eating more is a lot more important compared to just starting out with many pounds to go.
  • Enforcer25
    Enforcer25 Posts: 350 Member
    I don' really plan this either way, if I eat them back I don't worry about it, most days I don't, but sometimes I do. I'm pretty standard on what I eat, so I know what I'll have left over every day.
  • Enforcer25
    Enforcer25 Posts: 350 Member
    I don' really plan this either way, if I eat them back I don't worry about it, most days I don't, but sometimes I do. I'm pretty standard on what I eat, so I know what I'll have left over every day.
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
    my mother's brother's cousins' ex-wife's brother in law does not




    :laugh:







    Funny! Sometimes I do most times I don't, I really don't have alot of lbs to lose. What works for me at my age and health is not too much carbs everyday sometimes I do eat bread , rice If I work out alot I will eat more, because I'm usually hungry
  • elsa11170
    elsa11170 Posts: 83 Member
    I'm so paranoid that my body will go into starvation mode I normally eat back my calories. When I first got on MFP I lost the weight fast, this time around it's going a little slower. :\
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I just cant imagine eating back all those calories i burned! Like today for example, i burned 1,943 calories. Am i really supposed to eat that much in the next few hours?! Sod that! :P
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I just cant imagine eating back all those calories i burned! Like today for example, i burned 1,943 calories. Am i really supposed to eat that much in the next few hours?! Sod that! :P
    Curious, what did you do in order to burn that many? I walked everyday for 1.5 hours, I mean fast walk, I only burned something around 200, or 3, maybe.
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
    I just cant imagine eating back all those calories i burned! Like today for example, i burned 1,943 calories. Am i really supposed to eat that much in the next few hours?! Sod that! :P
    Curious, what did you do in order to burn that many? I walked everyday for 1.5 hours, I mean fast walk, I only burned something around 200, or 3, maybe.

    I don't know what he did, but I will burn around 2000 calories when I do a long bike ride. Alternatively, if I do a long distance run I can get somewhere in that same ballpark.
  • SoCalSwimmerDude
    SoCalSwimmerDude Posts: 507 Member

    She will probably say no, as she may not be aware that MFP sets you up with a caloric deficit to begin with. Most likely she will base your caloric intake on TDEE, which should be a higher amount than your 1600.

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1750 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 12,250 (1850*7) almost the same number of cals for the week. The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFP do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1750/day above.

    You could explain this until your fingers are about to fall off, but people aren't listening (unfortunately).

    I don't care if someone eats their cals back or not, but what bothers me is that they don't understand that they are ALREADY on a deficit if using MFP. Further, its probably important for a nutritionist to see exactly how MFP works prior to making a recommendation one way or the other.

    Try this on for size: YOU COULD EAT ALL OF YOUR EXERCISE CALS BACK AND STILL BE UNDER WHAT YOUR MAINTENANCE CALORIES ARE!! Eh, I'm either preaching to the choir or yelling at a 1st grader... some will listen and others won't... to each his or her own. Just get to your goals and see what works for you LONG term.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    I dont I usally eat 1200 to 1300 before exercise.I got to the gym 5 days a week for 60 to 90 minutes.Ive always lost weight just fine and feel great.Im not trying not to eat them,and I do go into them during social situations but other than that no not really to be honest
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member


    You could explain this until your fingers are about to fall off, but people aren't listening (unfortunately).

    I don't care if someone eats their cals back or not, but what bothers me is that they don't understand that they are ALREADY on a deficit if using MFP. Further, its probably important for a nutritionist to see exactly how MFP works prior to making a recommendation one way or the other.

    Try this on for size: YOU COULD EAT ALL OF YOUR EXERCISE CALS BACK AND STILL BE UNDER WHAT YOUR MAINTENANCE CALORIES ARE!! Eh, I'm either preaching to the choir or yelling at a 1st grader... some will listen and others won't... to each his or her own. Just get to your goals and see what works for you LONG term.

    What actually bothers me is that how one number fits all? How would MFP know how my metabolism works and gives out the number that will work for me?

    I think I will try both ways, just like some fellows have suggested and with trial and error hopefully I can finally find the sweet spot. :)
  • RunRideRay
    RunRideRay Posts: 1,536 Member
    We need an MFP survey monkey thing.... who's keeping the stats???

