Eat back your exercise calories or not???

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hummingbird71
hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So this seems to be a BIG TOPIC on just about any given day! I decided to do a little experiment for my own satisfaction to find out which one is better for ME! I did nothing different during this time frame 'cept that I ate back my calories after working out for about 2 weeks verses NOT eating them back or hardly any at all. What I discovered was during the 2 weeks that I DID NOT eat them back I lost weight but only about .5 to 1 lb per week. During the weeks I DID EAT my calories back I noticed a HIGHER loss. During one week it was about 1.5 lbs and the following week it was 2.4 lbs. Now I am not saying this will WORK for everyone but I do encourage each of you to TRY THIS for yourself and see which way works better for you. I now eat back most of my workout calories on most days. There are some days that I just don't feel like it or I am close the my sodium intake amount and don't want to go over that so I don't eat anything else, but for the most part I try to. It has helped me drop a little more pounds per week and I will continue to do this until I don't see it working anymore then I will "switch things up a bit". Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

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  • shunkawakon
    shunkawakon Posts: 37 Member
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    Wow, thanks for actually GOING OUT THERE AND TRYING IT!!! I was always to afraid to give up a few weeks (i know I know....) to eat back exercise calories. I am exercising moderately hard for 6 days a week, and I try not to eat back my exercise calories. But If I do, I never sweat it. Thanks for the experiment!!
  • Tujitsu56
    Tujitsu56 Posts: 392 Member
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    While I do like that you tried this for yourself and I'm a big advocate of eating back your calories... I'm not exactly sure that the calories lost w/in a 2wk span would necessarily be less after eating back calories. Weight loss is all about caloric deficit, so the bigger the deficit, the greater the loss. However, for purposes of fitness and keeping the weight off long term, it is probably better to eat back your calories so that you are getting proper nutrition and your muscle can build properly which will help burn calories. Just an opinon based on a lot of research:)
  • Arabian♥Breeze
    Arabian♥Breeze Posts: 323
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    Glad its working for you!!! I'm actually losing 4 pounds a week not eating my exercise calories back. I just get too full at the end of the day.
  • dianeellen2
    dianeellen2 Posts: 259 Member
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    I am never sure if my evening walk constitues 'exercise' in the true sense (like working out at the gym etc) so never feel brave enough to eat back the calories but may have a little experiemnt myself next week :-)
  • tamiwinters1
    tamiwinters1 Posts: 67
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    Thanks for this! I agree! The calorie goal that MFP gives us is already at a deficit to lose at least a pound a week, and our bodies need at least 1200 calories to maintain a healthy metabolic rate. So if someone for instance is set at that 1200 and burns 400 calories and doesn't eat them back, that puts them at 800 calories for the day - not enough for our metabolisms to work well at and their bodies will go into what is called "starvation mode" and your body will store the fat. Better to keep your metabolism burning that fat! Good job! :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    That is great that this worked for you.

    I would just suggest for those that want to "test" it to go 3-4 weeks doing each. But even then you may and should lose more by not eat them, the difference is not eating them is most likely not healthy and will result in a loss of more lean muscle then if you did eat them back, and that is the big reason you should be eating them, not for the speed of weight loss.
  • susanofscottsdale
    susanofscottsdale Posts: 114
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    While I do like that you tried this for yourself and I'm a big advocate of eating back your calories... I'm not exactly sure that the calories lost w/in a 2wk span would necessarily be less after eating back calories. Weight loss is all about caloric deficit, so the bigger the deficit, the greater the loss. However, for purposes of fitness and keeping the weight off long term, it is probably better to eat back your calories so that you are getting proper nutrition and your muscle can build properly which will help burn calories. Just an opinon based on a lot of research:)

    Nice to read a reasoned, informed response.
  • MAGNIFIEDME
    MAGNIFIEDME Posts: 52 Member
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    Hummingbird I found the same thing - so I rotate on weeks where I find my weight loss is slowing I eat back half or all of my calories burned and that breaks the cycle consistantly.
  • FaithHopeBELIEVE
    FaithHopeBELIEVE Posts: 626
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    THANKYOU for posting what you found out!!! I have been back and forth on this but never consistant. I would go by food intake and not net when I zigzag. THANKYOU!!!
  • embeck79
    embeck79 Posts: 34 Member
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    well done on the trial :)

    i do eat back my calories but i dont think i have been eating enough, generally tired, run down, no energy. going to up my calorie in take including eating back calories, lets see how i get on!
  • hummingbird71
    hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
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    Glad its working for you!!! I'm actually losing 4 pounds a week not eating my exercise calories back. I just get too full at the end of the day.

