Eating Back Calories Burned??

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amycrims
amycrims Posts: 94
in Health and Weight Loss
I did a similar diet plan to this a couple years ago but we we never allowed to eat back the calories burned. For example, MFP suggests if I burned 500 calories that I can have an extra 500 calories. What if i burned 1000 calories in a day, or 1200, so i eat double? But then not double carbs, fats, and proteins? What if I don't count my exercise and just stay at my regular 1300 calories/day no matter what I burn? I don't get it.

Replies

  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Personal opinion (based on reading the MFP stickys) but I go with eating back your exercise cals. It increases your carbs, fats and proteins when you exercise too (because your body needs those to fuel a good workout). No matter what I exercise off, I still try to be at 1200+ net cals everyday.
  • gdotman
    gdotman Posts: 64
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    I know the body has to refuel, but I'm not gonna put back what I just burned if I'm trying to lose weight.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    MFP is designed around the idea of having a set calorie deficit. So if you're trying to lose 2 lbs/week, that's 1000 calorie deficit per day. MFP builds that deficit into your eating goals BEFORE any exercise is considered. So, to keep that same deficit, you are supposed to eat the additional calories earned through exercise.

    Example:

    Person A normally burns 2500 calories per day based on their height/weight/age/gender and normal daily activity level
    So to lose 2 lbs/week, they need to eat 1500 calories/day (2500 - 1000 = 1500)

    If they workout and burn 500 calories, then they've burned 2500 + 500 = 3000 calories. If they only eat 1500, their deficit will now be 1500 instead of the 1000 that is planned.

    You may be thinking that a higher deficit is better, but that's not really the case. Slower weight loss is better - it is more likely to stay off, and it can ward off health problems from losing weight too fast. 2 lbs/week (1000 calorie deficit per day) is the highest amount recommended unless you're under doctor supervision.

    SO to answer your question: YES you're supposed to eat those calories, especially if you're only on a lower number of regular calories per day. You need to keep your net calories (calories eaten minus exercise calories) at a high enough level to keep your metabolism from slowing down. If you eat low net calories for a long period of time consistently, then you will lower your metabolism and weight loss will be difficult.

    That said, one day of not eating them won't hurt - just try not to do it regularly. When you know you'll be working out, plan ahead and eat a heavier lunch or breakfast. Also, you don't necessarily need to eat ALL of them - it's very easy to overestimate exercise calories (I find MFP tends to be pretty high estimates), and if you eat all of them, that can slow weight loss because you're decreasing your deficit. I aim to eat 50-75% of mine.
  • xTattooedDollx
    xTattooedDollx Posts: 426 Member
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    Everyone has different opinions about this. You just have to figure out what works for you. I eat most of my exercise calories. Then when I get to the point where I stop losing I stop eating them. I'm always going back and forth. When I'm really trying at my diet I lose 2-3 pounds a week doing this. When I never ate my exercise calories I didn't losr much.
  • springgrl
    springgrl Posts: 168 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    Here is one of the stickies on the topic. Personally, when stuff is working for me I eat at least some of my exercise calories back because it keeps me from getting too tired and I still lose weight.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    This question gets about a thousand times a day...

    First off, MFP has already given you a calorie deficit. Even if you don't exercise, you'll lose weight because you're already eating less.

    Your body, my body, everyone's bodies, need a certain amount of fuel (calories) to function properly. Not getting enough of what you need will eventually cause health problems, but before that happens you will stop burning fat and start storing it instead.

    Your daily calorie goal is your net goal. To figure your net calories you subtract the calories you've burned from the calories you've consumed. So if you were to consume 1300 calories and burn 1200 calories, your body would only have 100 calories on which to perform its normal daily functions.

    So, you really need to eat your exercise calories to keep your body healthy, functioning properly, and burning fat.
  • sangreyleche
    sangreyleche Posts: 2
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    It's good to eat back the calories as long as you don't overestimate how many calories are burned etc. :] And if you're not hungry don't intentionally eat them back just to break even... just don't make it so you're net calorie intake is super super low because that is unhealthy!
  • yaseent01
    yaseent01 Posts: 10
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    Very helpful description .... Thanks
  • Elizabethhobbs84
    Elizabethhobbs84 Posts: 26
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    Thanks so much for asking this question. I wondered about it myself. I always assumed you can eat those in which you lost exercising. I am trying to run or jog daily for 30 minutes and I didn't know if I should put those calories back in. I always seem to finish under my goal for the day anyways. I'm usually busy throughout the weekday. I try not to eat after 7pm. Getting off work at 5pm makes it kinda hard.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    This members blog post is WELL worth the read!! Even if you have to skim a bit of the technical part at the beginning the last paragraph says it all! It breaks down the importance of Eating back some Workout Cals and WHY...