    NO for me, and I've been doing this long enough to know that's what works for me when trying to reduce fat.

    OK.....everyone want a little secret?????

    1lb of body fat = 3500 calories

    When trying to reduce fat, I target about 1.5 lbs per week, which is ~700 calorie deficit per day, which I generally try to use from my exercise calories. Now.... it's not that easy, because there are all kinds of metabolism and other influences on that. Some have hinted about this on posts, but in all the pages I did not see any reference to leveling blood sugar levels. To me, that is the true secret. If you can stabilize the blood suger (glucose level) then the body can more easily work on going to fat stores for energy, and not what is readily available in the blood stream. This takes some effort to dial-in, but once you do you can burn energy from fat without any big hunger, have enough energy, and see real reductions each week.

    The best part about it...... fat cells don't stand a chance!
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I just cant imagine eating back all those calories i burned! Like today for example, i burned 1,943 calories. Am i really supposed to eat that much in the next few hours?! Sod that! :P
    Curious, what did you do in order to burn that many? I walked everyday for 1.5 hours, I mean fast walk, I only burned something around 200, or 3, maybe.

    63 mins of DDR - 881
    2 hours of competitive badminton - 1062

    :)
  • RunRideRay
    RunRideRay Posts: 1,536 Member
    I completely stopped using MFP for tracking cals.... just don't trust it [but love MFP]

    No judgement needed on me, but offer what I do.

    I set a ~2000 cal threshold as maintenance cals, what keeps me alive.

    I decide to add supplemental energy to support workouts, and it's an energy in, energy out equation. If I am going for a 3 hour bike ride, better have a couple bananas, some gels, and a protein shake afterward, all timed to when I need the energy to support the workout. It's like running the car on a 1/4 tank of gas, and fill it up as I need it.
  • pammyedmunds
    pammyedmunds Posts: 608 Member
    I generally don't eat my exercise calories back the majority of the time. However it depends on how active I am. If I know I am going to be doing double/triple workouts I will increase my calorie consumption to 1800 calories vs the MFP 1660 Calories Goal. I don't see a difference if with my calorie range when it comes to loosing weight. If I go over 200 calories I would probably gain. But I also drink more thean 15 cups of water a day..so it evens itself out.
  • SoCalSwimmerDude
    SoCalSwimmerDude Posts: 507 Member


    You could explain this until your fingers are about to fall off, but people aren't listening (unfortunately).

    I don't care if someone eats their cals back or not, but what bothers me is that they don't understand that they are ALREADY on a deficit if using MFP. Further, its probably important for a nutritionist to see exactly how MFP works prior to making a recommendation one way or the other.

    Try this on for size: YOU COULD EAT ALL OF YOUR EXERCISE CALS BACK AND STILL BE UNDER WHAT YOUR MAINTENANCE CALORIES ARE!! Eh, I'm either preaching to the choir or yelling at a 1st grader... some will listen and others won't... to each his or her own. Just get to your goals and see what works for you LONG term.

    What actually bothers me is that how one number fits all? How would MFP know how my metabolism works and gives out the number that will work for me?

    I think I will try both ways, just like some fellows have suggested and with trial and error hopefully I can finally find the sweet spot. :)

    Yup, I don't disagree at all. I guess I've been lucky, because I've stuck to what MFP tells me and its worked like a well oiled machine. However, now that I'm in a 'adding muscle' phase, I am currently trying to figure it all out all over again. I don't mind what people do, I just wish everyone knew exactly how the site was designed in order to get those results.
  • 4himalone
    4himalone Posts: 69
    bump

