Clarification on eating exercise calories please?

scowil03xx
scowil03xx Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have read the "eating your exercise calories", "why starvation mode is bad", and "your body's view on calories" posts under the thread "posts you may want to read again" and would just like some clarification based on my personal situation. While eating your exercise calories to avoid starvation mode makes perfect sense, what about situations that some might call extreme or even abby-normal. For example: according to MFP my BMR is approximately 2400 cals/day; I rode my bicycle for 1 hour 48 minutes at approximately 14.25mph; 25.6 miles total; the average of calories burned during this exercise was 2200+ or - (averaged from hr monitor, sports tracker app on phone, and MFP). My question is this: Am I really supposed to try to cram in another entire days worth of calories, in a healthy manner no less, in order to avoid starvation mode?

I try to ride like this twice a week and then try a long ride of 40-50 miles every other weekend.
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Replies

  • streetnamejim
    streetnamejim Posts: 68
    In my experience, results may vary.

    For what its worth, I eat mine most of the time, but there are times that I don't. The same with going a couple of thousand calories over the top on some days every couple of weeks. I think you are fine as long as you don't get stuck in any one trend of way too much or way too little. Perhaps shooting for staying near the line for the weekly goals would be a good measure.

    As you should expect, this subject is very diverse in its conclusions. At the end of the day, you need to figure out what works for you. And if whatever you are doing doesn't work, then try something different. :)

    Good luck!!
  • shedoos
    shedoos Posts: 446 Member
    bump - also interested in the thoughts on this
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I think that starvation mode really only happens when your net is under 1200 calories per day, can anyone shed more light on this? Probably more like 1500 would be the lowest net you would want considering your BMR is 2400 calories per day. Does this make sense?
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    I eat mine. It's important to me because I'm trying to minimize muscle loss and reduce body fat. I cannot achieve that if I carry too large of a deficit.

    Yesterday I burned 1232 calories through exercise (as calculated by my Polar FT4 and minus the calories I would have burn if I remain sedentary during that period of exercise). My calorie goal is to lose 0.3 lbs per week. That is a deficit of 140 calorie per day. I set my activity level to sedentary to account for my everyday normal activities (NOT including the large amount of exercise I do). That gives me a TDEE of 1740. So, yesterday, instead of burning 1740 (this would be my maintenance calories for the day without exercise). I burned 1740+1232 =2972 calories. To maintain my deficit, I ate around 2500 calories yesterday.

    There are many factors that goes into this, such as setting your activities correctly, measuring your calorie intake correctly and your calories burned accurately, as well as your true metabolic rate (which may be more or less than MFP calculates).

    Too large of a deficit (not eating your exercise cals), could result in muscle loss, a depressed metabolism, and weight loss stalls.
  • Beatrix0810
    Beatrix0810 Posts: 138
    Read this article: http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/eating-back-exercise-calories

    It may help!
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    A) I eat mine when it's a reasonable amount, however at my height/weight, an hour of Zumba (which I do every Monday) burns more than 900 calories. That would put me eating over 2800 cals, and I just don't feel like I need that, so I shoot for about 2200 on Zumba days.

    B) Did you really just use the word "abby-normal" in a post???
  • scowil03xx
    scowil03xx Posts: 45 Member
    First, I'd like to thank everyone for their input. I see this is going to be a "trial and error" event.

    Beatrix0810: I read and even bookmarked the "Eating Back Exercise Calories" article that was recommended. I understand that you must account for the calories not burned by just sitting around on my butt vs. out exercising. In the future I will take the lowest calorie expenditure to base exercise calories unless I calculate them myself. I did calculate them based on my bike ride and got 2088.

    Hottottie11: I am also trying to maintain muscle mass and energy while getting rid of body fat. I understand that in order to lose weight/body fat and maintain muscle mass a certain amount of those exercise calories must be eaten, you have to "fuel the machine". As you stated there are so many variables that trial and error, and educated guesses are all I have at this time. One of the recent changes I have made to my diet that seems to be making a significant impact is not allowing myself to eat (other than a casein protein supplement) after 8pm. Given than upon returning from my bike ride I had only taken in approximately 1200 leaving a balance of 1200 from bmr, plus the 2200 from exercise for a grand total of 3400cals to consume in 8 hours. I guess that begs more questions such as how long after exercise do you have to "replenish" or does it matter?

    mbcarreno08: It does make sense and I agree, I hope someone sheds more light on the starvation mode and at what point you have taken in enough to offset it. I would like to know what minimum "net intake" I should be consuming.

    Another user (I can't see the name) commented about looking at a weekly intake vs daily and on an average week I agree that looking at weekly intake vs daily intake could be beneficial if your diet and activity level were fairly consistent (ie bmr + 500-600 cals daily in exercise). While this is a gross exaggeration, something tells me that having a 5000 calorie deficit a the end of my week and pigging out so that I am eating all of my calories isn't going to work no matter how much I want the hot wings and beer. I think the weekly total works when some days are a couple hundred calories short or long throughout the week.

    wildcata77: A) I agree, I think there is a reasonable number to be consumed and reasonable time frame in which to consume them. I'm just trying to figure out what that is.
    B) Yes, I did use the word "abby-normal". I walked through the house and "young frankenstien" was on the tube.