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/championnfl/view/expert-in-his-field-hope-this-helps-members-54291
  • amycrims
    amycrims Posts: 94
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    THANKS!! you all are so helpful. i had no idea about the "stickies" !
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
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    If you read through these forums, you'll find a lot of good advice on how MFP works in general (also see the posts in this thread) and how to find your own personal sweet spot.

    A good starting point are the links in the sticky posts that are at the top of this forum.

    Personally, here's what I've been doing: I knew from experience that cutting down my calories too much would make it less likely for me to go through with this, and also I started exercising for the first time in my adult life. Calorie counts for exercise are tricky, and I don't want to overestimate, and on the other hand don't want to get too low. So I set my weight loss goal conservatively, my calorie goal is 1400-1500/day, which is plenty to play with even if you eat out with friends once in a while and aren't in reengineering your food intake with lots of low-cal/fat/carb replacements (I like my regular foods). On the other hand, I count my exercise calories VERY conservatively (eg: a 4-mile bike ride I usually do -- calorie tables say 160 cals, HRM says 200 cals, I count 100) and eat only some of them back by maybe going to 1500-1700 on days where I rake up a substantial amount of workout calories. I reckon this way I have buffer calories built in in both directions, ie, I will be in deficit every day even with the calories I eat, and won't drop too low even if I work out hard. It's worked for me. (Which DOESN'T mean it'd work for you, but you might like to give various experiences a thought.)
  • WriteNovels
    WriteNovels Posts: 56 Member
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    I had questions about this as well. I used to eat so much food. I weigh 182 and most meals I eat the same if not more as my boyfriend who weighs 100 more pounds than me. It's the household I grew up in, and I am trying to change this.

    So, my point was, either way, I am eating way less and exercising when I never did before. I HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT! How could I not?
  • Forme4real2
    Forme4real2 Posts: 24
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    MFP is designed around the idea of having a set calorie deficit. So if you're trying to lose 2 lbs/week, that's 1000 calorie deficit per day. MFP builds that deficit into your eating goals BEFORE any exercise is considered. So, to keep that same deficit, you are supposed to eat the additional calories earned through exercise.

    Example:

    Person A normally burns 2500 calories per day based on their height/weight/age/gender and normal daily activity level
    So to lose 2 lbs/week, they need to eat 1500 calories/day (2500 - 1000 = 1500)

    If they workout and burn 500 calories, then they've burned 2500 + 500 = 3000 calories. If they only eat 1500, their deficit will now be 1500 instead of the 1000 that is planned.

    You may be thinking that a higher deficit is better, but that's not really the case. Slower weight loss is better - it is more likely to stay off, and it can ward off health problems from losing weight too fast. 2 lbs/week (1000 calorie deficit per day) is the highest amount recommended unless you're under doctor supervision.

    SO to answer your question: YES you're supposed to eat those calories, especially if you're only on a lower number of regular calories per day. You need to keep your net calories (calories eaten minus exercise calories) at a high enough level to keep your metabolism from slowing down. If you eat low net calories for a long period of time consistently, then you will lower your metabolism and weight loss will be difficult.

    That said, one day of not eating them won't hurt - just try not to do it regularly. When you know you'll be working out, plan ahead and eat a heavier lunch or breakfast. Also, you don't necessarily need to eat ALL of them - it's very easy to overestimate exercise calories (I find MFP tends to be pretty high estimates), and if you eat all of them, that can slow weight loss because you're decreasing your deficit. I aim to eat 50-75% of mine.

    This!
  • chiera88
    chiera88 Posts: 155
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    the website is setup for you to loose weight without exercise, just eating less. therefore if you exercise, you burn more calories than normal and can eat them and still loose weight. if you're not starving and don't want to eat them, don't. maybe you'll lose even more faster.
  • PetitePerfection
    PetitePerfection Posts: 199 Member
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    I usually do, because I have found that if I were to net say, 1000 calories, I'd actually GAIN weight since its just little enough that my body goes into starvation mode and stores all 1000 calories and my metabolism plummets. But if i eat back my exercise calories and net around 1300, I'll maintain (I have a really screwed up metabolism from years of an eating disorder) or even lose a pound or two. For me, I'm at a healthy weight already and just want to decrease bf% and increase muscle mass so I'm not looking to lose a bunch of weight and the only way for me to do that is by starving, which was what got me into this whole mess in the first place!!!

    So I'd say, make sure not to net less than 1200 b/c you will quite possibly do more harm than good. That being said, MFP tends to overestimate calories burned by a fairly great amount. So maybe eat back 1/2 of the calories you burn? just a though:happy:
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,358 Member
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    I have a hard enough time eating the calories I need to eat, eating more just cus I burned them, I can't see that happening lol.
  • narenn
    narenn Posts: 73
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    To lose weight faster, don't eat back your calories. I drop 2-3 pounds (at least) per week thanks to those extra calories.

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