    i want to read all these responses! LOVE this topic!
  • duckpond11
    duckpond11 Posts: 197 Member
    I have been struggling for a couple months to find my "sweet spot" for calorie intake. I started with my goal target set at 1200. I felt horrible and didn't lose any weight, probably because I was constantly over eating at night because I'd been starving myself all day. Then I tried 1200 with eating exercise calories. Nothing changed. Then I changed my target to 1500 manually and didn't really eat my exercise cals. Still nothing. Then I decided to stop worrying about how many calories I ate and just try to eat clean and reasonable portions and see what happens. I just completed week 1 of this experiment, and I logged all my calories. I averaged 1955 calories - I worked out 5 times, each time approximately 200-400 calories burnt. I lost 1.5 pounds. I didn't stress if MFP didn't tell me I was "under my calorie goal" and I felt a lot happier. I didn't worry about eating all my exercise cals on every day, and on some days I ate them and more. Honestly -- I didn't really feel like I was on a "diet" per se, which was awesome. I think it's a bit easy to get obsessive over the MFP numbers, but you should just play around and see what works.
  • walkdmc
    walkdmc Posts: 529 Member
    It depends on how I feel. I usually don't do a final activity count until the evening and by that time, I've finished eating. (I have a rough estimate in my head during the day but plug in my GWF at night for an accurate count). I really do what I feel is right. If I'm ravenously hungry, I eat and it usually turns out that I'm eating exercise calories. Sometimes I feel satisfied with my daily 1400 and leave it at that.

    I don't spend most of my day hungry nor do I go to bed hungry.

    Can there be a middle ground on this topic? Because if there's a middle ground, I think I'm practicing it.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator


    You could explain this until your fingers are about to fall off, but people aren't listening (unfortunately).

    I don't care if someone eats their cals back or not, but what bothers me is that they don't understand that they are ALREADY on a deficit if using MFP. Further, its probably important for a nutritionist to see exactly how MFP works prior to making a recommendation one way or the other.

    Try this on for size: YOU COULD EAT ALL OF YOUR EXERCISE CALS BACK AND STILL BE UNDER WHAT YOUR MAINTENANCE CALORIES ARE!! Eh, I'm either preaching to the choir or yelling at a 1st grader... some will listen and others won't... to each his or her own. Just get to your goals and see what works for you LONG term.

    What actually bothers me is that how one number fits all? How would MFP know how my metabolism works and gives out the number that will work for me?

    I think I will try both ways, just like some fellows have suggested and with trial and error hopefully I can finally find the sweet spot. :)

    One size doesn't fit all, but math generally doesn't lie. Have you ever look around this forum (and please dont' take this as sacastic) about how many plateau or I don't understand why I am not losing weight threads there are? Do you know what ever single one has in common? You guessed it, they all involve not eating enough. There are simple mathematical equations that determine caloric needs (Katch McArdle & Benedict Harris). Both will tell you results similar to each other. The biggest problem is people don't educate themselves and read threads like this and don't realize what they are doing. Sure you can lose weight by not eating your exercise calories, but a lot of that weight will be muscle. And what happens when your muscle decreases? thats right, you have a slower metabolism, a weaker immune system, less insulin control and so forth. I ask you though, why would you want to only eat 1200 calories when you can eat 2200 calories and still lose weight? Why deprive your system of nutrients and fuel?

    I can also tell you from person experience I am working with 7 or 8 people to help them understand basal metabolic rates and total daily energy expended and the first thing I did was jack up their calories (some as high as an extra 800) Within a week, i go a message from each one saying the same thing, I am losing weight again and eating more..


    Remember, opinions differ but math is math. And like a previous poster said, your body is more forgiving when you have a lot to lose but when you have 20 lbs to go and barely any muscle to help, it makes that last 20 even harder. And if you don't believe it, feel free to private message me, I can work with you and I bet I can increase your caloric intake and you will still lose. There are two sayings I live by, muscle burns fat and food is fuel.
  • messyinthekitchen
    messyinthekitchen Posts: 662 Member
    I don't eat back my exercise calories. I have lost 20 pounds in about 5 weeks. I feel great, Fill of energy. If that ever changes however, I will start eating my exercise calories.
  • c2sky
    c2sky Posts: 487 Member
    I did, but then I decided I had too much fluctuation in calories. Because I teach classes, I get anywehre from 1 hour to 4 hours of exercise a day. So I hired a dietician. Now, upon her recommendation, I just stay at a calorie range of 1800-2000 calories,every day, except on the days I don't work out at all, like Sunday. Then I eat about 1600 on those days. It seems to be working a lot better to be consistent, but you might want to hire a dietician. You should be able to for $40-$60. In my opinion, well worth it.
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