    That's AWESOME!!! Glad it works for you to do it that way! Congrats on your weight loss!!!
  • Knvsmom
    Knvsmom Posts: 6
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    I just posted this same question and I have been doing the opposite of what you've tried, not eating my exercise calories back. While I have lost weight it hasn't been very dramatic and I believe I may have already put my body in starvation mode or even plateaued. I am going to start eating back most of my exercise calories in case I miscalculated a bit and see if that helps? Good luck with your weight loss. Keep up the good work.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Glad its working for you!!! I'm actually losing 4 pounds a week not eating my exercise calories back. I just get too full at the end of the day.

    That's AWESOME!!! Glad it works for you to do it that way! Congrats on your weight loss!!!

    4 lbs/week is not considered safe. MFP recommends 1lb/week but will allow you to go to 2lbs, which may be safe if you have a lot to lose. Eating them back is for healthy weight loss, not quick weight loss. Please consider eating more, losing weight is not a race.

    If you are too full at the end of the day, space your calories out. If you know you are going to workout later, eat some of the expected burned calories now. If you are still too full then try eating more calorie dense foods instead. That way you get more calories without eating more food.
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    I am never sure if my evening walk constitues 'exercise' in the true sense (like working out at the gym etc) so never feel brave enough to eat back the calories but may have a little experiemnt myself next week :-)

    Why wouldn't it be considered 'exercise?' I've lost (initially 70, but was probably a little too light at that point) and maintained a loss of almost 60 pounds in the last five years, and the only form of exercise I do is walking -- outside and on the treadmill.

    Kaye
  • marleneouellette
    marleneouellette Posts: 1
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    Glad its working for you!!! I'm actually losing 4 pounds a week not eating my exercise calories back. I just get too full at the end of the day.

    Arabian♥Breeze, Congrats on your 60lb wt. loss! :o)
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I am never sure if my evening walk constitues 'exercise' in the true sense (like working out at the gym etc) so never feel brave enough to eat back the calories but may have a little experiemnt myself next week :-)

    The MFP database overestimated my calorie burn from walking, but yes, it is exercise in the true sense. Staying on track required some tweaking of the percentage of exercise calories I ate back. I had to do that for the ellipticals down at the gym too.
  • Arabian♥Breeze
    Arabian♥Breeze Posts: 323
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    4 lbs/week is not considered safe. MFP recommends 1lb/week but will allow you to go to 2lbs, which may be safe if you have a lot to lose. Eating them back is for healthy weight loss, not quick weight loss. Please consider eating more, losing weight is not a race.

    If you are too full at the end of the day, space your calories out. If you know you are going to workout later, eat some of the expected burned calories now. If you are still too full then try eating more calorie dense foods instead. That way you get more calories without eating more food.

    I sure appreciate your concern and tips. I am under the care of a Doctor. And I'm very motivated! I work out 60 min a day without fail and I feel I'm eating enough. I'm doing just fine. I'M VERY over weight so I'm loosing weight faster because i have more fat to burn. The weight loss will slow down as i get thinner and have less fat to burn. I put 1lb a week on MFP and i cant help its 4lbs a week its just what my body wants to do and im not complaining I FEEL GREAT!!! thanks again i sure appreciate when people take there time to express there concern and tips. Just know im under supervision care of my Doctor. I call her often with questions. Also i have a certified trainer i call on occasion as well.

    p.s. my favorite quote is: ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥Success is not a race, be patient and you will see results˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥

    TAKE CARE !!
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    well done on the trial :)

    i do eat back my calories but i dont think i have been eating enough, generally tired, run down, no energy. going to up my calorie in take including eating back calories, lets see how i get on!

    I'm feeling this way, too and I'm eating my calories back and then some. But I'm hoping it's from going from couch potato to working out hard several times every day and that my body will adjust. I really want to balance out what I eat with my workouts so I don't have to feel hungry and irritable. Hungry and irritable don't work for me. I get all mean and lazy.

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