should I eat back calories burned while exercising?

Should I eat back calories burned while exercising?

Answers

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    The general answer is: yes, you should. However we know nothing about you. How many calories are you eating each day and what kind of exercise are you doing?
  • MattBlaze
    MattBlaze Posts: 2 Member
    Depends on your goals. If it's just one day, or once in while then I would not eat back the calories. However, If your calorie deficit is too big on a daily basis then you might lose weight faster, but the problem is you start losing muscle in addition to fat. Especially if you are not getting enough protein.
    You don't want that for many reasons, one of them being that when you lose muscle your metabolism slows down because it doesn't need as many calories. You need to find that sweet spot. For example if I burn off 500 calories and my calorie deficit is too big, I'll eat back 150-250 calories (but something healthy or rich in protein). I no longer eat back "all" of my calories, because when I did, it significantly slowed down my progress. There is lots of good info out there why that is. My favorite summary on this subject is on Youtube: Jeremy Ethier - How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Fat?
  • bubbeE787
    bubbeE787 Posts: 34 Member
    I personally do not. My calorie allowance for the day is comfortable enough ( around 1500) and I do not do the type of intense exercise that would burn a huge amount; probably 200-350/ day; sometimes less, sometimes more. Good to read the suggestions- then figure out what works best for you.
  • dmourati5029
    dmourati5029 Posts: 2 Member
    I think the general answer should be no. This is a "feature" of some apps including MFP that does more harm than good. Set your calories to achieve your goals and don't waiver or modulate. The risk with "eating back" calories is it sets you up to overestimate the calories burned during exercise, then sets you up to eat more calories overall.
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,567 Member
    tamlady wrote: »
    Should I eat back calories burned while exercising?

    If you do- I would make sure the calories burned are accurate. The app tells me I burned 150 calories cleaning the house or 500 in a cycling class. How do I know it’s accurate? I don’t. So if I want to eat more.. I only eat a small portion back.

    I have a hard time believing I burned 240 calories in a light yoga class or spent 1200 calories jogging for 50 min.
  • dmourati5029
    dmourati5029 Posts: 2 Member
    edited December 2023
    yirara wrote: »
    I think the general answer should be no. This is a "feature" of some apps including MFP that does more harm than good. Set your calories to achieve your goals and don't waiver or modulate. The risk with "eating back" calories is it sets you up to overestimate the calories burned during exercise, then sets you up to eat more calories overall.

    So you're telling someone that undereating is better than potentially reducing the calorie deficit? Can you please explain why that is the case?


    You should focus more on your BMR and setting a sustainable and healthy calorie intake to meet your goals. Trying to eat back calories complicates things and introduces estimation errors and more variables.

    People eating back calories and following MFP "features" don't want to hear this. Hence all the negative comments.

    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited December 2023
    yirara wrote: »
    I think the general answer should be no. This is a "feature" of some apps including MFP that does more harm than good. Set your calories to achieve your goals and don't waiver or modulate. The risk with "eating back" calories is it sets you up to overestimate the calories burned during exercise, then sets you up to eat more calories overall.

    So you're telling someone that undereating is better than potentially reducing the calorie deficit? Can you please explain why that is the case?


    You should focus more on your BMR and setting a sustainable and healthy calorie intake to meet your goals. Trying to eat back calories complicates things and introduces estimation errors and more variables.

    People eating back calories and following MFP "features" don't want to hear this. Hence all the negative comments.

    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/

    That article assumes peoples' Calories In and Calories Out inputs are going to be inaccurate. Sure, if you're going to be inaccurate, you probably don't want to eat back exercise calories. :lol:

    I'm quite confident in my food logging. I evaluate exercise calories all the time. The MFP entry for Tai Chi* seems to be based on a more martial style than the classes I take, so I created a custom entry. I only use the regular gardening entry when I am doing a lot of digging with a shovel (as opposed to a trowel) and created a moderate gardening entry. Etc. So, when I use accurate numbers, I can use MFP as designed, which is to eat exercise calories back.

