Do we eat the calories back that we burn off

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  • Live_Aloha
    Live_Aloha Posts: 28 Member
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    here's another link i found on MFP ;-)

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    MFP has already included a calorie deficit in your calorie goal based oon the information you entered when setting up including your activity level and how many pounds per week you chose as a goal (with 1200/day being the minimum). They do not take into account your activity goals because there's no telling if people would actually be as active as they say, or if they'd even be more active than planned. So, when you enter your exercise, they calculate how many calories you've burned and give those back to you.

    If you don't eat back the calories you've burned then you're not fueling your body correctly. Some folks will tell you not to bother but a severe calorie deficit is just not healthy. Your net calories for the day should never be less than 1200.

    One note though, MFP calorie calculations can be a bit on the high side sometimes so if you find that eating back those calories isn't giving you the results you want, try eating back just half or 2/3rds. Or invest in a good HRM *heart rate monitor) with a chest strap like those by Polar and you'll get a more accurate calorie burn number.
  • JennC831
    JennC831 Posts: 631 Member
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    Third time copying this lol:

    I eat my exercise calories and I still lose. I eat anywhere between 1800 to 2000 cal total and I net an average of 1490 calories a week. Here is what helped me understand "eating my exercise cals":

    My activity level (excluding exercise; this is important) is sedentary because I work a desk job. MFP calculated my Total Daily Energy Expenditure to be 1760 calories. This means to maintain my current weight I must stay at 1760 calories.

    Now I have set myself to lose 0.5lb per week because I'm getting pretty lean and I want to focus on reduce body fat while maintaining muscle. MFP assigned me 1490 calories per day. A deficit of 250 calories per day. Now I work out ALOT. 6 days a week for 1 to 2 hours. I can burn an additional 500 to 1000 calories on those days.

    I use a Polar FT4 HRM and it has been a godsend because I can know for sure what I burn.

    For example, I went to zumba today and burned 554 calories. My total calorie burn is no longer 1760...it is now 2311 (1760+551). It is very important to me to maintain my deficit. I don't want to lose more than 0.5 lb per week. So my calorie goal for a 0.5 lb loss per week is now 2061 (2311-250). So in essence, I must eat back my "exercise calories". I really don't like how it sounds because it seems like you are eating away all your hard work but if you don't fuel your body properly you run the risk of stalling your weight loss. Now I always leave a little room for error. So I always leave about 100 to 150 calories for cushion.

    I've been losing about 0.5 to 0.75 lbs per week. The key to making this work is making sure your activity level reflects your normal life not including exercise. Then you can add in exercise.

    You can, as an alternative, set your activity level to include exercise. For example, active or very active with exercise. MFP will give more calories to eat. In this case you don't log your exercise and you wouldnt have to eat them back.

    My settings are sedentary and I add in my exercise cals. I eat a average of 1800 to 1900 cals per day and burn an average of 400 calories per day through exercise (2800 cal per week). I net between 1400 to 1500.

    BUT If I change my activity level settings to very active to include my exercise....MFP will give me 2152 as my TDEE and a calorie goal of 1902 to lose 1/2 per week. IN this case I wont "eat back my exercise cals". The math turns out to be the same.

    Thank you!! Yo've helped me understand this whole situation better!!!
  • jknops2
    jknops2 Posts: 171 Member
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    I have a eleven year old. I can't recall how many times I have told him to turn of the light, or flush the toilet, or close the front door. Kind of similar isn't it? How many time do you have to repeat the obvious? Please listen, check older posts and stop asking stupid questions.
  • jezmarie89
    jezmarie89 Posts: 120
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    I DONT READ THIS..

    http://caloriecount.about.com/eating-back-exercise-calories-ft35823
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I DONT READ THIS..

    http://caloriecount.about.com/eating-back-exercise-calories-ft35823
    That has nothing to do with how MFP calculates a calorie deficit and is COMPLETELY irrelevant.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    I DONT READ THIS..

    http://caloriecount.about.com/eating-back-exercise-calories-ft35823

    Then you should look at what site you're on.... this site calculates your daily limit completely diffrent and builds in your deficit.
    You should be eating them back --- at least half of them.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    Just eat at least 1200/day, then whatever you WANT to from the calories earned from working out. I usually stick to the 1200/day and try not to eat my workout calories. It's been working good for me :)

    I wish people would get 1200 out of their mind. This is not some magic number --- this is a VERY low number for most people and it happens to just be the lowest number MFP will ever give. If they let you choose to lose 5lbs a week and eat 500 calories people would start thinking that was the magic number. If you do your settings right and choose the right goals -- very few people would see 1200. Usually its those under 5' tall who are already very thin, or thoe with 75+ lbs to lose because they can choose 2lbs a week..