    Sorry this was so long but I wanted to address everyone. I hope I'm not splitting hairs, I'm just trying figure out what is going to work for me. Thanks again.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    Bump. I will respond when i get home with another method of food intale to make it easier to consume large quantities of food.
  • SGT_Reg
    SGT_Reg Posts: 186 Member
    Bump
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    It looks like I've done one thing wrong when it comes to counting exercise calories. I didn't subtract the calories I would have already burned just sitting around, which is part of that 1200. So I either need to fix that, or maybe stay a little under 1200 calories each day to lose the full 2 pounds per week.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    Bump. I will respond when i get home with another method of food intale to make it easier to consume large quantities of food.


    There are methods (such as the Katch McArdle) that will allow you to include your exercise into your TDEE calculation. For example, I am 195 @ 11% body fat. I workout 5-6 days a week (except for holidays). My BMR is 2070 and my TDEE multiplier according to the link below is 1.725 so that means my caloric requirements would be 3571 to maintain my weight. From there you can do a deficit which for me is 500. So I have to eat 3000 calories to lose.


    So your situation:

    2400 * 1.725 = 4140 - 500 = 3640.


    I would note, there are ways to ensure you get enough calories so you don't lose muscle mass. One cook things in olive oil (120 calories per tbsp). You can also have a few protein shakes throughout the day and eat avocado or nuts. They are high calorie but healthy items.


    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm
  • iKristine
    iKristine Posts: 288 Member
    Technical skivvy

    Find you BMR online. Calc manually though. Then multiply by your levels. EX: BMR * 1.2 (sedentary)

    This is your TDEE

    Now take off 500 - 750 calories. Depending on a lbs a week or 1.5

    Eat back at least half your exercise cals. And you will be losing steadily in no time.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member


    B) Did you really just use the word "abby-normal" in a post???

    it was my favorite part :bigsmile:
  • sbb4406
    sbb4406 Posts: 65
    I don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm curious about the same thing and was wondering if someone could set me straight...
    Ideally I want to lose 1-2 lbs a week, so 1.5. MFP recommends 1200 calories a day for me. Using the cordianet site, it says my BMR is 1471 and TDEE is 2280. So would it be more effective to stick with 1200 calories, or go up to 1530 (deficit of 750)?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    I don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm curious about the same thing and was wondering if someone could set me straight...
    Ideally I want to lose 1-2 lbs a week, so 1.5. MFP recommends 1200 calories a day for me. Using the cordianet site, it says my BMR is 1471 and TDEE is 2280. So would it be more effective to stick with 1200 calories, or go up to 1530 (deficit of 750)?
    whats your current weight and goal because unless you have 50+ lbs 2 lbs per week isnt a good choice of a goal. And if you have less than 20 it would be. 5 lbs per week.
  • jenniferhiggins
    jenniferhiggins Posts: 116 Member
    I am curious on this as well now. If someone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I am 140.3 and I would like to get down to 130-132. My bmr is 1458.005 x 1.725(workout 7 days a week) = 2515.0586 calories I should eat a day

    then I am subtracting 500(workout treadmill with my hrm)= 2015 calories

    though according to mfp its says to lose 1 pound a week I should eat 1590 calories,

    So should I just eat the 1590 to lose 1 pound a week. Please help. Thanks so much.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I am curious on this as well now. If someone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I am 140.3 and I would like to get down to 130-132. My bmr is 1458.005 x 1.725(workout 7 days a week) = 2515.0586 calories I should eat a day

    then I am subtracting 500(workout treadmill with my hrm)= 2015 calories

    though according to mfp its says to lose 1 pound a week I should eat 1590 calories,

    So should I just eat the 1590 to lose 1 pound a week. Please help. Thanks so much.

    If 2515 is your maintenance including all activity and exercise, then to lose 1# a week, you'd eat around 2015 without logging exercise, since it's already included in your activity level.

    OR you could follow MFP's suggestion of 1590, log your exercise, and eat the earned calories. If you typically burn about 500 a day, the math works out about the same.

    Either way, you'll end up around 2000-2100 calories total.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,420 MFP Moderator
    I am curious on this as well now. If someone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. I am 140.3 and I would like to get down to 130-132. My bmr is 1458.005 x 1.725(workout 7 days a week) = 2515.0586 calories I should eat a day

    then I am subtracting 500(workout treadmill with my hrm)= 2015 calories

    though according to mfp its says to lose 1 pound a week I should eat 1590 calories,

    So should I just eat the 1590 to lose 1 pound a week. Please help. Thanks so much.

    MFP and the method you posted above are two different methods. If you use the TDEE multiplier, you would eat the same amount of calories a day even when you don't workout out but you dont' eat back exercise calories. Also since you are less than 20 lbs, you can't aim for 1 lb per week, you need more caloires, so it's more like 2515 - 250 = 2265. That should be your daily goal and then you can play with the ratio's between carbs/fat/protein
  • jenniferhiggins
    jenniferhiggins Posts: 116 Member
    Thank you so much. This have been so helpful to me.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    Here's a breakdown with me as an example:

    Male, 5'6", 220

    I NET 1700 calories per day. 1700 net is about 700 less than my maintenance.

    So on days where I don't workout I eat 1700. I burn between 500-900 (700 or so on average) calories in a typical workout.. So on workout days I eat 500-700 (2200-2400) more calories since my total burn for the day is about 3100 (2400 daily living + 700 for the workout). This puts me on pace to lose 1-2 pounds per week and I still get to eat a decent amount of food and not feel starved.

    So far, the MFP calculation is spot on for me.

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