    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/

    "...The main reason is this: It’s easy, and fairly common to overestimate calorie burn (both from everyday activity and from exercise) and underestimate calorie consumption. By going out of your way to eat back every calorie you expend during exercise, you may unintentionally undermine your efforts to lose or maintain your weight."

    ****************

    * There are three categories for Tai Chi in the Compendium of Physical Activities and only one in MFP. My custom entry uses slightly less METs than the Compendium's "tai chi, qi gong, general": https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/sports
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,304 Member
    You can understand your tools. You can guess aggressively. You can guess conservatively. It all works till it doesn't. And it all POTENTIALLY works better if your understand what you're doing.

    Weight is not going to BOTH drop off and stay off without some effort and some longer term changes to whatever you've been doing that brought you here today.

    If it would have for you, then you would have already done it and you wouldn't be here reading this.

    Guts and glory and heroic measures work in the short term. At some point they break down.

    Methodical and incremental change takes some mental effort.

    Maximum deficit tends to become fragile fast.

    At least that's what I've seen for people who are here without a team of dieticians, therapists, trainers and doctors around them (i.e the do-it-yourselfers amongst us)

    Sustainable deficit requires adjustment.

    Ignoring things such as exercise to me means you're going into this choosing not to make adjustments.

    Sure, if it is a very small % of your day and deficit and your deficit is on the low side it will work fine

    If your deficit is aggressive and exercise (or the miscalculation of your actual activity) is substantial... you will increase the fragility.

    I would strive for accuracy and adjust by results!

    Best of luck
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,497 Member
    Unpopular opinion. In theory based on how MFP works one does eat back exercise calories. In practice, MOST people new to weight loss and exercise aren't burning enough calories from exercise to make a difference.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited December 2023
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Unpopular opinion. In theory based on how MFP works one does eat back exercise calories. In practice, MOST people new to weight loss and exercise aren't burning enough calories from exercise to make a difference.

    How many calories would that be? For a small person, 200 calories could make a lot of difference in their happiness. I certainly don't see a trend of posters opening with calories burns that small.

    I'd revise your statement to "MANY people new to weight loss and exercise initially struggle to accurately log Calories In and Calories Out."
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I'd revise your statement to "MANY people new to weight loss and exercise initially struggle to accurately log Calories In and Calories Out."

    This. And too many people new to MFP chose the biggest possible weightloss goal and wonder they're doing something wrong when not losing as much as expected, while exercising on top.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,497 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    Unpopular opinion. In theory based on how MFP works one does eat back exercise calories. In practice, MOST people new to weight loss and exercise aren't burning enough calories from exercise to make a difference.

    How many calories would that be? For a small person, 200 calories could make a lot of difference in their happiness. I certainly don't see a trend of posters opening with calories burns that small.

    I'd revise your statement to "MANY people new to weight loss and exercise initially struggle to accurately log Calories In and Calories Out."

    I'm going to keep with "MOST". Remember the FDA has a 20% error allowed on calorie measurement, plus calories burned by movement isn't an exact science unless measured in a exercise lab and even then it's not perfect. Most people just aren't moving that much.
  • collinsje1
    collinsje1 Posts: 54 Member
    I'm in the minority here, but I personally do not eat my exercise calories back. Mostly because I don't trust what MRP or my HMR tells me as my calorie burns. So I use my exercise calories to account for inaccuracies in my food logging. Example a few extra grams of PB that got missed, that TBSP of oil my chicken was cooked in....ect. I say this with a grain of salt tho....as this is what works for me...as of today Ive lost 101.6 pounds and met my original goal.......your mileage may vary.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    collinsje1 wrote: »
    I'm in the minority here, but I personally do not eat my exercise calories back. Mostly because I don't trust what MRP or my HMR tells me as my calorie burns. So I use my exercise calories to account for inaccuracies in my food logging. Example a few extra grams of PB that got missed, that TBSP of oil my chicken was cooked in....ect. I say this with a grain of salt tho....as this is what works for me...as of today Ive lost 101.6 pounds and met my original goal.......your mileage may vary.

    I'm certainly not going to argue with your path for you. :lol: Congrats!