Just want to be clear about this calorie deficit thing

cactus39
cactus39 Posts: 29
edited October 4 in Food and Nutrition
So if I want to lose 1lb a week I need to cut out 500 calories a day, which MFP does for us. So my calories per day is 2000. My question is about when I run. My heart rate monitor says i burned 800 calories. So is it correct, to lose 1lb a week, I need to eat those 800 calories back which brings my calorie count (for the day I run) 2800?

Replies

  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Yes. Eat those back to stay at a reasonable caloric defecit.

    ETA: If you don't eat them back, that's essentially the same as eating 1200 calories and not working out.
  • nellie_88
    nellie_88 Posts: 256 Member
    I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of MFPers, lol, but me personally I eat them back only if I am hungry. I try to listen to my body, if I workout and am not hungry I wont force myself to eat those calories back, but if I'm hungry I will eat them. It has been working for me, but again that is me and just my opinion. Good luck :smile:
  • kappyd
    kappyd Posts: 199 Member
    Don't forget to subtract your resting heart rate calories from the 800, because MFP already counted those.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    I don't typically eat them back, at least not all. My reasoning is that while I try to be as accurate and conservative as possible with calorie counting and calories burned, there is always that margin of error. I personally try to leave at least a couple hundred on the board, just to counteract any over/under counting that I did.

    BUT AGAIN, THAT'S JUST ME.
  • Mustanggtgirly21
    Mustanggtgirly21 Posts: 4 Member
    You must burn 3500 calories to burn 1 lb of fat. If you normally burn 2000cal (which is what most people burn a day sitting on their rump) then do the math. If you burn 2800 (norm + exercise) EVERYDAY and only take in 2000cal then you will lose 1.5 lbs a week! HOWEVER do not forget working out will build muscle...so you may not lose as much as you look like you are.
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
    I don't eat mine back either, I suppose part of that is that I walk as soon as I get up so then I eat breakfast and go on for the day.

    Meg
  • wareagle8706
    wareagle8706 Posts: 1,090 Member
    I agree. Only eat them back if your hungry. Why would you want to eat if you're not hungry?

    I don't think losing more than one pound a week is necessarily an unhealthy thing to do if you're doing it the right way - which is sounds like you are. I think the "unhealthy" part of losing more than a pound a week is people starving themselves or going on crazy liquid diets or things of that nature.
  • Mustanggtgirly21
    Mustanggtgirly21 Posts: 4 Member
    When I was eating 500cal a day...and not supposed to be working out on that low of cals I would lose 2-4lbs a week.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    After talking to both my doctor and nutritionist, I do not eat my exercise calories back. Both said it is not necessary.
  • MikeSEA
    MikeSEA Posts: 1,074 Member
    Since you're already at a theoretical caloric deficit, not eating some of those calories back would put at a further deficit. If that's not what you want, yes, eat them back.

    Now at 2000 (or 2800, as the case may be), you've got some wiggle room. This would be a touchier subject if you had a 1200 cal/day limit.
  • tonitack1
    tonitack1 Posts: 3
    how do you subract the resting rate...you mean how many calories you would have burned in that hour of excercise??? Smart..never thought of that.
  • jezmarie89
    jezmarie89 Posts: 120
    i dont eat all of them back..im still losing
  • cactus39
    cactus39 Posts: 29
    My issue is that I was running, never ate them back but now Im stuck. I lost 40lbs and in late July Ive hit the wall. I dont know what exactly I am doing or not doing. Im thinking now I need to eat those calories back.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    I don't eat them back either. Think when I reach goal and want to maintain I will reevaluate with my doctor's office.
  • WhitneyJerome
    WhitneyJerome Posts: 80 Member
    ok so for someone like me where I have only have about 9 pounds more to lose and I have a daily calorie limit of 1330 I would need to eat my exercise calories back?
  • leslielt
    leslielt Posts: 113 Member
    My issue is that I was running, never ate them back but now Im stuck. I lost 40lbs and in late July Ive hit the wall. I dont know what exactly I am doing or not doing. Im thinking now I need to eat those calories back.

    the more you lose the longer your "plateaus" last. It is rather annoying but you are still accomplishing something
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    My issue is that I was running, never ate them back but now Im stuck. I lost 40lbs and in late July Ive hit the wall. I dont know what exactly I am doing or not doing. Im thinking now I need to eat those calories back.

    Well, you are further than me, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. BUT, everyone's body is different. If you are doing the same thing you always did and are stalled, try something different for a week or two and see if it helps. I have several on my friend's list that upped calories when stalled and started seeing results. So if you start eating back your exercise calories and you weren't before, maybe that will be it for you.
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
    I agree, I would try something "different". Maybe try eating them back a few days a week to see if that breaks your plateau. It may be your body is seeing the weight loss and is now trying to hold on thinking it in "starvation" mode. Not saying your starving yourself :) Just the way some peoples body works is all.
  • MIMITIME
    MIMITIME Posts: 405 Member
    ok so for someone like me where I have only have about 9 pounds more to lose and I have a daily calorie limit of 1330 I would need to eat my exercise calories back?
    [/quote

    Based on everything I have read, you would need to eat back at least some of those calories. For example, if you are burning 500 calories a day and you don't eat them back, you would actually only be eating 830 calories a day because you burned off the 500 and didn't replace it. All reports are that any thing under 1200 calories is not good for your losing weight.
  • leslielt
    leslielt Posts: 113 Member
    this gives some info on how to break out of a plateau
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/74728-weight-loss-plateau/
  • WhitneyJerome
    WhitneyJerome Posts: 80 Member
    ok so for someone like me where I have only have about 9 pounds more to lose and I have a daily calorie limit of 1330 I would need to eat my exercise calories back?
    [/quote

    Based on everything I have read, you would need to eat back at least some of those calories. For example, if you are burning 500 calories a day and you don't eat them back, you would actually only be eating 830 calories a day because you burned off the 500 and didn't replace it. All reports are that any thing under 1200 calories is not good for your losing weight.

    thanks!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    ok so for someone like me where I have only have about 9 pounds more to lose and I have a daily calorie limit of 1330 I would need to eat my exercise calories back?

    I never did the entire time I was losing, even the last few pounds. Im now maintaining, and don't eat them back either. But thats just me.
  • kappyd
    kappyd Posts: 199 Member
    how do you subract the resting rate...you mean how many calories you would have burned in that hour of excercise??? Smart..never thought of that.

    The calories that you would have burned just sitting there watching tv. I put on my heart rate monitor on once in awhile while relaxing (TV) then check it every 15 minutes to let me know how many calories I burned just being alive. Then I remember that number. Say it is 100 calories in an hour, then when I ride my bike for an hour and it says I burned 300 calories I subtract the 100 and put down that I burned 200 calories in my exercise log. Not sure if that is the way everyone does it but it makes sense to me.
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