    I am 5'4" and I have mine set to lose .5 lbs per week and my calories are set at 1210. From the beginning they were set at 1200. I think its a more common number on here than you think.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    I have a eleven year old. I can't recall how many times I have told him to turn of the light, or flush the toilet, or close the front door. Kind of similar isn't it? How many time do you have to repeat the obvious? Please listen, check older posts and stop asking stupid questions.

    There's no need to get angry or snippy...People need to ask the same questions over and over again. Who cares? You don't want to be annoyed, don't click on the topic that says anything about exercise calories.

    Some people don't know about the search feature, I didn't when I first signed up. Some people can't find an answer that makes sense to them even with searching.

    There's no need to bring people down because you don't need to hear about exercise calories again.
  • bazzawood30
    bazzawood30 Posts: 45 Member
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    Eat it all back!

    Your calorie intake is designed to give a stable weight loss, if you don’t eat it back you will lose too much too fast. This will cause your body to eat up muscle to survive. Muscles burn calories and therefore fat so you want to build or at least maintain them. Also you will recover faster and be able to complete more exercise sooner. You will also stick to the diet longer if you are under calories your body will crave fatty sugary foods.

    I have only lost 6lbs in two months by eating all my calories back, but remember muscle is more dense then fat. my weight loss may not be impressive but my jeans are now 32" waist not 36" I can run 5 miles and bench my body weight easy.

    Slow and steady is the secret.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    Just eat at least 1200/day, then whatever you WANT to from the calories earned from working out. I usually stick to the 1200/day and try not to eat my workout calories. It's been working good for me :)

    I wish people would get 1200 out of their mind. This is not some magic number --- this is a VERY low number for most people and it happens to just be the lowest number MFP will ever give. If they let you choose to lose 5lbs a week and eat 500 calories people would start thinking that was the magic number. If you do your settings right and choose the right goals -- very few people would see 1200. Usually its those under 5' tall who are already very thin, or thoe with 75+ lbs to lose because they can choose 2lbs a week..


    I am 5'4" and I have mine set to lose .5 lbs per week and my calories are set at 1210. From the beginning they were set at 1200. I think its a more common number on here than you think.

    I'm 5'4 with it set to lose .5lbs a week too -- but mine is 1,430. I put my weight at 160 with goal of 145. I put sedentary because I have a desk job. I track my exercise and eat most of it back.

    If I plug in your stats --- 170 with goal of 130 and to lose 1/2lbs a week at age 30 -- I get that yours is actually 1600 at sedentary.
    If you got 1200 you may have chosen something other than lose 1/2 lb.
  • tisamg
    tisamg Posts: 62 Member
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    It is confusing... the site was designed for you to eat the calories back. However, as stated above, the calories burned can be high on here, so if you don't use a Heart Rate Monitor, you might not want to eat all of them. I had the same question when I first started, so I think the site might try to explain it better when you sign up. Just a thought.

    And there is no such thing as a stupid question. Keep asking!!! Knowledge is key to success :smile: Most members are very supportive and will at least send you in the right direction to find the answers you need.
  • AngieMoore1975
    AngieMoore1975 Posts: 69 Member
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    Well said! Thanks...I am fairly new to MFP and I haven't really searched topics yet, just something I was curious about and so I threw it out there. Thanks! :)
  • AngieMoore1975
    AngieMoore1975 Posts: 69 Member
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    Thank you! :)
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    YES! You are supposed to eat them! In fact, if you have a good workout, you're supposed to have a 200-300 calorie snack within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. FEED THE MACHINE!
  • AngieMoore1975
    AngieMoore1975 Posts: 69 Member
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    I have a eleven year old. I can't recall how many times I have told him to turn of the light, or flush the toilet, or close the front door. Kind of similar isn't it? How many time do you have to repeat the obvious? Please listen, check older posts and stop asking stupid questions.
  • AngieMoore1975
    AngieMoore1975 Posts: 69 Member
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    Asking "stupid" questions was not my intention. I thought getting feed back from others is why we are all here. If someone thinks a question is stupid then no need to reply at all. I am looking for positve and healthy feed back. For all of you who have done so thank you for your help. I appreciate it! :)
  • AngieMoore1975
    AngieMoore1975 Posts: 69 Member
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    Got lots of good comments and info...thanks everyone!:smile:
  • jgilhen
    jgilhen Posts: 31
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    I have a eleven year old. I can't recall how many times I have told him to turn of the light, or flush the toilet, or close the front door. Kind of similar isn't it? How many time do you have to repeat the obvious? Please listen, check older posts and stop asking stupid questions.

    There's nothing wrong with asking questions. If your annoyed then please don't click on the post or reply with stupid responses.
  • jgilhen
    jgilhen Posts: 31
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    Asking "stupid" questions was not my intention. I thought getting feed back from others is why we are all here. If someone thinks a question is stupid then no need to reply at all. I am looking for positve and healthy feed back. For all of you who have done so thank you for your help. I appreciate it! :)

    It's not a stupid question. I was wondering the same thing and it did help to read all the other feedback and find out what works for others. Good post if you ask me! :smile:

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